Heavy Air Crewing

Heavy-Air Crewing in a V15

By Stan Schreyer

When the breeze comes up in a V15, things can get dicey pretty quickly. The boats go fast, and they can make you tired really easily. Here are six tips to make your life easier when the wind howls.

1. The "Delayed Cross" Tack

When tacking in a breeze, a "roll tack" isn't really a roll tack—think of it as a delayed cross.

  • Timing: Start your move across the boat right around the time the jib backs. Communicate with your skipper for specific timing.
  • Commitment: Work through the entire tack. It starts when the boat goes head-to-wind and doesn't end until you are hiking on the new side with the jib trimmed tight.
  • Don't Stop: Avoid the common mistake of stopping as soon as you hit the new tank. Get your feet in the straps and your weight out immediately. Deal with the last few inches of jib trim or tangled lines after you're hiking.

2. Tighten Your Hiking Straps

You might be able to hike harder with loose straps, but you'll fatigue much faster.

  • Efficiency: Find the setting where you hike most efficiently, not necessarily the hardest.
  • Endurance: You need to last all day. Save your bursts of energy for the start or tactical pinches.

3. Teamwork on Jib Trim

If you struggle to pull the jib in all the way, get help from the back of the boat.

  • Friction: The V15 jib is large, and the fairlead creates significant friction.
  • Skipper Assist: Your skipper should put the mainsheet in their tiller hand and reach forward to help pull the jib in the last few inches. It's a team effort.

4. Anticipate the Moves

Your reaction time doesn't get faster just because the wind is blowing harder. You must anticipate.

  • Look Around: Know where other boats are so you can predict your skipper's moves (e.g., a quick tack or crash duck).
  • Communicate Options: Don't just tell your skipper what to do; present options.
    • Example: "When boat #74 tacks, do you want to duck or lee-bow?"
    • Example: "Are we rounding the mark and going straight, or tacking immediately?"

5. Get "Locked In"

Find a way to firmly brace yourself for big maneuvers, especially downwind and pre-start.

  • Stability: Use a combination of tanks, centerboard trunk, and hiking straps to lock your legs in.
  • Control: The goal is to sit in a manner that allows you to manipulate the boat, rather than having the boat manipulate you.

6. Watch Jib Leech Tension

Reaching:

  • When holding the jib outside the shroud, ensure you're exerting enough downward tension to close the leech. An open top section renders that part of the sail useless.

Close Reaching:

  • When you have to move inboard to hike and trim through the fairlead, the geometry changes. The fairlead position makes it hard to trim the leech properly.
  • Compromise: You may need to slightly over-trim the foot to keep the top from twisting off completely. Find the "happy medium" between stalling the bottom and losing the top.

Stan Schreyer is an All-American sailor, ICYRA National Champion, and former Vanguard employee.