Baha wrote:We need a course on how to tack while holding a cold one..
I am not sure I could tack with one hand....maybe if I held the main sheet AND the beer in one....then it's a dilemma...sheet vs. beer
I mostly use the working jib, so tacking with one hand is easy. Seriously. No main sheet adjustment needed, at least until after the tack is completed. And I leave the jib sheet cleated until it's back-winded and pushing the bow around. The helm stays where I put it for the most part during the tack, except in high winds. So the only work is cutting the sheet loose, and taking up slack in the other sheet, which is already passed around the winch, and I pull slack through the cam cleat so anywhere I stop, it stays. Head into the wind a little to take in more sheet, then fall off. When the boat comes around far enough, I reach over and spin the wheel to arrest the turn.
But two hands are definitely easier.
And I'm not racing, so a sloppy tack is OK. With me, at least.
Neo wrote:So I'm assuming you're talking about a clockwise loop around the winch (against the ratchet)?.... Then slowly releasing it the lead.... I'll try that. In the past I've not been keen on keeping ropes on the winches but I think that was the wrong strategy
Yes, one CW turn around the winch. But I'm using the working jib, not the genoa, so the cam cleat is right behind the winch, and the winch acts as a fairlead to direct the sheet into the cam cleat. It also provides no resistance (to speak of) when taking in the sheet, and plenty of resistance when letting some out, which is desirable when it's really tight. It's no different than trying to stop a moving boat (a heavy one) at a dock by pulling on a dock line, which can pull you into the water, and taking a turn or even a half-turn on a dock cleat and controlling the pay out to gradually stop the boat, without getting pulled into the water. Like in all those youtube videos of boater mess-ups.
Neo wrote:BTW when your'e "sailing solo" with other people sitting on deck, how many toes do you tread on / trip over
All the toes that are on the cockpit sole when I'm tacking solo.
Sometimes, I have one person standing by to cut the sheet loose at my command, while I'm sitting on the windward side, so once it comes about, I'm on the leeward side and can do what I need to do on the new working sheet without even moving from my seat next to the helm, where I usually sit, steering with one hand.
I really need some bimbo (stern rail) seats on this boat. My last one had them, and they were the best seats in the house. Not so easy to add to the X, unfortunately. Many M boats have them, however.
Edit: Oh, and I don't drink when I'm sailing, so having both hands free is rarely a problem. But if I have a bottle of water, it's in a holder that clips onto the bimini tubes, so still no worries.