Hi guys, having some trouble with blondie 3170.  I've gotten to grips with the setup on her but we're having problems sailing it flat in anything in the force 3 band.  Its so bad that we almost have to start heading in at the sight of white caps!  Our all up weight is about 22 stone in an NSM1 which is probably a bit light but not too much!  If anyone can give us some tips I'd be much appreciated and if anyone knows a rig datum or something I could do to check the mast rake etc I'd be most grateful!  Cheers in advance....Oli.

What goes wrong, is it the beat, reaches or run?

I think the general consensus with those boats was to set the mast with between 6 and 12 inches of rake. If you're overpowered upwind whack on the cunningham and kicker and maybe lift the board up a snadge to ride with the punch. If you're still overpowered it's pie time!!

Raking the mast back and increasing rig tension will have minimal effects because it's a high tank boat and can't take the strain of the extra rg tension. A wire strop from the mast step up to the cross beam of the foredeck will help.

Blondie used to belong to Paul Davies in the dim and distant past, if he sees this he'll probably reply.

To check mast rake use a spirit level or a plumb line to set the transom or stem vertical. Set the muscle box / highfield lever / hook rack for the jib to where it sits and set the shroud levers to JUST take up the slack in the shrouds - you are measuring rake, not bend.

Dangle a heavy object from the main halyard and measure back from the gooseneck band to where the halyard sits - it helps if there is no wind - if it's not about 6 to 12 inches adjust the jib halyard position until it is, not forgetting to take up the slack in the shrouds or ease them off as necessary.

It's possible that Blondie (also previously owned by John Shorrock, if I recall) has a strut (from the foredeck to the mast by the gooseneck).  If this is the case, start to ease it as you get overpowered, and combined with the other tweaks Chris has described, will flatten and depower the sail.

GGGGGGGG

Once you have pulled on lots of cunningham and lots of kicker and outhaul, you should be able to sail with the now flat main eased well out.  You can also move the jib block forward to twist off the head of the jib and open the slot, but you have to keep feathering off the main to keep upright & this may be where you are going wrong?  Certainly lifting the board a bit (half board in survival conditions) helps

Cheer guys I'm probably mostly paranoid as we're sitting right out with all the settings you mention (other than the strut being off and board up) but my sail is so far out to keep the boat flat (and hence going in a straight line) that the luff is backing slightly!  I'm just used to smaller boast I think (Laser 200 and RS 400 etc) which I can either keep flat in anything upto a 5 with the sail in and setup right or is fully battened and hence doesn't really show when its backing to the same degree.  I'm gonna head down to the boat park today and fiddle with the rake and compare my two sets of sails to see if one is slightly smaller than the other - one is Mylar and has a smaller jib also the top batten seems smaller and at more of an angle than the other sail, its also a loose footed sail - the other sail is a hyde dacron sail which seems to have the top batten more horizontaly positioned and a bit bigger I think.  I'll have a compare and if it stops rainning go out for a sail around and see what differences there is between them!  I think we're heading up to Findhorn to work for the week so may go up with the boat and play other the weekend before in a safer environment which might instill a bit more confidence in the girlfriend who gets worried sailing off Stonehaven (nr Aberdeen).  Cheers guys!  Oli.

PS.
I still need to do a capsize in her - any tips for making it an easy recovery?!  Cheers

Also, many Merlin, especially ones used inland, have the ability for the board to be so far down that it angles forward 10 or 15 degrees.

You need to check that on your boat and if the board can go forward mark the handle so you know where perpendicular is.

Raking the board back in heavy winds is the way to go. 

Capsize recovery, the classic RYA taught system works well in the Merlin
- Crew lies in the boat float on the water, not pulling the boat over or down
- Helm swims round the back, checks rudder still on and then mounts the c/board
- meanwhile crew takes spinnaker down (if up) and kicker off (very important for easy righting)
- crew throws jib sheet over to helm
- helm rights boat with crew scooped in
- crew grabs tiller to stop boat bearing away and points head to wind
- helm climbs in, if it is choppy or crew to weak to help come over the transom
- open flaps & self bailers
- bear away onto a reach to empty the boat, putting the kicker on gradually as you empty

One additional thing, if you have a carbon mast (which I know you don't), if you go over without the spinnaker, it may well be worth the crew pulling the puller on before the boat rights, as a gust hitting you when you are full of water is hard on the mast, and when Chambulls mast broke at Rutland, I think the puller may have saved it by giving a triangluar support between the lowers and puller.

p.s. you may not find one set is smaller, but you may find one set is less full. The flatter sails use for heavy or very light winds.

Get that board up - it makes a big difference to heeling. You'll be making leeway anyway.

See link for official training guide to capsizing.

Official training photos for capsizing?

Andrew you move the jib car back to open the slot. 
And when it gets to where you main is out more than in, then i let the kicker off an armfull (or more if needed) to open the leach of the main, which allows the main to be pulled in more or even centered( sometimes the battern will invert but thats shows how open the leach is)maiking the slot work by driving the boat faster forward and reducing the side hits of the gusts, sounds odd but works very well.
I get the crew to do this so there is two of us controlling the power in the main.

As capsising experts we don't do the "crew lay in the water" thing. With a leeward capsize it goes like this,
realise boat is going in, unlike fireballs merlins give you plenty of warning that you are about to get wet, fight with crew for centre plate making sure not to trample on lower inwhales, if crew on centre plate before you push them off. Try stop boat going inverted (this is why no crew laying on the water jobbie, would not like to be trapped under an inverted merlin!) grab shroud and lean back, crew who has now regained centre plate holds your waist and leans back. Boat starts to right fight crew off back into the water and step in. Voila you only get wet to the knees. For windward capsize, when water flowing out of one ear into other start to move. Grab crew by bouyancy aid and throw them into the water, use them as an aid to get up over the side and onto the plate. Its better to use their head for a stepping stone than your inwhales as these can split. Tell crew to swim round transom ignoring cries of "there's all ropes around my feet, please don't let it go inverted!" Right boat in previously mentioned fashion. When back in bar buy crew drink then tell everybody it was a crewing error whilst crew in the Lav

Sorry to be misleading, Dave is absolutely right and this is the problem with doing it on the computer rather than looking at the boat and thinking about what I actually do, jib cars back to twist off top, forward tightens leech.

Floppy, if I had to trapped under any inverted boat I'd go for a Merlin as there's a fair bit of oxygen in a max beam Merlin upside down ;->

Been under a 420 and a fireball never want to go under a boat again and looking at how low my tales goes when inverted do not fancy it one bit. Anyone been under a modern merlin to allay me fears or do you all rush to plate like I do

Oli, I've e-mailed you under separate cover - regatta near Inverness this weekend, £18 for two days racing on some of the best dinghy water in Britain.

P.S.  Forecast (xcweather) is Force 2-3 on both days - perfect for providing reassurance to girlfriends.

Thanks guys, sent Hamish an e-mail about it and will try to make it to Wormit sometime and have a little in boat coaching!  Decided not to bother with Findhorn this weekend as the weather is rubbish here!  Heading up on Sunday though to start work on the monday.....if you find yourself in Findhorn between the 6/7th-10th pop in for a drink....Cheers Oli.