Over the weekend I decided not to enter any races but instead just concentrated on getting used the boat and playing with sail trim. This highlighted two big mistakes that I had been making. 

1. I have been trying to sail the vareo like I would have sailed my old Firefly. This may sound strange to you as obviously its a completely different type of boat but I have sailed nothing but a Firefly for the last 15 years and old habits die hard. 

2. I have been trying to "race" lasers upwind by attempting to point as high as them and pinching but finding I was stalling the boat a lot. By sailing a lot more freely and concentrating on forward boat speed I found that I was getting was getting ahead of other boats such as Lasers on the longer tacks.

The above probably seems obvious to you veterans but it is a revelation to me!

Next area for improvement is tacking in light winds (something that is incredibly easy and almost graceful in my Firefly but a bit of a shambles in the Vareo).

I had my first windy sail in the Vareo on Sunday and learnt many lessons.

Having come from an OK I have to get used to using the kicker up wind but have little idea of how much. Down wind I found that it is useful to dump the kicker  through the gybe.  As the wind increased past 25 kts I only had the spinny out of the bag once, an absolute blast but it came to an end when I went to pass a couple of boats to windward, big mistake as with no room to bear off in a bigger gust I hit the drink with style.

Three races. 1 DNF and two last places. What an absolute blast!! and what a lot to learn.

One problem I have is tacking in strong winds, I got stalled in irons several times. I guess it is a feature of the full battened sail?? Do you bear off after the tack to gain speed before pointing up again?

I have bought some more tell tales to help me keep the air flowing over the sails. As it doesn't flap like a normal sail.

I really appreciate Richard Willows tips on sailing the Vareo but would like to know a bit more about how much and when you use the kicker, outhaul, down haul etc.

Really appreciate all the tips chaps please keep them coming.

Hi Bob,  Downwind is a blow with the kite up is crazy fast and the noise of the water on the hull when you get on a decent plane adds to the excitement!

One problem I have is tacking in strong winds, I got stalled in irons several times. I guess it is a feature of the full battened sail?? Do you bear off after the tack to gain speed before pointing up again? 

I have found that letting the main out, bearing off on the tack then sheeting in and hardening up works for me to keep decent forward speed. Not saying its the right way but it works.

Thanks Stuart, Yes thats what I was finding worked if I got that far! I think part of my problem is the relatively long hull and more vertical bow than the OK.ie there is more boat to get through the wind and so I have to steer a little slower and smoother through the tack. The Vareo does seem to stall/stop easily in a blow and requires different handling than the older design of the OK.  I am enjoying finding all this out and looking forward to winning again hen I get used to the boat. 

This is a bit of a "newbies" forum at the moment but it is developing and it is good to hear all the different experiences.

Roll on the week end

Another lesson learnt - Solo sailors tend to get a little upset when you go on a broard reach downwind on a starboard tack in very light winds causing them to gybe and lose the little boat speed they whilst of a dead run. :(. They just don't understand that I have to sail that way!

tacking in strong winds, it sometimes pays to ease the kicker before tacking. I always ease the main through the tack & try to get the boat going again before pulling the main back in & pointing up. You are quite right about keeping boat speed up when beating, but with practice you will find you can outpoint & go faster than lasers upwind. I couldnt to start with , but can now, Work hard  at sitting out & keeping flat.