HADRON H2 Owner’s Manual 2018
7
you won’t foot fast on that setting so return to your pre-determined settings as soon as
possible.
Reaching
Light airs
The priority is to get flow across the sail. Leave the forestay and outhaul on upwind
setting. Ease the kicker until the top batten goes straight, then pull a little back on until
the top batten has a shallow bend in it.
Raise the centreboard until you develop lee helm, then put it down a bit to neutralise
the rudder. Keep your weight over the thwart and sheet straight off the boom.
Aim to keep the leech tell tales just flowing and the boat flat.
Medium airs reaching - looking for maximum power.
Pull the forestay on so that the leeward shroud is just snug.
Ease the kicker until the top batten goes straight, then pull a little back on until the top
batten has a shallow bend in it - this will need more tension than light airs.
Ease the outhaul to give 200mm depth from sail to middle of boom above th mainsheet
blocks.
Raise the board until you develop lee helm, then down a bit to neutralise the rudder.
You need enough board so that the boat tracks straight and changes direction easily,
but no more. Weight in upwind position - bow should be just clear. Sheet off the boom if
it's a broader reach.
Heavy airs reaching - looking for control and easy steering.
Pull the forestay on so leeward shroud is just snug.
Ease the kicker until the top batten goes straight, then pull a little back on until the top
batten has a shallow bend in it - ease more if you need to steer or are having to move a
lot of mainsheet. Leave outhaul on upwind setting. Raise the centreboard enough to
unload the rudder, but leave enough to stand on! Move your weight back to keep the
bow clear - move forward in lulls.
Running
In light airs, move well forward in order to trim the boat down by the bow. You can sit
astride the central tank or ’side-saddle’ on the central tank or the thwart. If the latter,
you can lean forward comfortably with your forearm along the side deck. In the really
light stuff you can even lie in the bottom of the boat with your legs draped over the
central tank. No kneeling required! In stronger winds, the best position is on the side
deck (see below).
Some easing of the centreboard is acceptable (45 degrees), but if this is over-done the
boat will become less stable – especially if your weight is well forward.
A lot of people sail down wind with the boom on the shrouds and the kicker on hard in
order to lock the leech up. But because the leech is hard, when you head up it bites
you – the boat heads up more aggressively than expected. And when you bear off the
flow reverses all in one hit and it bites you again. A bit of twist smooths the flow
transition.
In most wind conditions aim to keep the flow going across the sail from leech to luff in
the bottom half of the sail. This requires sheeting the boom in enough to stop the
shroud distorting the sail and using only sufficient kicker to keep the head of the sail
from going forward of the mast. Keeping flow over the rig loads it up so that you can sit
