by Niclas | Jun 16, 2016 | boat handling
A “Chinese Gybe” (jibe) also known as a “death roll” is feared by many and we need to know how best to avoid them. The scenario: You’re sailing dead downwind in windy conditions, and suddenly the boat starts rolling back and forth with...
by Niclas | Oct 21, 2015 | sailing basics, tactics
Understanding how Apparent Wind works and its impact on how you should efficiently sail the boat is crucial, and even though it may seem theoretical at first it’s well worth mastering this subject. You may get some “aha moments” while reading the...
by Niclas | Jun 23, 2015 | boat handling, sailing basics
The following scenarios mainly refer to racing on a medium to large size keel boat. Some of the info would be of use when cruising as well. For a small keel boat, like a J24 e.g, or for a mega large yacht the procedures would be adjusted slightly. The start Before the...
by Niclas | May 30, 2012 | Sydney sailing
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by Niclas | May 27, 2012 | boat handling
Many sailors, myself including, are so used to the “normal” way of working with the pole and spinnaker together that the thought of sometimes working the spinnaker without the pole hasn’t really occurred to us. We keep doing the same setup; first...
by Niclas | May 27, 2012 | boat handling
Gybing the boat in windier conditions is always going to be a bit of a challenge and there’s plenty of opportunity for mistakes which can slow you down and even be dangerous. With the right preparations and precaution taken you can significantly improve your...
by Niclas | May 27, 2012 | boat handling
The following article describes a safe and fast way of gybing (jibing) a spinnaker on a 40 foot yacht. The key aim has been to reduce complexity so that no one in the crew is trying to do several things at once. E.g. it’s quite a common technique, where...
by Niclas | May 27, 2012 | boat handling
Procedure for a peel head sail change, which would apply for a larger type of yacht (30-50 feet) but obviously can be modified for other types as well. By “peel” we mean hoisting a second head sail side by side with an existing one and then once the new...
