[T77911S]

i/we had an 18ft solcat. you cal guys may know the boat. very fast.

tacking is the hardest thing to learn/figure out.

i was self taught and i sailed my boat by myself most of the time. here is what i came up with to tack the cat:

pop the jib and let it lose, push the tiller hard to turn into the wind. pull in the main sheet, watch the jib and as it gets into the wind, sheet it in on the, what was the leeward side, then as the jib catches, release the main so the jib pushes the bow around. you have to be carefull. if the boat does not turm, and the jib starts to back the boat up, push the tiller to the other side. as the bow comes around, release the jib and sheet it in on the new leeward side, then sheet in the main.

cats turn like a freight train. releasing the jib in the begining keeps the wind from pushing the bow away from where you are turning, keeping the main sheeted in, helps with moving forward. then once into the wind, the jib is used to push the bow around, then get it moving.

i have never sailed a bigger cat, but i would think they are about the same. mono hull boats point up wind they are sooo esy to tack.

if you keep both sails sheeted in, you will NEVER get past the center wind.