Art of tacking H16

I am slowly but surely picking up the subtleties of tacking in the H16. I'd appreciate any advice people can give. It seems that I have to turn into the tack with a medium amount of tiller, not too abruptly. Then I DON'T let the jib come across to the new leeward side - instead I let it backwind, while at the same time reversing the tiller, until I've well and truly come about. The finally I take the jib across and straighten up the tiller.

Is all this right? Or am I doing this horribly wrong? Thanks. Paris.

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Broward County, FL
1984 Hobie 16, Olympic Edition (kept in NY)

That's the basics. Don't stall the rudders by oversteering; backwind the jib to pull the bows across.

i find tacking in light to moderate winds relativly easy - its the stronger winds i seem to struggle doesnt want to keep coming about and i get in irons some times takes several attempts

There is a move called the roll tack. There is a bunch of info on this all over the place, but it's helped out my turning a lot. I recommend reading up on this.

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http://www.GetWetSailing.com It's A Great Day To Sail!

Don't forget to release the main sheet just as your turn takes you dead into the wind. I've found it can act as a wind vane and keep you from completing your tack.

Can you elaborate a little more on this? When are you at risk of oversteering? When you first head up?

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Broward County, FL
1984 Hobie 16, Olympic Edition (kept in NY)

Basically leave the jib in the jam lock, as you start the tack, the nose of the boat starts to go through the eye of the wind pop the main sheet and you will see the wind will catch the jib on the wrong side. This will tend to pull the nose of the boat through the tack. Make sure you are far enough around before you pop the jib and haul in the main. Takes a little practice but works good.

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06 getaway -- always remember, man with both feet in mouth have no leg to stand on.

I have found during the last few outings,1: let out between 12" to 18" of main sheet a few seconds before you are head to wind. 2: stay on "old" side of the boat until the main batons pop, this seems to indicate that you are through the eye of the wind. 3: start the switch to the new windward side, pass the tiller over, re-sheet the main and let the jib fly across and sheet it in, all at the same time Staying on the old windward side in higher winds is a bit freaky until you have done it several times.

I have not had much luck with this, but some say you can and should let the jib loose instead of back winding it.

Sam

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Sail Like you Have a Pair
Bluish gray 73 - 83 H16
Super Nice Yellow 84 H18

Remember the main will still power you as you come into the eye of the wind. So... as you prepare to tack sheet the main in, bring it in tight as you go through the eye of the wind then release it and shift to the other side of the boat and release the jib. Now.... if you have crew it is helpful to count down.... loud enough for the crew to hear if the wind is howling, say, prepare to tack, weight forward, ready on the jib, 3,2,1 tacking, then tell the crew when to cut the jib, unless they are experienced. It is important to have weight forward in big wind to keep the bows down, this helps with the tack, also sheet the main in tight, it is scary at first cause you have a lot of power in your hand at this point. She'll come through then release the main quickly sheet out to gather wind then sheet back in to accelerate.

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Bodhisatfa

Not sure where you sail but tacking in big waves or rolling swells adds a whole new element. I'd offer sage advice but, after many years, I'm still trying to figure it out. Two things I have learned though is do not attempt to tack from a reach and keep your weight forward or the waves and wind together will lift the boat and turn you over backwards in a sort of a reverse pitchpole. I try to tack off the back of a wave and make it through the wind before the next wave arrives. You really have to pick your spot or the next swell will stall or turn you back.

Im only speaking partly from experience. im still a beginner too but ive read much on this. From what ive read and been experimenting with:

Get as much momentum as you can before going into a tack. Before going into a tack make sure you are sailing on a closed haul point of sail. Ease the the tiller halfway to the way you want to tack. Do this gently and kind of slow. If you jam it to the other side you will cause the boat to stall halfway through the tack. Let the jib backwind, and once the jib starts to backwind push the tiller the rest of the way over. Once your jib starts to backwind release the mainsheet. if you keep it sheeted in, it can prevent you from fully tacking dono why. Once your mainsheet pops over to the other side, release the jib and sheet in on the other side. Once your mainsheet is on the other side (and so are you) start to pull in the mainsheet. Dont pull it in really fast. Ease it in as you gain momentum. If you pull it in to fast you will stall the boat and cause it to accelerate slowly. Also, after a tack dont point too high into the wind. With the asymetrical hulls if you point high, with no momentum, the hulls will not be able to create the lift needed to make lateral resistance. So tack to a closed reach and then start pointing higher as you gain momentum

Also if your sailing in the ocean in swell. it makes tacking 10x harder. I find if you want to tack in the swell start your tack right you are about to reach the highest point of the wave (the crest) not at the top but right before. You will be tacking as you come into the low part (trough) and hopefully as you come about the next wave will be hitting you. I find if your going thru a tack and your going up a wave the energy from the wave stops you from tacking. But if your going thru a tack at the trough you will usually make it.
Tacking thru waves is really hard. and i could have just made that all up. But thats what i do.. and it works for me more than half of the time so... its a start

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1971 H16 (sail #1768)

To all of you on the Hobie Forum... I love you guys!!!
thanks for all the help!

i sail in ocean waves... and when it is choppy i find moving your weight to the rear of the boat makes the boat piviot on the back of the hulls... my 2 cents....
practice... tell me how it workd....

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•Present boat -1998 Hobie 16 Solana Sails furling jib[/size]

only one thing to add...seems to be several posts stating, when on the new tack, sheet the Main first, then the jib.

I'll disagree, once on the new heading, and jib across on new, lee side of boat, SHEET IN THE JIB FIRST. This will pull the bows down and start acceleration on the new heading, then sheet in the Main. If you sheet in the Main first (and maybe a bit too early) the tendancy is for the boat to head up (weather vane) and send you into irons.

As previously stated, a determent to this is the releasing of a significant amount of Main sheet when comning head to wind. Once the skipper gets to the new side of the boat, having to haul in several feet of slack will possibly/hopefully take a bit longer than getting the jib sheeted.

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Sheet In...Max Out
www.fleet297.org
sailflatlands at gmail dot com

Here's a neat article I found on roll tacking a Hobie.

The link is:
http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article73.html

Best Regards,

Maury

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“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.”

I agree with most of that except the part about how it doesn't matter what you do with the jib. On boats with smaller, battenless jibs, auto-tack jibs or boats with dagger boards I agree with that statement...cut the jib and let it fly. The H16 has a huge jib and backwinding it, at least until the mast rotates, really seems to help. Also, when I finally uncleat it I don't free it all at once. I usually hold the sheet rope and feed it over slowly all the while keeping it winded which seems to help the boat accelerate out of the tack. I use batten hinges too so it doesn't get stuck on the mast.