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Roll tack - Page 2

© Anne Schwab

In heavy wind conditions, roll tacks are much easier to carry out. Skipper and crew will both be hiking out in the high side in a heavy wind conditions, and thus the boat will already be all set at maximum heel when it comes time for a tack. To keep the roll moving the boat along, the skipper must still throw the tiller across, just as on a light wind day, but this time the wind will help to pull the boat across the midpoint and through the tack. Here it’s not so important for the skipper and crew to pull the boat over with their weight as it is important for them to get their weight across in order to keep the boat from rolling completely over on to its side.

By practicing roll tacks with great frequency and regularity, skipper and crew should be able to develop a rhythm together, and be able to perform the essential weight shift with minimal verbal cues. It will come together and be a thing of feel rather than a forced maneuver.

Practice this one. It will help you not only sail faster, but to sail smarter as well.

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