Club Newsletter Summer 09 - Enterprise
Enterprise David Hodgson / E18266
Jack Holt designed the Enterprise in 1953, and aimed her at the growing numbers of people taking to the water on inland lakes and rivers. Just like ours! So, with its huge mainsail and being highly manoeuvrable, the Enterprise is at her best when going upwind in shifty, gusty winds of less than force 3.
Personally I love beating and try to gain places upwind, and then hold my own downwind. Here are a few tips and tricks that I have learned about going upwind in light airs.
Enterprises as a rule don't point all that well. At best they are average. Where they really get their advantage is in their ability to turn on a sixpence (for the younger, a coin about the size of a modern 5p piece) and especially their unmatched ability to roll tack.
How to roll tack
A roll tack is a way of helping the boat to pivot rapidly and maintain speed – sometimes even accelerate – as you go through a tack. The fairly vigorous rolling of the boat fans the sails, and the asymmetric shape of the boat in the water as it’s heeled helps it to spin rapidly. A roll tacking boat can gain several feet over a boat that doesn’t. Here’s how:
Before a roll tack, the helm will usually be sitting on the windward side deck and the crew crouched under the boom on the leeward side keeping the boat level. Helm decides to tack and informs the crew, usually by saying “let’s go” or “ready about”. At this moment the helm moves his or her weight further outboard and pushes the tiller across. The crew, keeping the jib sheeted in but not cleated, moves across to the windward side as the boat comes up towards the wind, making the boat heel to windward and fanning the sails.
As the boat comes through the wind the crew releases the jib and starts to pull it in gently on the new tack. The boat by then is past the eye of the wind, and is at her point of maximum heel: the side deck should just about get wet.
In very light winds, the crew then stays put on the new leeward side and the helm should climb up onto the new leeward side, grabbing the centreboard case to help haul himself up. As the boat passes head-to-wind the helm lets out an armful of mainsheet.
The helm then sits down on the new windward side, firmly but not hurriedly bringing the boat back upright and pulling in the mainsail at the same time. The crew also pulls in the jib to match the main, but also is sensitive to the wind strength and uses her weight to help bring the boat upright, checking to see if the helm is struggling to do so (perhaps there’s a gust).
All this happens in about five seconds. A well executed roll tack is a fluid and practiced series of movements and is a joy to watch. It also feels good to the team doing the tack – whereas a notquite-good roll tack just feels awkward and the boat doesn’t speed away on the new tack.
Roll tacks are also good for stronger winds, but the crew needs to be brave and to modify their timing and rolling to suit the wind.
Go on, have a go! Choose a calm day, go to the far end of the lake to prevent embarrassment, and go for it!
If you go onto YouTube.com and search for “roll tacking” you will see several videos of the sequence, some from inside the boat, some from outside. Some have the crew doing the job of bringing the boat upright, some have the helm. But you can follow the sequence and choose the right one for you.
