The turnaround in racing: the sequence for a successful maneuver

The turning of the buoy in a regatta, with the subsequent hoisting of spinnaker or gennaker, is a maneuver that follows its own rhythm, a precise sequence to be followed, with the crew having to move in a coordinated manner. Let’s look at how to set up the maneuver and what its phases are.

Moving in order and at the right time

The crew must have the ability to perform the maneuver in a short space of time so that they do not have to anticipate it. If we anticipate it too much we will have multiple people (the bowman, the second bowman, the halyardist, a tailer) moving around shifting the weights on board and altering the trim of the boat. For example, if we are trying to get the buoy without executing any other turns, we have a tight lay line, moving the crew in advance to prepare the maneuver risks failing and being forced to execute a turn. For this reason, the crew must stay to the last in the hawser, either downwind or upwind depending on the wind conditions.

Turnaround – Maneuvering begins

If the race involves a “stoccheto” to the beam before hoisting, which is common to many courses, it will be in the latter stages of this that we will prepare the maneuver. The two bowmen and the halyardist who will follow them on their calls move first, with the tailer who, already downwind to adjust the jib, will go to prepare the sheet on the winch. Only when hoisted will a possible sheet grinder also re-enter the cockpit if the wind requires it.

The bowmen, in addition to rigging the gennaker or spinnaker, will have to worry about one thing for a successful turnaround: pulling out the sail luff and spreading it at least as far as the shrouds. By doing so as soon as the sail catches wind it will swell faster also decreasing the risk of “candy”.

Bowmen hoist the halyard follows.

The boat rests, the mainsail is opened and a bit of vang is let go to aggevolate the resting. The hoisting at this point has already started: the bowman at the mast halyards with great strokes, the halyardist follows, retrieving the line in the bando. Just the drizzler needs to be careful at this stage about a few things: to retrieve the banned line, it is not necessary to pass it over the winch, a mistake that many people make, but you just need to retrieve at arms length with a little bit of rhythm so that you don’t make accumulations of top form at the feet of the bowman who is drifting from the mast.

Once the sail reaches the end of the course the bowman at the mast will shout “head” toward the stern. At this point the ball is passed to the tailer and the helmsman who will adjust course and trim to make the sail inflate.

Rounding the buoy – Inflating the sail and adjusting tensions

The tailer, with the base of the sail spread by the bowman bringing the luff toward the stern, will wait for the end of the hoist and at that point should not caulk the sheet further, but rather let go. This will cause the sail to move away from the mainsail and take in air by inflating. The helmsman, especially with little wind, will heave 2-3 degrees so that the sail can more easily swell.

The halyard trimmer or his helper will lower the jib, and take care, if the wind is below 15-18 knots, to let down the mainsail halyard slightly from the windward mark. Instead, the clubman will leave the backstay. At this point the maneuver is complete.

Mauro Giuffrè