Gybing the Xenon with a spinnaker

We've had heck of a fun race last weekend in F3-4 winds zipping backwards and forwards across the river with the spinnaker up - putting on a good show for the boats behind us.

After much practice, I think we have finally mastered the spinnaker on the Xenon. Without doubt, during our practice runs, we have experienced the big black sail doing whatever it pleased and nothing that we wanted; too frequently this has resulted in us going over. :( - I'll write about righting a turtled Xenon with the spinnaker up (down) and the mast in the mud another time.

So here are the key points to remember on the Xenon when sailing with the spinnaker. I know some of the points might sound obvious but they are here so I can reference them as well...

• Make sure you know where the wind is coming from!
• Ideally when you launch the spinnaker, you need to be on a broad reach and close to a run; this is so you are able to keep control of the power.
• Once the spinnaker is up, the helm needs to help his crew keeping it full.
• To bring power on slowly turn onto a broad reach and back towards a run if it is becoming too much.
• Make sure you as the helm know which way to turn if there is a sudden gust/increase in power (i.e. back towards a run).
• As you start to plane, both of you move back to the rear the boat (see my blog about planing for more info).
• When coming to a gyb point move the jib over first - perhaps before you turn.
• Keep the power on all the way until you want to gyb and don't slow down. This is because you don't want to be over powered once you have turned.    
• Asymmetric spinnakers are no good on a run so you will have to play the angle and speed game when racing.
• Have fun!

The easiest mistake to make when you have the spinnaker up on a Xenon is being overpowered. Follow the steps above and you should be okay. The additional challenge we have in Wivenhoe is we are sailing on a river and the angles you might need to take to fly the spinnaker take you over salt marsh, mud and fields.

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.

West Mersea Regatta & More Silverware

During the recent West Mersea Regatta I managed to crew on board the Golden Fleece.

First of all I hadn't been out on a yacht for about 15 years+ and my RYA Incompetent Crew skills were extra-ordinarily rusty; that said, it is easy to pick things up again.

The principal differences between yachting and dinghying is of course the increased size of everything. There are of course a few different levers and strings to pull but there doesn't appear to be the concentration and focus on sail shape that I spend my time on in the Xenon. For example the Golden Fleece is a classic and the design means the primary sail is the genoa not the main sail. As a result much of the attention goes on making sure tacks/gybes go smoothly and the genoa is full. I don't think we talked about adjusting the luff in the main at all. Whether we were heeling over or not did not make much of a difference either whereas the secret of sailing the Xenon is keeping it flat - by the way forget that if I race against you.

Pic - The Golden Fleece of West Mersea

What I found quite interesting was that we had on board a chap whose sole job was to navigate us round the course. It makes absolute sense given the increased scale of everything we were attempting to do and it adds another dimension to racing. This means that when dinghy racing you are strongly advised to learn as much about your course as possible before you start; there is no cosy seat to excuse yourself to while you figure out where you are and which direction to point.

I must thank the Captain of the Golden Fleece for having me on board, it was a great experience. The boat has an interesting history, originally from South Africa and occasionally wrecked ..... more information here.

Finally, the silverware we won was for the most Elegant Classic Yacht (...and crew of course).

New Sails for Topper Xenon

Does anyone want to sponsor a race winning Topper Xenon and her crew?

Inparticular would they like their logo on the sail?

It looks like I am going to have to buy a new set of sails. I have had to have my main sail repaired at  Gowen Ocean Sailmakers after tears started to appear near the clew. So far looks like they've done a good job. Thing is after a few seasons racing, sails aren't quite as good as they started out to be and I've got to keep my new winning streak going.

Pic - Repaired Sail (It's the black bit)

Silverware at Last

I firmly believe that the conditions at Wivenhoe are inclined to favour the smaller boats in oppose the Xenon. They are able to cut the corners of the river over the shallow mud and, in the case of Mirrors, benefit from enormously generous handicaps; controversy!!. Additionally the Lasers appear to tack a lot faster - I reckon they are able to get up speed faster in light winds and I need to work on the rolling tack more.

Although we thought we had the Up the River Race sewn-up, whilst in the lead on the return leg, we found ourselves going backwards opposite the pub at Rowhedge. This allowed the Lasers to catch-up and overtake. There is also an element of luck around here as well with the fluky winds.

All that said the last race I entered we won.

At last I have some silverware to display in the lounge and remind all sailors who visit just how good I am - it couldn't possibly be luck could it.

Pic - Ready to Launch

Blow Over

Has the weather been as unpredictable for me as it has been for everyone else this season? It was one of the worse winters on record so perhaps it is the hangover? On a training outing earlier this season all was going well until this little squall appeared on the horizon.

Fortunately, being a responsible captain, I was heading back up the river to the club house; concerned about the weather you see! However, a 1000 yards before we got there the squall hit us and we went from a F2-3 to a F6+ in no time at all; over we went.

Pic 1 - Squall in background while we wash off mud

The good thing was at this point we weren't too far from the club house and we were able to stand in oppose to swim or cling. Had we been further out, there would have been no chance of righting her and getting back underway. The bad thing was I had decided it was a good day not to wear a wet suit and after 20 minutes in the river, rain and mud was getting hacked off.

Pic 2 - Nearly done - thanks Crew

Xenon Rigging Tip

This is a top tip which when I last checked wasn't in the Xenon Rigging Guide.....

I have found when sailing the Topper Xenon the slug at the bottom of the main-sail has a tendancy to pop out of the runner in the mast - the result is flappy, vibrating foot on the main sail (see http://wivenhoe-sailing.blogspot.com/2009/07/parts-of-sail.html). Whether this makes any difference or not is hard to know, but it is very annoying when you're bombing along. Maybe it's me but I tend to have the Cunningham right off when sailing round Wivenhoe to get as much curve in the luff as possible. With recent light winds it has been essential - this hasjust made the popping out slug worse.

The solution I have come up with is best described in the picture below. The Cunningham once threaded back through the boom and locked off, is lead-up to the bottom tack. When doing this it is important not to prevent the cunningham working or you will not win races....