There is now an additional sub-gallery in the Photos/Training gallery entitled 'Technique'. So far it only contains a reach-to-reach spinnaker gybe, executed by the Blakes and captured by Tim Boswijk (looks as though it may have been at Chichestershire a few weeks ago). If you have any other photo sequences which provide a 'learning opportunity', either good or bad (though I can't guarantee to pixel-out the identies in the case of the latter!), please forward to Mags or myself.

Hi 
The photo sequence of the Blakes, was taken during the 2nd race of the Chichester YC Open Meeting recently, so a full on racing gybe.

What's amazing is how the helm disappears from the boat in shots 17-20...

Perhaps Pat would like to write a critique!

I have far worse gybe photo sequences from the same race..the Blake's was far the best..and they were leading too!

Pat seems to disappear in a David Blaine/Copperfield sort of way half way through the sequence, but then strangely jilly's bum seems to get bigger too ..how unflattering!

What should the crew do with the spianker sheets during a gybe? are they just cleated off before removing the pole and left a lone untill the new pole is on? or should you be pulling the spinaker round by the sheets?

If it's a run to run we cleat both and i steer to keep the kite full. 

If it's a reach to reach mark this is usually not possible. I still try to make it as run to run as possible, but the kite is pulled around first. Some flappage is inevitable.

There is training material in the library. An updated version of Jennie King's article on spinnakers plus a "how to" sheet.

Better still, come along to the Rutland Training 30 April, 1,3 May.  You can see the lady in action herself!

Still places remaining.

Perhaps it is more like the way not to do it!
Very interesting set of photos - because I didn't realise what was going wrong. It shows the power of training - this is just the sort of thing that we will be doing at Rutland on the next bank holiday weekend.
So this is how I see it:
It starts off well, Jilly releases the pole just as the bow is by the mark so we can turn tight, the next reach was shy. We let the boat heel to windward so it naturally bears away into the gybe without using much rudder - while Jilly pulls the the old guy round so the spinnaker blows round the front during the gybe - shots 4 to 8.
It is about shot 11 that it starts to go tits up! I have flicked the batten as I pulled the main over and I am waiting for Jilly to put the pole on so I can pull the snodger on and power the boat up, but I made 2 mistakes. No1 is that I dont have to stand in the middle, our snodger is led to the side so I could perfectly well be sitting on the sideck. No2 is that I turned the boat too high on the wind so Jilly has to stuggle to get the pole on. It is much quicker to sail freer for just a few seconds while the crew puts the pole out. The combination of these two things means the boat is heeled and you can see that I am using a lot of rudder to keep on course - that works like a brake. Jilly also made a mistake in that she pushed the pole out sideways - it is much easier to push it forwards.
So, for the record, that is why we lost that race. We had a nice lead coming into that mark but Richard and Olly had a much better rounding and powered over us about 100yds after this sequence.
We are off to practice - now we know the problem we can try and do better next tim. Thanks Tim for posting the photos.

I am really glad you posted that analysis, Pat. I was worried the sequence didn't quite look like what I though we were being trained to do at Rutland, but not sharp enough to be able to spot the actual mistakes. Thanks.

For C and I the interesting bit is that Ollie in the chasing boat.  He would appear to be getting the pole off the forestay a bit earlier as he goes into the gybe before removing the pole - rather than pulling it round after the pole is off.  It is also noticeable that Richard is luffing as the get to the buoy not letting the boat roll into the gybe - perhaps worried about hitting the buoy?  I think (but it is not clear from the photos) that Richard has gone into the mark higher than Pat so has more of an opportunity to square off into the gybe and come out higher...?

We think our new boat is better set up in terms of the snodger.  Slack in the system allows the pole to be put on much more easily and therefore speeds the process up, making every thing go much more fluidly.  True there is a lot more string (thin rope) to pull in and I am progressively cutting this down (ie with a knife) until I over do it but it is worth it.

DaveC

PS All comments are my own nothing to do with my Crew :-)  I am told (backed up by the training event of a couple of years ago) that all problems with gybing are down to me (the helm)!

I've emailed Mags with some more gybe sequences, same mark rounding same race at Chi YC Open.  So hopefully we can get these on the site, and see a variety of crews and boats showing their technique (or lack of it).  
I didn't send the picture of the Williamson's, as it was embarrassing to see G get his tiller extension caught between the loose foot of the main and the boom, and rock star super sailing legends don't do this, even if they are out of practice at the the back of the boat.

I can remember from my Rutland training that it was much more of a problem rolling the boat than keeping it as flat throughout as possible, rather hope our sequences were so far behind that the cameraman had given up, can remember that we knew the 2nd reach would be really tight & got more so through the day but still struggled to get the pole on quickly for the new gybe.  The problem with starting the gybe very close to the mark is just that, our best rounding we had started very high and in fact gybed a bit before the mark and headed up on to it, we had a boat below us that we hoped would do what Pat did, but we still couldn't get the bow above them.

Hi Andrew
I didn't pack up my camera that quickly, as have your gybe sequence too, only 3 shots though.  i can email it you if you so wish !?!?

No, please post them! Please!

Alan obviously wants to see them, happy to go public if the subsequent critique will be instructive!

Thanks to Tim B for capturing a few more frames at the same mark. In the 'technique bin' we now have the Richard and Olly rounding to which Pat referred, as well as a full set of Blake the Younger and our illustrious Chairperson taking, what appears to be, a slightly more vigourous approach.

Mmm, interesting.  Both quite a bit flatter into the mark, Richard particularly, and quicker onto the side deck out.  What did mine look like I wonder?

Hi Andrew..I've sent Alistair more of the gybe sequences..and Heaven Sent is in them, as is

Gangsta Paradise 3539
Leader 3563
Kind of Blue (Back to the Future) 3583
Liquid dreams 3647
Wizard in blue 3449
Blue Velvet 3645
Point Break 3625
Aunt Fanny 3604

so lots of different techniques to study in race conditions.  Hopefully up on the burgeoning technique photo page soon.
Tim B

No-one seen so far has kept the spinnaker filling throughout the gybe! Disgraceful...

Alastair will upload the images when he has a moment. My thanks to him for volunteering for this role, else I would not be able to cope.

First of the latest batch - featuring 3539, 3583 & 3563 - are now up.

I think that's the leg where our starboard sheet came untied on the way down!!

The last batch of the 'Chichester Gybes' are now in the 'technique' section of the 'training' gallery. They are classsified as 'various' but show 3647, 3511, 3449, 3645, 3625 & 3604.

Not far off filling all the way through Mags, just a leading edge fall in as the pole goes on.  Can't see what happens as 3449 comes in behind us but the boat is at least flat.  We didn't catch Liquid Dreams alas.

Our gybing is still a work in progress, but we are getting better at it. Had allot of practice on Sunday at Banbury. Our biggest issue is that Jo struggles to get the pole up if I come up in to the wind too quickly, hence we are sailing quite free through the later part of that sequence. I think that cost us a bit as that reach was quite tight and we struggled to get high enough for the next mark at the other end.

Still, as I said, a work in progress. Not disappointed with it so not bad.

This is an excellent idea by the way. It is really usefull being able to see what we were doing from an outside perspective. Thanks.

Gybing is the focus of a few articles on the training resources.  Now updated.

Guess what, better still come to the Rutland training!

Training team now very strong including many top people from Salcombe and Banbury.