Flights of Freedom

SB20 Sailing Use wind indicator if available. Sometimes sail trailing edge will have telltales going off wrongly, but leading edge will still luff. So prioritise leading edge.  Also, developed a system where I will sit FWD of the main sheet pulley, and not cross over the traveller cleat. And when tacking, I've got to be nimble and squeeze in the gap between the main sheet and the traveller.  Shift weight around to lean/roll the boat when turning. Roll the boat towards the outside of the turn to encourage it to turn in the opposite direction. (eg roll to starboard and boat will turn to port). Watch for optimum timing to move from one side to another, especially when tacking or gybing. When gybing: 1. Lean weight out to initiate heel away from sail and encourage steering, 2. Initiate sail swingover, 3. When boat has arrived at desired heading, dash over to the other side and lean weight out to flatten /unroll the boat, re-power the sail and accelerate. When tacking: ...

Conditions: Gusty storm winds, but approx 7-8 knots.  Wind shifts sometimes, so need to ascertain new direction accurately. Still a little unsure about whether I am reading the wind correctly. Maybe might put a wind indicating device that is within the field of view of the camera and review footage afterwards to assess quality of sail trim. Sailed in my first storm today.  Hiking out a lot more today. But the problem encountered was that sometimes right when I hiked out, the boat "un-heeled", and continued rolling the other way. So I'll have to immediately sit up and in. Two possible reasons: maybe I hiked out too much, or when I hiked out, I unknowingly/accidentally slightly pointed the boat, which reduced the side force pressure and resulted in the rolling back towards me, past the neutral point. Need to find a way to solve the twitchy controlling and keep the rudder centered even as I move around the cockpit. Going downwind presented another challenge.  Boat felt diffi...

Item 1: Rigging Observation: Rigging boat was slow. Reflection: Unfamiliar with the procedures and the specific parts of the keelboat.  Sub Points: new parts of the boat for me: outstay (line at the back to control curve of mast for depowering the top of the sail) Head of mainsail connected to main halyard via shackle.  Item 2: Main Sail Control Sub points: - Learnt traveller tuning to keep boom centred. (traveller used as fine tuning after sheeting in on the main sheet)  - Keeping top leech telltale streaming out straight (unable to do that even after loosening outstay and sheeting out. Next thing to try: tuning the vang)  - Main sheet, outstay and traveller controlled by the same guy usually. Need to get accustomed to the ergonomics and movement within the cockpit. Sometimes might need to manage spinnaker also. Item 3: Spinnaker Observation:  I am very unfamiliar with the spinnaker as I have never used one before. I am also unfamiliar with the SB20...

Pre-Sailing Pro tips: Try standing up if you can't feel the wind too well. Stand up to feel the wind then sit back down. (Wind shouldn't change too much for the following half hour after your standing-up wind check.)  Train your sensitivity to the wind by using a fan at home to simulate the wind, and then try to mentally understand how to sense the wind and get a sense of how various winds at different directions feel like.  Post Sailing Reflections: Conditions: Wind was stronger and more stable today when we went out.  Today I was monitoring my sail a lot more closely and constantly checking the telltales. I'm still a bit unsure of how to use BOTH telltales. I'm going by the rule of thumb that both telltales have to be pointing straight out to have proper trim, but what to do when the inner/windward telltale keeps drooping and what does it mean? (I think I was on beam reach.)  A: Means that side is not catching enough airflow and you need to turn the boa...

Pre-Sailing Reflections  Objectives Identified: 1. Push Close-hauling limits (sail as close-hauled to the no-go zone as possible and ride just on the limit) 2. Maximize Velocity Made Good 3. Seek to hike first before releasing sheet when boat heels Post Sailing Reflections Managed to close in my close hauling envelope a little. More wind awareness. Obtained via letting out the sheet, allowing the sail to flap, and then sheeting in. And then remembering the rough direction of the wind. However, at times, it was still a great challenge to determine and respond quickly to wind direction, so I used nearby wind-telling aids like flags. For this, though, sometimes it feels like the wind that hits the flag is different in nature from the wind that hits my sail, so I'll have to be careful about that and discern accordingly.  Encountered a lot of gusts today and had to adapt quickly to the new gust. As for a legitimate technique to deal with gusts, I haven't quite gotten it...