Skip to content

Kite Douse Drill — Asymmetric Leeward Douse

Drilled by: Bow + Pit + Trim + Driver. Watch Captain coordinates. Frequency: ×3 in daylight during race week. Card 02 prohibits night kite hoist/douse unless drilled ≥2 times in daylight. Time box: 30 minutes per attempt (briefing + execution + debrief).

TL;DR

  • Objective: clean A-sail leeward douse — no kite in water, no halyard wrap, no flogged sail.
  • Pass criteria: kite contained in <2 min from "drop" call to "clear" call.
  • Two daylight passes unlock night-douse capability; race-week target is 3 for margin. Fewer than 2 → conservative sail at night.
  • Driver's #1 rule: never round up under kite load — that is how rigs come down.
  • Trim's ease rate runs the douse — too fast and kite goes in the water; too slow and it flogs.

Setup

  • Wind 12–16 kts (ideal for A2-1 or A3 drill)
  • Reaching angle, TWA 100–130°
  • A2-1 or A3 flying, stable trim
  • All 4 roles in position: Driver, Trim, Pit, Bow
  • WC briefs roles: Pit hands on halyard; Bow gathers foot through companionway or to shrouds; Trim eases on three; Driver brings to douse heading.

Procedure

Phase 1 — Pre-douse setup (role assignments, all confirm out loud)

  1. Driver: "I'll bring her to ___° for the douse, keeping kite in lee of main."
  2. Trim: "ease working sheet on Bow's call; keep tension on lazy sheet."
  3. Pit: "hand on halyard at clutch; release on Bow's 'drop'; controlled ease."
  4. Bow: "gather foot to leeward shrouds / companionway hatch — confirm with WC."
  5. All confirm; WC says "go."

Phase 2 — Driver positions

Bring boat to douse heading — kite in lee of main. Do NOT round up under kite load. Hold heading stable.

Phase 3 — Douse execution

  1. Bow ready forward; verifies sheets and halyard are clear.
  2. Bow calls "drop" (or WC calls "on three: three, two, one, drop").
  3. Pit releases clutch; eases halyard at controlled rate matched to Bow's gather pace.
  4. Trim eases working sheet as halyard comes down; kite collapses INTO leeward shrouds or companionway — NOT into the water.
  5. Trim keeps tension on lazy sheet so foot is controllable for Bow.
  6. Bow gathers foot to shrouds or through companionway hatch (per briefing).
  7. When kite contained: Bow calls "clear."

Phase 4 — Cleanup

  1. Pit recoils halyard on correct side (stowage-side rule per pit_playbook).
  2. Trim returns to working headsail trim immediately.
  3. WC logs douse time, issues, kite condition.

Pass Criteria

  • [ ] No part of kite touches the water
  • [ ] Halyard ease rate matched Bow's gather pace
  • [ ] Kite contained within 2 minutes of "drop"
  • [ ] Driver held douse heading — no round-up under load
  • [ ] Trim returned to working headsail trim immediately
  • [ ] Pit recoiled halyard on correct side
  • [ ] WC's "clear" closes the drill

Common Failures

Failure Root cause Fix
Kite goes in the water Pit eased halyard too fast OR Trim eased sheet too early Halyard ease matches Bow's gather; sheet ease matches halyard descent
Kite flogs at half-douse Pit too slow OR Bow can't reach the foot Brief the rate; Bow gets ahead of the descent
Driver rounds up under load Reflex or wave Driver locks heading at briefed value; bears off ONLY at safe load
Halyard wraps at masthead Clutch released wrong or halyard not running cleanly Pit physically verifies clutch position before release
Sheet hangs up at bow Sheet route fouled Pre-douse: Bow walks both sheet paths; clears obstructions
Kite re-fills on the way down Trim didn't fully ease sheet Sheet to zero while kite is dropping; tension only after kite contained

Race-Week Count Tracker

Night kite hoist/douse is permitted only after ≥2 daylight passes. Race-week target is 3 for margin.

Attempt Date Pass? Notes
1
2
3
4 (optional dusk)

≥2 passes = night-douse capability unlocked (Card 02 gate). 3 passes = race-week target. Fewer than 2 = conservative sail at night.

Cross-references