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ONBOARD CARD 11 - Heavy Air Reaching

Phase: Any leg - most common in W-CF or W-PF analog post-front, or strong gradient mid-race Trigger: TWS >22 kts with reaching or broad reaching angle (TWA 60–140°)

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. Carbon rig: reduce sail earlier than you think you need to Lupo Di Mare has a carbon mast. Carbon spars can fail suddenly and without visible fatigue signs - there is no creaking, no progressive warning before failure. Rig loads in heavy reaching on carbon are real. Do not sail significantly overpowered waiting for things to feel "unmanageable." If you think you might need to reduce sail, you already should have.

2. This crew has not yet established what "overpowered" feels like on this boat Because the delivery was mostly motoring and motor-sailing, the crew has no calibrated sense of when Lupo Di Mare is at the edge in heavy reaching conditions. Default to the conservative crossover point - not the optimistic one. Build that sense of the boat during race week; do not experiment with the limits offshore at night.

3. Broach recovery on an unfamiliar boat at night is a very high-risk operation A broach in the dark on a boat you don't know, with crew who haven't drilled recovery, can escalate quickly. The mitigation is simple: reduce sail before conditions where a broach is likely. The race cost of a conservative sail choice is small. The race cost of a broach recovery at 0200 in 28 kts is large.

4. Reef #1 must be pre-rigged - do not wait until you feel you need it In building air, the window between "we should reef" and "we desperately need to reef" closes fast. Reef #1 should be pre-rigged and ready before conditions reach 22 kts. Do not wait until the boat is overpowered to begin the reefing sequence on a rig the crew has barely used.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Sail fast and safely. Heavy reaching is when boats break gear, broach, and retire. Managing the boat in heavy air is about consistent execution, not heroics.

DATA TO CHECK

  • Is this building or is this the peak?
  • Duration of heavy air (from pre-loaded GRIB forecast)
  • Sea state: is there a significant wave period? Running with waves vs against them changes everything.
  • Crew fatigue: how many hours into the race? Heavy air + tired crew = risk

TRIM / SAIL IMPLICATIONS

TWS / TWA Preferred sail
22–28 kts, TWA 80–120° A3 or A4
22–28 kts, TWA 120–160° A3 or SS
28–35 kts, any reach J3 (take kite down)
>35 kts J4 + reef #1

Main trim in heavy reaching: - Vang on hard to depower - Traveler to leeward - Ease mainsheet if the boat is overpowered; do not luff and shake the main - Consider a second reef in building conditions - the boat sails FASTER flat than heeled and fighting

Helm technique: - Do not chase waves trying to gybe-surf; do chase wave faces to accelerate - In a broach-prone condition: helm must be active, bearing away ahead of gusts - If broach starts: ease all sheets simultaneously; do not fight it

RED FLAGS

  • Boat speed over 12 kts in disorganized sea state: control, not speed, is the priority
  • Helm reporting the boat is hard to control: immediately reduce sail
  • Any running backstay or shroud showing unusual vibration: check rig immediately
  • Night + >25 kts: be extra conservative; broach at night = very dangerous

DECISION THRESHOLD

When to take the kite down in heavy reaching: - TWS >26 kts sustained AND sea state is disorganized: kite down - Any helm reporting difficulty controlling the boat: kite down immediately - Night + >22 kts + no experienced spinnaker trimmer on watch: kite down

Rule: a well-sailed boat under a genoa in 28 kts loses less than a boat that breaks its pole or its spinnaker at 26 kts.

WHO GETS WOKEN UP

  • All watch: any wind spike to >30 kts
  • Skipper: any structural concern, or if reducing sail to a level significantly below the primary race sail plan

PRE-RACE RESEARCH - NOT race-period routing advice