-
Laser Clinic ‘Sharing skills from the World’s best
with YOU!’
-
Choosing the right rig Sailboats are sensi0ve to crew weight. The most compe00ve range of weights for each rig are;
• Laser 4.7 = 54-‐64kgs • Laser Radial = 65-‐75kgs • Laser Standard = 76-‐86kgs You can s0ll sail, race and have fun outside these weight brackets.
If you are lighter, you will do beJer in light winds, if you are heavier, you will do best is strong winds..
-
Choosing the right class • Laser 4.7 = Youth & light weight Class. There is a big push to make it a class in the Masters division
• Laser Radial = Boys Youth Class, Women’s Olympic Class, Masters Class for all divisions
• Laser Standard = Men’s Olympic Class & Masters Class up to Great Grand Master Division, but again, there is a lobby to allow it as GGGM
-
Set Goals Goal for this session: • Bear away without capsizing in strong winds • Cross the boat quicker in my tacks Goal for this season: • Finish all club races in all condi0ons • Win club championship and top half at Na0onals • Qualify for the Masters World Championship / ISAF Youth Worlds Ul0mate Goal: • Win Club, Na0onal, European, World Championship • Win Olympic Gold in London 2012
NOW// Set yourself some goals in each sec0on..
-
Example: Laura Baldwin’s Goals
• 2010: Qualify for the ISAF World Championship in Perth by finishing top 2 Aussies at the 2010 World Championship
• 2011: Qualify Australia & myself for the Olympic Games at the Perth 2011 ISAF World Championship
• 2012: Win Olympic Gold for Australia in London 2012
-
Boat Prepara0on • The 7 P’s: Piss Poor Prepara0on Precedes Piss Poor Performance!
• Check EVERYTHING on the boat, there’s no excuse for breakages.
• Make sure you have spares of everything & the tools to fix each component.
• New sails are always faster. Vibra0ng sails are slow!
-
Boat Prepara0on • Straighten mast sec0ons, check for signs of corrosion. End-‐for-‐end top sec0ons
• Check all ropes for ware and change if worn • Check all blocks are working and screws and rivets are 0ght
• Check hull and foil finish is perfect, fix, wash & polish
• Check sail condi0on
-
Boat Speed Basics • Flat boat = fast boat • The harder you hike, the faster you will go! • Constant heel gives neutral helm = fast • Correct steering • Correct sail trim • Correct body movement • Sail in pressure
-
Rigging Tips • Tie cunningham & outhaul handle at the max off posi0on, do
not have excess ropes in the boat. Benefit of this is that you can let the controls off at the top mark and know that they are in the correct posi0on. Max outhaul = 15cm at deepest
• Tie the handle in the vang at the max off posi0on, which is used in light airs downwind. Tie the vang off on the CB to make it easy to grab and this keeps the rope inboard.
-
Rigging Tips Cont. • Ruff up 10cm on each end of the traveller to keep the block outboard
• Pass CB elas0c through a loop created in the mast retaining line to stop it gegng caught on the vang block if you are running elas0c from bow eye
• Use a wind-‐ex at the top of the mast for use downwind, it shows where your wind is coming from and therefore use it to find clear lanes and to see the angle you are sailing; by-‐the-‐lee or broad reaching
• Use a Rooster no-‐knot mainsheet, they do s0ll knot but far less and they run beJer through the blocks
-
Sail Controls • Cunningham controls the top 1/3 – On to depower by flaJening top of sail & opening the leach – Off to power up by closing the leach
• Vang controls the mid sec0on – On to depower; bends mast & flaJens sail – Off to power up by straightening mast & deepening sail
• Outhaul controls the boJom 1/3 – Off for power by deepening the foot of the sail – On to depower by flaJening the foot of the sail
-
Vang Segng
• Light airs and un0l over powered set vang by taking the slack out when the mainsheet blocks are touching, ‘block-‐to-‐block’
• Pull more on, the more over powered you become, banana bend booms are fast!
• In extreme winds, ease vang again to stop boom from higng the water
-
Max Upwind Power Segng • Vang just snugged when main is block-‐to-‐block
• Outhaul max 15cm at deepest point of foot • Inhaul, just tug worst creases out of luff • Note the tell tail pos on my sail in the photo;
-
Centreboard • Upwind = down • Reaching = half up • Downwind = ¾ up • In strong wind, keep more CB in the water for beJer stability • Put CB down in gybes • Drill holes in top to fit a rope handle for ease of adjustment and make sure the V-‐shape fric0on pad is working to stop the board popping up
-
Rudder = Brake!
-
Steering Exercises • Take your rudder to the water • Move it straight through the water • Then move it on an angle & feel the difference • Now, think again about rudder use! • Make sure heel always matches your steering • Heel to windward to bear away • Heel to leeward to head up • Training exercises: rudderless / 0ed rudder sailing around a course using body weight & sail trim
-
Tiller Posi0on
• Light winds, use pan grip to lock 0ller into deck to keep it s0ll;
• Once hiking, steer with 0ller in front of your body;
-
Upwind Steering • Basic rule; mimic the condi0ons • In flat water, keep the helm s0ll, lock 0ller into deck using the pan grip (0ller behind you)
• In short chop, use short, sharp stabbing mo0on • As waves get bigger, steering becomes smoother • Steer up the face of the wave • Steer down the back of the wave • Match steering with body movement & sail trim
-
Upwind Body Movement • Weight back to lio the bow up the front of the wave
• Weight forward to sink the bow down the back of the wave
• Thrust through your thighs on the deck to touch the boat over the waves
• Try now, lock feet around your chair legs and thrust to make it move across the floor
-
Over chop & waves; weight back to lio bow, weight forward to sink bow
-
Upwind Boat Trim • Light winds; sit forward to reduce weJed surface area, drag. Heel to
leeward esp in chop. If the boat slows due to a bad wave, you have a liJle pump in the bank to help re-‐accelerate.
• Medium winds; flat boat. Posi0on to keep the boat level fore & ao. Move
upper body to stop bow digging in / launching off waves • Strong winds; sit as far back as needed to keep the bow from digging into
the waves. Move really far back when you see a bow swallowing wave ahead but be quick to move forward again
down the other side of the wave
-
Main Sheet Posi0on
• Light winds, ease sheet approx 30cm • Block to block once there is enough pressure to move body
outboard and un0l over powered • Ease sheet to power up through nasty chop • Ease / dump sheet in gusts when over-‐powered
-
Depower the sail in breeze Yank the cunningham on as hard as it will go once you are over
powered. Look at 8 0mes Laser World Champion, Robert Shiedts’ cunningham and note he keeps depth in the foot whereas the guy to leeward has a fully flaJened outhaul.
-
In light winds move boJom inboard and work with upper body
-
Off the breeze • Depth in outhaul = 20cm from boom to sail • Light wind, body forward in boat • As wind increases, move further back to keep the bow out of the water
• Strong winds, get right at the back of the bus! • BeJer to be under sheeted than over sheeted • Sail by-‐the-‐lee or broad reach not dead-‐downwind as slow & unstable
-
Steering Downwind • Use your body weight & sail trim to steer, let the rudder simply follow the direc0on of the boat
• Heel to windward to bear away • Heel to leeward to luff up • Ease sheet as you bear away • Sheet on as you luff up • Luff up to speed up & catch a wave • Bear away once surfing the wave • Luff up before you slow down
-
Lock In! • Always lock into the boat so that any movement you make
transfers into the boat / sail and prevents wobbles or topples • This photo demonstrates how to lock your back knee into the
cockpit floor with your foot against the transom to enable a quick push forward if needed, to push the bow over a wave or quick push up to windward to flaJen the boat / prevent a windward roll
• Front foot is pushed up against the front of the cockpit to enable a quick push back to pull bow up a wave
• Tiller is locked in under the elbow to prevent unnecessary 0ller movement / loss of control
-
Gybing Technique Tips • The faster you go into a gybe, the easier it is to come out of it • Best is to be just surfing down the back of a wave when you
start the gybe • If no chop / waves to surf, keep steering straight / bear away
slowly as you sheet the mainsheet to a reaching angle • Roll to windward as you turn • Give an extra sharp strong tug on the mainsheet as the boom
starts to come inboard to flick the mainsheet clear of the back corner of the transom
• Cross the boat as the boom crosses • Be quick to get back onto a downwind course out of the gybe • In survival condi0ons, keep the boat flat through the gybe and
gybe at speed and with confidence. He who hesitates, swims!
-
Gybing Tips • Don’t flick the mainsheet too hard through the gybe to avoid
it gegng stuck on the transom as it will get stuck on the boom instead! There is a fine art to the technique!
• Swap mainsheet & 0ller hand aoer the gybe is complete
-
Heavy Air Survival Tips • Bearing away; cunny on, vang off but be quick to get vang back on to control the leach which aids boat balance aoer rounding & ease cunny for some shape. If the sail is super flat it will capsize easier
• Keep main closer inboard, put a safety knot in mainsheet in strong wind to stop main going too far out, 80 degrees
• Sit right at the back of the boat to keep the bow out of the water
• Sailing by-‐the-‐lee is easier to keep control • Save windward capsizes by bearing away HARD!
-
Racing Basics • Start at the bias end of the line, in clear air • If not in clear air, tack right away to a clear lane • Tack back onto the lioed tack asap • Ease vang & cunningham before rounding the WW mark and outhaul & CB aoer rounding
• Put CB down, pull on outhaul & cunningham & tug vang before rounding LW mark and the rest of the vang aoer rounding
-
Sailing = Fun, relax & enjoy J