The Stealthy Getaway
The Stealthy Getaway
If you like the option of a quick, opposite-jibe getaway from the windward mark, add the Sambuca to your team's bag of tricks. "From the Experts" in our April 2010 issue
The "Sambuca" arrived on the racing scene shortly after A-sails and bowsprits trickled down from grand prix racing to the club sailor. In Spain and Italy, it's known as the Sandokan. Kiwi and Australian crews tend to call it an Indian. In the U.S., it's the Sambuca.Simply put, the Sambuca begins like a standard bear-away, but continues into a jibe during the hoist, enabling you to get onto the opposite jibe as you round the windward mark. Let's assume that the marks are being left to port, and you are racing with an asymmetric spinnaker tacked to the bow, or flying from a sprit.The "Sambuca" arrived on the racing scene shortly after A-sails and bowsprits trickled down from grand prix racing to the club sailor. In Spain and Italy, it's known as the Sandokan. Kiwi and Australian crews tend to call it an Indian. In the U.S., it's the Sambuca.
Simply put, the Sambuca begins like a standard bear-away, but continues into a jibe during the hoist, enabling you to get onto the opposite jibe as you round the windward mark. Let's assume that the marks are being left to port, and you are racing with an asymmetric spinnaker tacked to the bow, or flying from a sprit. The kite is hoisted under the jib to leeward as normal. During the hoist, however, it's pulled around to the other side of the bow by the starboard sheet. As the boat jibes to port, the kite fills on the new leeward side and off you go.
Because the maneuver requires very little advance preparation, a good team can change from a bear-away set to a Sambuca just moments before the hoist.
The most common reason for a Sambuca is a last-minute change in the game plan when approaching the weather mark. If there's a reason to immediately get onto the opposite jibe, and no time to re-rig for a jibe-set, the Sambuca is your move. It can be called for as late as a few boatlengths away from the mark. Because the spinnaker lines don't need to be re-rigged, the crew can stay on the rail and focus on sailing fast upwind until its time for the hoist.
If there is a nearby competitor interested in your next move, the Sambuca is particularly potent because it's pretty hard to detect. You bear away like you normally would, the kite starts up like it normally would, and then suddenly jibing! Good luck covering that. There's just no time for the other team to react.
The Sambuca also sets you up for the starboard advantage on the first cross during the run, and can give you the inside track on buoy room at the leeward mark.
Still not convinced? How about this nugget: In light air, a well-executed Sambuca can often be as fast, or faster, than a bear-away set. With a standard bear-away set in 4 to 7 knots, the apparent wind moves well aft and bleeds away as the boat slows during the bear-away and hoist. Once the spinnaker is hoisted, a turn up is usually required to build apparent wind and boatspeed. On a Sambuca, you are jibing right as your apparent wind crashes.
Turning the bow up to the appropriate VMG angle on the new jibe will forcefully build the apparent wind as the boat heels. This will swing the kite away from the boat, and instantly load the spinnaker. I am often startled at how quickly a boat can reach target speed and angle after a light-air Sambuca. Of course, this is weighed with the penalty of a sharp turn in light air so keep the turn smooth.
