Welcome to the "Pointy End" issue of At The Front, a quarterly digest of top news and stories from the world of Harken.
Shown above - Windquest bowman at the end of the pole during a Transpac Race. Photo: Sharon Green Ultimate Sailing
welcome to the foredeck. It's kinda wet up here!
it's wet. It moves all over the place. you can end up in the lifelines...or worse. But we look great on the starting line video. and sometimes we even steer from up here — for real.
By Alison Kent — Social Media Manager...Bow Person — Harken USA...stationed in France
In my job leading the social media function for Harken, I spend a lot of my time online, absorbing sailing content from all over the world. It’s an important way Harken listens for changes in technique thinking about how that might fuel advances in rigging. We can’t be everywhere. But there’s an impressive amount of great content posted every week. For instance, I live in France. They engage with sailing as intensely here as anywhere I’ve ever been. Their coverage, and the perspective from which they view our sport here is amazing. If I do my job well, it helps us stay at the front.
Speaking of at the front, in my other life I spend quite a lot of time at the front—of a boat. Yep. Call it what you like, I’m a bowman, bow person, bow girl, bow chick…I do the bow. In that role, I’m part climber, mechanic, wave-blocker, halyard-jumper and boat-length signaler. As you’ll read a little later…if you keep reading…I also steer from up there on occasion. I think it helps that I have experience doing almost all the crew positions on a boat. Which is helpful because I try to keep my head out of the bow as much as possible.
My teammates on Edge Women's Match and I have been competing in the Women's World Match Racing Tour for the last five years. So I am not only a bowman, I’ve got some miles in as a match racing bowman. On the bow, you need to have experience and good powers of anticipation so that you can imagine different scenarios and not be surprised too often. It’s physical, and it can get a little too exciting if you let it. The important thing to remember is that you’re not alone and passive. Ideally, you’re not just reacting up there. Come to think of it, how you should function on the bow is kind of how you should function in life!
We hope you enjoy this issue of “At The Front”. Happy Spring. Keep it between the lifelines!
Photo: © Jari Salo / Sailing Images
at the pointy end
What is it like to be at the front of one of today's most competitive one-design fleets? Celia Willison will tell you. She does just that as bowman on Black Star in the RC44 fleet. It's a complicated and detail-oriented position, where one bad hoist or drop could cost a race.
meanwhile, behind the mast...
Warning: The following is not segregated bowman content. Actually, we don't believe in segregation in any form but that's off topic. The 44Cup is such an interesting circuit and the boats are so well updated, we think you'll be interested in this. If one boat makes a change - they all make a change. Last year, the fleet was revamped with brand-new Harken Air 180s. Not only are they over 40% lighter than the winches replaced, but with overdrive gearing combined with the new pedestal components, the winches double the line speed available. Check out the video with trimmer Chris Hosking.
Beyond the norm: the bowman's role in match racing
Usually, when you think of a bowman during a start, the biggest factor is bringing attention to traffic and calling the line. But match racing demands some unusual bow work that calls for some moves outside of the norm, but they are skills that can transfer to any sailing you do! Every role on board holds weight, and what sets a skilled team apart is the ability to anticipate the next move and think ahead. That’s why crews who sail together often perform better. In the high-stakes moments of a match racing prestart, every second counts in a maneuver.
The dial-up, for example, is a classic prestart move in any match race. Two boats come together side by side and head to wind, in a slow-motion dance while both teams try to gain control of the situation. A skilled crew will be able to get themselves out of a dial-up just the way they want to, even if the boat is moving backward! What you don’t want to be is a sitting duck stuck head to wind…
Central to the success of a dial-up is the role of the jib. You’ll almost always see the bowman facing the stern with the foot of the jib in their hand, watching the crew and skipper. Why?
Role reversal! The bowman is now steering the boat.
If you are head to wind, it’s very likely your skipper has little to no flow over the rudder and, therefore, no steerage. Now, the bowman has control of keeping the boat head to wind, slowing the boat down, or even getting the boat to move backward to create that flow over the rudder. By grabbing onto the foot of the jib and moving it from side to side, the bowman is putting the bow exactly where the team wants it, often communicating with the skipper through the skipper’s hand signals – a full 180 from the norm! When you’ve chosen the right time to exit the dial-up, the bowman leans way out, holding the jib, turning the bow as fast as possible, and the crew are in sync with their weight movements to find the perfect exit angle to accelerate. It’s similar to backwinding your jib to get your bow down out of a tack – just a bit more exaggerated.
Think back to learning to sail and getting caught in irons—it's hard to escape, frustrating, and you have zero control. Now, imagine being stuck there with your competitor continuously coming back toward you, throwing the rules and protest flags your way. That becomes stressful. Between a backed jib and crew weight, a polished team can accelerate cleanly out of a dial-up, which can be a huge advantage and keep you out of those scenarios or, better yet, into a controlling position.
In match racing, there are play books and moves that you learn and come to anticipate. A dial-up is no different, and understanding those moves and knowing your team will help you execute maneuvers like a dial-up.
Let's give bowmen a break.
What inspires new products at Harken? Sometimes, it's as simple as acute empathy born from experience. We talk to sailors, and a lot of the time...they're dripping wet when we do it.
The 40mm Carbo Twing Block
The new Carbo Twing block features a spring-loaded, top-opening mechanism so you can rig it quickly whenever the breeze or sea state indicates that an adjustment in leech twist would move the knot meter.
to be a sydney hobart winning bowman means knowing the ins and outs, the ups and downs of the outrigger.
the outrigger
New Zealander Logan Andresen spends most of his time on the pointy end. He is the bowman on Richel Pugh 66 Alive, based in Australia. They compete in the Australian Northern tour and end their season with the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, which they won overall in 2023. But, a winning race is not without challenges - while dodging storms on the first night, they ripped their jib top, a bow sprit-to-masthead-furling sail, ideal for the reaching conditions they would encounter on their way to Tasmania.
That's when the outrigger became essential. The use of an outrigger (a reaching strut rigged to leeward) improves sail shape and increases boat speed while reaching. For Alive, a relatively skinny yacht, hitting full potential while reaching is a must. By increasing the slot size between sails, an outrigger creates the ability to double and triple head using sails like a jib top, code zero, J3, J4, or GS (genoa staysail).
We wanted to know more. So we put Logan on the hot seat about the intricacies of the outrigger.
What is it made out of? Typically carbon, for weight and strength.
How do you rig it? A reaching strut needs to be attached to the mast at the inboard end to be counted as part of the rigging and not the yacht's width under most handicap rules. Then, a forward line is attached to prevent the reaching strut from hitting the standing rigging, and a controllable up/down line to adjust the angle as required, but this could be fixed as well. The ideal angle is parallel to the horizon when sailing to avoid dragging the reaching strut through the water and giving you the maximum length to trim the sails with.
How does it connect to the boat? It is a ball-and-stem attachment that plugs into a socket on the mast, allowing rotation and limited forward/aft and up/down movement.
Does the bow team rig it? Typically, the bowman rigs it, as it can get a bit wet on a reach, especially in a large sea state. (What did we tell you!)
What does the outboard end look like? We have a pig snout fitting to allow adjustment of the outboard end leads through blocks inside the strut, but we have previously used fixed rings.
How do you run your sheets through it? Sheets are typically run through a frictionless ring to prevent capsizing a sheave or snatch block.
Is it extendable and where do you store it when not in use? The Alive reaching strut is a fixed length. It is stored downstairs and on the windward side when we're not using it.
Are there different places fore and aft it can be rigged? The reaching strut can be moved forward and aft, but we are limited aft with the side rigging and typically you want the strut out as far as possible.
Does it change your handicap rating when you use it? Yes it does, and these can be checked through trial certificates. For a two day Sydney Hobart race, you would need to make up approximately 10-15 minutes in time to make it worthwhile.
What are you pro-tips for using one?
- Practice in the harbour before using it offshore - in breeze and at night
- Avoiding dragging it in the water - reaching struts are not designed for this and will break, or the forward line will snap and the reaching strut could take our your leeward side stays
- Simplify the setup where possible, have set forward line lengths and clips or dogbones to make the set up easier
- Have a carabiner taped halfway down the pole to clip onto the vang in preparation for the deploy (as in the photo shown above)
- Check with your mast builder before drilling holes or attaching brackets to the mast, as they may need to be reinforced
Background photo: © Salty Dingo 2023
kids left for college? lost your built-in bowmen? not to worry. That's why we make...
REFLEX FURLing!
Sailing under spinnaker is some of the nicest sailing there is, but it becomes difficult without a bowman...what do you do? That situation is exactly what we had in mind when creating the Reflex Furling system. It allows you to hoist, drop, and furl your sails confidently — even without a bowman. Not only can you use your downwind sails more often, but the quick-release design lets one unit furl all your kites. Time to give those flying sails some air time!