[quote=erice]after getting comfortable backing the boat out of irons another useful technique for racing and man-over-board situations is learning how to park the boat on the water
basically you pull in the jib real tight, release the mainsheet and traveller and then kill off the last of the boats momentum but crash tacking the rudders
the boat should come around to just past head to wind and then you push the tiller AWAY from you as if you are trying to turn into wind
the loose main should be completely stalled and the backwinded jib slowly trying to drive the boat across on to the new tack BUT as the rudders are trying to steer into the wind every time it makes some forward motion it just rounds up again in a mexican stand-off
with a bungee to hold the rudders across, (tho i just put my foot on the tiller) you can let go of everything and use 2 hands to eat lunch or even help pull someone aboard
like any sailing drill on an over-powered practise it in light winds until it becomes 2nd nature and then move on to medium winds
(to unpark it, you just pull the tiller -so the rudders start working with the backwinded jib in stead of against it- wait for the boat to come around to a broadreach position, pull in mainsheet and traveller and then once underway, release the jib and bring it around to the correct side
<!-- editby --><em>edited by: erice, May 26, 2010 - 06:47 PM</em><!-- end editby --> [/quote]
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