Life at the pointy end

Persistent Shift

Tony Bull looks at the role of the most maligned crewmember of all - the bowman.

Q: What do you call someone who hangs out with sailors?

A: The bowman

Bowmen (and women) are probably the most visual of all sailors. They are perceived on one hand as the most menial of the crew – all brute strength and muscle while they haul sails up and down, leaping around and yelling at other crew members.

Alternatively they are the pinup boys of sailing – extreme athletes who make the crew further aft look positively dowdy. Bowmen tend to feature on the covers of sailing magazines more than any other member of the yachting fraternity.  

Most crewing positions involve close interaction whilst the bowman operates further in distance from others for a large part of the time and as a result is seen as an individual amongst a team. But in reality the bow position is a fulcrum of a large team effort and is very reliant on that crew behind him. It is impossible for him to do a good job without every other member of the crew helping him; trimmers, mast, pit, steerers and even tacticians all have a role in assisting the bow. Life can be a nightmare for the bow when things go wrong behind him.

As the bow is a very visual position and the focus of a lot of attention in manoeuvres, it is quite often they who get the blame when things go awry. It always amazes me that when a spinnaker drop goes wrong the bow is yelled at when quite probably the fault lies further aft and he is simply trying to cope with a bad situation.

Physical strength

So what does it take to become a good bowman? It is a very physical spot so you will have to be fit and agile. Arm and leg strength along with balance are very important attributes. Rock climbing and circuit training are popular training regimes amongst top level bowmen.

It is a requirement to work in a very confined space with a lot going on around you, sheets and sail everywhere. In this environment with so much having to happen in a short time, it is imperative to have a strong sense of priority and awareness. There is nothing worse than seeing something from the back of the boat that desperately needs attending to and the bow is focussed on some irrelevant job that can wait.

The bowman literally runs the front of the boat. He will receive his instructions from the sailing master or tactician and he has to co-ordinate the sail process, from getting a sail up on deck to making sure the halyard and sheets are right to go. It is important to be aware that extra weight right in the very bow of the boat is performance retarding, so you must be structured and methodical in your approach to minimise the time you spend forward.

Never rush. Think things through. Speed comes with competence not haste.

The mere act of walking around a boat is important. In light airs place one foot down before lifting the other, never jump or bounce. It is amazing how heavy feet can reverberate through the boat. In rough weather the old adage “one hand for you and one for the boat” rings true. Going overboard is no one’s idea of fun.

As we all know, conditions alter all the way through a race and there is always the possibility of a last minute change of plans at mark roundings. Don’t grizzle or get angry. The change has been called because circumstances have altered and the boat will benefit by the amendment, even at the expense of having to setup again. So keep your options open and be ready to change, think ahead to the next likely manoeuvre and make sure all is ready for whatever new situation may confront you.  

Prepare early

A lot should be done prior to leaving the dock. Check the halyards and spinnaker pole, make sure the sails are packed ready to go, check your feeder and forestay on boats with foils, check with the tactician on the likelihood of which sails are to be used and stack them below accordingly.

On larger boats the bowman plays a major role at the start. He is the forward eyes of the boat in the prestart hustle and bustle. Working and weaving your way through a large fleet can be quite harrowing so work on developing a nice clear set of hand signals with the steerer so you can communicate with him above the noise.

As part of your pre-race setup, have the boat sail along the starting line and set up some transits on the shore that will give you an indication of how close to the line your boat is when you come in for a start.

Hold up fingers to signify how far off the line you are, two fingers for two boat lengths etc. A clenched fist will show the boat is on the line.

Remember the steerer has a blind spot behind the jib so keep an eye on boats in that region to leeward and signal if they are luffing or converging. It is also a good idea for have the countdown going in the bow as well. It can be very hard for the helm to judge exactly where his bow is with all the boats around and when it becomes obvious to the bow that the boat will arrive on the line late, a quick winding motion can let the steerer and trimmers know to press on and go for it.

Packing the spinnaker

Getting the spinnaker to go again after the drop is a main priority. Time off the rail is always a negative so it is important to repack the spinnaker as quickly as possible. Whilst there are many different ways to pack a spinnaker, the basics remain the same.  

Find a clew and run along the white foot- tape until you find the other clew. Nearly all spinnakers should have a white foot tape and coloured (usually contrasting) tapes running up the luff or leech of the sail. Once you have found these clews separate them as far as you can within the confines of the cabin. Follow one of the tapes up the sail until you find the head, concertinaing this as you go to keep it together. You only need to do this to one side – if two sides of a triangle are untwisted then the third will be as well! Once done start shoving the spinnaker into the bag from the centre of the white foot tape. When the clews come to you, make sure they don’t go into the bag. Most spinnaker bags will have some Velcro tabs on either side to hold the corners in place for easy location later. Continue to pack the spinnaker in until you reach the head and fasten this on the central Velcro tab and close the bag.

Most modern spinnaker bags are the box style rather than the old hooped circular bag, however the fundamentals remain the same when repacking. There is a small variation worth considering when packing an asymmetrical kite, in this case as the tack is fed out prior to hoisting it is best to leave a bit of the tack out and pack it in last on top to assist this process.

On some boats if you are reusing the same spinnaker then consider launching and retrieving it through the front hatch, this will save repacking (although it still is a good idea to quickly run the tapes to ensure it hasn’t twisted on the drop). You can even leave the sheets attached if the spinnaker is to be reset on the same gybe that it was dropped on.

On the larger spinnakers it is sometimes useful to partially or fully wool the spinnaker to enable them to be hoisted further before the wind catches them. To do this, tie small lengths of wool or place lacky bands around the spinnaker about every 1-2 metres depending on the size of boat. Just make sure the ties will break apart easily when the spinnaker is up.

Facing the dangers

The reason the bow position is viewed as one of the more extreme is that it can be dangerous. Some of the worst injuries occur in the bow – washed overboard, spinnaker pole dropped on the head and getting wrapped up in sheets and lines are but a few. It is likely that you will cop a fair spray occasionally as things go pear shaped and you struggle to cope with masses of sailcloth to be retrieved in seconds.

But bowmen love the challenges thrown at them, they revel in their role as the extreme sportsperson, ready to race up the mast at the first opportunity. They often have their own cliques and groups. They are easy to spot as they strut around in their harness long after the race has finished! But on a serious note, good bowmen are worth their weight in gold. It is an extraordinarily challenging job and they can make a world of difference.

Remember the pyramid of yachting success, a base of good boat handling will bring good boat speed and good boat speed will bring good tactics. A good bow person is vital to good boat handling. Just don’t tell them that!