J/22 Light Air Yachtin'
By Brad Read
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 1992 yearbook.
How is it that there are certain people who seem to put their boats into overdrive when the breeze gets under eight knots? Why do these people always answer the question by quipping something to the effect of "It's better to be lucky than good"? Luck is a factor, but not as big a factor as the light-air flyers tend to admit. Patience, boat speed and concentration have the biggest roles in the light-air game.
Type A Personalities (slightly high strung and hyperactive) have more problems in light air than in heavy. If your skipper has Type A tendencies, understand his/her light-air antics are caused by lack of control of what is going on around him/her. In medium air, there are some shifts to play, and most people are going the same speed. In heavy air, the skipper has too much to do back there to complain too much. In light air, the skipper has too much time to think and becomes distracted. This brings us to the most important word in light-air sailing's dictionary: concentration. The whole crew has to do their jobs so that the driver can do his/hers. The situations I describe from now on will have titles to them which all of us have heard and don't necessarily want to hear from our skippers.
"Settle Down"
Precise movements are crucial in light air. Jumpy crew members and skippers slow down the boat. In real light air, having a person (or two if sailing with four) sit to leeward and forward can reduce wetted surface. On many boats, the crew sits down below on the leeward bench. I realize that this point has raised eyebrows - "Is this how we want our sailors spending the race?"
As one who has spent hours down below on J/24s and J/22s, I'm a firm believer in allowing crew members below deck. On J/22s, the people are more comfortable. They can still see out the windows, so they aren't cut off from the race, and they stay out of the sun. (The 1991) Midwinters had a very long race that eventually was cancelled due to the time limit. I took turns helming with one of my crew and went below to get out of the sun. For creature comforts and keeping people's "heads in the game," I've installed a small compass on the bulkhead. This allows the folks down below to keep those on the deck honest. Allowing people below gets weight lower and reduces fatigue - two crucial elements to speed.
"Ease, Ease, Ease"
The boat obviously needs more power in light air. The J/22 is perfectly powered at approximately 12 knots. Anything under eight, however, the boat needs more power. Aside from rig tuning, which is discussed to excess, there are a number of things we can do to the sails to make them more powerful and more efficient.
Jib Controls
To achieve a super powerful shape in light air, we could either carry a fuller jib or we could try to manipulate the jib into a rounder shape. With the headstay length of 26 ½", we can sag the headstay enough to achieve the power necessary. Sail with the backstay adjusters loose enough so the block hangs down six to eight inches from the top of the bridle (this is a good rule of thumb for all conditions).
Your sail should have some scallops appearing at the luff of the jib. This halyard tension should be marked so that we can repeat the exact same halyard setting next time. An over-tightened halyard forces too much of the shape in the sail forward. By having these scallops, we've "fooled" our all-purpose shape into a light-air shape. Moving the draft aft with an eased halyard and with proper headstay length, shroud tension and backstay length, we've optimized the rig for light air sailing.
"Relax"
Before sailing a light air race, I make sure that I stretch for five or so minutes. I believe that this does two things: It relaxes me so that I can concentrate on my job without tension, and it makes me more conscious of my environment. I know that sounds a little cosmic, but hey, whatever works!
Preparation: Stand up and look for wind on the water. You'll be able to see the puffs by looking for dark vs. light spots on the water. Sailing for more velocity will usually ensure that you can jump ahead of your competition.
"Speed, Speed"
Prestart maneuvers should always be done at maximum speed. If you can approach the line at maximum hull speed for the conditions, you can be sure that you will have options at the gun. To be going slow at the gun is death. Get your boat up to speed at the five-minute gun, and keep it there. The lack of boat speed can ruin your whole game plan.
Good luck!
