GTR Racing : Chinese Gybe

Gybing in a breeze can be tricky even when you are in control and the crew is working together to trim the sails through the turn. What is even worse than a Gybe that goes wrong is a Gybe that you were not planning, these are commonly referred to as Chinese Gybes. 

They contrasts with a normal gybe, where the whole sail moves across the boat as the boat turns its stern through the wind. A Chinese gybe is usually induced by too little tension on the vang or kicking strap, allowing the boom to rise up and the leech of the sail to twist excessively. The excessive twist can force the top of the mast to windward during sudden increases in wind strength which in turn can force the boat to bear away, in extreme cases you can loose steerage with the boat turning into an unintentional or Chinese Gybe.

Click the link below to watch team GTR go from upright to laid flat in under 5 seconds, continue viewing to learn what went wrong, what you can do to avoid this from happening and how to recover once you have lost control.

I hope you enjoyed the update and have learnt some new techniques to help you avoid rolling into a Chinese Gybe.

Top Tips to Avoid a Chinese Gybe

1. Increase Vang and Main Sheet Tension to avoid an open leech which will force the top of the mast to windward during sudden increases in wind strength.
2. Do Not sail by the Lee as it increase the pressure pushing the top of the mast to windward.
3. When pressure suddenly increases, ease the Guy and rapidly increase sheet tension to create Leeward heel 

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