I learned to sail this past weekend (@58) and the sunfish taught me the body position rule at the first attempt to jibe, i discovered you channel 5 minutes after i dry out. AWESOME content.😂
You make the best videos, Lee! When I first learned to sail, over 40 years ago, my instructor stressed that you never let a jibe “happen”. You control the sail through the whole maneuver. On a big boat, center the sail with the mainsheet, then let it out after you cross the wind. On a small boat, grab the boom and hold the sail through the turn and ease it onto the tensioned sheet. I’ve sailed Hobie Cats for 30 years, and it’s always worked well. I got a Sunfish just a couple of years ago what a fun boat! And this technique is even more important with this boat with the long spars and lightness of the hull.
Lee, love your channel, man! One tip I had to learn the hard way when gybing is to be prepared to keep turning the boat back up into the wind after the gybe if needed. Sometimes even if you have a loose hold on the main sheet, when gybing, the sail comes across so fast that it just picks up too much wind faster than the boom goes back out on the new heading. So what I've found is if I keep turning the boat back up into the wind it helps bleed the wind off of the sail and also helps to keep the boat flat.
I'm a bit confused why she was close reached just prior to jibing. She could have fallen off a bit before the jibe and manually shoved the boom over. That would have given her time to shift her weight, ease the sheet and avoid getting hung up during the jibe. Great video Lee!
Thanks! As far as the sail, etc. shes learning how to jibe- is didnt want to make that part if the video as it would have been too long. You’re 100% correct :).
Hi Lee. great subject to tackle. Im still figuring out the movements and timing myself. Theres a lot to do and coordinate for sure! Currently sailing a laser2 and the sunfish. I moved to the sunfish to help tune my curve a bit after spending a bit of time swimming with the laser. Lol. Something else Ive learned and read on gybes is speed is your friend. I think its easy to get rattled by a few dumps and feel the need to slow the boat to have more control. But the opposite is true if Im not mistaken. While you want to power down by trimming in the sail you want to keep your speed and then perform the gybe. As the boat slows, it allows the sail to load up and over power. It takes some guts to keep the speed on but I do feel like its true and helpful. I hope Im not wrong on this. Definitely open to input. Thanks!!
Hey Joe. You are 110 % correct!! When you car getting into higher wind situations you absolutely want to be moving fast. If there’s waves you want to be moving down a wave. Sailing in heavy winds and then having to drive is as much a physical timing activity as well as a mental mindset. What I like to do is tell myself OK you have to move fast just do it and then when the time comes head down trim the sail in, When the sale unloads give it a big tug to get it across and then immediately cross over to the other side. Keep sailing Joe you’ll eventually get the timing!!!
Cool video Lee. Enjoyed it! I agree with you. In a coordinated motion I release the main, move the boom over manually, while repositioning onto the rail, then sheet in and power back up. It's good to practice this back and forth along a straight stretch, upwind then downwind, to get the feel for it. Start with a system and practice that system over and over then you can make small adjustment as you get more comfortable with the process. This has worked for me. Like you said, key is not to have an accidental gybe but to control it.
You hit it on the head- Have a system, a process, and go out and practice! Once you can jibe/gybe/gibe when you want to it opens up a whole new side of sailing. :)
Letting the mainsheet slip out a little during the jibe is like biking and using your bent knees as shock absorbers going biking over bumps. Or, describes another way, the mainsheet is your "throttle", and like in a car or motorbike, adding too much throttle in the wrong part of turning a corner can make you spin out. One other thing that might help is to play the rudder and mainsheet in a give-and-take to balance the tipping forces.
Any promo codes you know of for ordering on the various Sunfish parts websites? Thanks! Great information for an old sailor like me. We are restoring a garage kept 79 Sunfish to teach the grandkids how to sail.
Good content, I like the “what went wrong vids”. Very informative for some people, that’s for sure. I am just curious, what are some tips on taking another person out on a sunfish. It is quite a small boat, any tips, safety wise? Best practices for tacking and jibing? I use to sail hobie waves and there was a bit more maneuvering space for riders. I wouldn’t mind getting other friends and family hooked. Once again, thanks for making vids, and take care!
Great question…. I took a couple small children and the. Took turns. First thing- I made sure they had the right clothes on. I told their father they will get wet- and to wear some sort of shoes they can get wet. MOST IMPORTANT. Life Jacket PFD- no exception. I planned to keep the sail sessions short…. (I can and should do a whole video on this). If you are a racer, raise your boom. (Usually they are low while racing). You have to make sure they will counter balance your weight, in the wind conditions. ANTICIPATE how the boat will lean- remember these are new sailors. They probably dont want to capsize. If you do that, you may freak them out on sailikg. But aaying this. I told them and the parents that in the event of a capsize and that may be normal is the most importantly to do not panic to stay with the boat and if we do capsize and if they are tangled in the lines to untangle themselves and stay with the boat. I have my little Gast sit very forward almost next to the Daggerboard because I need it to sit in front of the tiller and on the side of the boat and be able to move the tiller. If I sat back in the cockpit the tiller would be hindered by my butt. Before I did any maneuvers like attack or a jive I did the tax first and explain to them what was going to happen what I would say what would happen with the boom and that they would need to dock or they would get their head hit on the boom and then how they would cross. I also told them they would have to go UNDER The main sheet and cross through the cockpit. And a gibe be very careful if the wind is higher because the boom can really cross fast. I actually had them almost on the other side the new side before the bone came across and then I could move to counter act the force of the cell when it did jive that worked out very well. And when I felt they got a little bit of a nice experience I told him we’re going in before they got tired. That was a huge success. Good luck hope this helps!
@@LeeSideSailing Outstanding advice much appreciated. I will hopefully be taking my son on board today or tomorrow. He is 16 and it should be interesting, being he is trying to pass me up growing. haha. Once again, thank you!
Just solo’d for the first time in a sunfish (at age 61!). I was in irons and as I caught the wind, the boat went over. I think my problem was that I had the mainsheet was cleated close to try catch wind. Any thoughts on how to get out of iron while reducing the risk of capsizing?
Most Capsizes happen when the sail gets caught on something and cannot move…. In t Your case you had the mainsheet cleated and the wind got to the side or back of the boat…. When you are in irons, make sure the main sheet is free to run…. There are a few ways to get oit of irons…. But try to use your hands to control the sail…. Only when going straight should you cleat the main. :)
A dead run you are sailing woth the wind. 180° from the direction of the wind. One’s boom is about 90° from the boats centerline. A broad reach the boat is sailing about 135°from the direction of the wind. (Not 90°) A beam reach that is when the boat is traveling 90° from the wind and the boom is about 45° from the centerline of the boat. Hope this helps. :)
That was the first boat I took a sailing lesson in and when I met jim Koehler of the Dinghy shop I was actually looking for a laser. He asked me what I wanted to do I said I wanted to race and he said because you’re a beginner and the Sunfish is much more popular on the Great South Bay where I was sailing you should join Wet pants get yourself a Sunfish and they race every week. That was the best advice I have gotten in my sailing life. I also own a laser and I could probably tell you in my prevailing conditions I may have quit sailing….trying to lean on a laser in mid to upper teens with huge chop and NO lasers to helps out. :). A laser is a great boat, but the Sunfish was the best choice for me.
For a recreational sailor the recommended sail setup is to put the gooseneck about 22 inches back from the forward end of the boom snd the halyard about 5 rings down from the top of the top spar. If she didn't have to duck the boom she would have had more time to control it;s swing and move her weight. That sail is way to low.
Swimming with snakes? You didn't say,🙂 but that sounds like a recipe for a reptile dysfunction. Good thing y'all's Gators are only in the sewers up there.
You don’t have to listen to me :) There are other ways to show how to jibe as there are other ways to spell gybe. (Unless Merriam-webster dictionary, Dr Stuart Walker- author of several sailing books and the editors of Sailing World Magazine are wrong in spelling Jibe/gybe). :)
I learned to sail this past weekend (@58) and the sunfish taught me the body position rule at the first attempt to jibe, i discovered you channel 5 minutes after i dry out. AWESOME content.😂
Thanks!! Keep sailing and enjoy the journey!
You make the best videos, Lee!
When I first learned to sail, over 40 years ago, my instructor stressed that you never let a jibe “happen”. You control the sail through the whole maneuver. On a big boat, center the sail with the mainsheet, then let it out after you cross the wind. On a small boat, grab the boom and hold the sail through the turn and ease it onto the tensioned sheet. I’ve sailed Hobie Cats for 30 years, and it’s always worked well.
I got a Sunfish just a couple of years ago what a fun boat! And this technique is even more important with this boat with the long spars and lightness of the hull.
Great comments! Thanks!
Lee, love your channel, man! One tip I had to learn the hard way when gybing is to be prepared to keep turning the boat back up into the wind after the gybe if needed. Sometimes even if you have a loose hold on the main sheet, when gybing, the sail comes across so fast that it just picks up too much wind faster than the boom goes back out on the new heading. So what I've found is if I keep turning the boat back up into the wind it helps bleed the wind off of the sail and also helps to keep the boat flat.
Best thing you did is go sailing snd you figured out what works for you! Jibe, cross the boat, and trim the boat as needed!! Excellent!
So helpful thank you👍
Thank you!
I'm a bit confused why she was close reached just prior to jibing. She could have fallen off a bit before the jibe and manually shoved the boom over. That would have given her time to shift her weight, ease the sheet and avoid getting hung up during the jibe. Great video Lee!
Thanks! As far as the sail, etc. shes learning how to jibe- is didnt want to make that part if the video as it would have been too long. You’re 100% correct :).
Hi Lee. great subject to tackle. Im still figuring out the movements and timing myself. Theres a lot to do and coordinate for sure! Currently sailing a laser2 and the sunfish. I moved to the sunfish to help tune my curve a bit after spending a bit of time swimming with the laser. Lol. Something else Ive learned and read on gybes is speed is your friend. I think its easy to get rattled by a few dumps and feel the need to slow the boat to have more control. But the opposite is true if Im not mistaken. While you want to power down by trimming in the sail you want to keep your speed and then perform the gybe. As the boat slows, it allows the sail to load up and over power. It takes some guts to keep the speed on but I do feel like its true and helpful. I hope Im not wrong on this. Definitely open to input. Thanks!!
Hey Joe. You are 110 % correct!! When you car getting into higher wind situations you absolutely want to be moving fast. If there’s waves you want to be moving down a wave. Sailing in heavy winds and then having to drive is as much a physical timing activity as well as a mental mindset. What I like to do is tell myself OK you have to move fast just do it and then when the time comes head down trim the sail in, When the sale unloads give it a big tug to get it across and then immediately cross over to the other side. Keep sailing Joe you’ll eventually get the timing!!!
Cool video Lee. Enjoyed it! I agree with you. In a coordinated motion I release the main, move the boom over manually, while repositioning onto the rail, then sheet in and power back up. It's good to practice this back and forth along a straight stretch, upwind then downwind, to get the feel for it. Start with a system and practice that system over and over then you can make small adjustment as you get more comfortable with the process. This has worked for me. Like you said, key is not to have an accidental gybe but to control it.
You hit it on the head- Have a system, a process, and go out and practice! Once you can jibe/gybe/gibe when you want to it opens up a whole new side of sailing. :)
Great video. Definitely a good way to point things out to help.
Thanks!!
Thanks!
Thank you! I appreciate this!
Thanks, Lee!!
Thank YOU!
Letting the mainsheet slip out a little during the jibe is like biking and using your bent knees as shock absorbers going biking over bumps. Or, describes another way, the mainsheet is your "throttle", and like in a car or motorbike, adding too much throttle in the wrong part of turning a corner can make you spin out. One other thing that might help is to play the rudder and mainsheet in a give-and-take to balance the tipping forces.
Excellent analogies! thank you!
Any promo codes you know of for ordering on the various Sunfish parts websites? Thanks! Great information for an old sailor like me. We are restoring a garage kept 79 Sunfish to teach the grandkids how to sail.
Good content, I like the “what went wrong vids”. Very informative for some people, that’s for sure. I am just curious, what are some tips on taking another person out on a sunfish. It is quite a small boat, any tips, safety wise? Best practices for tacking and jibing? I use to sail hobie waves and there was a bit more maneuvering space for riders. I wouldn’t mind getting other friends and family hooked. Once again, thanks for making vids, and take care!
Great question…. I took a couple small children and the. Took turns. First thing- I made sure they had the right clothes on. I told their father they will get wet- and to wear some sort of shoes they can get wet. MOST IMPORTANT. Life Jacket PFD- no exception. I planned to keep the sail sessions short…. (I can and should do a whole video on this). If you are a racer, raise your boom. (Usually they are low while racing). You have to make sure they will counter balance your weight, in the wind conditions. ANTICIPATE how the boat will lean- remember these are new sailors. They probably dont want to capsize. If you do that, you may freak them out on sailikg. But aaying this.
I told them and the parents that in the event of a capsize and that may be normal is the most importantly to do not panic to stay with the boat and if we do capsize and if they are tangled in the lines to untangle themselves and stay with the boat. I have my little Gast sit very forward almost next to the Daggerboard because I need it to sit in front of the tiller and on the side of the boat and be able to move the tiller. If I sat back in the cockpit the tiller would be hindered by my butt. Before I did any maneuvers like attack or a jive I did the tax first and explain to them what was going to happen what I would say what would happen with the boom and that they would need to dock or they would get their head hit on the boom and then how they would cross. I also told them they would have to go UNDER The main sheet and cross through the cockpit. And a gibe be very careful if the wind is higher because the boom can really cross fast. I actually had them almost on the other side the new side before the bone came across and then I could move to counter act the force of the cell when it did jive that worked out very well. And when I felt they got a little bit of a nice experience I told him we’re going in before they got tired. That was a huge success. Good luck hope this helps!
@@LeeSideSailing Outstanding advice much appreciated. I will hopefully be taking my son on board today or tomorrow. He is 16 and it should be interesting, being he is trying to pass me up growing. haha. Once again, thank you!
My pleasure
Just solo’d for the first time in a sunfish (at age 61!). I was in irons and as I caught the wind, the boat went over. I think my problem was that I had the mainsheet was cleated close to try catch wind. Any thoughts on how to get out of iron while reducing the risk of capsizing?
Most Capsizes happen when the sail gets caught on something and cannot move…. In t
Your case you had the mainsheet cleated and the wind got to the side or back of the boat…. When you are in irons, make sure the main sheet is free to run…. There are a few ways to get oit of irons…. But try to use your hands to control the sail…. Only when going straight should you cleat the main. :)
And congratulations on your first single handed sail!!! Great accomplishment!!
Hi Lee, Great video - have you thought about possibly doing a sunfish racing clinic? I'm looking for one and thinking others are, too.
Depends on time and location :).
@@LeeSideSailing Your club, tomorrow? 😁
Hehehe. I wont be there tomorrow! But always happy to show people what I can…. :)
If a broad reach is 90 whats a dead run?
A dead run you are sailing woth the wind. 180° from the direction of the wind. One’s boom is about 90° from the boats centerline.
A broad reach the boat is sailing about 135°from the direction of the wind. (Not 90°)
A beam reach that is when the boat is traveling 90° from the wind and the boom is about 45° from the centerline of the boat.
Hope this helps. :)
What made you get into sunfishes?
That was the first boat I took a sailing lesson in and when I met jim Koehler of the Dinghy shop I was actually looking for a laser. He asked me what I wanted to do I said I wanted to race and he said because you’re a beginner and the Sunfish is much more popular on the Great South Bay where I was sailing you should join Wet pants get yourself a Sunfish and they race every week. That was the best advice I have gotten in my sailing life. I also own a laser and I could probably tell you in my prevailing conditions I may have quit sailing….trying to lean on a laser in mid to upper teens with huge chop and NO lasers to helps out. :). A laser is a great boat, but the Sunfish was the best choice for me.
For a recreational sailor the recommended sail setup is to put the gooseneck about 22 inches back from the forward end of the boom snd the halyard about 5
rings down from the top of the top spar. If she didn't have to duck the boom she would have had more time to control it;s swing and move her weight. That sail is way to low.
Swimming with snakes?
You didn't say,🙂 but that sounds like a recipe for a reptile dysfunction.
Good thing y'all's Gators are only in the sewers up there.
Yup- i heard there’s snake in that bay. I don’t know which bay though!!
Why would I listen to anyone who can't even spell GYBE correctly.
You don’t have to listen to me :) There are other ways to show how to jibe as there are other ways to spell gybe. (Unless Merriam-webster dictionary, Dr Stuart Walker- author of several sailing books and the editors of Sailing World Magazine are wrong in spelling Jibe/gybe). :)