How it went
A fantastic sail. A fresh westerly of around 11 knots blew across the Poel all morning, with gusts up to the low twenties. That was plenty of breeze for the Polyvalk on a small lake, and it kept us busy and the boat lively from start to finish. In the stronger puffs she picked up to more than 7 knots, which made for some exciting reaches across the water.
What I practised
- Tacking: keeping speed through the turn and settling quickly onto the new course.
- Gybing: controlling the boom as it crosses, especially in the gusts.
- Repetition: lots of manoeuvres back to back to make the routine feel natural.
Learnings
- Stay in control in the gusts. Look upwind to see the puff coming (the dark patch on the water), ease the mainsheet as it hits and steer slightly into the wind to keep the Polyvalk on her feet instead of letting her heel and round up.
- Gybe with the boat flat and moving. Pick a lull between gusts, keep the speed up and guide the boom across rather than letting it slam over.