de-power with car or sheet?

In a beam or broad reach, do I dump power off the sail by traveling the car out or by loosening the main sheet (moving away from 'block to block')?

I have always just feathered the main out a little to de-power. When it really blows, it's uncleated so I can quickly dump sail if I feel the need. I've recently seen some videos where the skipper (or crew depending on who is doing what) seem to be leaving the blocks tight to each other and pulling the car back and forth when loss of powered is needed. My car seems to stick and is always a pain to move. It will move, but if I'm beaming back and forth I leave it alone and adjust power with the main sheet. The 2 to 1 (?) of the car seems difficult to finely adjust or to even hold the tension manually as I would the main sheet. If it's really blow'in, I find myself constantly playing a game of 'power up' and 'power dumping' based on the mainsheet line. Should I be playing this game with the car sheet instead?

Thanks!

I've always thought the main sheet was the way to go for depowering, as it's 6-1 verses 2-1 for the traveler. The traveler will go out quicker, but if it's blowing, it's a little hard to handle with any control. I suppose it's all personal preference. The Rick White book i've got says the traveler is the gross adjuster while the sheet is more of a fine tuning device, if that helps.

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Blair T

I love these calm moments before the storm, it reminds me of Beethoven...


'02 Hobie Tiger USA 1152

I do the same, let the main out first. I don't know if it is right or not, but that's what I do. If it is windy, I simply don't have enough strength to let out the traveler, and then pull it back in. I would end up having to ease the main, then pull in the traveler, then sheet in the main if I let out the traveler first. It just seems like steps that aren't neccessary when I'm trying to maintain speed. Again, I could be totally wrong on this.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

If you've got a good crew, you can let them handle the traveller when sailing upwind. They have to watch for puffs and be ready to ease as soon as the puff hits, otherwise you'll have to dump the mainsheet or feather the boat anyway. It only works if you've got a crew you've been sailing with for a while. Otherwise, just set the traveller as your gross adjustment and work the mainsheet as you've been doing.

On a beam reach, set your traveller and work the mainsheet. If it's windy, the crew will be too busy working the jib trying to prevent a pitchpole that they won't be able to do anything else.

On a broad reach your traveller should be all the way out or close to it anyway, so there's no reason to mess with it.

sm

In general, the mainsheet is controlling the top of the mainsail, and the traveller is controlling the lower part.

In general, the harder the wind blows, you want to sheet harder (without capsizing, of course) to flatten the sail for speed. Conversely, you want the sail to be fuller (sheet relatively eased) for power at lower wind speeds.

On the Hobie 16 (mine, at least) it is very difficult to adjust the traveller while the sheet is loaded.

So, for a beam reach, try this: Travel the jib out half way (more for higher wind), sheet the jib just enough to keep it from luffing wildly, and, if you're solo, forget it. (If you have crew, get their weight back as far as possible, and have them play the jib.) Travel out the main about a foot and, with the sheet eased a little, fall off 'til you get her going good. The faster you go, the harder you sheet the main. When you can't sheet anymore, try falling off to the point that you're just about to stall and see how long you can keep it in that groove. If you're trapped out off the back of the tramp frame while doing this, you'll really be cooking! If you fall off too much and stall, quickly steer back up and heat it up before losing too much speed. If the wind gets so great that you're constantly popping the windward hull up before you can sail very deep, you need to travel the main out a little more (so that you can still sheet hard). In heavier air, you should also ease tension on the jib sheet which tends to pull the bow down when you're off the wind. Always be ready to sheet out the main as necessary to avoid a capsize. Note that this technique has you constantly on the verge of a pitchpole, even more so when the water's choppy. Finally, all this works better with newer (flatter) sails, more mast rake, etc. but is doable to some extent, regardless.

The screaming beam reach is a challenge (especially for lake sailors that get nothing but gusty, shifty winds) because it's all about apparent wind. The faster you go, the apparent wind is more of a header, so you sheet in and/or fall off some and go even faster untiil you get a true lift....then the sails stall and you slow down, causing a loss of apparent wind which stalls the sails even more, so you slow down more, and you have to sheet out, head up, and start all over.

Once you've got a good feel for the technique above, try to keep the sails just on the edge of stalling (rather than luffing). As you first feel a gust coming, ease the boat down so that it stays on the edge of the stall. The gust will spit you forward like a watermelon seed, and you will set you're personal speed record if you don't pitchpole first. Otherwise (if you're on the edge of luffing), the gust will likely fly the hull quickly, requiring you to head up quickly, dump the sheet, and start all over.

It's a real hoot when you can get it sizzling, but hard to keep it there!

Hope you find this useful!

Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mi'sippi

In a beam reach, if you find yourself having to let out too much mainsheet on the puffs to prevent capsize, then travel out the main. Try to keep the main as tight as possible most of the time. In 20 knots of wind I find myself traveling out my main about a foot in order to be able to keep my main sheeted in and let it out sligthly in the gusts.

Beam reach the traveller should be all the way out and probably 14"-18" between the blocks.

???

are you serious ? I don´t travel out more than half way in a broad reach unless it is smokin wind.

Define "smokin"

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Bodhisatfa

I mean tons of wind. The only time I would travel out all the way is if I´m really going with the real wind on my tail. We all know for this is totally impractical. A broad reach with 90-100 degrees of apparent wind I would do with half traveler out.

It's always interesting to see the different opinions posted here and at other catsailing forums. The problem is that there are rarely any universal truths. Regarding this topic, the "best" settings will depend on many things such as amount and quality of wind, wave conditions, weight on boat, condition of sails, mast rake carried, number of courage beers consumed, etc.

bones: Get you a copy of Rick White's "Catamaran Racing for the 90's" if you don't already have it. Read....practice....repeat....the mysteries will slowly unveil. (ASIDE: When you're facing conditions that are expected to be beyond your previous limits, it's always better to practice on someone else's boat.)

As a VERY GENERAL GUIDE......travel in/out until the lower tell-tails act right, sheet in/out until the upper tell-tails act right. If there's too much wind such that you're constantly having to release the main to avoid capsive, travel out more. Still too much?....blow the mainsheet when necessary. Still too much?.....more courage beer required. Still too much?....get off the water, sit on bank, drink rest of beer, and be entertainmened by those that stayed out!

Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mi'sippi

Bones, of all the replies to your questions Jerome has provided the best and most detailed advice in his two posts. I´m guessing my thoughts are more or less in line too, or at least should be.

Lake sailors...try this approach

When you get that lift talked about earlier (from the shifty, gusty winds) you'll be able to pull the traveller in and recover or maintain enough speed to quickly get back in the groove.

If you've got the main sheeted tight?...well good luck trying to move the traveller. If you, as skipper, have your eyes off that leeward bow, looking up the lake to anticipate that lift/shift, I guarantee you'll pitchpole. Only other way to maintain flow with the main sheeted tight (when the lift comes) is an abrupt steering change, and then you'll find yourself dragging your crew (on the trapeze) behind the boat.

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Sheet In...Max Out
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