Dinghy Sailing Capsize - Bad Day

Sometimes we all have bad days. When I look back, this was a particularly bad one. I had just started sailing single-handed and had upgraded to 'pointier' faster boat from the Topper Xenon to the RS Vareo. 

You learn a lot more about sailing single-handed on a smaller boat. This particular day I learned about what the kicker was for. Actually this was only after I had come in.

Racing against an RS400

Here's another top-tip from the Topper Xenon dinghy racing scene.

We all know that on a run with the asymmetric spinnaker, you are not going to reach warp speed. What you need to do is play the angles and make a judgement as to whether it is best going the shortest distance at the slower speed or longer at the faster speed.

When racing against an RS400 you might think it is clever to play the angles go for the longer distance and greater speed i.e. do exactly what the RS400 in front appears to be doing and following their gibes with the spinnaker up.  Be warned, the RS400 has an evolutionary bowsprit that can be "rocked" to windward, allowing the RS400 to demonstrate breathtaking speed at virtually any downwind angle.

Pic - Tacking last weekend (thank's Fred in the safety boat)

This means you've got no chance of beating them at the angles game in a Topper Xenon and you need to focus on sailing to eat them on handicap.

How to Plane

So I have been going on about planing recently and have found the following top tips which we'll be putting into effect in the next race..... planing can happen in a suitably designed boat in moderate to strong winds if the crew do some or all of the following:

• Sail on a reach or broad reach to begin
• Slacken the jib
• Raise the centreboard
• Increase the speed
• Keep the hull level, trapeze if necessary
• Observe the wake until it is smooth and fast.
• Move the crew weight increasingly towards the rear to begin and to sustain planing
• Sheet in as speed increases, and apparent wind correspondingly moves forward.
• Keep the boat flat and level
• Bear away to maintain speed as necessary
• Flick or pump the sails (although there are restrictions on doing this in a race)

While planing, it is important to steer through the waves, avoiding any collision with the wave in front. Also, in dinghies, keep good control of the sail power. A small change in wind direction can easily cause a capsize or gybes. Boat control becomes easier as planing begins, but fast reactions are often needed to get there, to keep the speed up and to keep the boat level. Crew balance and trim are vital, as are sail trimming and minimal centreboard.

Dinghy Racing - Long Distance Race

We had the long distance dinghy race last weekend; the Barman my usual crew was not able to make it due to work commitments but his very experienced father volunteered to replace him; Father of the Barman now known as FB.

I thought it was going to be a walk-over but 4 other boats did eventually enter into the long-distance dinghy race. End result we came 3rd and that includes with the handicap. The 2 boats we left way way back were a Wivenhoe One and a Mirror.

What was slightly disappointing was the margin by which we were beaten by another Wivenhoe One and a pesky Laser. We did expect to do much better and were slightly disappointed. FB did have some good sailing tips. The issue we have is that there is very little knowledge within the club about how to sail a boat like the Topper Xenon.

Being the observant helmsman and having had a few crew on board, I have noticed a couple of things where the manual differs (see http://zambezishark.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-sail-topper-xenon.html) from the habits of experienced crew used to sailing other types of boat.

These are (when going upwind)

• tension tight on jib
• lots tension on cunningham

I also notice that there are a number of opinions as to where the telltales should go. Some say both fly horizontally across, others having the inside flicking upwards (as per http://zambezishark.blogspot.com/2009/07/where-should-telltails-go.html)

We were a new team and areas that we could have improved were around handling of the spinnaker. We struggled at times and perhaps should have borne away from a straight run to build up speed on more of a reach angle. This will come with practice I am sure. What is not certain either is whether the jib should furl when the spinnaker is up? Marketing pictures from Topper all show it up - I'll have to check some more neutral snaps but I reckon the jib can stay up.

Finally disappointing as it was, there are a whole host of other reasons why we did not do as well...

• other helmsman was a previous national champion on Enterprises (apparently)
• there is a tidal channel through the course of River Colne which I don't know very well yet
• we grounded on the mud
• my first season
• luck

Anyway if there are other sailors of Topper Xenons please add your top tips in the comments section below.

Trapeze required for Xenon

I have being mulling over how we came to capsize the Xenon and how we could have avoided it - thoughts are with me still because I am only just loosing the stiffness and bruises I developed last Sunday.

Given that from the weather station records it was blowing F5/F6, and we, without a care in the World, popped the spinnaker up on a dinghy, I think we were pushing it. It was a very gentle blow over and it makes me think that we might have been able to avoid it if The Bar Man, my loyal crewman, had had a harness for the trapeze kit.

If anyone knows of one going, let me know!

Sailing and Fishing

I have been interested in the idea of fishing off the back of my Topper Xenon. I have however come to the conclusion that the style of dinghy makes it totally impracticable. Unlike a Wayfarer it is impossible to drop the main and wrap it up round the boom. Since I have a gnav and not a vang (American I know, should be called a kicker), when the main sail comes down, the boom does as well leaving the deck covered in sail and boom. The advantage however is that when the main sail is up, there is more room on deck. This might mean I am better off fishing whilst underway, perhaps some type of trawling with a line and spinner on the end, the sort of thing you see in the Pacific when line catching tuna - idle thoughts I know when in Essex.

Here's a chap called Blakdog who fishes on the Colne River; I'll keep an eye on to see if there is anything worth catching http://seaanglersnotebook.blogspot.com/2009/05/batemans-tower-brightlingsea-essex.html

Roll Tack

Back to the serious issue of dinghy boat racing!


I mentioned before that we seem to loose a lot of distance when tacking against the Lasers and I think I now know why. Many reasons.... but principally it is too much rudder. Sounds odd as you would anticipate wanting to turn as fast as you can to pick up the wind for the next leg.

This weekend when on board the Topper Xenon with the Bar Man, we did some reasonably quick tacks and it was noticeable to me at helm that the boat seriously digs in on the corners and slows down (Chine technology?). I had heard of a roll tack but couldn't remember quite what it was.

That was until now.....

Roll Tacking Basics (video at end!!)

Roll tacking is a method for getting the boat through a tack quickly, without losing much speed or ground. Listed below are three basic advantages to a roll tack, which is used primarily in light air when boatspeed out of a tack is important. However, keep in mind this is not the end-all, be- all of dinghy racing. The best roll tacks in the world do not guarantee a win, and sometimes they can blow your concentration if they are used before you have mastered them.

• Roll Tacking Basics Heel the boat to leeward about 10 degrees. This initial heel allows the boat to turn itself, cutting down on the rudder usage necessary to initiate the tack. Don't heel the boat too far. The object is to turn the boat slowly enough so you can control the tack. During this step, you should be able to let the tiller extension slip through your hand, with the hull of the boat doing all the work.

• As the boat starts to come down on you, rock it hard to windward. Timing is important in this step. The goal here is to help the boat do what it wants. The biggest mistake you can make is to try to roll the boat too soon, "squashing" the tack, finding yourself head to wind, or on the same tack on which you started. This mistake costs much more than a regular tack would (and it feels horrible). Wait until the jib luffs and the boat feels as though it wants to come down on top of you. Then rock it hard. Rocking the boat to windward may feel funny, as though you're going to capsize. However, it's important to rock it this way. Sometimes the boat will stop the rock on its own, if you don't help. In fact, it may be good to practice this maneuver until you capsize a few times. If you're afraid of capsizing, your tacks will be mediocre. You must get the feel for how far you can go.

• The purpose for this step is to get the sail through the tack as quickly as possible. Notice that, usually when you're tacking, there is a long period of time where the sail luffs through the tack. This step will alleviate that luffing, with a telltale "pop" of the sails.
  Once the boat is on the new tack, and still heeled up from the rock, flatten it quickly. This is the heart of the roll tack. The rock should have put the rail of the boat in the water. Now, when you flatten it, you are pulling the sails through the air, effectively increasing the wind speed over them. This gives you a nice push forward, accelerating you out of the tack. Note the position of the sails. They should be trimmed in during the flattening, but not all the way. When this "wind" is created, it acts as a lift, so the sails should be eased slightly. Then, when the boat is flat and up to speed, trim in the sails to pointing mode again.

• This flattening should be done after the sails fill, but as soon after the rock as possible. With the boat up on its ear at 45 , it will slip sideways very quickly. Just watch someone who doesn't flatten immediately. They will lose a lot of distance to leeward, much more quickly than you would think.

That can sound quite complicated if you are not used to nautical terms so here's a video demo.



Could the Bar Man confirm we're okay to do this next outing and I'll report back of progress against the Lasers.

Winter Series with Topper Topaz

The Winter Series at Wivenhoe was where it all began. It looks very placid on the day these particular pictures were taken - a very pleasant easy sail for my first outing. On the 28 Dec 2008 it was a different story. It was slightly more windy and holding in a skin-full during a run-ashore with Kenneth the Land Lubber the previous evening; I subsequently capsized, cracked a rib and DNF the race.