Tips from the Top

After Denia I quizzed Sten on a few topics - here are his words of wisdom ...

In a race most ground is lost tacking and it is also the hardest part of the Musto Skiff to master, Wire to wire tacking is the ultimate tack but much easier and not that much slower is an advanced safety tack.
1 - Trapeze on the handle in to the tack Keeping the boat flat and fast.
2 - Lead with your front foot. steer smooth and large turning circle into tack
3 - Uncleat main sail as you duck the boom, allow the main to run out to the shroud.
4 - step forwards on the new tack and stand around the kite ratchet block on the gunnel while you hook on, this prevents going into irons.
5 - use more rudder to turn boat as it slows down.
6 - use the step out onto the rack to make sheeting in one arm full.

Big breeze survival bear away
1 - uncleat gnav and cunningham before bear away, this stops you having to go forward to uncleat them and the gnav powers up the rig making it harder to bear away and increases angle of danger zone. the cummingham twists off the top of the rig which pushes you bow down the mine :-)
2 - in medium to light winds I wire in to the bear away but in breeze it all happens to quick. I sit on the T of the rack with my front foot on the gunnel and rear hooked against rack bar
3 - keep the boat flat and traveling at laser speed (i.e. not too fast)
4- on suitable wave ease main and bear away hard
5- as it bears away, sheet in and over sheet main and continue to bear away on to a run.
6- Ease the main to the shroud and hoist the kite and send it :-)
7- Or, if you can take the flack, single sail on a run. Control the speed by how eased the main is. Over sheet and bear away if it looks like a bad wave ahead but maintain laser speed (slow) with main over sheeted to slow down. You will get blown over and pitch pole if you go to fast.

Capsize Recovery
Best not to capsize but if you do;
1- Bag the kite first from the dagger board be carefully of halyard on deck or from in water at the back of the boat before it turtles.
2- With the boat on its side, pull the cunningham and gnav on full this de powers the rig, you will be there all day trying to lift all that water otherwise.
3- If the rig is into the wind do the eskimo roll hold on the dagger board and as the boat flicks over go under the board and reach around to the new windward gunnel. This should stop it going over again, Climb in between gunnel and rack unless you are an Ant (Very light and agile where you could go out side the rack)

Top tips fro Denia
1- Use tie downs on your trolleys its easier to rig and if it capsizes it brakes your mast
2- Weather forecasts I use WWW.Windguru.com backed up with more local weather forecasts www.theyr.net
3 - Regular checks of boat and equipment (you know who you are ...)