Laser Tacking By Betsy Alison
		"Here's a technique that makes tacking a bit easier for the mature sailor. In a boat with a centered mainsheet bridle (Snipe, JY15, Vanguard 15, etc.), trim the mainsheet tight as you turn into a tack. Then, before the hand transfer, reach up with your mainsheet hand, grab hold of the sheet between the boom and ratchet block, and pull yourself up and across the boat. This will allow you to roll tack as hard as the 'kids.'    As you step across the boat, face forward while pushing the tiller extension in front of you. Then, sit on the new weather rail. The tiller exetension will now be behind your back, and you'll be steering with your mainsheet, which you're now holding between your thumb and pointer finger in your aft hand, slide your hand farther aft, along the sheet towards the tiller exetension. Grab the extension with th other three fingers (both the sheet and the exetension will be in the same hand for a short peroid.) Now you can release the tiller from your forward hand and grab the mainsheet.    The final step is to place the tiller extension in frony of your body (like a microphone) by leaningforward and sliding it under your arm, or by flipping up and across your shoulders. The goal is to be in constant contact with the tiller, and use minimal movement to steer the boat.    There are variations to the hand transfer. Most helmsmen steer upwind "microphone style"(ovehand grip with the tiller across the body). However, some helmsmen like to steer with the tiller along side their body (underhand grip, holding it like a frying pan). The underhand grip is fine, but you must switch to an overgrip before you tack. If you have a swivel-base mainsheet cleat, you can leave the sheet cleated during the transfer, but it's not a good idea to drop the mainsheet because you risk losing control of the boat." Taken from an article in the Sept. 2000 issue of Sailing World.
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