John Lunn wrote:
The mighty SX18 truly flies under spin..... what a great video, and I love your mainsail...
Thanks- the Main is a Whirlwind, which I've been very happy with. The previous owner bought it just before he sold the boat, so it should last a while longer, but when it does need replacing, I'll probably get one of Chip's squaretops.
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We have different techniques....
My 20 year old son Martin kneels (with his windward knee) on the tramp, facing forward, with his leeward knee extended at about 45 degrees to the side, and leeward foot is tucked under a hiking strap. This way, he can play the spin sheet and keep a better eye on the shape of the luff of the spin. When things get 'hot', he moves more outboard, and more to the stern, but still on the tramp. (Even if I bought a longer spin sheet, we're not good enough yet to run the spin from the wings or the wire.... most folks around here run the spin from the tramp).
Does your kite sheet from the front crossbar? like I mentioned, mine sheets from the rear bar, so sitting on the tramp means the sheet is behind you at an awkward angle- that may account for the difference. I find that up on the wings gives us the best view of the luff. We were too far forward in that video, but these days in really heavy air running, I'm all the way at the back edge of the wing, with a leg braced against the wing leg, with the crew just in front of me , often straddling the wing leg. this gives us tons of righting moment, and helps keep that leeward bow nice and high.
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I steer the 18SX to the mark, going hotter to pick up speed, then bearing away to use that speed to go fast. I scallop as gently as I can to maintain maximum speed, using the luff of the spin as my indicator, as advised by the crew. I never play the mainsheet, it stays 'locked'.
When puffs begin to overpower us, #1 - Martin will release a bit of spin sheet, #2 - Release of more spin sheet, #3 - I bear away, and if the puff is really strong, #4 - I turn downwind fully and sheet in the traveler.... (less area for the wind to affect the mainsail), but I NEVER release the mainsheet. A tight mainsheet is needed as a backstay... ever seen the top of the mast in those conditions when you release the mainsheet? Even my buddies who sail Tornado's use this method, and they have straight sticks.
It was a very puffy day (steady 12-14, gusts to 25+), so it was very hard to find and stay in a groove with that windward hull just skimming the water. We were also just out playing around, not racing, so could chase the wind where-ever we wanted
I was definitely playing the main way too much in those conditions, and was lucky not to damage the mast. My original thinking had been to only blow the main after the kite was blown (if I still needed it), but I wasn't being as good about that as I should have been. blowing the main also just opened the top of the sail up so it caught the wind and pushed us over more. A habit from my monohull days I've been working to get rid of.
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Tiger and Wildcat sailors, how do you run with a spin?
A couple of times, we have almost pitched, the hulls going to about 50 degrees, and the boat came to a sudden stop. H18 has huge hull volumes forward, which is a very good thing. (That's when we were glad we have a plan to stay "secured" on the tramp...using foot straps etc) Then, with a quick release of the spin and traveler sheets, the boat came back flat, and we zoomed off. The only time we capsized was when we were trying to use the spin to beat upwind..... however, that is another story.
The buoyancy really is incredible in those bows. I think we could have recovered from our pitchpole if the skipper at the time (a friend and fellow H18 owner) hadn't lost his grip and slid forward into me...
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One of these days, I'll have the courage to go out on the wire when under spin..... need more practice.
Yes, its absolutely wild flying the kite from the trap- I've done it a few times when soloing, and its an adrenaline rush
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Frostbite Series starts tomorrow, although at 25C and sunny, we won't even wear wetsuits....
Lucky you- I moved over the summer, and so my boat has gotten very little use. I'm hoping to get one more good weekend, but then that's it...
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