Tuning with Andy Holmes - Wet and Windy

Life’s a Buzz when you’re going fast

Andy Holmes has been sailing the Buzz since its appearance at the London boat show in 1994. In that time he has crewed the Buzz to two national championships. Whilst his helm Dan Walker was the man to beat through 95 to 98 in the process of collecting three Nationals and an Inland, the likes of Alister Clark and Pete Lindley (RWO), Andy Palmer-Felgate and the Cuthbert girls not letting him have it all his own way. Since then Andy has usually kept the leaders in sight as a helm and on a few occasions shown them the way around.

The Buzz, designed by Ian Howard and John Cage as the lighter sailor's alternative to the ISO, was inevitably entering a smaller potential market.  However, the fleet has grown steadily, attracting the lighter sailors, couples and many young sailors.

Numbers started at 401, and at 497, under the influence of John Turner, there were a number of changes. The main went from three to four battens, the jib halyard went to a 2:1, jib cleats were moved to the gunwale and roller reefing was fitted as standard. The kicker was put to a single cleat integrated with the mainsheet and a strut was fitted between space frame and deck. Up-grading older boats to the present specification is not costly, with the most expensive item being the mainsail.

The Buzz has a strict one-design concept with relatively basic controls placing the emphasis on sailing skills with very consistent boat speed.

Seven years sailing in the Buzz fleet has confirmed my confidence in our boat set-up but from very early on it was evident that there was more than one way to sail round the course fast.

At the 1994 Brightlingsea 1^st Nationals it was interesting to note John Cage pinching off the start line whilst John Turner footed off to leeward and my helm Paul Clements (current Spice National champion) took the middle line, by the windward mark there was little to choose between us. There is no doubt other Buzz sailors who set up their boats differently and are equally fast. However this boat preparation works.

Centreboard

This is GRP, hollow, with a web down the length of the foil. First job is to remove any moulding flash from the leading edge with a file and then use a fine grade wet & dry paper in the palm of the hand. A sharp square trailing edge is good, and my time as ABH Foils convinced me that 1200 grit wet & dry on the underwater surface is fast, but gets dirty quickly.

It is important to put air vent holes into the fore and aft cells of the dagger-board by drilling, say two 4mm holes in the top surface; this prevents a build up in pressure in hot weather that can expand the softened GRP permanently. Leaks can accrue through small gel-coat voids so the vent hole can also be used to drain the centreboard. Pressurising the board temporarily allows you to find these leaks. The ISAF Buzz class rules require the dagger-board to be attached to the boat; for this purpose we use 1 meter of 5 mm elastic looped through the rope handle with a plastic clip. The clip is hooked to the space frame strut on the port side of the mast.

Rudder

The blade is foam-filled, so no leaks, but similar treatment on the leading and trailing edges and surface should be undertaken. Any play between the stock and blade, although unwelcome, does not seem to be detrimental to the boat's performance.

The rake of the blade does, however, need to be considered. Adjustment is obtained through the slotted bolt-hole in the end of the top stock. We used to have the blade swept as far forward as possible to provide the lightest feel, but we experienced permanent rudder stall whilst three-sailing at a windy 'Pompey Perisher'. It took our young local Richard Edwards to point out that with the high bow-up planing position and a swept forward attachment, the relatively soft polyester GRP blade was twisting off permanently, inducing continuous stall.

The rudder is usually supplied with the adjustment in the middle of the slot and it has been known for Topper to put two small blocks of plastic in either side of the bolt to prevent movement. This mid setting has proved suitable for most sailors, and the slight increase in tiller loads is probably not a bad thing, since it encourages helms to reduce loads by better trimming of the boat. It is also worth checking the effect this adjustment has on locking up the rudder and the engagement of the hold-down cam. The stock assembly has been strengthened since the early days but care should be taken not to overload the assembly when it is not fully down. When locking down the rudder, care should again be taken to ensure the roller is in front of the top of the cam before too much force is exerted on it. Most boats now have a pin that traverses both the top stock and cam and prevents the rudder from coming up. This system is employed by most sailors, but some have found they do not need it, which is useful in shallows or where weed is prevalent, however beware a lifted rudder on a windy reach does test your boat handling skills. The cam can disengage by simply by lifting the tiller.

It is now standard to bolt gudgeons to the rudder-post (not screw) via a hatch and the gudgeons are spaced off the rubber post to provide clearance between hull and blade.

It is permissible within the rules to have an extending tiller extension. This enables the helm to move forward to the shroud in light airs, or alternatively allows the crew to helm while the helmsman undertakes repairs.

Hull

It is always worth checking the hull for leaks.  This can be done by pressurising the hull and spraying a solution of soapy water over joints and fittings. A bubbling of the water will reveal the leaks. It is a thankless task if you do not know whether you have a leak but useful if you know you do. The most common place for a leak to occur is on the joint between centreboard case and deck.  The joint can be sprung open in extreme planing conditions, but is relatively easy to fix.

There is a breather hole below the upper gudgeon that needs to be kept clear. None of us likes water in the hull, but Dan sailed to two wins at Carnac in very light winds with probably 40 litres of water in the hull. This demonstrates that weight can be an advantage once you have got the boat moving but not a good enough reason to forget the bung! As with the foils, I believe a matt hull finish is fast but it does get dirty faster.

Mast

The mast is normally sealed, which minimises the risk of total inversion in a capsize. Putting a little sealant on any small leaks and a hole in the base of the mast foot to drain any water quickly is useful.

As a result of the mast being sealed the halyards are external.  This has the advantage that any twists in the halyards can be seen, but does also mean that twists can be put in each time you rig.

Tape all places on the rig that could damage the sails and especially cause damage to the spinnaker. This is best done with black self-amalgamating tape. Shackles that are rarely used and may work loose should also be taped up.

There has been some debate on suitable length of shrouds but I am convinced that 4635mm between baring surfaces is ideal. A small but very important point is that the clevis pin in the rigging link that connects the shroud to the mast should have a washer placed on it. The washer should be placed just before the retaining ring. This removes the risk of the rigging link shearing the clevis pin through the retaining ring hole.

Spreaders should only be able to be fitted in one rack setting, and the length that seems to work for most people is with one hole showing between the shroud and spreader. Longer spreaders will stiffen the mast sideways, powering up the rig but will also induce more forward bend flattening the main sail in the luff area.

There seem to be a lot of helms who have no wind-indicator fitted to the mast head; some have a Hawk fitted a little way down the mast to improve its survival rate. I find it invaluable in fickle winds and if I get disorientated.

The mast is ready to step in the boat; there is only one mast foot position and tight in the mast gate is good. Start with the mast leaning against the back of the mast-gate without the jib hoisted. The lowest hole in the shroud adjuster that you can reach without the help of the trapeze will be most sailors' light and mid-winds setting. The next hole reached by using the trapeze is for high winds and the next hole is for when the faint-hearted would not venture out! Connect the jib, taping the top and bottom swivels. A snatch is needed to pull the splice through the jib crane. If the 2:1 is twisted, this can be removed by rotating the end of the wire halyard, usually clockwise. Do not put tension on the halyard with a twist because it will damage it. Rig tension of 300 lb. on the jib luff, which is about 25 on the Super Spare gauge, works for most conditions. In very strong winds with heavier crews more rig-tension is required to support the mast off wind. It is not practical to adjust rig tension during a race but I have known the rig-tension to be released when the tail was tangled with the pole launch, uncleating it during asymmetric hoist, so hide ropes away. The swatcher also effects rig tension  so Dan marked the mast for different rakes and swatcher settings.

Jib

Dan had no Cunningham tension on the jib to produce the flattest entry, I have found it necessary to tape the Cunningham rope to prevent it from twisting when the roller reefing is used. The sheets have to be polyester and I prefer to have a bowline at the clew, this removes a knot from the crew area and enables the sheets to be left rigged in the boat but can foul the mast. Marks on the sheet by the first turning block, say 4 at 1.5" intervals enables the crew to reproduce the helms preferred settings for the conditions and fit your telltales. We fit fast track fair-leads to the jib cleats and raise the block next to the cleats by 3 mm which lowers the uncleating angle.

Main

We put a fifth rivet through the batten ends to prevent any chance that the batten will push out of the front. Leave the battens permanently in the sail just snagged in firmly and the essential leech telltales are fitted as standard. Small damage to main and jib can be invisibly repaired with Tedlare tape. Batten pockets can also be protected where they rub on shrouds with a bit of Dacron tape. A 4:1 outhaul is useful but not often fitted. Mark the kevlar halyard at the cleat to confirm that it is not slipping also regularly remove the top 6" of halyard to avoid premature failure.

With the rig rake and tension set and the main fully up, set the main sheet strops at a length that will be just block to block with maximum mainsheet tension. This will bring the boom to centre line with minimum effort and then enable the twist to be controlled by the last few inches of mainsheet tension. It is important to have marks on the strops to enable adjustment on the water and still keeping the sail central.

Kicker

It can be necessary to adjust the kicker set up, longer for light winds which allows off wind twist and shorter for stronger conditions where high kicker loads are necessary. As supplied, the kicker is attached to the mainsheet tail. We have found attaching the tail with elastic to the transom is better

Spinnaker

Adjust the pole so it goes out as far as you dare and put stopper knots in the halyard at tack and head as near to the end as you can while still allowing a bowline to be tied. The downhaul needs a stopper knot & ball about 5" from the downhaul patch so that the kite goes through the chute in two bites. Mark the halyard at the cleat when it is fully up.

It is now legal to have a halyard tidy block which keeps the halyard away from the jib and spinnaker sheets. Fit a fairlead to the halyard cleat. Lubricating the pole and GRP chute with dry PTFE spray will reduce friction and speed up hoists and drops. Do not use 'Pro-lube' here as I found to my cost when it turned the boat floor into a skating rink. However 'Pro-lube' is very effective on the main bolt rope.

It is very important to remove or tape any sharp edges that could damage the spinnaker. We have moved the holes for the sock-tying off the gunwale, this is now done on new boats.

Damage to the kite occurs most often when being dropped during a capsize where it becomes wrapped around the rigging. The other potential cause of damage is when the boat sails over the kite. This can be prevented by immediately turning the boat head to wind, thus reversing the hull off the kite. The crew can then pull it out of the water as it floats free of the hull.

Full fingered gloves are essential for the crew in the Buzz.

Pre Launch Checks

1. No water in the hull and bung in
2. Fly the kite on both sides
3. Lift the jib and kite sheets to confirm they are not tangled or under anything.
4. Confirm rake and rig tension (marks on mast)
5. Mainsheet strops the correct length and on centre line
6. Outhaul rope over pulleys and attached at outboard end
7. Rudder pin retaining clip is in
8. Tacktick in and secured
9. Food and drink
10. Extra clothing if not worn (Spray top, wetsuit arms, Balaclava etc)

Launch

In strong winds kicker and cunningham off, jib rolled.  The helm holds the boat at the shroud as the crew slots the daggerboard in. The helm should then let the boat bear away and climb in the back. Rudder down and locked. Daggerboard down and clipped in, a bit of kicker and cunningham before unrolling the jib, ensuring it dues not foul the spinnaker halyard. Then out to the race course and start setting up.

Upwind

As mentioned before Dan had no cunningham tension on the jib to provide the flattest jib entry. There is no other on-water adjustment, other than the jib tension.  This will require constant and subtle adjustment to control jib fullness, twist and most importantly the slot between main and jib. Again the main is set with a flat entry by a lot of mast bend with very little swatcher on. No swatcher causes too much bend at first batten which distorts the bottom panel. The most common error in marginal trapezing conditions is to tighten up the swatcher and to straighten the mast, powering up the main and getting the crew wiring. This chokes the slot, losing all drive out of the rig unless the jib is eased considerable.

Off wind    

There are seven off wind scenarios.

Insufficient wind to fill the kite at any angle, leave it in the chute.

As soon as the wind picks up enough for the kite to fill, the helm should be at the windward shroud with tiller and spinnaker sheet. It can be beneficial to roll the jib to keep the kite filled through the lulls and in this configuration sail as deep as you can with the kite still filling. The weight should be as far forward as possible.

The next wind-strength allows you to kite the spinnaker by lowering the halyard 6" and with the helm on the gunwale by the windward shroud. The crew stands with his back to the boom looking up wind for the wind on the water and at the competition. He also heels the boat to windward as far as he dares so that the kite flies round to windward enabling the boat to be sailed even deeper with less wetted area. This is a very uncomfortable way to sail but does pay dividends.

In slightly stronger wind and waves the boat is sailed flatter with the crew playing the main directly off the boom and the helm still planing the kite as both surf the waves.  Continuous adjustment of the sails for changes in speed and direction are needed.

Now the real judgements are needed. If you head up say 30 to 40 degrees. Will the boat start to plane at sufficient speed to allow you to bear away again with increased speed? Or will you sail off the course fast and go the long way round. The Buzz can not easily develop enough speed to flat-out wire and still go down wind, I have often found myself trapezing off the kick-bar, planing slowly but sailing really deep. The kite dramatically changes the apparent wind on the lower part of the main, so much more twist is needed to make the lower part of the sail work as well as the top and prevent flow out the back of the kite. It is common to have the boom inside the rear quarter in these conditions.

The next wind strength is for full out blasting where keeping control, usually in big sea conditions and still maintaining maximum speed, is the priority. The golden rule on the gybe, as if you didn’t know already, flat out into it and as fast a turn as the crew can keep his feet, don’t let the mainsheet out and lightning kite sheet work. The Buzz kite has a bigger overlap than a lot of bigger asymetrics, therefore there is more sheet to pull round.

If it gets even windier, more rig tension and sailing to survive is the priority,  with the kite up. Once at Paignton we dropped the kite and hove-to on the run and waited for the gust to ease whilst others masts collapsed.