Getting Out of "Irons"

Your boat is pointed into the wind and you are "Dead in the Water." What do you do? You are "Caught in Irons." You need to know how to get out! Backwind is a technique for getting out of irons. Balance the boat with your weight and push the boom into the wind to the side you want to turn (starboard or port)—the wind will exert force on the back of the sail. This is one of the few times when it is permissible to hold on to the boom! The boat will start to move backwards (sternway). Now, push the tiller in the same direction you want to turn. Be sure to turn the boat more than 45° off-wind. After the boat is turned off-wind, straighten the tiller and then pull in the mainsheet slowly to start the boat moving.

Backwind steps: (1) push boom out to produce sternway, (2) push tiller to produce turn, (3) backwind more than 45° off-wind and (4) pull in mainsheet to start sailing.

The above article is from Thomas P. Martin's excellent book, Sailing is a Breeze: Learning to Sail a Laser^®, Sunfish^® or Other Small Boat. You can save 20% by ordering here!