For further information on this page email the Webmaster
by Bill Deeley, long standing Cherub Sailor & Designer.
Sailing a Cherub in enough wind to be not entirely in control
of one's destiny is for most of us why we do it. It is also why
some people give up, never achieving any control over their destiny
in winds over force 4. It is relatively easy to move from another
class and sail a Cherub in a force 2/3, but in windier conditions
many of the more subtle techniques are unique. Hardly surprising
really - there is simply no other 2-man spinnaker boat this side
of the Equator which is anywhere near as light, short and Fast.
Neither is it any use consulting the books - when these aren't
over-generalising, they are usually talking about Fireballs, and
anyone who has tried a Fireball will know how different that is!
It is a mistake to assume that Cherub heavy weather experts are
born that way. I moved to Cherubs having been a Mirror heavy weather
expert, and was quite shocked - while I could get around pretty
well in the middle of the fleet by "survival" methods
(like it says in the books), there were lunatics "going-for-it",
getting away with it, and going very fast. A year later we were
beginning to get the hang of it. In my time sailing Cherubs I
often sailed past open-mouthed new-comers in windy races. A year
later they were often sailing past me! The moral is Keep Trying.
Neither is it true that you need lots of crew weight - it is not
advantageous in all respects. Lightweights can have a relatively
flexible rig, progressively losing power as the wind increases.
In order to keep up in all winds up to about force 4, the heavies
need a much stiffer rig, and I can assure you that this can make
things very difficult when it gets really windy. Also, the heavies
with all that weight and power are far more prone to the traumas
of nose-diving downwind. With the normal 10 stone crew my last
boat, 'Amber Dragon', used to go bows-down at every opportunity,
but with a 2 stones lighter crew it was hardly noticeable. Dave
Roe and Wendy Barclay were not noted for boat speed problems in
a breeze, and they were only about 18 stone between the two.
Trying it when you're not sure you can do it is the only way
to improve. Secondly, the boat is usually much more controllable
when it is going faster. The worst thing to happen in a force
5 is for the boat to stop moving! There are very few exceptions
to this rule, and you need a lot of experience before applying
them. The only two I can think of at the moment are when a) you
are protecting a very big lead at the end of a race or b) you
are protecting your points score at the end of a series.
This sounds very mundane, but is very important. Everything
must come easily to hand, must work first time, and must work
consistently. If it doesn't, fix it, don't wait for next time.
An awkward jam cleat is no disaster in a force 3, but in a force
6 it will sap your energy, take your concentration off the job
in hand, and might even tip you in. In particular, helms (i.e.
usually owners) pay far too little attention to trapeze and spinnaker
systems - crews are expected to be superhuman. Crews should be
allowed to make a contribution to the front end set-up, that way
they can't gripe when things don't work. If you want a list of
the obvious things which are missing from many boats:-
· Jib cleats that you can uncleat with a straight pull,
yet jam easily.
· Really good non-slip (Pro-grip is best) and footloops
(2 per side) for the crew.
· Thick, non-stretch spinnaker sheets.
· Ratchet blocks on the spinnaker sheets (these are dead
good).
· Spinnaker sheet cleats that work.
· Easy to use spinnaker pole/bowsprit.
Remember too, if anything breaks, its the quickest way of going
from first to last.
Water in the boat not only slows you down, it slops around
and makes balance difficult. The faster you go, the more water
comes in, and you've got to get it out. Use big self-bailers;
place one forward for beating and one right at the back of the
cockpit for fast downwind legs. Of course those of you with self-draining
boats are laughing - should have happened years ago!
Elegance is of no consequence in these conditions, but mistakes
are. Doing manoeuvres step-by-step is much safer as both crew
members know what is going on and what happens next. It is possible
to practice in lesser winds, and also to practice the various
emergency alternative methods (e.g. the crew doing the entire
spinnaker drop). Good examples suitable for this step-by-step
method are spinnaker hoisting/dropping and tacking. It is best
if you can work it so that at any one time one member of the crew
is doing nothing too drastic - that way you can get away with
the odd mistake. If both crew members are flying around the boat
at once, a small error can have very wet consequences.
The theory is simple - ease sheets a little, bear away
a bit and plane to windward. It is relatively easy in a long,
moderately heavy, stable boat on flat water, not so easy in a
short, light boat in a breaking chop. Maintaining planing speed
is the critical thing - drop down to displacement speed and you
are just another pathetic little 12ft boat. Keep an eye on your
stern wake from time to time; if it ever gets within 3ft of the
transom, you're doing something drastically wrong.
The two main targets in achieving speed are to keep the boat Flat
and to get the correct fore-and-aft trim. Keeping the boat
flat is vital. Planing upwind is much less forgiving than planing
downwind, and a slight error in trim results in a large loss of
speed. Move back so that the bottom of the stem is just skimming
the water, but avoid overdoing it. If the bows are too far up
they can be knocked off sideways by the waves, and if you do lose
the plane you will stop dead. To keep the boat flat you will have
to play a lot of mainsheet, which gets to be hard work - this
is just tough, there's no easy way! Provided that you are moving
fast you can also feather up in the gusts, which requires a lot
less effort. This however is a transient measure, and continued
for any length of time will lose boat speed.
There are two schools of thought over mainsheet trimming - it
can be taken in the conventional way by the helm or in the antipodean
style by the crew. Both methods have their supporters, and it
seems to be largely a matter of personal preference. A good guide
is who has the most spare strength available. On the whole the
crew method seems to be marginally more effective, if only because
it's easier to play the sheet two-handed, but Dave & Claire
go quite fast enough using the conventional method.
You will have to be prepared to de-power the rig, just enough
so that you're not underpowered in the lulls. Flatten the mainsail
by tightening the clew outhaul and putting on lots of cunningham.
This bends the mast and opens the leech, especially if you have
a mylar main. Then, if necessary, de-power more by letting the
top of the mainsail twist off by releasing the kicker. If you
can maintain a fast planing speed without difficulty, it may be
a good idea to raise the daggerboard by eight to twelve inches.
If the conditions are gusty or choppy don't bother, and certainly
don't get the crew in from the wire just to adjust the daggerboard.
Knowing just how much to bear away is very difficult. The extra
speed can change the apparent wind angle dramatically, and with
spray everywhere it is very easy to lose all sense of direction.
If there are no other boats around for reference, bear away only
far enough to maintain a reasonable planing speed. If you have
a compass, keep an eye on it to check that you're not going very
rapidly in the wrong direction!
Frequent tacking should be avoided at all costs. It is an opportunity
for things to go wrong and it slows you down considerably. Even
a good tack will probably cost you about four boat lengths in
a force 6. When you do tack, adopt a system. Before coming in
from the wire, the crew should release the jib sheet a few inches
- without this the helm may have to dump the whole mainsail, giving
lee-helm and making a tack impossible (crews please note). Once
in, the crew should shout "hook off" (or similar!) when
unhooked, but should stay well to windward and preferably sit
out. This ensures that boatspeed is maintained until the exact
moment between waves when the helm wants to tack. Again, if the
crew moves across too early, the helm will have to dump the main
and a tack will be impossible. When you do tack, don't sheet in
too hard too soon - get the crew out on the wire and a bit of
speed up first; those moments of low speed are when you are most
susceptible to being knocked flat by a gust. None of this is very
elegant, and you may see people doing flashy techniques in more
stable boats, but it works - quite important in a howling gale.
The latest trendy accessory, these come into their own downwind.
Upwind some people seem to make no adjustment to them at all.
This only works if you want to go slowly and fall over! In all
conditions aim to adjust the sheet through the tack - mostly no
more than a couple inches, probably more if its howling . The
main point that needs highlighting is that in windy conditions
the crews' awareness of what the boat is doing after the tack
is vital. Obviously because the sheet isn't being let out as much
as with a normal system, once you've tacked, the jib then fills
and starts working a lot quicker. If you are not ready for this,
before you know it you are in the green stuff and the helm is
shouting obscenities once again! (Even if it is his (or her) fault
for not getting the main in quick enough in the first place!)You
have got to be ready to dump some, or occasionally, all of the
jib if the guy in the back is still sorting out rudders and pulling
in mainsheets. It doesn't take long to get used to but you do
need to be aware. Everything does have to happen much quicker
purely because the jib kicks in that much sooner.
The other very useful thing is to have a system with backing lines
(typically boat a piece of thin line from the car attached to
the shroud plates so easily grabbable if necessary). This makes
getting out of irons possible and also makes doing turns quicker.
To sum up, get that boat flat, and work hard to do it. The harder you work, the faster you will go.
There's the weather mark... nicely on the lay-line... here comes the reach, maybe we can have a rest... tiller up, sheet out, what does Deeley say next?... what do you mean, you haven't read the next bit?... never mind, its only Downwind... AAAGH... Splat... Glug....
Bill Deeley (written about 1985) (slightly adapted and updated
by Jim Champ, 1993), paragraphs on Self tacking jibs by Claire
Spens, 2000.
For further information on this page email the Webmaster