For the coastal sailor, upwind sailing skills are critical: there's nothing like a lee shore to focus the mind on tacking angles and leeway. For the ocean sailor the challenges are VMG, handling swell and avoiding a crash gybe, but ongoing developments in hull, rig, sail and hardware design have generated huge variations in how we do this. There's a confusing array of kit and tactics to choose from, so it's important to spend time on research before spending money on equipment.
The first rule of any big decision is to know yourself, your boat and your crew. Neil Mackley, of North Sails, explains: "The thing I most enjoy is sitting down with people and finding out about them. Are they comfortable handling a pole? Are they happy working on the foredeck or would they prefer to manage things from the cockpit? How much stowage space do they have?"
When it comes to the boat, one of the most important metrics is the efficient downwind sailing angle. Broadly speaking, light, flat-bottomed, modern yachts will sail much faster on a reach than on a run. Comparing the new Swan 48 with its predecessors illustrates these changes: the current model is 14% faster on a heading of 120° TWA than 150° TWA. The previous generations only have a 7% difference (see table, above right).
Scrutiny of the polars for the 1995 Frers Hallberg-Rassy 46 gives a similar picture. When flying a spinnaker in 14 knots it makes 7.1 knots on a TWA of 165° and 8.4 knots on a TWA of 120°. The extra 1.3 knots accumulate to a 400500-mile gain over a transatlantic passage, but the 45° difference in angle will cost far more in extra distance.
Heavy-displacement, traditional cruisers won't make exponential gains by reaching. "Wherever possible I run the data through a velocity prediction program to find out where the sweet spot is," Mackley says, "and for most cruising boats it pays to sail deep."
Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
NIKKI HENDERSON
WHERE DO YOU FIND HANDY BILLY WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
IS OLYMPIC SAILING ACTUALLY HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS A SHOWCASE OF THE SPORT FOR BOTH COMPETITORS AND SPECTATORS?
Building fleet for Baltic Sea Race
The second edition of the Roschier Baltic Sea Race, a 635-mile race out of Helsinki, Norway, saw varied conditions and a new benchmark course time set.
New cruising charter 'Odyssey'
Charter company Dream Yacht has launched a new round the world supported cruising programme for yacht owners which draws on the company's extensive network of charter bases.
Mixed fortunes at Marseille
The Paris 2024 sailing regatta saw mixed fortunes for many favourites - some confirming their dominance, others crashing out as variable winds played havoc.
The yacht Bayesian
Bayesian is one of Italian yard Perini Navi's 56m series, originally named Salute.
Seven dead in superyacht sinking
Seven people are dead following the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian, a 56m/184ft British-flagged Perini Navi, off the coast of Sicily.
5 EXPERT TIPS HELENA DARVELID ON MULTIHULL CONTROL
Performance multihull racing is growing hugely in popularity. Helena Darvelid shares some key learnings with Andy Rice
PALMA'S FUN FACTOR
FUN ON AND OFF THE WATER IS AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION AT THE SUPERYACHT CUP PALMA, WRITES PHIL RILEY
SWAN 88 DREAMCATCHER
GLOBAL LEADERS AT THE SEMI-CUSTOM END OF THE PRODUCTION SCENE, NAUTOR SWAN INVITED US FOR THE FIRST SEA TRIALS OF ITS BIG NEW 88