Establish yourself on the close hauled point of sailing.
Both sails should be pulled in tight and the front edge of the headsail is not flapping.
By using the tiller gently, probe the edge of the no go zone until you are happy you
have found this point.
The tiller extension is in the dagger grip in front of your body, and the mainsheet is
in your front hand like this.
The whole manoeuvre will take you through about 90 degrees, and you will end up sailing
towards a point that’s somewhere behind your back.
It’s worth taking a quick look to identify a new target.
This will help to stop you becoming disorientated when you are moving about in the boat.
The helmsman should also look to check the immediate area is clear, and if it is then
shouts ‘ready about’.
If it’s not clear then wait until it is.
The crew then double checks the area and frees the jib sheet from any jam cleat, and keeps
hold of the rope and replies all clear.
Next shout ‘lee ho’.
Prepare to step across the boat leading with your back foot, release about one metre of
mainsheet to slow you down and make it easier to get under the boom.
And gently push the tiller away from you towards the boom.
The boat will immediately start to turn.
As the boom moves across the crew releases their sail and both of you duck under the
boom and step across the boat.
Don’t worry if the sail flaps noisily here, this is normal.
Sit down on the new side as far forward as you can and straighten the tiller from behind
your back.
Next, you should swap hands by taking the hand holding the mainsheet to the tiller extension
like this.
And then let go of the tiller extension from behind your back and rotate it under your
arm, and position it back in front of your body, grab the mainsheet with your front hand,
resuming the dagger grip once more.
Pull both sails in tight once more and look for the point where the jib doesn’t flap.
Now you are on the end of the no go zone once more.
Let’s look again going the other way.
Sailing along the close hauled point of sailing with both sails pulled in tight, probe the
rudder to find the edge of the no go zone.
Look around to identify a new target point, and check that the area is clear from any
obstructions and shout ‘ready about’.
The crew double checks the area is clear, frees the jib sheet from the jam cleat but
keeps hold of the rope and then replies ‘all clear’.
The helmsman then prepares to step across the boat, leading with his back foot and shouts
‘lee ho’.
Releasing about one metre of mainsheet, gently push the tiller towards the boom.
As the boat turns, the crew releases their rope and both of you move across back foot
first.
Once the boom has moved across and the boat has turned out of the no go zone on the new
side, sit down, straighten the tiller behind your back, and then swap hands and resume
the dagger grip once more like this.
Pull in both sails and look to find the edge of the no go zone once more until the front
edge of the headsail doesn’t flap.
Let’s take a bird’s eye view.
Look around Ready about
All clear Lee ho
Push Step
Duck Straighten
Sit Swap
Dagger grip Pull in