| Are you the true master and commander of your | | | | Get onto a close reach and use the mainsheet as |
| small cruising sailboat? If you want to take your | | | | your throttle control. If you want to go faster, pull the |
| sailboat cruising skills to the next level, you need to | | | | mainsheet in closer to the centerline. Take care not to |
| know how to make most any maneuver under | | | | sheet the mainsail in too much when you are close to |
| sail--not engine! Get ready to pump up your skipper | | | | your objective. Easy does it for positive control. |
| skills to new heights with the magic of the close reach! | | | | Slow Down Your Boat |
| Did you know that of all the points of sail, only the | | | | Ease the mainsheet to slow down. The farther you |
| close reach offers so many advantages for that | | | | ease the boom out away from the centerline, the |
| ultimate goal of all true sailors--complete control. As | | | | slower you will go. Do not be concerned when the |
| sailing Olympian Steve Colgate said, "To sail well is to | | | | mainsail starts to flutter near the luff. This helps you |
| have complete control over the sailboat at all times". | | | | slow down and gives you more control. |
| So how can the close reach provide you with this total | | | | Luff Your Mainsail |
| control? Only the close reach provides you with all five | | | | Only the close reach allows you to let the boom out all |
| of these super benefits: | | | | the way to cause the mainsail to luff (flutter). If you find |
| *Speed up your boat | | | | yourself going too fast toward your objective, slack |
| *Slow down your boat | | | | off on the mainsheet all the way to slow down fast. |
| *Luff your mainsail | | | | You can always sheet in a bit to gain momentum |
| *Come to a complete stop | | | | again. |
| *Control without a headsail | | | | Come to a Complete Stop |
| Many folks still use the old "hit or miss" maneuver, | | | | Ease the mainsheet all the way to luff the mainsail, |
| where you approach a pier, object, or person in the | | | | slow the boat, and stop alongside. Use a pump action |
| water on a reach. You attempt to judge the point | | | | when you get close to your objective. Slack the |
| where you need to turn the boat into the wind to luff | | | | mainsheet all the way. Pull it in a hair to fine tune your |
| the sails, slow the momentum of the boat, and stop | | | | approach alongside at bare steerage (forward |
| alongside. | | | | momentum). Continue this sequence of "ease it out - |
| If you are anything like me, it's laced with a bit too | | | | pull it in" for maximum control. |
| much luck. After all, what if you judge things perfect, | | | | Control Without a Headsail |
| but at the last moment, a gust of wind slows you too | | | | Forget the headsail except in ideal conditions. It clutters |
| much just before you're alongside? Or maybe you | | | | the foredeck, gets in the way of the crew, and the |
| turned up into the wind a few feet too late--and now | | | | sheets can create a trip-hazard for all hands. For most |
| the boat drifts past your objective? | | | | boats, the mainsail provides all the power you need to |
| Seems to me like that violates the most important | | | | speed up, slow down, and stop with pin-point control. |
| phrase from our #1 rule--"...to have complete control | | | | Now you know the secret to achieve total control in |
| over the sailboat at all times". Now let's shift to the | | | | sailing maneuvers for sailboat cruising, racing, or day |
| close reach and see how this beats all the points of | | | | sailing. This will make you more skilled, confident sailing |
| sail for solid control each and every time: | | | | skipper on any small cruising sailboat--wherever in the |
| Speed Up Your Boat | | | | world you choose to cruise! |