ILCA Sailing Tips: Preventing Capsizing & Deathrolling
Preventing a death roll downwind comes from balance: body weight, sheeting, leverage, and keeping the leech from getting too far forward.
The death roll is the most common way to find yourself swimming. Moments after slamming into the water, the boat turtles and the fleet sails by. In simple terms, the death roll is when the ILCA capsizes to windward while sailing downwind.
The only way to save yourself from capsize is using a combination of body weight and sheeting to achieve proper balance. On their own, you are likely to flail.
The key to staying upright and making the boat go fast is balance. The ILCA is most balanced when sailed with opposing pressures: body weight hiking off the side and a properly trimmed sail. The greatest opposing pressures are achieved with more leverage. If the boat is sailed closer to the lee, the opposing pressures reverse and body pressure is required on the leeward side.
Trim and leverage
An improperly trimmed sail forces you to make uncharacteristic movements that affect boat balance and speed. The most common problem is bearing away with the sail eased too much.
A useful rule of thumb is to imagine a straight line between your leech and mast at the sail’s most open position, normally around three-quarters of the way up the sail. Keep that line perpendicular to the wind direction as you bear away all the way to a downwind course.
Once you reach a dead run, your boom is not all the way out. Nearly everyone marks the mainsheet so the boom stops at 90 degrees, but in a breeze downwind this setting is extremely dangerous and is the leading cause of most death rolls. If the point on your leech gets in front of the point on your mast, you initiate a death roll.
In short
When you head up to a broad reach, bring in your leech using your mainsheet and move body weight to windward and aft.
When bearing away to the lee, let your sail out as you bear away, but never too much. Lean your body over your feet, pressing on the leeward side.
Preventing capsizing and deathrolling comes from the combination of body weight and sheeting. On their own, you are likely to fail.
