·Oversteering: It’s easy to accidentally turn the boat too far after a tack. If you are working your way upwind, you ideally want to go smoothly from close hauled on one tack to sailing close hauled on the other tack. If you oversteer, you have to trim the sails out to pick up speed and then gradually head up again and retrim to a close hauled point of sail.
·Being in Irons: If you turn the boat too slowly, or try to tack without having enough boat speed, the boat may stall and stop when it faces the wind, called being in irons. In this case you usually have to wait until the wind finally blows the bow to one side. If the wind blows you backwards, turn the rudder to make the boat turn the right way. You may have to regain speed and try the tack again. Too prevent stalling, go as fast as you can, as close to the wind as it is possible before tacking and turn quickly with the helm hard over.
·Sheets getting stuck: The jib often moves fast from one side to the other in a tack but flogs and flails about as it crosses the boat. The jibsheets may hang up or wrap on some fixture on the foredeck, occasionally making someone go forward to clear it. A large knot in the sheet at the sail’s clew may hang up on a shroud, although this will usually clear if the tension is released momentarily on the line.
Prevention is the best solution. Keep some tension on both jibsheets before and during the tack. Close foredeck hatches and remove other items that may snag the sheets. In races, the speed and efficiency with which crew coordinate their tacking actions often determines the winner.
