Middle Man Maneuvers
By Terry Flynn

In 2003, the J/22 celebrates its 20th anniversary. In honor of this accomplishment, the U.S. Class will reprint pertinent articles from the previous two decades. This article is reprinted from the 1989 yearbook.

Prestart: Get game plan; check compass headings on both tacks and write down.

At start: Trim jib; keep an eye on all boats; keep helmsman advised of all boats that are trying to fill in the hole we are starting in, especially boats coming from leeward. Check on wind-i.e., which side of the racecourse has more breeze; keep track of competition and watch heel.

One minute after start: Advise helmsman on situations that are shaping up - whether to foot or pinch; check compass and tell helmsman up or down and number of degrees (not 210-215, no one can remember that stuff). Keep eyes on boats to windward to check on any shifts coming down the course and also keep thinking and find a clear lane to tack into. Remember, the second row of starters will still be in bad air, and by this time, the front row will be moving forward on them, making your spot easier to find. Remember, if you want to get on the right, you may have to duck a few boats. But if you're in phase with the wind shifts, you'll more than make up the extra distance sailed.

Up the beat: Read compass-i.e., "Up five" or "Down seven"; feed fleet information to skipper. Trim and ease jib in puffs and lulls - always let helmsman know as you do it. He or she may have another idea in mind. Keep your head out of the boat and look around. Stay in phase with wind - both direction and velocity.

Near windward mark: If you're not the first one there, you try to find a "safe" place in line. Remember, if you try to lee bow the windward boat and don't lay the mark, your options are extremely limited. Sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry.

Layline: Pull pole up, throw spinnaker out of the hatch and ease jib out. Grab the spinnaker sheet, and then grab the guy from helmsman. Fly spinnaker.

Leeward mark: Look up the course and find which side has more wind. Get an idea of second beat strategy. For windward takedown when pole is tripped, try to free fly spinnaker for a few extra seconds as the pole is being stored. As you pull the guy back, let the sheet run. When you get the corner of the sail in your grasp, call for the halyard to be released. Pulling as much as you can with ling, hand-over-hand pulls, get the spinnaker into the hatch. Try to keep an eye on the mark so you know when to start to trim. Hopefully, the bow person can clear up what little spinnaker is left on deck. Trim the jib at an even speed so your sail is not over-trimmed before you actually round the mark. A quick check of the compass to find if you're up or down and quickly get into phase for the next beat.