Taking Shower With Husband

40 minutes to tack approaching

maneuvers aboard an Open 60 IMOCA art have little to do with the usual procedure in other types of sailboats. The tack for example, while not the most stressful maneuvers, it is one of the longest to make (between 30 and 40 minutes to be trained) making for the solo sailor in an automatic despite the list of steps to perform, as we can see, some of which retain the skippers as confidential.

1 - Download the windward rudder.
2 - empty ballast tank means.
3 - Confidential.
4 - Lower the centerboard windward. 5-Prepare
against sheet.
6-stowage of the sails of the bow locker. 7-Transfer
ballast tank forward.

8 - Confidential.
9 - Close bow transfer.
10 - Confidential.
11 - Move candles cover (if any).
12 - Prepare crude leeward.
13 - Prepare lee car.
14 - Check-point shooting of the headsail.

15 - Close leeward gate.
16 - Confidential.
17 - Prepare the turn of the pilot mode.
18 - presetting of crude.
19-Change the keel band.
20 - To turn the autopilot. 21-Long
the clew of the headsail.
22 - Hunting the contraescota.
23-Hunting the crude.
24 - Calibrate voltage crude.
25-End of the headsail trim.
26 - Raise windward centerboard. 27-Fix
lee gross.
28-Confidential. 29-Tweaking
new direction with the pilot.
30-Relocate the mainsail cart and / or Mainsail.

31 - Close all doors and shnorkel tank.
32 - Lift the windward rudder.
33 - Have a drink.

Thierry Martinez photo copy

Thierry Martinez photo copy

Given the complexity and physical effort which is a tack , makes such a decision is not taken lightly, requiring careful study before the card table before deciding to change the board. Copy

photo Yvan Zedda

Stowage means the displacement of the bags of sails on the bow locker, with perhaps the most difficult step of the maneuver. Despite the help of gravity, move bags of 40 to 60 kilos, for a total of 400 kilos, is tiring. Copy

photo Yvan Zedda

Once started the turn, you must link the maneuvers. Contraescota long run, hunt the sheet, the shooting crude and other crude hunt. No violations but surely.
The column of "grinder" is a great help for the lonely, can connect three of the five winches bath and trim so different elements of the maneuver on the spot.

Yvan Zedda photo copy

In most IMOCA 60 lateral movement system of the keel with bulb is hydraulic, which makes things a lot. But in any case, as in the Pakea Unai Basurko, the system was a reduction ratio of lines being handled by two winches interior. Even more work but less likely to malfunction. Before, during and after the operation, the management of ballast tanks (filling, transfer, discharge of sea water) took the solo for a while in the turn, driving an intricate system of keys and pipes. Copy

photo Yvan Zedda

it is easy to take that tack maneuver in these ships, not only involves technical knowledge and skill, but also an exceptional physical condition. Copy

Thierry Martinez photo