Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Sailing Downwind Part 4

By Doug

There are even more reasons for a middle-of-the-fleet sailor to try sailing by the lee downwind.

We're allowed one wind indicator on a Laser, and most put theirs in front of the boom. I don't like this for two reasons.

• It gives false readings because of the wind flowing around the sail and the position of my body being in the way.
• A reading at the top of the mast is more accurate and it helps sail by the lee. Looking up on a run, I start with the wind coming from behind. Bearing off, the wind shifts to being over my left shoulder and I pull in the main to try sailing by the lee. Life is good! If the wind shifts to over my right shoulder, I jibe the boom and bear off to try sailing by the lee again to get the wind flowing the other way across the main:

From behind                       By the lee                       Ah, a shift                            By the lee again

This has the advantage of making me much more aware of where the wind is coming from and helps me play the shifts going downwind.

And there's one more reason. But below a certain wind strength, none of sailing by the lee works and it's best to let the boom out and just head for the bottom mark. But above a certain wind strength, sailing by the lee has the additional benefit of being more stable. You see, when the boom is out and a gust hits, the extra twist at the top of the sail pushes to windward which is why when boats on a run tip in a gust, it’s almost always to windward. Sailing by the lee in a breeze is much safer and reduces the chance of an unscheduled swim.