Hobie Forums :: View topic - How to de-power downwind?

That is a tough one... You would be in a dangerous position sailing down wind when sheeted in. Any turn or wind shift could make the sail gybe and fill and either flip you or round you up hard.

Here is what I do when backing off a beach or back onto a beach:

Get as close as possible to your beaching spot and directly up wind from it... and round up to stop. Sheet the main all the way out and raise the rudders. Hop onto the bow and grab the jib clew (sheeted all the way out). By back-filling the jib... holding the clew out equal with the bows you can sail the boat onto the beach. The more forward the jib clew the more the boat will turn away from the side you are holding the jib on. By easing the clew aft a bit the boat will steer towards the side you are on.

If on the port bow... holding the jib clew well forward of the bow drives the sterns to starboard. holding the clew a bit more aft will steer the boat to port.

Rudders have to stay up! Weight on the boat forward and sterns up.

Practice in open water... balance standing on the bow tips is key. You can use the jib for balance.

Author:	mjggjm [ Thu Jan 03, 2019 10:43 am ]
Post subject:	How to de-power downwind?
I was on a beam reach running parallel to the beach and was quickly approaching where I was parked on the beach. I would have to bare away and head to the beach on a run. There were also a lot of kayakers and paddleboarders to watch out for. I was afraid to bear away because I knew I would pick up speed and I did not want to hit any one or come in too hot. I was about 50 yards off of the beach because of sandbar that runs parallel to the beach so I could not just come straight in from far out. I think if I could sheet the sails all of the way in on a run that would slow you down, but I didn't want to sheet in before making the turn because I was afraid of capsizing. I also didn't think I had enough time to make the turn and then sheet the sails in. I ended up turning into the wind to stop and worked my way to the beach from there. Is there a way I could have made this maneuver slowly and under control? Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

Author:	mmiller [ Thu Jan 03, 2019 3:14 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
That is a tough one... You would be in a dangerous position sailing down wind when sheeted in. Any turn or wind shift could make the sail gybe and fill and either flip you or round you up hard. Here is what I do when backing off a beach or back onto a beach: Get as close as possible to your beaching spot and directly up wind from it... and round up to stop. Sheet the main all the way out and raise the rudders. Hop onto the bow and grab the jib clew (sheeted all the way out). By back-filling the jib... holding the clew out equal with the bows you can sail the boat onto the beach. The more forward the jib clew the more the boat will turn away from the side you are holding the jib on. By easing the clew aft a bit the boat will steer towards the side you are on. If on the port bow... holding the jib clew well forward of the bow drives the sterns to starboard. holding the clew a bit more aft will steer the boat to port. Rudders have to stay up! Weight on the boat forward and sterns up. Practice in open water... balance standing on the bow tips is key. You can use the jib for balance.

Author:	mjggjm [ Thu Jan 03, 2019 8:19 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
Thanks, Matt! I will definitely try that.

Author:	Tom Kirkman [ Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:39 am ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
If I don't have room to sail upwind and then round up just off the beach, I typically stay downwind, sheet in hard and steer to keep the stern into the wind. Even if you go too far, an accidental jibe isn't much to deal with because you are, in fact, sheeted in hard and the sail/boom are not going to come crashing over. This is also a good way to stop the boat to a bare drift when sailing downwind. One of my A-Class Cat buddies has started doing this after watching me a few times.

Author:	Wintersun [ Sat Jan 05, 2019 1:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
When the sail is parallel to the direction of the wind the force on the sail will be the least, whether heading into or away. I rigged my Revo 13 so I could furl the sail while on the kayak and I would leave shore with it furled and return to shore with it furled as well. I can also partially furl the sail to deal with high wind situation. Tricky when I had a racing dingy but with the kayak I can depower the sail and still move forward and maintain steerage using the Mirage drive or the paddle.

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Author:	mjggjm [ Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:19 am ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
Thanks, guys, you have given me some options to try. I will try them in open water first to see what works for me.

Author:	Pescatoral Pursuit [ Sun Jan 06, 2019 7:45 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
mmiller wrote: That is a tough one... You would be in a dangerous position sailing down wind when sheeted in. Any turn or wind shift could make the sail gybe and fill and either flip you or round you up hard. Here is what I do when backing off a beach or back onto a beach: Get as close as possible to your beaching spot and directly up wind from it... and round up to stop. Sheet the main all the way out and raise the rudders. Hop onto the bow and grab the jib clew (sheeted all the way out). By back-filling the jib... holding the clew out equal with the bows you can sail the boat onto the beach. The more forward the jib clew the more the boat will turn away from the side you are holding the jib on. By easing the clew aft a bit the boat will steer towards the side you are on. If on the port bow... holding the jib clew well forward of the bow drives the sterns to starboard. holding the clew a bit more aft will steer the boat to port. Rudders have to stay up! Weight on the boat forward and sterns up. Practice in open water... balance standing on the bow tips is key. You can use the jib for balance. Can you perform this in a 2-3' (or more) hard breaking surf without the boat getting out from underneath you? Here's another idea that works incredibly on my TI: Keep a small drift chute with a 15' lead and a carabiner tucked into the tramp. Get close to the breakers, round up, sheet out the sails, pull up the rudders, then take out the righting line, and using it as a yoke, clip the drift sock lead to it, then kick back and coast your way onto the beach.

Author:	mjggjm [ Mon Jan 07, 2019 7:06 am ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
The beach I launch from is in a protected area so there is never any surf there. That sounds like fun though.

Author:	ASDASC [ Tue Jan 08, 2019 4:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
We had rented a Getaway down in Key Largo, and coming back to shore the wind died. We were holding the main and jib out trying anything to catch breeze and made it just about 200 yards out when the on shore breeze picked way up. They have a very narrow boat ramp to pull into and it was straight downwind. My crew couldn't believe that I sheeted in tight! It was a panic reaction, and worked perfectly. We came in nice and soft. Wind at our backs, we were able to step off the sides and hold it just before coming to the cement boat ramp.

Author:	Steve C [ Tue Jan 08, 2019 9:19 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
They wouldn't let us rent a Getaway in Key Largo, 2 years ago. My kid & I capsized the wave, wasn't a problem got up & going right away. Came in & the guy said ah, did you capsize out there? I said yes. He said we will have to charge you a $10.00 capsize fee. I said really? Ok, fine but write it on the receipt cause nobody will believe it. I said we would like to reserve the Getaway for tomorrow & he said oh no, I don't think the owner will let you because of your capsize, I will have to ask him. I said ok here's my #. He never called me. Steve C.

Author:	mjggjm [ Wed Jan 09, 2019 7:46 am ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
ASDASC wrote: We had rented a Getaway down in Key Largo, and coming back to shore the wind died. We were holding the main and jib out trying anything to catch breeze and made it just about 200 yards out when the on shore breeze picked way up. They have a very narrow boat ramp to pull into and it was straight downwind. My crew couldn't believe that I sheeted in tight! It was a panic reaction, and worked perfectly. We came in nice and soft. Wind at our backs, we were able to step off the sides and hold it just before coming to the cement boat ramp. I think I could have done that if I was able to make the turn down wind farther from shore but I didn’t feel like I had enough room to make the turn and sheet in fast enough. Also, I may have had some trouble turning the boat 180 to head it into the wind once I got off of it. Maybe it not, though. I did the same thing you described on a sunfish going through a mooring field once, but the beach wasn’t directly down wind after the moorings.

Author:	SlowSL [ Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:48 am ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
I've never heard of anyone else doing this, but back when I first started sailing a 16, I was caught out in winds far exceeding my skill level a few times. I'd just get relatively close to my destination, turn upwind, quickly grab the halyard, put a foot out on the hull, lean out and drop the main. Use the main line to lazily wrap the sail so it doesn't catch the wind, and sail in with the jib alone. It seemed like a good idea in my 14 year old mind, and it worked for me. Was this a bad idea?

Author:	ASDASC [ Fri Feb 08, 2019 1:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: How to de-power downwind?
Dropping the main in heavy wind next to shore seems difficult, but heck, if it worked it was a great idea!!

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