The instructors reviewed points of sail so as to better communicate with the students on the water.\u00a0 Also refreshed were terms “heading up” (turning towards the wind), and “bearing off” (turning away from the wind). https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Point_of_sail<\/a><\/p>\n Rock & Rollin’<\/strong><\/p>\n Let’s talk roll tacks.\u00a0 First, I’ll write a wee bit about how the instructors’ described roll tacks.\u00a0 I assume this is the “CANSail” way of teaching roll tacks.\u00a0 Then we’ll talk briefly about how other resources talk about roll tacks.<\/p>\n The CANSail way to think about roll tacks<\/strong><\/p>\n Roll tacks were described in terms of using heel to facilitate steering through the tack, reducing the use of rudder (and therefore losing less speed through the tack).\u00a0 The description was given in 3 steps:<\/p>\n Once the basic motions are nailed, here’s a bit more to think about:<\/p>\n When you’re watching YouTube, reading books, or checking out blogs, roll tacks are spoken about less from a “steering” perspective, and more from a “wind” perspective.\u00a0 The idea is that the rolling motion (steps 2 and 3, as the instructors described) will move the sail through the air as the boat heels, keeping pressure in the sail and driving the boat forward.\u00a0 The faster and harder you roll the boat, the more air is forced into the sail, and the faster you move.<\/p>\n Particularly in light wind, the pressure generated by a fast roll can be greater than the wind normally exerts on a close reach.\u00a0 You can actually move the boat faster by repeatedly roll tacking than by sailing straight (when racing, this is against the rules — you’re allowed to roll tack, but you are not allowed to exit the tack with speed “greater than it would have been in the absence of a tack”.\u00a0 Rule 42.3b<\/a>)<\/p>\n I mention this because lots of resources on the Internet (and in print) talk about roll tacks purely from a “keep wind in your sails” perspective.\u00a0 Some resources also mention helping you steer, but in the more in the context of as added bonus to the main goal of keeping your sails full.\u00a0 The CANSail instruction is the only one I’ve seen that has spoken about it purely from a steering perspective, but the instructors know what they’re doing better than I, so listen to them.<\/p>\n To show the different perspectives on roll tacks, here are some resources showing excellent sailors demoing the tacks each with their own emphasis:<\/p>\n All this is to illustrate that different top sailors seem to think that different aspects of the tack are worth focusing on.\u00a0 I’m going to listen to the instructors and focus on the steering via heel throughout the tack, but be aware that the resources you find online may highlight other aspects of the technique.<\/p>\n One final video, if you’ll allow me.\u00a0 This is from the 2015 Laser World Championship (in Kingston, Ontario that year) where Australian Tom Burton (who went on to win Olympic Gold in 2016) was in the lead over American Chris Bernard.\u00a0 Tom knew Chris could not pass him as long as they were on the same tack.\u00a0 Chris knew he couldn’t catch Tom as long as they were on the same tack.\u00a0 Tom would roll tack to be on the same tack as Chris (and in front of him) to “cover” Chris.\u00a0 Chris would immediately roll tack to be on the opposite tack to try to pass Tom.\u00a0 https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zOHySbcp5gs&t=5m40s<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The second session was a brief review of points of sail, and an introduction to roll tacks.\u00a0 Lasers were rigged and launched from the end of the ramp.\u00a0 No capsizes! Forecast was 6-8 knots of wind from S, however observed was maybe about 4 from SW with a couple of gusts in 6 knot range … Continue reading Advances Sailing Skills, May 13, 2017<\/span> \n
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\nThe Non-CANSail Way to think about roll tacks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n