Santana 35 boat handling tips for the entire crew

These were put together to help get new crew started sailing on a Santana 35, but are applicable to any full-sized keel boat which races with a complement of 7-9 people. Masthead boats can skip the part about running backstays, though checkstays may be used instead. Obviously every crew will have their own variations of these maneuvers. Larger boats would do dip-pole jibes which have different techniques for keeping the jib-sheets free.

Tacking:	Before	During	After
Point	Scootch forward to tractor large genoas	Tractor by pulling forward on middle of foot	Hike large
Mast	stay on high side	Stay on high side, move inboard, pull clew of large genoas to fairlead	Hike large
Console	stay on high side	Don’t move until boat is flat, then cross quickly and hike	Hike large
Trimmer	go down for release (“ready”)	Release, and be ready to grind right away. Prevent sheet tangles	Final grind, trim carefully. In light wind, keep soft until full speed. Set up both jibsheet and running back for next tack. Quick spaghetti control. Hike large.
Tailer	stay on high side; make sure new sheet is loaded on drum (3 wraps for genoas; 3-4 for jib)	Tail fast and steady. Watch clew of sail, not hands. Put extra wraps on (if needed) quick and smooth.	Tail for runner, if necessary. Hike large.
Runners	stay on high side (know where your handle is—should be in the winch already)	Grind runners on fast. Hand tail to tailer for final trim	Hike large
Main	stay on high side	Release runner! Travel down on new side	Travel up when full speed reached
Helm	drive fast	“helm’s down”. Turn smoothly	Drive fast
Tactics	“Prepare to tack”	Don’t get sucked into new runner	Go the right direction

Upcoming bear-away set	Well before	On layline to mark	“Pole up”
Point	Spin gear set up well ahead of time. Know the course. Know whether bear-away or jibe-set. Double check guy in pole, lines led cleanly	Double check spin gear.	Watch pole tip to ensure it doesn’t snag under jib. Clear quickly if necessary. Hatch open (but don’t like kite blow out in heavy air). “Ready to hoist!”
Mast		Ensure genoa is ready to drop; flake genoa halyard if necessary.	Unsnap topping lift. Help jump topping lift if heavy. Pole up at mast after console raises tip (to prevent snagging under jib).
Console		Boom vang on.	Pole tip up first. Then high, level pole. Foreguy loose so pole can come back.
Trimmer		While still hiking, visually inspect leeward sheets and guys for readiness to set up.	“Ready to hoist!”
Tailer		Ready windward guy while hiking. Drape sheet by runner winch. Visually inspect sheets for readiness.
Runners		While still hiking, visually inspect leeward sheets and guys for readiness to set up.	In cockpit. Rig spin sheet on runner winch. Hand spin sheet to trimmer. “Ready to hoist!”. Drive boat to mark with headsail if necessary.
Main		Drive boat to mark with main	Drive boat to mark with main
Helm		Drive to mark	Drive to mark
Tactics		“Pole up”

Bear-away set “Hoist!”	“Hoist”	“Topped”	After
Point	Prefeed guy before hoist, keep kite in boat.	“Topped!” Close hatch. Go forward to drop genoa	Pull down genoa.
Mast	Jump spin halyard	Final grind if necessary. Prepare to drop genoa (clutch open).	help bring genoa on deck. Adjust mast end of pole.
Console	Tail spin halyard. Cunningham off, outhaul out	Raise tip of pole (mast is probably busy). Foreguy on after pole is back.	Watch for genoa halyard snarls. Call for pole trim.
Guy Trim (was tailer)	Guy back hard (70-80 degrees back)!		Trim pole
Spin trim (was trimmer)	Stay on high side. Wait to trim spinnaker… Wait…	Trim now. Don’t oversheet. Keep foot of spinnaker from binding on headstay.	Trim sheet
Grinder (was runners)	Already in cockpit. Ready to grind spin sheet.	Your name is GRIND	GRIND
Main	Dump main, release backstay, release runner	Center traveler, ensure main is trimmed correctly.	Watch for puffs from behind
Helm	“Bearing away”	Drive fast	Drive fast
Tactics	“Hoist”		Plan downwind leg.

End-for-end jibe	Before (“Prepare to jibe”)	During (“Trip!”)	After (“made”)
Point	Stand next to mast with jib sheet ready to flip over pole and new guy in hand. “Ready”	Trip pole. Flip jib sheet on top of pole. Put guy in pole end. Bring pole across, pull old guy out, and attach at mast. Yell “Made” good and loud.
Mast	Lower pole at mast.	Help attach pole at mast. Also yell “made”	Raise pole at mast.
Console	Lower pole. Ease boom vang slightly.		Raise pole. Vang back on.
Guy Trim	Take all slack out of lazy sheet and hold it. Trim in a bit to center kite.	Start trimming kite; keep it full during jibe.	Either take over as trimmer, or hand off to spin trimmer. Release old guy.
Spin trim	Ensure plenty of slack in guy for foredeck to complete jibe.	Trim kite during jibe.	Either become guy trimmer and take up on new guy, or switch and let guy trimmer do it. Don’t let go of old sheet until the guy is on.
Grinder	Be prepared to switch sides in jibe. Handles in both sheet winches on a windy day.	Switch sides	Trim on new sheet.
Main	Get ready to flip main over.	Flip main when help says, “driving through”
Helm		“Driving through” as boat turns.
Tactics	“prepare to jib”. Then “Trip!”

Leeward douse	Before (“Jib up”)	During (“Blow it!”)	After
Point	Refeed jib for hoist. Move to correct side if necessary. Make sure jib hoists correctly. Get lazy guy underneath jib and jibsheet and prepare for dousing into the front hatch	Go down the hatch and haul the kite in fast. Make sure the gear is in the front of the hatch (so the hinges don’t break) and get back on deck quickly.	First: make sure clear to tack. At convenient time on upwind leg (not right away) run gear around if necessary, clean up kite, etc.
Mast	Jump jib on cue. Open spin halyard clutch after console has it on a winch.	Help haul kite. Once it is clearly under control, stow pole and ensure clear to tack.	When clear, loud hail “clear to tack”. Hike large.
Console	Tail jib halyard. Ensure good halyard tension (main and jib), outhaul, Cunningham.	Blow spin halyard and ensure it runs freely.	Hike large.
Guy Trim	Ensure spin sheet and guy are free to run without snagging. Cue up running backstay. Take any extra slack out of lazy jib sheet so it doesn’t go down the hatch with the kite	Release the guy crisply—make sure it runs completely freely. Set up lazy jib sheet for tack.	Hike large. Tail jib if necessary on final trim.
Spin trim	Keep kite flying. Take up slack in jib sheet, but don’t over-trim.	Get ready for jib trim. Keep loose at first and drive the boat through the rounding.	Final jib trim, then hike large
Grinder			Trim runner if necessary. Hike large.
Main	Backstay on for upwind leg. Make sure outhaul etc come on also.	Start bringing in the main. Don’t bring it in too much too soon. Drive the boat through the rounding	Trim for speed.
Helm		Drive wide, poke up high. Don’t hit anyone.	Drive fast.
Tactics	“Jib up” Watch for overlaps (front and back).	“Blow it”	Get clear lane quickly.