Sailing Downwind

I have only recently started sailing Solo's but I found this tip very useful indeed - especially at my club (Black Swan) where the winds can be a bit fickle between the islands.

When sailing downwind in light winds, sit right forward of the centreboard case. Although this pushes the bow down, it has the effect of lifting the rear of the boat clear of the water. It can have quite a dramatic effect - even to the extent of gaining a place or two! Beware that gybing can become a bit tricky. Make sure you get back behind the thwart before gybing. This is for 2 reasons: (a) I found the boat turns too slowly with the bow down and (b) you can get in a real mess as the boom swings across - remember you are sitting right where the kicker comes across plus your arm holding the tiller is in the way of the main sheet!!

As long as you remember to get behind the thwart before gybing, this technique gain help you gain a place or two.

Additional Note by Ian J Young

This technique does not work for all Solos. With our fleet at Loch Venachar, we have found that moving your weight too far forward slows the boat down by allowing the bow to dig in. We have found that in certain boats, Boon and Jolly are good examples, that best results are obtained by keeping your weight on the thwart. It certainly works for Steve Boon - he never goes forward of the thwart.

Any other thoughts?