Handling Under Sail for the ICC

Prerequisites

• You know the parts of a sailing yacht, its standing and running rigging, and the names of the sails, as taught in the Competent Crew lessons of this app.
• You know the points of sail and the basic idea of sail trim (Competent Crew level). This lesson builds on that to the standard of RYA Day Skipper Practical, which is the level an ICC sail assessor expects.
• You have helmed a yacht under sail and worked the sheets as crew. The ICC assessment tests; it does not teach from scratch. If you have never tacked or gybed a yacht yourself, book some sailing time first.
• You have read the lesson Passing the ICC Practical Assessment, which explains how the day runs.

Learning Objectives

This lesson covers item 6, "Handling under sail", of the official ICC sail syllabus (form ICC-4b). By the end you will be able to:

• Choose a suitable area for hoisting and lowering sails, and hoist and lower them in a controlled way.
• Use sails suitable for the prevailing conditions: decide when to reef, and reef a slab-reefed or furling main and a furling genoa.
• Sail a triangular course with one leg to windward, tacking up the windward leg and gybing at a downwind mark.
• Trim the sails correctly on each point of sailing, using telltales, the luff and the feel of the boat.
• Show awareness of wind direction at all times, and explain how you know where the wind is.
• Warn the crew before every manoeuvre, using clear standard calls.
• Look round before tacking and gybing, including the blind spot behind the genoa.
• Control the sails during tacking and gybing, including a controlled gybe.

What the Assessor Is Looking For

The ICC sail assessment is a practical check, run by an RYA recognised sail cruising centre or an authorised club. The RYA guidance for test centres says the aim is "to give the candidate the opportunity to show that he or she is capable of handling a boat safely and considerately", and that "some coaching is permitted during the test". So you do not need to be a racing sailor. You need to show that you can take a cruising yacht out, set the right amount of sail, sail it to windward and downwind without frightening anyone, and bring the sails down again.

The assessor watches you as skipper. You can ask your crew to work winches and sheets; what matters is that you give clear instructions, at the right time, and that the result is safe and tidy.

Hoisting and Lowering Sails

Choosing the area

Most yachts hoist the mainsail head to wind under engine, then unroll the headsail. That needs a patch of water where you can motor slowly into the wind for two or three minutes without hitting anything or getting in anyone's way. A good hoisting area has:

• Sea room to leeward. While the main is going up it flogs, and the boat drifts and may fall off the wind. You want nothing downwind of you that you could drift onto: no moored boats, no lee shore, no shallows.
• Clear of traffic and channels. Do not hoist in the middle of a fairway or a narrow channel. Rule 9 of the COLREGs says a small vessel must not impede vessels that can only navigate safely within a narrow channel, and wandering about head to wind with a flapping sail does exactly that.
• Enough depth. Check the chart or plotter so that a drift of a couple of hundred metres will not put you aground.
• Smooth water if possible, in the lee of the harbour wall or a headland.

The same thinking applies to lowering. Pick the spot before you get to the harbour entrance, not in it. Many harbours have local rules that require you to be under engine inside the entrance, which you will find in the pilot book or almanac.

Hoisting the main

The sequence below suits a yacht with slab reefing and a conventional main. The diagram after it shows the same steps.

1. Brief the crew. Who is on the helm, who is on the halyard, who tails. Lifejackets on.
2. Prepare. Remove the sail ties and the cover (or open the stack pack), attach the halyard and check it is not wrapped round the spreaders. Check the reefing lines are slack so they do not stop the sail going up.
3. Ease the mainsheet and the kicker (vang). If the boom is held down, the leech cannot rise. If the boat has a topping lift, make sure it holds the boom up while the sail is down, then ease it once the sail is up.
4. Motor head to wind at slow speed, just enough to hold the bow into the wind.
5. Hoist. Pull the halyard hand over hand at the mast if possible, and finish on the winch. Watch the head of the sail: if it snags on a lazy jack or a batten catches, stop and clear it.
6. Tension the luff until the horizontal creases just disappear, then close the clutch, coil and stow the tail.
7. Bear away onto your course, sheet in the main, and unroll the headsail.

Unrolling and rolling the headsail

Almost every charter yacht has a roller-furling genoa. To unroll it, put the boat on a reach or close reach so the sail fills as it comes out, ease the furling line under control (one turn round a winch or cleat so it cannot run wild), and pull out the sheet on the leeward side. To roll it away, ease the sheet to depower the sail, keep a little tension on it so the furl is tight, and pull in the furling line. If the line is very hard to pull, stop and look for the jam; forcing it with a winch can break the furler.

Lowering

Lowering is the reverse. Roll away the headsail first, then motor slowly head to wind, take the weight of the boom on the topping lift (if fitted), ease the mainsheet, and lower the halyard under control while a crew member gathers the sail into the lazy jacks or onto the boom. Tie it up before you enter the harbour so loose sail cannot blow into the cockpit or over the side.

Sails Suitable for the Conditions: Reefing

Why reduce sail

As the wind increases a yacht heels more, the helm becomes heavy (weather helm), and she starts to round up into the wind in the gusts. She is not going faster; she is going sideways and is harder to control. Reducing sail brings her back upright, lightens the helm and makes every manoeuvre safer. The RYA teaching is simple: reef early. If you are wondering whether to reef, you should already have done it.

When to reef

Each boat is different, and many charter companies give guideline wind speeds in their briefing pack. As a rough guide for a typical 10 to 12 metre cruising yacht:

Other signs: heeling more than about 20 degrees in gusts, a heavy helm, a worried crew, or a forecast of more wind later. Downwind the apparent wind feels much lighter than it is, so if you plan to turn back upwind, reef before you turn.

Slab reefing the main

1. Warn the crew and say what you will do.
2. Depower the main. Head up to a close-hauled course and ease the mainsheet until the main flaps, or heave to. On many boats you can reef while sailing slowly on a close reach with the genoa drawing.
3. Take the weight of the boom with the topping lift if you have one, and ease the kicker.
4. Lower the halyard to the reef mark.
5. Secure the new tack: hook the cringle over the ram's horn at the gooseneck, or pull in the tack reefing line if the boat has single-line reefing.
6. Re-tension the halyard until the luff is firm.
7. Pull in the clew reefing line hard, so the new foot of the sail is tight along the boom.
8. Ease the topping lift, sheet in, and bear away onto your course.
9. Tidy the loose sail with the reef points, tied round the bunt of the sail only, not round the boom.

Furling mains and genoas

Many charter yachts have an in-mast furling main. The principle is the same as the genoa: depower the sail, ease the outhaul a little while you pull in the furling line, and keep a little tension on the outhaul so the sail rolls tight. Follow the base's briefing on the exact method; manufacturers differ on the best wind angle, but none of them recommend furling a main that is fully loaded or flogging hard. Never winch an in-mast furler against a jam: a crease rolled into the sail can lock it half in and half out.

Reduce main and headsail together to keep the boat balanced. A full genoa with a deeply reefed main gives lee helm; a full main with no headsail makes her round up. A few degrees of weather helm is right.

A partly rolled genoa sets less well than a full one, and it pulls the sail's draft forward. Roll it in steps, and move the sheet car forward (if it is adjustable) so the sheet still pulls down on the leech.

Awareness of Wind Direction

An assessor may ask at any moment "where is the wind?" and expects you to point to it without hesitation. Good skippers know all the time. Use every clue:

• The wind indicator at the masthead (a Windex or similar) shows the apparent wind.
• Telltales on the shrouds and on the genoa luff.
• The water. Ripples and wave crests move downwind; dark patches on the water are gusts coming towards you.
• Flags on other boats and ashore, smoke, and how moored boats are lying.
• Your face and ears. Turn your head until you feel the wind equally on both cheeks and hear it equally in both ears.

Remember the difference between the true wind (what you would feel at anchor) and the apparent wind (what you feel moving). When you sail towards the wind, the apparent wind is stronger and further forward. When you sail away from it, the apparent wind is lighter and further aft. That is why reefing downwind feels unnecessary until you turn round.

Points of Sail and Trimming

The points of sail

A yacht cannot sail directly into the wind. Most cruising yachts can sail at about 40 to 45 degrees to the true wind; inside that is the no-go zone. The diagram shows the points of sail from close-hauled to a run.

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The basic rule of trim

On every point of sail except a run, the sail works like a wing, and it works best when it is pulled in just far enough to stop the luff (front edge) from flapping. The method:

1. Ease the sheet until the luff of the sail starts to flap or bulge in (it "lifts").
2. Pull the sheet in until the luff just stops lifting.
3. Stop. Pulling in more only adds heel and drag.

Using telltales

Telltales are short lengths of wool or ribbon on each side of the genoa, about a third of the way back from the luff. They show how the air is flowing.

A simple memory aid for the helm close-hauled: "steer towards the telltale that is misbehaving". If the windward one lifts, steer away from the wind; if the leeward one lifts, steer towards it.

Trim on each point of sail

Some practical points the assessor will notice:

• Heel. A cruising yacht sails best upright. In a gust, ease the main or drop the traveller rather than fighting the helm.
• The kicker holds the boom down on a reach or run, so the sail does not twist and spill wind.
• On a run the telltale rule does not apply, because the sail is no longer a wing. Ease the main until the boom is just clear of the shrouds, and watch the wind angle: a small change of course or a windshift can cause an accidental gybe. Goose-winging (genoa on the opposite side) works only in a narrow band of wind angle.

Rigging a preventer

A preventer is a line from the end of the boom, led forward to a block at the bow and back to the cockpit, which stops the boom swinging across if the boat gybes by accident. Rig one whenever you sail on a broad reach or run for more than a few minutes, especially in a seaway. Never rig a preventer to the middle of the boom: a gybe against it can break the boom. Make sure it can be released from the cockpit under load.

Tacking

What happens

Tacking turns the bow through the wind, from one close-hauled course to the other, so the wind ends up on the other side of the boat. The headsail has to be released from one side and sheeted in on the other. The main looks after itself.

The procedure

1. Look round. Check the water on the side you will turn to and behind you, especially to leeward where the genoa hides your view. Check for other vessels, buoys, shallows and swimmers.
2. Warn the crew: "Ready about!" Crew prepare: one on the working (loaded) genoa sheet, ready to release it, one on the new sheet with a couple of turns on the new winch. They answer "Ready!" when they are.
3. "Lee-oh!" (or "Tacking!") Push the tiller to leeward, or turn the wheel towards the wind, smoothly and steadily. Do not slam it over: that stops the boat.
4. Release the old sheet as the genoa starts to back (flap towards the windward side), usually just as the bow passes through the wind. Let it run freely, checking it does not snag.
5. Pull in the new sheet quickly as the sail comes across, before the wind fills it, then finish with the winch handle.
6. Steady on the new course, close-hauled, and let the boat build speed before pointing high again.

Common problems

• "In irons". If you turn too slowly, or in light wind and a lumpy sea, the boat stops head to wind and will not complete the tack. Let the genoa back (hold it on the old side) to push the bow round, or reverse the helm and sail backwards a little until the bow falls off. Many skippers simply use the engine.
• Release timing. Let the genoa go too early and the boat loses drive before she is through the wind; too late and the backed sail pushes the bow round beyond close-hauled.

Gybing

Why the gybe needs care

In a gybe the stern goes through the wind and the mainsail swings from one side to the other. With the wind behind, the main is fully loaded and swings across fast. An uncontrolled or accidental gybe can injure anyone in the boom's path, damage the rigging and break the kicker or boom. This is why the syllabus asks you to "control sails during tacking and gybing", and why the assessor watches the gybe more closely than the tack.

The controlled gybe

The key idea: pull the main into the centre before it crosses, so it has only a short way to travel, then let it out quickly on the new side. The diagram shows the four steps.

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1. Look round and check the water on the new side.
2. Warn the crew: "Stand by to gybe!" Crew answer "Ready!". Everyone's head is below the boom's path. The genoa sheet hand is ready on the new sheet. If a preventer is rigged, take it off now.
3. Bear away onto a run, slowly.
4. Sheet the main in until the boom is close to the centreline. On a larger boat this is a lot of rope; start early and use the winch.
5. "Gybe-oh!" Turn the helm gently a little further away from the wind. The stern passes through the wind and the boom swings across the short distance to the other side.
6. Ease the main out quickly on the new side, letting the sheet run through the crew's hands under control (not off the winch with no turns on).
7. Steady the helm. After a gybe the boat tends to round up sharply towards the wind. Be ready with opposite helm.
8. Bring the genoa across and trim it on the new side.

In strong winds, if you are not confident, the alternative is a "chicken gybe": head up, tack round, and bear away onto the new course. It needs more room, but it is safe, and an assessor will accept it when it is the sensible choice. Say why you are doing it.

Accidental gybes

These happen on a run when the helm lets the boat turn a few degrees too far, or a wave or windshift pushes the stern across. Warning signs: the genoa collapses behind the main, the leech of the main starts to flick, and the boom begins to lift. Avoid them by not sailing dead downwind in a seaway (sail a broad reach instead and gybe deliberately), by rigging a preventer, and by keeping the kicker tight so the boom cannot lift and swing over the top.

Sailing the Triangular Course

The syllabus asks you to "sail a triangular course with one leg being to windward". This is a compact test of everything above. The assessor may set the course using buoys, or simply say "sail up to that headland, across to that buoy, then back here". A typical layout is shown below.

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Leg 1: the beat

The windward mark is directly upwind, so you cannot sail straight to it. You sail close-hauled on one tack, then the other, zigzagging up towards it. Points to show:

• Trim both sails for close-hauled, and keep the boat moving. Steering too close (pinching) slows you; bearing away a few degrees often gets you there faster.
• Plan your tacks. For a boat that tacks through about 90 degrees, you are on the layline when the mark is abeam. Overstanding wastes time; understanding means two extra tacks near the mark.
• Each tack: look round, call, turn smoothly, release and sheet in cleanly.
• Watch for other boats. Two sailing vessels on opposite tacks: the one on port tack (wind on the port side) gives way (COLREGs Rule 12).

Leg 2: the reach

At the windward mark you bear away. As you turn, ease both sheets together, or the boat will heel hard and resist the turn. Trim for a broad or beam reach, put on the kicker, and check the telltales again.

Leg 3: the gybe and the return

At the downwind or wing mark, you change from one tack to the other with the wind behind you: a gybe. This is where the controlled gybe sequence matters. After the gybe, trim for the new point of sail (in the diagram, a beam reach back to the start).

Worked Example

Anna's assessment in the Solent

Anna is taking her ICC sail assessment on a 10.5 metre yacht from a Hamble school. The forecast is southwest Force 4, occasionally 5 later, and the tide is flooding west to east in the Solent.

Hoisting. She motors out of the river and briefs the crew: "We'll hoist the main off Hamble Point, clear of the channel and with plenty of room downwind. Tom on the halyard, Sue on the helm." She checks the chart: at Hamble Point the deep water is to the south, and there are no boats downwind. Sue motors slowly into the wind; Tom hoists to the top and tensions until the creases disappear.

Reefing. The wind instrument shows 16 to 18 knots apparent close-hauled. Anna knows the boat well enough: "Sixteen true is a reef on this boat with a crew of three. Let's put one in now rather than at the windward mark." They reef on a close reach with the genoa drawing and roll a few turns of genoa in to balance the helm. The boat comes upright and the weather helm disappears.

The beat. The assessor points to a racing mark two miles upwind. Anna sails close-hauled on starboard tack, then tacks onto port. Before each tack she looks under the genoa, calls "Ready about", waits for "Ready" and says "Lee-oh". On port tack she meets a yacht on starboard and bears away behind it, explaining that she is the give-way vessel under Rule 12. She tacks onto the layline when the mark is abeam.

The reach. At the mark she calls "Bearing away, ease both sheets", and the crew ease together. She puts the kicker on and asks Sue to trim until both telltales stream.

The gybe. At the next mark, she checks the water to leeward and astern, calls "Stand by to gybe", and asks Tom to sheet the main in to the centre. On "Gybe-oh" she turns a few degrees, the boom crosses gently, Tom eases it out fast, and she checks the round-up with opposite wheel. The assessor asks, "Where's the wind now?" She points over the starboard quarter without looking at the Windex.

Lowering. Back off Hamble Point she rolls the genoa away and lowers the main head to wind, so it is tied up before the narrow, busy river.

Result: a clear pass on handling under sail. The assessor's only note is to start sheeting the main in earlier before the gybe on a bigger boat.

Common Mistakes

• Hoisting in the wrong place. Motoring head to wind in a channel, or with moored boats just downwind. Choose the spot before you leave the berth.
• Reefing too late. Waiting until the boat is overpowered makes reefing harder and more dangerous. Reef early, and before turning upwind.
• Over-sheeting. Sails pulled in tight on a reach make the boat heel and slow down. Ease until the luff lifts, then pull in a little.
• Not looking round before a tack or gybe. The area behind the genoa is a blind spot. Look under it, or ask a crew member to check.
• Letting the main crash across in the gybe. Always centre the main first, and keep heads out of the way.
• Not steadying the helm after a gybe. The boat rounds up, sometimes into a broach in a big sea.
• Losing track of the wind. If you have to look at the instruments to answer "where is the wind?", practise using your face and the water.
• A preventer to the middle of the boom. It turns a gybe into a broken boom. Lead it from the boom end.

Summary

• Hoist and lower head to wind, in an area with sea room downwind, clear of channels and traffic, with enough depth for a drift.
• Reef early, and reduce main and headsail together to keep the boat balanced. Reef before turning upwind.
• Know where the wind is at all times from the Windex, telltales, water, flags and your face.
• Trim by easing until the luff lifts, then sheeting in until it stops. Use the telltales. Close-hauled sails in hard; beam reach halfway; run fully out with a preventer.
• Before every manoeuvre, look round (including behind the genoa), warn the crew ("Ready about", "Stand by to gybe") and wait for "Ready".
• In a tack, turn smoothly, release the old sheet as the genoa backs and sheet in the new one fast.
• In a controlled gybe, bear away to a run, centre the main, turn gently, let the boom cross, ease it out fast and steady the helm.
• The triangular course tests all of this: a beat with tacks, a reach, and a gybe at a downwind mark.

Check Your Understanding

1. You are about to hoist the main. Give three things that make an area suitable.

Answer: Sea room to leeward so you cannot drift onto anything; clear of channels and other traffic; enough depth for a drift of a few hundred metres; ideally sheltered, smoother water.

1. The wind is 17 knots true and rising. You are sailing downwind and plan to turn back upwind in ten minutes. What should you do?

Answer: Reef now, before turning. Downwind the apparent wind feels lighter; after turning upwind it will be stronger and the boat will be overpowered.

1. Close-hauled, the windward telltale on the genoa is lifting. What does it mean and what do you do?

Answer: The sail is too far out, or you are steering too close to the wind. Sheet in a little, or bear away slightly.

1. Give the calls and replies for a tack.

Answer: Helm: "Ready about!" Crew: "Ready!" Helm: "Lee-oh!" (or "Tacking!") as the helm goes over.

1. Why do you sheet the main into the centre before gybing?

Answer: So the boom only travels a short distance when it crosses, under control, rather than swinging the full width of the boat at speed.

1. What happens to the boat just after a gybe, and how do you deal with it?

Answer: It tends to round up sharply towards the wind. Be ready with opposite helm to steady it on the new course.

1. In a triangular course, on which leg will you tack and on which will you normally gybe?

Answer: You tack on the windward leg (the beat). You gybe at the downwind or wing mark when changing from one tack to the other with the wind behind.

1. It is blowing 25 knots and you are not confident about gybing. What alternative can you use?

Answer: Head up, tack round and bear away onto the new course (a "chicken gybe"). It needs more room but avoids the risks of a gybe in strong wind.