PHRF Experiences and Downwind Angles

[Kevin Blank]

Alright guys, I'm still new with the boat, but I'm learning quickly.  Right now I'm racing locally with the PHRF fleets and I'm having a few challenges.  I'm sailing a '96 with a tin rig and bulb upgrade. 

A few weeks ago I was sailing in 4-6 knots of breeze and I just couldn't point or keep up at all.  At that wind speed, so I even bother trying to sail wide angles or do I rotate the kite to windward, move all the bodies forward and think like a Laser?  When going upwind, do I need to barberhaul and if so, how much?

Last weekend I was out in 13-16 knots of breeze, sailing up against a Olson 30 which rates very close.  I expect to loose a little distance upwind since the Olson should waterline me to the mark, but downwind I couldn't catch him either.  My downwind target in that breeze was to keep my apparent wind pretty much on the beam.  Was I heating it up too much and need to sail deeper?

Once I can make a few one-design events, some of these answers will work themselves out, but for right now I'm looking for help!

[Jeff Jones]

Upwind

Make sure you have a split-tail mainsheet system (aft sheeting).  It does a better job of bringing the boom on center + takes up forestay sag w/o closing the leach of the mainsail.  If the breeze is on, i switch out to mid boom sheet - with that sysem the boom stays a little low of center when you sheet on hard to close the leach and reduce forestay sag.   That will most certainly help your pointing.

After you've been in the boat for a while you'll learn to drive for power and then pinch for height.

We inhaul when the breeze when we're not full-on hiking.   We let the leward sheet off about an inch and inhaul about 1 - 1.5" max.   

In flat water we outpoint everyone.

Downhill in light stuff you just have to stay in pressure - keep the boat moving.   In 13 - 16 you should be getting hit with puffs that bring you out of the water and lulls that make ya heat it up for power.  That means you need to again, stay in that pressure to the best of your ability.   If we're not planning i have one crew sitting on the leward side of the boat, outboard in front of the side-stays.   We hit by a puff eveyone to the high side but forward crew sitting inboard.   In the light stuff I sit forward of the mainsheet, both crew are in front of the shrouds - windward crew sitting inboard a little, leward crew outboard.

Ya dude, after Charleston your PHRF competition will think you're a totally different sailor. 

[Lee Shuckerow]

Just got our PHRF certifiacate raring set at 96 in Port Huron, MI. Sorry Kelly, Wardo sold us out. 

In response to your thread. Sail the boat the same way in PHRF as you would in one design. In both types of racing your going to race to optimum speed. downwind you have to keep the going fast and trying to create as much apparent as you can in light air and heavy. Heeling the boat to weather downwind is not the way to go, neither is any wing on wing stuff. Unless you get a PHRF kite designed for the boat your going to have a tough time rotating the kite out to effectivley sag lower. you have to just face the facts sometimes that this boat is pretty small in comparison to most boats you will race against in PHRF and in some conditions its going to be tough.

I also second that if you havent raced the boat much in one design your going to learn a lot in charleston.  It will definately help with your angles upwind and downwind.

I also recommend that if you dont have a velocitek for speed, get one. That is the biggest indicator on our boat of whether we are doing things right or wrong.

[Drew Harper]

96 must be SF Bay? I thought we had the crapiest rating in the US. Sorry to hear you guys got the screws put to you too Shuck.

4-6 requires a carefully tuned mast. Many Viper sails are cut with loads of luff curve to allow for some prebend in high wind speeds. Intuitively people loosen up their rigs in the light but the mains become too full. Laminar flow detachment is your enemy here. Run through some tuning changes in this wind to find optimum chord depths.

You are never going to beat an Olson 30 (99 phrf) in 6 knots TWS. They are a very well sailed boat here in SF, they carry a 150% genoa and will waterline you to death. Best to soak with the kite in this velocity (under 5) than reach up. The angles are too high. Pull your jib down if you go to soak as the kite will breathe much better. Make sure you are on the right side of the current. Keep the boat with some heal and weight VERY forward. That gurgling sound you hear at the transom....it's slow.

You should crush them in 13-16. Keep a keen eye on your speedo to pickup the max VMG. Heat up to highest speed, soak down to the mark, eyeing your speedo and keep the running LOP in your head. The Olson will soak DDW at hull speed.

The REAL trick is when it hits 22+. The Olson will plane DDW. You have sail a Viper ballistically to beat them then but I guarantee you can beat them.

We'll appeal the rating this winter. SoCal sails to a 111 and Vipers are virtually unbeatable there.

FWIW, I don't use tail sheeting. I find it overcooks the leach in anything over 10 TWS...at least on my Gen II Hydes. I used split bridle mid-boom and in the light stuff I just twing the bridle with my hand going upwind. It gives me good feedback on mainsail loads.

Make sure you are blocking the mast to prevent headstay sag, don't overcook it though...you need some sag for power.  Keep your lowers loose enough to allow some mid-point mast sag to build body in the lower part of the main.

Ultra is right, if the boat is underpowered and you need to point, try inhauling. Be careful that it doesn't broadcast across the working part of the main though. You need an open jib leach to inhaul effectively.

It's a simple rig but there's a ton of minor adjustments that make a huge difference.

We need to have one of the sailmakers put together a computer model of a Viper rig/Sail combo and save the screen shots of the adjustments for class/owner review.

http://www.northsails.co.jp/e/simulation.html