Generally, mark roundings can be sort of counter-intuitive because there’s a lot of boat handling but the goal isn’t necessarily boat speed. Overall, the main thing to be thinking about is where bow needs to be pointed. Rounding the windward mark in a team race is a lot more condensed than in a fleet race, which means just a little bit of good positioning can go a long way. Good crews tend to be great at looking around the boat and predicting combos, plays, etc..., but this article is focused on how a crew can still do the right thing by just feeling the boat and going off of immediate clues or signals in the boat.

 

Basic Concepts:

The biggest things to focus on around the mark are probably weight placement and jib trim. It’s easiest to think of both of those as one movement that happens together instead of separate jobs. So usually when I move up or down I just do so without changing my grip on the sheet or letting my shoulder/elbow move.

That’s true of boat speed in general but it’s especially important around a mark because the boat needs weight and jib trim to turn and maneuver between other boats. A lot of it is just “feel” but here are 3 things that can be memorized:

 

  1. Follow the skipper’s shoulders. If he leans out, move to windward. If he leans in, get to leeward. A lot of the time the skipper doesn’t have time to give the crew direction, but after a while it gets easier to predict where the skipper is thinking the boat needs more weight just by small posture changes.
    1. Also the skipper is holding the tiller, which makes it easier for them to feel small changes in the helm. Usually it’s just faster to watch the skipper/tiller rather than wait to feel helm change in the front of the boat. 
  2. Anytime the crew moves up and trims jib, the bow will turn down.
  3. Anytime the crew moves down and eases jib, the bow will turn up.

 

The boat pivots or spins around the centerboard. It used to help me visualize it by picturing the centerboard like being the center of a revolving door. If you push one end of a revolving door forwards, the other end will be moving the opposite direction, coming up from behind you. And pulling on it will make the rotation switch direction. The bow of the boat is the side of the door that the crew controls.

So, when you pull in the jib it fills with pressure and pushes the bow downwind, which will also makes the stern want to turn up. When you luff the jib but have the main in, the pushing is happening in the back of the boat and the bow will want to pop up.

 

Approaching the Mark

 

The last 1/3rd of the windward leg is generally when it’s time to start thinking about rounding the mark. The main thing is to be looking for are other boats, the lay line, and any major wind shifts that could change your angle to the mark.

 

  1. Up until the mark, the first priorities are boat speed and boat handling.
  2. Lay Line. Because team races are more condensed than fleet races it’s a little easier to have a rough idea of lay line just by other boats. Also team races are short and rapid-fire, so after a race or two it becomes more intuitive (unless the course changes).
    1. The most likely time to miss lay line is in a tacking duel or distracting situation close to the mark. The most important time to double-check lay line is when there’s a lot of other stuff to pay attention to also.
    2. Better to be safe than sorry. Don’t be afraid to over stand the mark a little bit, especially when coming in on port. Being on a slight reach or footing gives you some flexibility to head higher or lower, and also gives you speed to roll over boats that might be stalled-out at the mark.

                                               i.     However, CFJs point a lot higher and are more maneuverable than 420’s so there is more leniency to tack right on lay line or even under-shoot it a little bit.

                                             ii.     In a 420, take off windward sheet once you’re making the mark. Usually I like to take the leeward sheet out of the cleat and hold it because it gives you a better feel and is quicker to adjust, especially in breeze.

3. Be conscious of your pair and what the other 2 boats are doing. Look out for last minute switches or changes of any sort. I tend to be really spacey about knowing what’s happening tactically, but it always helps me a lot to take a moment, look around, and make a mental note before the fleet starts to converge.

 

 

The Mark Rounding:

 

  1. Don’t hit anyone. The catchall solution to avoid hitting boats is luffing the jib. Usually there’s limited space to steer around raft-ups so never be afraid to just slow down and wait. Also keep in mind that the skipper’s only way of slowing down is to steer (dropping the main can be pretty awkward), which requires space, so the jib is really important.

a.     Look out for how much you’ll need to luff, and when to luff. Timing is really important.

                                      i.     In a 420, don’t hesitate to reach around the shroud to make sure the jib gets out faster.

b.     When luffing the jib, keep steering with weight. Predict what’s about to happen and help the skipper steer.

                                      i.     If staying still, usually you want a little bit of windward heel.

                                    ii.     As the jib is luffing, take the slack out of both sheets (as much as possible while it can still luff) so that it’s fast to trim or backwind.

                                   iii.     If you need to head down for a moment,it can help to sort of pump the jib and/or put more weight to windward. In extreme situations you can back wind the jib for a moment.

c.     When heading up to stall, the jib should be trimmed slowly so that it’s always on the verge of luffing. Once the bow is almost head to wind, just let the jib luff completely. 

                                      i.     This is one time where jib trim and body weight move separately. As the jib comes in, the crew needs to be moving to leeward to anticipate that the boat will heel to windward when the jib is luffing.

2. Accelerating

a.     After getting the bow down, it helps to do a very small rock/pump like you would off the starting line. Sometimes, it’s enough to just lean with your shoulders and trim just a few clicks. Listen to the mainsheet ratchet to help with timing.

                                      i.     If it’s just a quick pump or light air, you can grab the sheet outside of the block, this will give you a more sensitive feel of what’s going on.

b.     It’s always safer to be a little under-trimmed than over. Trim the jib a little slower than the mainsheet so that it’s luffing until the last second.

                                      i.     If in a tight situation, remember that trimming will push the bow down more. Trimming slowly and pausing at intervals will help keep the jib full without pushing the bow down. Also, being to leeward will help.

c.     If going into a tack, don’t do anything big/drastic to get the boat moving before tacking. Leading into a tack, movements and trim should be really subtle.

                                      i.     If the bow is at the right angle, (at least head to wind or more) you can go from stopped into a tack by immediately backwinding the jib. Just backwinding will be about 70% of the roll. Be careful though, if it’s a “loose” backwind (where the jib isn’t pulled in very much, and is fuller) it will add a lot more power/turn. If you need to backwind but don’t have a lot of space, you’ll need to pull in almost the entire jib sheet so the sail doesn’t fill as much.

                                    ii.     Out of the tack, trim to whatever angle the bow is actually pointed, not to where it would be out of a normal tack. 

3. Get the bow pointed at a good angle compared to surrounding boats.

a.     If tacking around the mark, remember that it’s from an upwind angle to a reach; so be careful not to over-trim the jib. As you cross the boat, you can feel the moment the jib fills (there’s a pressure change on the jib sheet) and that’s exactly when to stop trimming.

b.     Also, the bigger the roll and longer the jib is backwinded, the more the boat will turn. So a big tack can be good if the boat is stalled out and/or over stood the mark.

c.     However, if your boat is close to the mark or boats are really close by, don’t risk a big tack. If the roll is too hard the boat will slide into the mark or hit other boats because the centerboard and rudder are up. If you’re trying to hold up other boats, a roll often isn’t even necessary.

d.     Usually, a big flatten isn’t necessary because the sails will be de-powered. Also, over-flattening will put the bow down too much once you’re already on a reach.

e.     If coming in from port tack, there’s a tricky balance between coming up/trimming to get the bow down and going to leeward/easing.

                                      i.     Rule of thumb is to move down to leeward as slowly as possible, and to come up/trim for a little extra push to get the bow down.

                                    ii.     If “shooting up”, luffing the jib but putting weight in the middle or leeward will help the boat get by. If the stern is sliding into the mark, sometimes getting the bow down suddenly will get the stern to spin away from the mark.

f. In a CFJ, its nice if the crew can time turning around with something else that's going on. For example, putting weight on one of the rails is an ideal time to switch footing because it takes weight off of your feet so that you're not felt in the boat and also forces you to put more weight on the rail. In more crowded mark roundings, I like to wait a while before turning around in case we end up doing circles and its easier to see what's going on.