New rigging and Byte technical info

by Gaylin Yee on 2 Jun 2012 Interview with Zeke Purves-Smith, former Byte Coach

Q: How are the top Byte sailors altering the standard rigging?

A: The main rigging changes that the top sailors are employing at this point involve:

1. changing from a double hiking strap to a single hiking strap with an adjustable strap system - this prevents one from getting tangled up in the cockpit during sailing or in maneuvers.

2. putting cleat fairleads on the traveler cleats and making the traveler one continuous line - (that is, imagine the ends of the traveler lines connected together). This ensures that the traveler line does not fall out of reach in the bottom of the cockpit and for the more proficient, allows for improved tacks in heavy air conditions.

3. adding an additional micro block to the Outhaul system allowing for greater ease of adjustment (There are several different methods here, and it is only useful if you are having difficulty adjusting your outhaul....basic rule the extra system goes on the boom behind the main block.....experiment with it....I'd imagine some of the ladies out there have already come up with something as I know that they are really into tweaking their rigging!!!

Q: Are there any specific types of line that you recommend for the rig?

A: I personally would not be as concerned about specific types of rope beyond certain guidelines and in fact there are no sweeping usage trends through the class.... the reason why this occurs in the Laser is due to the fact that there are not the pulley systems in the Laser that there are in the Byte and as such in the Laser since we use loop purchases, the qualities of the rope make a large difference.

Guidelines:

o System lines - thin enough to slide, will not stretch, but will not slip through the cleat.... the factory lines are great - color coordinated and everything!! >Traveler - must not stretch, must not rip apart your hands, should be light and float.... maybe 1/4 ' rooster rope it fits the bill here (between you and me I don't recommend the factory line here)

o Mainsheet - same as traveler, different color if you are concerned about getting confused.

Q: Aside from the Byte website, what's the best source of technical sailing info?

A: Laser books are always good because many single-handed dinghies have common tactics as well as technical procedures. Sailing a Byte differs from sailing a Laser in matters of tuning and a few minor technical practices caused where the design of the boat diverges from that of the Laser. For all intents and purposes, steering, and tactics follow the same conventions for the two boats - the Byte allows people your size to be contenders. Sail sheeting only differs in that when the breeze increases to where you would be vang sheeting in a Laser, in a Byte, you are traveler sheeting. Sail Tuning differs only in that the Byte is a deep Radial cut sail and as such you need to avoid depowering the outhaul - even here in Lasers the outhaul is always the last thing we depower (I campaign Lasers by the way).

In addition, while you may sometimes have to deal with a delayed response time, you can always ask me!

Q: Those darn traveler cleats! In light air, I've found that the only way to sail fast is to sit fore or on the cleats, which hurts. What do you recommend for moving the cleats?

A: I wouldn't worry about moving the cleats, the boat is designed to perform to optimum speed with the crew weight just aft in flat-water conditions, and even a little further aft in chop and waves...here it is more like a Europe Dinghy than a Laser. Golden rule number one of sail boat racing – Don’t drill holes in your boat!!

Q: Hmm.... but I've done some fine-tuning with the rest of the Richmond fleet, and sitting fore/on the traveler really does make a difference in light air. Is it possible to drill traveler cleats into the sloping sidewall, or do I need to install ports and back the bolts?

A: I don't recommend moving the cleats because there is a steal plate built into the glass underneath where they sit right now and as such putting it on the diagonal may put too much load on the unenforced glass.... You could imagine putting two portholes in but the dangerous thing about portholes is that they inevitably warp and leak without exception and the cockpit is not a good place to have something leaking...I have never seen anybody change this on the boat.... I'd be interested to see what you have done. In terms of speed, it's important to keep in mind that where you sit is a fine-tuning aspect that when compared to play on the mainsheet and sail tuning is minute...perhaps these caused the differences among your fleet. Incidentally the cleats have been moved three inches forward three years ago so your cleats may be slightly further back.... but again these differences account for very little in terms of your actual sailing...obviously you don't want to be hanging off your stern going upwind in light air, but two - three inches fore or aft...

Zeke is originally from Calgary where he competed in the Laser Class on the Alberta sailing team and, later, for the infamous Team LYRA. While at Dalhousie, he coached the highly successful RStLYC 'BYOB' Byte team. After graduating in 2000, he sailed the Olympic Trials and coached Byte sailors across Canada, the US and Bermuda.