Don Guillette
02-26-2003, 05:08 am
I read an article in one of our local sailing rags that I thought some of you might find interesting. I’ve rewritten it in the perspective a cruiser would understand so hopefully more people will read it. The author (Bob Kieding) expressed his idea very simply instead of using complicated angular advantages and disadvantages that only serve to confuse me and maybe others. Some mates, while sailing, could care less about sail trim or when they arrive at their destination. If you are one of those people, the following information may not interest you, but if you’re a newbie, a middle to the back of the pack racer or just someone who wants to beat the cruising fleet to their destination – then read on. A cruiser or racer, by playing wind shifts correctly, can sail shorter distances. Bob Kieding, feels that 50% of the racing sailors don’t understand wind shifts. I agree with him and some of those sailors might be in your fleet. The number is even higher for cruisers. Wind shifts are defined as either HEADERS or LIFTS. Simply put, a header is a wind shift that causes you to sail away from your destination and a lift causes you to sail towards your destination. You can easily see if you are being headed or lifted by using a compass but in most cases you can see it by lining up your bow with a reference point. If the bow falls off from the reference point, your being headed. If the bow moves toward the reference point, your being lifted. Here is a sample of how playing the wind shifts can help you. Assume the wind shift is persistent and not oscillating. In the following example, the distance to be sailed is 6 ¼ miles. Both you and your cruising buddy leave together and sail for 3 miles. At 3 miles, the wind changes 20 degrees. You both are now sailing 20 degrees AWAY from your destination. Your buddy decides to stay on course but you immediately tack onto the LIFT and are now sailing 20 degrees above his course. After 3 more miles, the wind shifts back to its original direction. You are now headed and your buddy is lifted. He is at the lay line to the destination so he tacks. You also tack and sail to your lay line and then tack again to your destination. Who sailed the shorter course? You did and by 2 miles!! You sailed only 8 miles but your buddy sailed 10 miles or 25% farther. Suppose the destination was 30 miles. He would have sailed 6 miles farther than you and would arrive over 1 hour later. If you’re a racer at the starting line and you notice a persistent shift you should use it to your advantage and leave the line on the LIFT.