Hi Oli,
here's some things to consider.
Think you're definitely right to leave main cleated and forget the clip on main while you improve your gybing technique. Here’s why….
I sail at Datchet and was pretty much sailing on my own for my first season and experimented with all sorts of techniques, trying the main sheet clip, then ditching that in favour of trying Sten's DVD technique and then to where I am now... using neither. We now have around 10 boats at the club and the guys coming into the class from 800s just kept it simple, pulling up the kite, setting the main and concentrating on the kite sheets. These guys progressed really quickly to the point where they could gybe this way in all but heavy winds, well let's say above 15kts on flat water. The point being though is that they could execute this gybe really well (after only a few months in the boat), concentrating on the timing of the turn and the pulling of the new sheet so that they can pretty much run from wing to wing heating up the new gybe immediately. You can imagine how I felt when two / now three seasons in and these guys were getting the edge on me in gybing duels because I was juggling the main and the kite sheets, basically phaffing around so I would come out on the other side with the kite and main both in my hands. I’ve since had to mend my ways so I can compete with them in sub 15kts.
Reading on gives you my take on the various methods, what I’ve tried and what I do now.
Mainsheet clip: I tried this when I first got the boat as I new a few guys who use it and they were adamant it was the way to go. Maybe it was just me but I kept getting tied up in it through the tack, and the grief that gives me outweighs the benefits it gives me downwind. Saying that I have tried the main sheet clip again recently on a 25kt day at Datchet and I have to say it was a joy to be able to ease the main before the gybe but it still felt so awkward in every other aspect.
Sten’s method: this needs lots of practice and he swears by it but even in his DVD (this is a good buy bye the way) you will notice his main is on the floor of his boat in some gybes. By this I mean there will be times when you miss it on the way out the gybe.
Main set and left in boat: easy, leaves hands and mind free to focus on turn and kite sheets. Only really a problem in breeze when you need to ease prior to gybing, or arguably when the wind changes strength and you need to trim the sail.
Throwing the main over: a lot of the guys have the main with them in their hand and throw it over the kite sheet before they gybe so it falls to lie around the kite sheet block for ease of picking up once on the new side. This works well if you can cope with the delay in throwing it over and sitting down while you pick it up. Graeme Oliver put a great video together and it shows this technique well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usXCetL3Vt0Clipping on the main for down wind only: I know some do this and to me it seems the best option but I’ve yet to work out how without having clips dangling around. I remember Leigh Albrecht used to tuck the very short tail of his mainsheet through the webbing in his harness, but this means no take up on your mainsheet (if that’s really a problem?)
What Is the consensus on getting down wind in varying wind strengths?
I currently use a combination of various methods….
Light winds (soaking): main eased over the wing and cleated. I pull on the kicker for the gybe to give it a firmer profile and help the battens pop with a good wing to wing pump before easing kicker off again.
Medium wind: take it with me on the wire, set it, cleat it, drop it and forget about it.
Heavy airs: try and take it with me and keep hold of it. If I miss it on the gybe and it’s still in the boat, I just enter the next gybe as usual and uncleat the main as I run through. This is safe as houses and doesn’t take much time to sort out.
Quite an exhaustive brain dump I know but one last thing to consider. If you are sitting on the wing before the gybe in sub 12kts then try (if you haven’t already) standing up as you come in with one foot on the hull and the front foot on the wing so you can keep you weight out longer and ‘feel’ for the right time to run across the boat. It might help too if you have the main cleated so the boom in not quite as far in as the quarter. This won’t slow your straight line speed much but will help massively with controlling the boat coming out the gybe while you learn to keep your speed on. Biggest tip… boat = flat!!!
Happy Sailing!
Jamie Hilton
GBR376