Help a newbie

2 questions:

1. I have a bridle fly wind indicator that came with the 17' I recently bought. Where does it attach?

2. I am having a devil of a time trying to get the boat to come about. It comes up into the wind and just sits there. What am I doing wrong?

1. If you have a standard 17, you have to attach a line or shortened bridle down between the stock bridles and attach to the existing bridles. I have seen various versions, including a modified pvc pipe cut to length to attach between the bridles.

2. It appears that you are not sheeting out during the tack. As you initiate the tack and as the boat starts going head-to-wind, if you don't sheet out the main, you will just windvane into irons.

The 17 is fairly easy to tack once you get the hang of it.

Start the turn slowly, increasing the angle of the rudders as the boat slows down. Keep the rudders over while you let the mainsheet out several feet. Sometimes, I'll force the boom upward with my back as I'm flipping the tiller around the back - that pulls a lot of mainsheet through the blocks quickly.

Make sure to bear off enough on the new tack and bring the main in slowly as the boat accelerates.

And move your butt as far a stern as possible when turning then as far forward as possible once you attempt to attain the new tack. Astern to pull the bows out of the water and let her pivot on the centerboards and forward to get the bows in the water, acting to help the centerboards to keep her from sliding or heading up. It should go without saying that your centerboards are both fully down when sailing upwind, and that your centerboard springs are all fully functional.

Its called a Roll Tack. Get ready to tack with the tiller stick in one hand and mainsheet in the other.

1) Helm is Over: Push Tiller stick away from you to start tack (tips of the tiller arms should be just outside of edge of hull). at the same time move aft to rear crossbar (kneel on hull just in front of rear crossbar).
2)easy mainsheet 2-3ft while keeping tiller/rudders angled to keep the boat turning.

Now here is the critical "timing" part that will take time to learn to "feel"

3) boat will pass through head to wind, while you are still kneeling at the rear crossbar. Throw/pass mainsheet to the (now) windward side. Then turn and grab the tiller crossbar with your free hand.
4) throw tiller stick aft , it is very IMPORTANT to keep the boat turning, do not let the rudders "center"!!! while steering by holding the tiller crossbar
5) Main will "womp" over, keep her "Head Down" when you feel the boat start to accelerate, quickly crawl over to the (now) windward side. and center the helm.
6)sheet the main in, at the same time allow the boat to "come up" with a 'lite touch" on the tiller. Allowing time for the boat to accelerate and develope "flow" over the daggerboard and rudder blades. At this point you should have also moved forward on the boat.
7) at this point the boat should have accelerate and slowly come up to its new course on its new tack

Now depending on the wind the timing will vary. Lite air will sloo ....ow everything down, heavy air will make things happen quickly

_________________
HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

One note regarding your first question-

You can use a traditional bridal fly, however you will have to devise a second bridal or other device to hold the fly down at eye height (as was said by a previous poster).

However, most 17 sailors use video casette tape as a wind indicator. Usually a 2 to 3 foot piece of casette tape tied or taped onto each bridal wire at the desired height. Video tape is nice because it is extremely sensitive and is very cheap (you will probably have to replace it each time you sail). The only real downside is that it can occasionally wrap itself around the bridal wire.

sm

Hi Mark, I just got a 17 too, my first cat & I KNOW what you're talkin' about re: tacking. Releasing the main is huge and may do the trick for you, but I still stall a lot. I think timing is most of it. Try this: the tiller motion is kind of a 'crescendo'. With more speed, it takes a small amount of helm to turn, then more and more as the boat slows. Before you get very slow, push the tiller all the way. It's not too late to whip it, whip it good.

My boat had one of those wind gizmos too. It looked like something to break or put somebody's eye out... so I threw it away. Cassette tape is the way to go.