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| Home >> Sailing Tips & Technique >> Upwind in Very Light Air |
When very light you still need a bit of kicker but very easy to overdo it and stall the upper part of the rig. Depending what you used to sail it can be hard to find the sweet spot (less kicker than a laser, more than some other boats). Keep the boat moving and balanced, overpointing will kill you - accelerate first - when you get a gust the apparent wind will be a lift but as the boat comes back up to speed you will probably find the apparent wind shifts back again. Practice roll tacking without using too much tiller, easy to oversteer and stop the boat, aim for a slightly longer smoother tack. Aeros roll tack beautifully so you can take advantage of small shifts. Sit well forward especially on flat water.
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03/10/2022 10:44:00
Gareth
Posts: 170
02/10/2022 21:46:00
Paul
Posts: 2
Thanks Blake. I too am the only Aero in the club. Its a mix of scows, 470s, lasers, etc. Will try sailing flatter. It's a hard habit to break as the slight heel seems to give me better shape and pointing in the very light air. I really liked the advice about taking advantage of the acceleration in the puffs a bit longer before working higher as I might in a heavier design.
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09/06/2020 15:58:00
Wuffie
Posts: 2
Keep it flat and fast, don't point too high. The RS Aero is very light so it doesn't have the same momentum as other larger heavier boats. So going too high especially in light winds will see stalling, and in light winds that will knock you back quickly.
I've found same to be true in most winds, as the wind picks up play the sheet lots. Don't bear into the gusts power up as the Aero accelerates quickly so let the power of the gust drive you forward and then maybe head a little up one you peak in speed so gain a boat length or two.
This is my advice, I'm the only club member with RS Aero though so quite difficult to judge. However, I seem to be getting much better recently. Although during races I seem to follow other boats too often and point to high still, I can see them slip ahead especially lasers where as if I follow my own course and point a little lower i seem to come out on top.
I found the RS Aero on a reach is where it loves to be, so being consistent on beats is key. I don't think you will make much gains on a beat unless you can find better sides of the course. On a dead run I find to the Lee + broad reach where possible really helps make gains. Last weekend I went a much longer path on broad reach and back onto the Lee and made huge gains which shows how well the boat handles being on the lee
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05/06/2020 22:41:00
Blake Newman
Posts: 22
First season racing my RS Aero. Lots to learn. I've had a number of very light air days and have been struggling with whether the Aero sails faster upwind flat (with weight forward) or with some heel to leeward to maintain sail shape as I've learned to do in other boats. What is the consensus view on this?
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05/06/2020 15:48:00
Wuffie
Posts: 2
