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ONBOARD CARD 10 - Light Air Shutdown

Phase: Any leg - most common near Bermuda or mid-ocean in W-PL / W-BS analog Trigger: Sustained TWS <6 kts, expected to continue

UNFAMILIAR BOAT NOTES - READ THIS FIRST

This crew is racing Lupo Di Mare together for the first time. The following protocols are adjusted for that reality.

1. Light air is surprisingly hard on an unfamiliar boat The correct light air setup - halyard tension, sheet angles, heel, crew position fore-and-aft - takes practice and boat feel to get right. This crew has not developed that feel yet. Accept being slightly slower than polars initially, make small adjustments one at a time, and learn as you go. Do not thrash through multiple competing setup changes simultaneously.

2. Crew movement on deck must be minimized - and this is not intuitive for 10 people A crew of 10 on a 40-footer in light air is a real problem if people are moving freely. Assign positions explicitly: who sits where, who stays still. Foredeck personnel must be seated and stationary unless executing a specific task. This rule should be briefed before the light air sets in, not after everyone is already wandering.

3. Transitions out of the park can be fast - pre-position for them When pressure fills, it can fill quickly. Have the transition sail identified and staged before you need it. Brief the crew on the expected fill direction and the sail plan for the first 10 minutes of pressure. The boats that gain at park exit are the ones that were ready before it happened.

4. The first light air kite hoist on this boat is not the right moment for 0300 If the first time the crew has hoisted a light air asymmetric on Lupo Di Mare is in the middle of the night in mid-ocean, that is a high-risk situation. If possible, execute the first light kite hoist in daylight and in lower-stakes conditions. Flag this for race week practice.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Minimize time loss in the park. Conserve crew. Sail as cleanly and patiently as possible. Do not manufacture chaos with constant unnecessary sail changes.

DATA TO CHECK

  • What does the forecast show for this light zone? Duration and exit direction?
  • Where is the pressure? Are boats to N/S/E/W in better pressure?
  • Is there any thermal effect (sea breeze, island effect) that can be used?
  • GPS/log: is there any current that can help or hurt?

LIGHT AIR PRINCIPLES

  1. Minimize wash: reduce crew movement on deck; foredeck personnel sit still
  2. Sails off the water: ensure the kite is flying cleanly with no luff touching the water
  3. Steer for the puffs: read the water; steer toward the dark patches of breeze
  4. Do not over-trim: in <5 kts, sails should be eased significantly more than instinct suggests; let them breathe
  5. Halyard tension: ease halyards slightly in very light air to allow draft to move forward
  6. One watch on deck: in prolonged light air, rotate crew carefully; fatigue from boredom is still fatigue

TRIM / SAIL IMPLICATIONS

TWS Best sail
3–5 kts, any angle A1-1
5–8 kts, reaching Code 65 / A1-1
<3 kts Accept drift; A1-1; patient

RED FLAGS

  • Boats in same class catching you at >1 nm/h: you have a sail or trim problem, not just bad luck
  • Wind beginning to fill from a new direction: be ready for a quick transition - have the appropriate sail ready

WHO GETS WOKEN UP

  • Navigator: if wind fills from a new direction with meaningful pressure (>6 kts)
  • All watch: when the park ends and wind fills - this transition can be fast and a good crew response gains distance

PRE-RACE RESEARCH - NOT race-period routing advice