Handbook

Tuning Your Tanzer for LIGHT AIR

By Jim Chastain (T-420)

During the summer, when those slow moving high pressure cells move across the country from the southwest, there is a general expectation that we can save our heavy and moderate air sailing techniques for the afternoon sea breeze or the isolated thunderstorm.  The good all around sailor must change gears and shift from exultation into patience; light air sailing can be fun if you work at it, or frustrating if you don't. For the Tanzer 16 light air can be considered 6 knots down to zero.

Preparation again is the key.  For light air sailing your rig must be set up to take full advantage of every small breeze that happens by, and in the lulls you must concentrate on keeping the boat aimed and moving in the proper direction.  When stepping the mast position it completely out of the deck slot.  This will open up the slot between the jib and mainsail and provide maximum efficiency and performance for the low velocity conditions.   Don't over tighten the shrouds and forestay; run a loose rig.  There is no need to use a downhaul or Cunningham, and the outhaul on the mainsail should be rigged but fairly slack.  You want the main to have as much draft as possible; a few wrinkles on the luff and foot of the sail are acceptable.  Maintain approximately the same position for your jib block cars as for optimum sailing conditions (moderate air), except you do not want the jib sheeted in as tightly.  Remove any excess purchase from your main sheet system; the weight of the sheets can make subtle adjustments in sail trim difficult.  Make sure the halyards are tight when you raise the sails.  The forestay should sag and the mast lean forward a little when the jib halyard is properly secured.

The objective for successful light air sailing is threefold:

1. Find wind on the water and attain clear air.  This is perhaps the single most important concept.  When starting behind other boats on the favored end of the line you have dealt yourself a severe blow.  Starting at the other end of the line with clear air will put you miles ahead even though it is not the ideal course. Tack to attain clear air if necessary; but don't hesitate to tack toward the next puff.
2. Maintain proper balance and attitude of the boat.  Heel your boat slightly to leeward to reduce wetted surface and help provide the proper shape in the sails for a good airfoil.  Gravity will help do what low wind velocity will not.  Maintain proper balance for a neutral helm and minimize movements in the boat that will disturb its attitude relative to the set of the sails and wind direction.
3. Don't overtrim your sails!  Ease them out a little farther than you normally would in ideal wind conditions.  This usually will give better performance.

Other considerations in light air sailing include minimizing your tacks to preserve boat speed, and footing off the wind a little to attain greater boat speed.  One effective method of tacking is to use the "roll tack" where a rapid and deliberate shifting of crew weight is made to keep the wind in the sails while changing direction to preserve boat speed.   In light air you run the risk of stopping your boat completely with an incorrectly executed tack.  Patience, concentration and observance are critical.   Look ahead for the catspaws on the water; try and detect the direction and location of the next puff and be there.  Do not become over anxious and pinch to windward.  Concentrate on sail trim and balance.

Sometimes, no matter how much skill and technique you use, there just isn't any way to make the boat go.  There's just no wind.  That's when the sails are limp as rags, and you can spit in the water and watch it float by for five minutes.  There's only one thing left to do to preserve your sanity: make the most of it!  Pull out the jug of ice water, or a cold beer.  Or, if you're really ready to cool off, throw a line over the side and take a dip.  That will put a whole now perspective on your situation!  Just keep in mind that you're out there to have a good time.  So keep cool and relax!

As in utilizing the other special techniques for heavy air and moderate air sailing, the techniques required for successful light air sailing are attained only through practice and experience.  To be a good all around sailor, you must be willing to go out under all weather conditions and learn to be master of your boat, and master of yourself.  Light air sailing tests your patience and persistence severely at times; but practice and time spent sailing in light air are the best teachers.

Tuning Your Tanzer for MODERATE AIR

by Jim Chastain (T-420)

Truly the most pleasurable experience for any sailor is when the weather conditions are ideal for his boat, and he feels confident in handling the boat on all points of sailing.  He can then devote much more attention to strategy and tactics on the race course, or just enjoy the scenery if daysailing.  For the Tanzer 16 ideal conditions are moderate air, or wind velocities in the 7 to 12 knot range.

For moderate air sailing, your rig must be set up differently than for the other extremes of heavy or light air to obtain maximum sail performance and boat speed.  When stepping the mast, ensure that there is about a 2-3 inch gap between the deck and the front of the mast in the deck slot.  This will open up the slot between the main and the jib, and promote uniform air flow with a minimum of turbulence for good lift from the main.  Don't overtighten the shrouds and forestay; run a fairly loose rig.  Rig the downhaul (or Cunningham) and boomvang, but don't overtighten them.  These devices should be used only to adjust draft in the main when changing points of sailing.  Place your jib block- cars such that the luff of the jib shakes evenly from the top to the bottom when you luff the boat to windward.  A double purchase on the mainsheet block system should be more than adequate.  Make sure the halyards are tight when you raise the sails.  The forestay should sag a little when the jib halyard is properly secured.  Adjust the outhaul on the mainsail to provide a smooth unwrinkled shape, and adjust the downhaul (or Cunningham) to put the maximum draft approximately two thirds of the way forward in the sail.

The objective for moderate air sailing is to keep your boat flit and balanced with full power in the sails and maintain a neutral helm except when changing course.  This is accomplished mainly by continual adjustments in weight distribution within the boat, subtle adjustments in the tiller to maintain an optimum angle of attack, and playing the mainsheet to help balance the boat when the preceding adjustments fail to do so.  You should seek to place the boat "in the groove" sailing to windward, where little or no adjustments in sail trim are necessary.  You will feel no pressure on the tiller and sailing seems effortless.   This skill is only developed by practice, and is nearly an art itself.  Sailing off the wind, a neutral helm and perfect weight distribution are equally important.  With spinnaker up, although you arc tempted to position yourself at the back of the cockpit or on the lee rail while at the helm you should not; this could cause an imbalance in the forces on the boat that would require compensation by sail trim adjustment or excessive rudder action.  You would sacrifice power and/or reduction of drag for your comfortable position in the boat.  For best results, position your crew amidships or slightly off center and yourself as far forward and on the windward rail ready to shift your weight as required.  Also, don't overtrim your sails, learn how to ease them to the point of luffing and trim in for full power.  Be observant and take advantage of changes in wind direction and velocity.  Pull the centerboard halfway up when off the wind to reduce drag and weather helm.

One great way to improve your skill is by sailing at night when your vision is limited.  This forces you to use your senses of feel, balance and sound to sail the boat, and develops your "automatic pilot", which is vital to enable you to observe occurrences outside your boat that are important for optimum sailing.  Practice and time in the boat is the real key to improvement of your sailing skills.

Tuning Your Tanzer for HEAVY AIR

By, Jim Chastain (T-420)

To obtain maximum enjoyment from your Tanzer 16, and to feel comfortable in the knowledge that you are sailing optimally, under any given weather condition or point of sailing, it is important that you become familiar with how to tune your Tanzer.

With April come the fresh winds of Spring, and it is vitally important to your peace of mind and personal safety that you know how to rig and tune for heavy air.  While still on shore, or immediately at launching, prepare your boat for the existing conditions.  Once underway the exertion required to deal with the wind and waves will prevent you from making the necessary adjustments.

When stepping the mast, make sure that the mast is placed all the way forward in the deck slot.  This will ensure that the sails can be flattened and close up the slot between the main and jib for reduced lift.  Don't over tighten the shrouds and forestay; this will allow the mast to flop a little to leeward from one tack to the other, making it easier to keep the boat flat.  You can use mast bend to flatten the mainsail.  Rig the downhaul (or Cunningham) and the boomvang on the main for tightening (and flattening) the sail.  Move your jib block cars all the way back aft from their normal position in the tracks.  This will help flatten the bottom of the sail and spill off air from the top of the jib.  Put a triple purchase on your mainsheet blocks at the traveler to help with the increased forces that will be transmitted to your arm through the mainsheet as you may have to constantly play the main.  Make sure the hiking straps are properly adjusted to permit maximum extension of you and your crew over the side or the boat for hiking out and balancing the heeling moment.  When you raise your sails before heading out, make sure that the halyards are as tight as you can get them and secured property, so they won't come loose. Now you're ready to go out!

The objective for heavy air sailing is to KEEP YOUR BOAT FLAT AND BALANCED at all times with as much power in the sails as is practicable.  Start your heavy air experience being conservative; as you improve your technique you can opt for more power in the sails.  Flatten out your mainsail by tightening the downhaul (or Cunningham), the outhaul and the boomvang.  Go ahead and put a little mast and boom bend in it to got the main as flat as possible.  8-12 inches of mast bend is about right.  This depowers the sail- you can always put more draft back into it if necessary later on, and its a lot easier than trying to tighten up while underway.  Pull the jib in as tight as possible on a beat and cleat it there.  Play the main constantly to balance the varying hearing moment on the boat- NEVER CLEAT THE MAIN IN HEAVY AIR!  The results can be disastrous!  Luff the main all the way and hike out before you even think of luffing the jib.  The jib will power the boat through the chop and keep the boat moving forward.  If you have a traveler that will permit casing the boom considerably, off the centerline of the boat, do so and flatten your sail with the mainsheet.  Look upwind and keep alert to puffs and sudden windshifts.  Be ready to move your weight about the boat agilely to compensate for the rapid change in heeling moment.

When sailing off the wind, overtrim the main so as to stall it out a little.  This is good insurance against a spinout to weather and consequent spill (AKA "Death Roll"-- Ed.).  Also, pull the centerboard up at least halfway to allow the boat to slide to leeward and avoid "tripping" on too much board.  Weather helm will reduce and speed will increase enough so that extra lift will make up for the loss of board area.

Be conservative until you've developed your technique for heavy air selling and have the confidence to challenge the elements.  Then go for it!  Above all, don't let the preceding advice on tuning scare you out of getting out in your Tanzer in the wild stuff.  The precautions are advisable but there are only a few thrills in life that can top riding a planing Tanzer 16 across the waves with your hair flying straight back and not a dry stitch of clothing on you-- just like hanging on to a wildcat's tail in a hurricane!  Go, get out there, and try it!  Watch the more experienced skipper if you're new, or better yet, crew for him.  Once you master the boat you'll find there's no better way to sail than in heavy air.

FLYING THE CHUTE: Getting the Most From Your Spinnaker

by Jim Chastain (T-420)

In addition to being the most colorful sail in your bag, and pretty to look at from the shore, the spinnaker, if properly utilized, can provide the most exciting, thrilling, and satisfying experiences you will ever know in your Tanzer 16.  There's nothing quite like popping the chute up after rounding the windward mark in a fresh breeze and exploding away from your competitors on a wild plane across the waves.  On the other hand, if not properly used it can become the source of ill-timed capsizes and frustrating moments when you go roaring beyond the leeward mark unable to get the thing down while your competitors round the mark for the finish line.  One fact is clear: although not needed on a Tanzer 16 to compete, in certain wind conditions it can become an awesome tactical weapon that separates the men from the boys, and the winners from the also-rans.

The spinnaker is your most versatile sail.  It develops aerodynamic forces in varying degrees in all situations.  The angle of attack at the luff is vitally important to ensure forces are generated in the optimum direction.  The shape of the sail is also critical depending on your course off the wind.  Ideally, the spinnaker should be full for dead downwind work and relatively flat for a close reach.  This poses a problem because for this reason you would ideally want two spinnakers.  To prevent the need for purchase of extra sails, and in the spirit of one-design racing, the Tanzer 16 Class Rules allow only one spinnaker on the boat while racing, and there arc precise measurement limitations that provide for maximum overall size and maximum girth dimensions.  Consequently, the spinnaker that you own will not be of ideal size or shape for either extreme point of sailing, and techniques for handling and trimming the sail and the strategy of how to properly use it become more important.

Successful use of the spinnaker depends on many different considerations, the first being how it is rigged.  The rig needs to be is simple as possible to avoid confusion.  Two recommended variations of the rigging plan are:

1. Using through-deck dinghy blocks and under-deck check blocks and cleats for less deck clutter and better crew access.
2. Using a spinnaker launching chute and bag mounted at the port bow which makes setting and retrieving the sail much easier.  To plan your spinnaker rig observe the many variations found on other boats at the next regatta and discuss the pros and cons with the owners.

The second consideration that is vital is spinnaker sets and takedowns.  A step-by-step procedure must be developed for your rig on what the skipper must do and what the crew must do in precise order, and it must be practiced endlessly to ensure fast, trouble-free sets and takedowns.  The crew must be totally knowledgeable with the location and function of the guy, sheet, topping lift, and downhaul.  Normally a spinnaker set will occur like this:

When approaching the windward mark the crew will set the pole in a horizontal position full forward on the forestay oil the side on which the chute will be carried.  Upon rounding the mark, the skipper settles oil his intended course, and while steering from a crouched position with his knees pulls in tile spinnaker halyard raising the sail.  The crew, after releasing the sheet from the guy book on the leeward side, pulls in on the guy and sheet as the sail goes up.  If there's any wind at all, its advisable for both the crew and skipper to position their weight on windward side for balance.  The guy should be pulled in and cleated with the pole in a position perpendicular to the wind, and then the sheet pulled in to the proper point of trim on the sail.  Once set and under control, the jib should be lowered by the crew and stowed under bungee cords, and final adjustments to sail trim made.  The crew should never cleat the sheet of the sail, but should continually seek to maintain perfect trim.   The sheet should be let out until the luff curls ever so slightly and then quickly trimmed in to take out the curl.  As the boat accelerates, the apparent wind angle to the luff will change and the pole will need to be eased forward, and the trim adjusted.

Depending on the circumstances and wind velocity, it may not be advisable to lower the jib.  Usually, lowering the jib will minimize disturbance to the airflow around the spinnaker, however, in strong winds it may be difficult to get the jib back up with the same tension on the forestay, which is vitally important to upwind performance, so the jib may be luffed with adverse affect on the spinnaker.  Sometimes, the jib can provide additional lift on the proper point of sailing and can be trimmed in, but, be careful about creating the jibsheets while the spinnaker is up - one good gust and you may be over.

Normally, a spinnaker takedown will occur like this: When approaching the leeward mark bear away slightly and pull the pole back to square up the spinnaker- this makes takedown a lot easier.  Timing between the skipper and crew is vital.  As the skipper cases the halyard down he must also pull in on the retrieval line and maintain some tension through the sail.  The crew must case the sheet and guy out as the sail is pulled into the launching chute; not   too slow to impede the effort, but not to fast to drop the sail in the water.  If the launcher is not used, the crew simply takes the clew in hand and pulls the corner of the sail in, letting the sheet fly loose, and rapidly bundles the sail up taking it in completely outside the windward sidestay.  Practice makes perfect, and time is of the essence here to prepare for a smart mark rounding and trim-in for the windward leg.

Another consideration important to the successful use of the spinnaker is how to use it once it is up, how to best negotiate the offwind legs of the course and how to jibe to your advantage.  A lot depends upon the wind conditions and predicted variations but the following pointers should help:

1. Getting the chute up quickly is important, but don't put it up until you are certain of the wind direction on the reach.  It may be too close a reach for the spinnaker, and having it up before you find out could be disastrous.  Look at what you competitors are doing before you commit, unless you're in the lead, and then preparation is the key.
2.  If the wind is building, sail above the rhumb line initially on a close reach and save the most wind for slowest point of sailing as you approach the jibing mark on a broad reach or run.  If the wind is dying take your slowest point of sailing initially by going low with the strongest wind, and save a faster close reach approaching the mark for later.  Always keep in mind that the rhumb line and clear air is the fastest course.
3. On a downwind leg (of Olympic courses) it is usually faster to tack downwind on reaches than to run straight for the mark.
4. Allow ample room at the jibing mark to bear away, square up the chute, and jibe before trimming in for the reach. Avoid jibing from close reach to close reach.
5. Establish a set procedure for jibing the spinnaker.  Usually, a jibe will occur like this: When approaching the jibing mark bear away and square up the spinnaker to the wind.  The crew puts the sheet under the guy hook to stabilize the sail, and at the signal pulls the boom over to jibe the main.  While still before the wind, the crew disconnects the pole from the mast, secures the new guy (old sheet) to the end of the pole, drops the old guy (new sheet) from the pole and connects the pole to the mast.  As the crew takes the new sheet out of the guy hook, the skipper cases the guy and pole forward and brings the boat up on the proper reaching course, trimming in the main as appropriate.  The crew trims the spinnaker sheet in accordingly as the boat begins to reach.  Practice makes perfect!
6. When approaching the jibing mark to windward and outside of a pack of boats, bear away and jibe early, and come in on a reach on the opposite tack aiming for the hole between the mark and the pack as they jibe.  You can pick up more places using this kind of mark rounding tactic than any method of trying to outsail the other guy.
7. In fresh winds flying the chute takes a lot of determination, guts, and skill.  On the close reach you and your crew should both be hiked out to balance the boat, positioned aft in the cockpit; the harder the wind blows the further aft you need to be for balance and to promote planing.  With the pole forward and sheet trimmed you must depend more on your main to provide anti-gust control.  As usual bear away in the puffs and conic up in the lulls.  When a gust hits it will tend to cause the boat to turn up into the wind and broach or capsize.  To control this, be sure to keep your main trimmed in so that you can stall it by over-trimming when the gust hits.  Put some muscle in your tiller pulling it toward you and bear away.

CAPSIZES or "I didn't know this was a submarine race!"

by Dave Permar (T-165)

One of the more frequent questions that I hear from new and prospective Tanzer 16 sailors is whether or not the Tanzer 16 will capsize.  Also in reviewing the archives of the Class Association, I noticed that some of the more interesting photos were of Tanzer 16s in a less thin upright position, so I thought it might be fun to rerun these photos and talk about my experiences in capsizing.

The Tanzer 16 is a very stable boat for its weight and size.  Nevertheless, any sailboat without a keel will capsize and every sailor must be mentally and physically prepared for this possibility because it will happen sooner or later.  It is certainly true that some people do not have the physical ability to deal with a capsize.  On the other hand, there are some pretty poor physical specimens in Fleet 1 (myself not excluded) who have survived many capsizes without permanent injury.  Nevertheless, I have seen a lot of new sailors or their crew become intimidated by the fear of capsizing when I was sure they did have the physical ability to deal with the situation.  As is frequently the case, capsizing's bark is worse thin its bite.  Churchill's adage that "all we have to fear is fear itself" certainly applies.

One of my first regattas was at Oriental and right at the start of the race a thunderstorm rolled down the Neuse River canceling the race and causing many of the boats to capsize.  I was fortunate enough to be able to keep my boat upright and sail back into shore without great difficulty.  After that experience, I thought I could handle almost any situation without capsizing.  Much to my surprise, during the very next regatta, I capsized while sailing in a nice, steady, breeze of approximately 15 knots simply because neither my crew nor I were quick enough in getting back up on the windward rail after tacking.  The moral or the story, of course, is "don't get too cocky - there are probably as many ways to turn the boat over as there are fish in the sea."  Fleet 1 sailors remember the time, two or three years ago, when Dave Gilbert capsized his Tanzer- in a little puff or less thin five knots while he and his crew were sitting on the leeward side of the boat.

I personally consider myself a fair conservative sailor.  Nevertheless, I usually average about one capsize a season.  (Although, last year I didn't have any and the year before I had five.)  It has always been my experience that the apprehension of the capsize is worse than the actual event itself.  Once I am over and in the water, I usually find that I am enjoying myself.  Some Tanzer sailors enjoy sailing their boat “all-out" and use their spinnaker in almost any wind condition.  These sailors are assured of gaining a great deal of experience in capsizing their boats.  Jim Strickland, Roy Rysdon, and all-time capsize champion, Dave Gilbert, immediately come to mind.  With all the practice, capsizing can become a part of the racing routine.  If the captain or crew can go over the windward rail and step immediately on the centerboard as the boat is being knocked down, and before the mast and sail become submerged, the Tanzer can be righted quickly.  This will also prevent the boat from becoming completely, swamped.  Under these circumstances, it is possible for a Tanzer to get right back in the race.  In their younger days, I have seen Roy Rysdon and Dave Gilbert perform this feat of magic on several occasions.   Once, even I had a young, athletic crew who could perform this feat.  However, for the rest of us mere mortals, a knockdown results in our falling in the water on the leeward side of the boa t.  By the time we swim around to the centerboard, the mast and sail are under water and righting the boat becomes a major task.  This usually means we are through racing for the day.

My procedure for recovering from a capsize is as follows: I send my crew around to the bottom of the boat with instructions to hold onto the centerboard to keep from slipping into the hull and to keep the boat from turning turtle (yes, Virginia, the Tanzer will turn turtle).  I grab the scat cushion and go immediately to the end of the mast where I put the scat cushion or a life jacket on the top of the mast to keep the mast from going to the bottom.  If the mast goes to the bottom and the water is less than 25 feet deep, the mast will probably become stuck in the mud or sand on the bottom making it very difficult to right and increasing the chances of ending up with a bent mast.  Then, I return to the boat and free all the halyards and sheets and attempt to pull the sails down.  (You do this so you don't have to lift too much water and to keep the boat from capsizing immediately again after it is righted.)  Then, if my crew is female, I go help her stand and pull on the centerboard to right the boat or, if my crew is heavy and male.  I return to the end of the mast to try to lift the mast out of the water. Once the top of the mast breaks the surface of the water, the boat will spring up fairly easily, but there are times when that is easier said than done.

If there is a crash boat helping, give them the tender so that they can gently pull the bow into the wind.  If there is no power boat, you might try pulling the bow into the wind yourself.  If you are in the middle of a thunderstorm, I suggest waiting until after it is over before attempting to right the boat.  I have spent many a pleasant summer afternoon floating in the lee of my capsized boat waiting for a storm abate.  Once the boat is up, one of the crew must crawl into the boat over the stern.  The gunnels will be almost awash and you will need to begin bailing to gain freeboard and stability.  It is not a good idea to tow the boat while it still has a substantial amount of water in it.

For a Tanzer sailor who is a reasonable, good swimmer and comfortable in the water, a capsize is not an unpleasant experience.  The ever-present possibility of a capsize adds a zing to the effort to balance the forces or wind and water- you know that your indiscretions will be promptly punished.  However, this very real possibility makes it imperative that we not go sailing when the water is too cold.  In my opinion, anytime the water temperature is below 60 degrees there is good reason for caution.  If you are sailing when the temperature is below 60 degrees, you need to make sure that help is available to get you out of the water quickly.  This is one of the advantages of participating in group activities with your fleet or yacht club.  This danger is greatest not in the Fall, but in the Spring, when sailing fever hits.  Here in North Carolina, we get some beautiful, balmy weather in March and sometimes even late February when the air temperature is well above 70 degrees F, but the water temperature is still too cold for sailing.  Remember, safe sailing is good sailing.