# tacking outline



## bkw (Aug 20, 2006)

anyone know of any good articles on how often to tack to weather mark?
how one would use gps to figure this out?


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## capt.stu (Oct 5, 2004)

Dave Dellenbough writes about this in his speed and smarts publication. Also Stewart Walkers books are excellent on this subject. There are some tactical guidelines fof when to tack but it depends on the situation your in at the time. Read Walker and you will learn a lot. Thats how I learned to race and it moved me up to the front third of the fleet right away.
Stu


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## bkw (Aug 20, 2006)

thanks
i ordered the book


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## bkw (Aug 20, 2006)

well finishing my third book on racing and i still dont see any hard rule on when to tack. assuming there are no wind shifts how do you know how far to go on a tack. i guess i am looking for some kind of formula like using distance angle and speed. it would seem that you could use the gps, vmg and eta to tell you when its best to tack.
any help would be appreciated.


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## morganmike (Oct 31, 2006)

there is a rule, but I'm no expert ... I remember a Cruising World article (or similar mag) that talked about how to set up a cone of approach for tacking to a mark. To set it up, draw a line from your position to the mark. With the mark as the origin and the line you've just drawn as the bottom of a triangle, mark off a 15 degree line from the mark back towards your postion, then do the same on the other side of the line. You now have a 30 degree wide cone with the mark as the apex.

I got tired of trying to describe it, (plus I've had a few) so check out this pic:


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## morganmike (Oct 31, 2006)

Honestly, I'm not sure if that angle marked 30 degrees should be 30 or 15. I think 15, with the total angle as 30. Anyway, that sets up your tacking cone, and you tack when you reach either side of the triangle in ever decreasing tacks until you pass the mark. Supposedly this maximizes the advantage of longer tack legs while minimizing the overall distance traveled.


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## bkw (Aug 20, 2006)

thanks, thats what i am looking for.
anybody else?


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## Giulietta (Nov 14, 2006)

Morgan

Its 5 degrees each side of the center line. But that is it.

Also the 45º of each tach really depens on his boat.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Don't forget to factor current into your decision making, and the possibility of better (or more favoured) breeze on one side of the course over the other.

The "keep in the middle" philosophy works well in the absence of such factors because if you commit to any one side, subsequent windshifts will either be death or of little use to you. Keeping close to the Rhumb line allows you to capitalize on a wind shift in either direction.

Almost as important as when to tack is how you tack. It's easy to gain a boat length with a slow smooth tack over a boat that is being slammed into the corners. Many people tack their boats too quickly, giving up distance to weather and overly slowing down the boat.

You've bought the right books - as you gain experience you will be better able to appreciate what they say.


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## Gary M (May 9, 2006)

The simple thing to do is follow the leaders until that awkward day when you are out in front and don't know which way to go. 

Actualy it depends on whether you can see the mark of not. If you can, then tack on the shifts until you are close and then you must make a tactical decision on how to approach the mark based on your position relative to other boats in your fleet. 

If you cannot see the mark then you must time your tacks so that they are about the same duration assuming a true beat. This will get you to a position where you can see the mark then go to option 1. 
Monitoring the wind prior to the start will tell you if it is clocking or backing so you can head up the appropriate side of the course.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Also keep in mind that the positions of the other boats will also play a large decision on when to tack. Seperating yourself from the rest of the fleet s a gamble if the wind shifts.

Charlie


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## Sailormon6 (May 9, 2002)

In most around-the-buoys racing, a gps can provide useful information, but it's usually only a key component in either long distance racing or in night racing. On the windward leg, you can usually see the windward mark, or at least you know it's approximate location, and, unless visibility is impaired, you don't usually need a gps to establish your position in relation to it. 

The problem with relying on a gps or the cone of approach is that they tend to get you into a rigid mode of thinking about the windward leg, and that's a sure recipe for failure. There's nothing rigid about the wind. There are few immutable rules that govern its behavior. The boat that sails the fastest windward leg is the one that interfaces the most accurately with the wind. You can't win sailboat races by following a preset formula, like an orchestra playing classical music following notes on a printed sheet. You win races by acting more like a jazz musician, seeing many creative variations on the main theme, taking calculated risks, and following your instincts.

There are lots of general rules, such as keeping your air clear, don't overstand the layline, don't tack any more frequently than you absolutely have to, tack on headers, find the best winds, and all the other rules of thumb that you'll find in any good racing primer. What separates good racers from average racers is concentration, creativity and daring.


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## bkw (Aug 20, 2006)

"don't overstand the layline" shouldnt you sail past the layline a little so you dont have to pinch or tack again?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

That would depend on how far you are from the mark at the time of tacking.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

If you end up pinching to make the mark, you have mis-estimated your layline. That's another factor - getting to know your boat and its abilities so that you know for sure when you reached _your_ layline.
Where the layline is can also be affected by the presence of current, other competitors, windshifts (expected or otherwise), the list goes on.


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## Sailormon6 (May 9, 2002)

> "don't overstand the layline" shouldnt you sail past the layline a little so you dont have to pinch or tack again?


Sure, a little, but many sailors don't plan their approach to the mark very well. They make their final tack for the mark too far away, and it's too difficult to gauge the layline accurately from that distance, so they have to sail waaay past the layline to be sure they can fetch the mark. All it takes is a little header or a little lapse in helmsmanship, and you'll end up to leeward of the mark. If you overstand the mark by too much, then you end up sailing a greater distance than necessary. You should plan your approach so that, when you tack for the mark, you'll be closer to it. Fewer bad things can happen when you only have a short distance to the mark.

Also, if you do happen to find yourself a little bit to leeward of the mark, never pinch to try to make it. Pinching kills your speed and kills your pointing ability, and it assures that you won't make it. Bear off a few degrees and keep your sails full and your speed up. If you are only about 1/2 boat length shy of the mark, you can often head up to windward at the last possible second, let your sails luff, and coast around the mark. It's called "shooting the mark." (A strong tide running against you, or choppy waves can prevent the boat from coasting far enough. A strong tide running behind you can help carry you around the mark.)

If you have a long distance to go to fetch the windward mark, and you think you might not make it, try sailing a scalloping course, rather than pinching. Bear off a few degrees to get your speed up, then steer to windward a few degrees for a few seconds, taking a little bite to windward. Then bear off to keep up your speed, and then take another bite to windward. By taking repeated little bites to windward, you can gain a few feet to windward over a distance, and that might be enough to help you fetch the mark.

The problem with pinching is that, if you pinch over a long distance, you gradually lose boat speed. That causes the boat to lose more ground to leeward. When that happens, the helmsman's natural response is to pinch even more, which causes the boat to lose even more speed, and to drift to leeward even more.


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## nolatom (Jun 29, 2005)

Reduced to it's essentials, "don't shoot the corners" early or even midways through the beat. Assuming you tack in 90 degrees and have a steady breeze, keep the mark from getting too much away from 45 degrees off your bow. It's like the cone diagram above. If the mark is getting to, say, 60 degrees off your bow, it's time to consider tacking. Later in the beat, you may justify going out closer to the "lay line" of 90 degrees, and of course you'll have to do this for your last tack to fetch the mark.

If you're not in a steady breeze, stay on, or get on, the tack that gives you the closer angle to the mark. This will change as the wind changes, so "stay on lifts, tack on headers". If you can see the mark, great. If not, use your compass, which is a whole other chapter in those books.

Experience is your best teacher, and I've found prayer helps (..."please, God, give me a lift, or a header, or more breeze like the other boat has... ;-)


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## bkw (Aug 20, 2006)

Thanks,
great advice
keep it coming


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

bk, even with the "cones" it never really gets simple. You've got to cover the fleet, or stay clear of bad wind, or anticipate land effects on the wind, or shoals, or SOMEthing all the time.

And, the boats and crews that can tack faster and cleaner--can afford to tack more frequently. If your tacks aren't pefectly smooth, how many times can you afford to lose 5-10-20-seconds per tack?

So when you're looking for clear and simple rules? Just try to bear in mind, there's always an exception to the rules.<G>


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## morganmike (Oct 31, 2006)

Thanks G, I knew I had the angle wrong and of course the heading angle is entirely boat dependant. Excellent discussion on the real world nuances - I'm already jonesin' to get racing, when does the spring seasons start again???


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

In PHRF racing there are a number of factors that must be weighed, many are listed here and should be applied in every race. When we race we treat each race loosely as a match race. The point being, we race in the same wind as the other boats in our class. Do not follow (bad wind) but be in the same water. Breaking off to find more wind is always an option, feel the boat if something just doesn't feel right look around. Always look outside the immediate area at cruisers or races that started earlier to see what they are doing. Are they hard on the breeze and pointing higher toward the mark? I could go on...to sum up, there's no formula, there are guidelines but you must be actively weighing and assessing the options given the conditions


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