Planing Upwind

Let Loose and Plane Upwind

By Pete Spaulding

One of the most thrilling things about the Vanguard 15 is its ability to go fast all around the course. While planing is usually associated with sailing downwind, it's a powerful technique for upwind legs as well. Master this, and you'll beat the fleet to the windward mark while having way more fun.

Conditions for Planing

To plane efficiently upwind, you generally need:

  • Flat Water: 12+ knots of breeze.
  • Chop: Closer to 15+ knots.

Below these speeds, you'll have to reach too low to plane, sacrificing VMG (Velocity Made Good). You also need strong legs—once you start planing, you can't stop hiking!

1. Rig Set-Up

Planing requires power.

  • Don't Over-Depower: If you rake back too much to keep the boat flat, you lose the punch needed to plane.
  • Drop Pins: If your vang, cunningham, and outhaul are maxed and you're still easing the main more than 6 inches to stay flat, drop a rig pin.
  • The Goal: You want to be powered up enough to plane without easing the main more than 6 inches or the jib more than 1.5 inches.

2. Sail and Boat Trim

Once your rig is set, it's time to accelerate.

  1. Bear Away: Drop the bow 2-5 degrees to build speed.
  2. Stay Flat: The boat must remain perfectly flat. Any heel creates windward helm (drag) and risks stalling the rudder.
  3. Ease Sheets:
    • Jib: Ease about 2 inches to open the slot.
    • Main: Ease about 6 inches simultaneously.
  4. Accelerate & Point: As the boat pops onto a plane, slowly trim both sails back in and head up slightly.
  5. Steer with Sails: Use your mainsheet to steer over waves (main in to head up, main out to bear away) to keep the rudder balanced.

3. Weight Placement

Skipper and crew weight placement is critical and often overlooked.

  • Fore/Aft Trim:
    • Flat Water: Move weight forward.
    • Chop: Move weight aft.
  • The Indicator: Watch the "knuckle" on the bow (where the stem meets the bottom). You want it as close to the water as possible without dragging.
  • Togetherness: Keep skipper and crew weight close together. This reduces pitching moment, allowing the boat to glide over waves rather than crashing through them.

[!TIP] Experiment: Try moving your weight radically forward and aft to feel the difference. Finding the "groove" takes practice, but the speed reward is worth it.