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Peel Drill — J-Sail Forestay-Track Peel

Drilled by: Bow + Pit + Trim + Driver. Watch Captain coordinates. Frequency: ×3 in daylight during race week; +1 at dusk if possible. Time box: 30 minutes per attempt (10 min execution + briefing + debrief).

TL;DR

  • Objective: clean J1↔J2↔J3 peel under 10 minutes by race start.
  • Pass criteria: no halyard wrap, no bolt-rope bind, "trimmed" callout under 10 min, no steering roundup.
  • Failure to pass after 3 attempts → flag at T-3 brief; re-drill or accept slower polar plan inside the Stream.
  • Peel-side rule is verbal: "halyard on starboard, active is on port" — every hoist.
  • Layered foil: new sail's bolt-rope feeds into the opposite-side groove of the twin-groove foil while old sail keeps flying.

Setup

  • Wind 8–14 kts, flat-to-moderate sea state
  • Active sail flying (J1 or J2 typical)
  • Target sail bagged, on deck, forward
  • Both J-halyards inspected; backup halyard tail on its correct side
  • WC briefs: "J1 to J2 peel; Pit pre-rigs Sec J1 halyard starboard; Bow loads new sail on starboard-side groove; Driver hold 195°."

Procedure (six-step contract)

  1. Brief — WC names: "J1 to J2 peel; Pit pre-rigs Sec J1 halyard starboard; Bow loads new sail on starboard-side groove; Driver hold 195°, ±5°; Trim holds old sheet until new sail loaded."
  2. Assign — each crew confirms role out loud.
  3. Pre-rig confirm:
    • Pit: "halyard ready, starboard"
    • Bow: target sail forward, hydraulic donut visible on tack
    • Trim: "old sheet at trim, new sheet ready"
  4. Execute:
    • Bow goes forward, clipped to jackline
    • Bow feeds new sail's bolt-rope into opposite-side groove (starboard — unused)
    • Bow confirms tack engaged: "made"
    • Pit echoes: "made — hoist"
    • Pit takes up halyard hand-over-hand → winch; Bow feeds bolt-rope as sail rises
    • Sail at masthead: Pit engages clutch, physically checks handle, calls "halyard tight"
    • Trim sees new sail load; sheets to working trim; calls "trimmed"
    • Pit lowers old halyard at controlled rate
    • Bow drops old sail, pulls bolt-rope out of groove, bags, clears foredeck; calls "clear"
  5. Confirm — WC logs completion time, sail condition, any issues.
  6. Debrief — what to fix next time.

Pass Criteria

  • [ ] "Halyard tight" within 10 minutes
  • [ ] No halyard wrap at masthead
  • [ ] No bolt-rope bind in groove
  • [ ] Driver held heading within ±5° throughout
  • [ ] Trim's pace matched Bow's drop — old sail did not flog
  • [ ] Bow's "made" preceded "hoist" (sequence not inverted)
  • [ ] New sail trimmed to working position immediately after load
  • [ ] Foredeck clear before WC closes the drill

Common Failures

Failure Root cause Fix
Halyards crossed at masthead Peel-side rule skipped Verbal port/starboard confirmation with Bow before every hoist
Bolt-rope binds in groove Bow didn't feed cleanly or groove obstructed Inspect both grooves at watch handoff; slow the feed
Tack not seated "Made" called without physical verification Say "made" only after seeing donut seated / Tylaska locked
Old sail flogs mid-peel Trim eased old sheet too early Hold old sheet until you SEE new sail bearing load
Driver bobble Heading not locked or shift >tolerance Lock heading at briefed value; ignore shifts <15° / <2 min
Clutch slipping after hoist Pit didn't physically verify clutch handle Physical check after every hoist before "halyard tight"

Cross-references