So we are going deep downwind... as deep as we can!

We pull the spinni pole away from the jib to drag more kite out from behind the main and all is good... however there comes a point where it all starts getting a bit rock n roll... like a laser with the kicker off to much.

What's the trick. I don't know what's happening here. Is it telling us that we have gone to far (because it still looks as though we could pull a bit more around yet) or is there a way to deal with it.

Cheers
Ian and Hannah
3581

You are getting almost by the lee and the main is twisting ahead at the top, pull in a bit of main sheet.

More kicker! Stops the top of the main twisting wrong too far the wrong way.

Centreboard down?

The pull from the kite is (approximately!)directly away from the middle of the kite. So once you have more than half of the kite on the windward side, then the pull will be to windward: i.e. the opposite side to what you had a moment before.: hence the wobbles.

Like the Laser trick of running by the lee, it does help with speed and going deep, but it does make things a little unstable...

This is where the spinnaker trimmer is steering, and helmspeople become purely decorative!

If the pole is well aft and the boat rolls to windward on a bit of swell, the kite will exaggerate the roll, so the pole needs to drop forward quickly - how much will depend on the severity of the conditions - if it is blowy, then a metre should be ample.  Likewise if the pole is forward and the boat rolls to leeward, the pole neds to come back.  These are quick movements; cleating the guy is no good.

Andy and Mags are also right, too much kicker off allows the top batten forward of the mast, which initiates a windward roll, and some board will help.

Boat balance and trim also play a part, and good anticipation (side to side, and forward and back) by both crew members will go a long way to preventing the rolling starting.

GGGGG

ummm Ok... so basically all we need to do then is apply a little tallent and finess

ummmmmmmm

Thanks for the help all the same

Ian

One simple thing no-one else has mentioned, make sure you have enough centreboard down, not less than half board if it's windy enough for you to be rolling around.  Steer to keep the boat under the rig, once you are heeled a bit control becomes very difficult, flat is fast.

Pat Blake told me steering on the run is like balancing a broom on your finger - got to keep the boat under the rig, if the analogy helps you to make sense of that phrase.

Also helps if the crew (helm included) sit still and don't leap around trying to counter act the role!
If you start healing to windward get the crew to ease the guy and pull on the sheet a little, the helm can also head up a little bit if the roll is quite bad and pull the main in. Once you're settled try bearing away and adjust the kicker and centreboard if necessary to see if that makes it more stable.

Of as GGGGGGGGG says though - depends on wind strength as to how much you need to do each thing but sailing slightly by the lee is a really good thing to practice, especially when sailing in Salcombe trying to stay close to the beach or through the endless moorings on a windy day!