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Roll tacking

Once mastered this is an easy and relatively effortless manoeuvre.   However, its getting to that point that's the problem.  This is something we teach in on of our courses - High performance Sailing - but have a go with the guidance supplied here which applies to two man dinghies but can be adapted for single handed sailing and keel boats.

Aim: Turn the boat through the wind and loose no speed - if possible come out of the tack faster than we went in!

What slows the boat down? Use of the rudder (it's a big brake), sails flapping and therefore not catching wind, crew and helm co-ordination and timing, weight and position of your weight in the boat.  A lot of things can therefore go wrong.

OK, so what are the steps? 

Step 1 - Make the boat want to head up into the wind with as little use of the rudder as possible (potentially none at all).  This can be achieved in a number of ways depending on your boat - so try them out without doing any of the other steps first of all and see what suits your boat - we can put all of the steps together later:

• Does the boat have weather helm - a tendency to round up itself into the wind so you have to pull on the tiller to stop this?  If your boat does this (it may not be tuned properly) you can simply stop pulling on the tiller (but don't let go!) and the boat will start to head into wind itself without you moving the rudder to brake the boat.
• Is your main sheeted in fully?  If not pull in the main a bit more and the boat will start to head up. Again do not counteract this with the tiller - let it happen naturally.

Failing either of these points you can then try and push the tiller away from yourself to induce a turn - but the more you push the more you will brake and so slow down, take either or both of the following actions:

• A gentle push of the tiller. Push it away it gently there's no rush.
• Let the boat heel to leeward (away from the wind) a little - the easiest way to do this is to move your weight (and that of the crew) in towards the middle of the boat a little but don't leave it there (see Step 2).

Step 2 - the boat is starting to turn.  Do not let your sails flap - keep them set, both main and jib.  Keep your weight on the windward side of the boat (towards the wind).  You are now head to wind and the boat is turning.  A slight push of the tiller may be needed if your boat turns slowly, or is heavy, to keep the turn going.  My RS 200 is very light and needs almost no movement of the tiller at all.  Sails may begin to flap at this point but it will be momentary because the boat is heeled and the sails are not directly over the boat.    The boat will feel like it is coming down on top of you but resist the urge to flatten the boat out just yet. The main can be eased a little (anything from a handful to an arms length depending on the conditions) and the jib can be loosely set on to the other side (did the crew have both sheets in his hand before the tack began?) as you go though the wind.  Get ready to climb out of the side of the boat - the tricky part for those doing this for the first time - leaving this as late as possible.

Step 3 - Sails start to fill on the new tack.  As the sails begin to fill the tiller should be straightened up and the helm/crew should climb out from what is now the lower side of the boat and flatten the boat.  Do not do this so that you over compensate and pull the boat back on top of you and do not rush - but this all takes practice.  it is actually easier to climb out of the side of the boat and get under the boom than you might think and easier than ducking under the boom if you had kept the boat flat.  If you are large and have difficulty with a boom (say on a Laser) you might find roll-tacking actually helps you in that respect.  The effect of flattening the boat 'pumps' the sail and if you have managed the previous steps properly you will actually maintain your speed (or in Ben Ainslie's case actually increase your speed out of the tack).  If your sail is battened the pump will also 'pop' the battens over which is very useful particularly in light winds.  As the boat begins to power away and to compensate for you weight being out on the windward side again you need to sheet the sails back in.  In particular the helm needs to co-ordinate sitting out with the main being pulled in to keep the boat balanced.  You will remember that as you went into the tack the helm let out some sail - it is that which you are pulling back in again.

Best advice - try these steps out one at a time before putting them all together - it takes practice but will pay off in the end.  You will need to adapt these to you and you boat to get best results.  Get someone experienced to watch you do this and provide helpful comment.  

Crew and helm communication and co-ordination is vital with this manoeuvre.  Julie and I have a sequence we talk through as we do it so we know what we should be doing and when.  "In (weight in a bit and start the turn), Out (sit back out as the boat turns, free the main a little), Climb".  You may find something similar helps.

I think it takes a solid afternoon or day of practice to get this right with two of you in a boat but its not as difficult as you at first imagine but be prepared for the odd 'accident'.   Let's see you all practicing this before the season starts!

Steve Gibbon

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