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On a windy day, especially as you fight = your way=20 off the starting line in close quarters, you can hear the calls from the = talking=20 heads of your nearest competitors: "Puff in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . = followed by=20 a lull and two steep waves." Getting this kind of input back to the = helmsman is=20 critical, not just at the start, but all around the racecourse, because = as you=20 know, huge gains can be made by taking advantage of puffs and lulls, = both large=20 and small.

It=92s important as a crew to communicate what=92s = happening with=20 the wind, and do so with confidence. To call a puff effectively, you = need to=20 recognize one, determine its size, estimate how strong it is, and figure = out=20 what direction it=92s moving. But before I go any further, let me stress = that it=92s=20 just as important to call the lulls preceding or following a=20 puff.

Remember, a puff is simply an increase in breeze=97big or = small. When=20 I=92m calling puffs to the helmsman, I refer to them as fan puffs or = directional=20 puffs. A fan puff is the leading edge of a gust, a mass of air dropping = from=20 aloft and fanning out from its center of impact as more air piles on top = of it.=20 A directional puff is essentially the remnants of the fan puff, = overcoming the=20 initial surface contact and moving in the direction of the upper air = mass from=20 which it came.

The initial puff is always a fan puff. Its = appearance is=20 generally darker and more solid than a directional puff, and it will = appear on=20 the water as an expanding oval. After a short period, the puff stops = spreading=20 as the air overcomes the initial surface resistance and moves in the = same=20 general direction=97now it=92s a directional puff. Puffs will come from = the=20 prevailing wind direction, so figuring out where they=92re coming from = is a matter=20 of scanning the area to weather to see where they originate. Watch to = see if a=20 puff is expanding to the sides: if it=92s still expanding, it=92s still = fanning. If=20 it=92s just moving straight, it=92s a directional.



	Stuart = Streuli

	Where sailing = small boats in=20 light air, or big boats in a breeze, the ability to detect puffs = and=20 windshifts and pass that information to your skipper is vital.

You=92ll commonly hear = people refer to=20 "lifting puffs" and "heading puffs," which is simply a matter of which = side of=20 the puff you=92re engaging. You can determine this by the direction from = which the=20 puff approaches. If it=92s coming from aft of about 60 degrees to your = course it=92s=20 a lift, forward of that to 45 degrees it=92s the median, and forward of = 45 degrees=20 it=92s a header.

Determining how soon it will hit, and thus the = countdown,=20 is a matter of figuring out how fast it=92s moving over the water. You = can count=20 down aloud by how fast you see it coming. If you start counting faster, = the=20 helmsman knows it=92s coming faster with more pressure; if you slow your = count=20 it=92s coming slower with less pressure.

What about the lulls? = The lulls=20 will appear ahead of and behind the puffs, and it=92s important to let = the driver=20 know whether a lull is less or more than the pre-puff velocity. Their = shapes and=20 lengths are difficult to determine, so I don=92t really try. I look for = the next=20 change on the water and try to guess how long it will take to get to it. = Simply=20 calling out the lull gives the helm and trimmers the opportunity to = change=20 gears. The lulls are going to last until the next puff hits, so the best = thing=20 to do is start looking for the next puff.

Upwind, keep calling = =92em

With this background, it=92s time to learn how to relay = the=20 information to the helmsman. Picture the following situation, sailing = upwind:=20 What I might see and tell myself is, "A large area of breeze is coming = from=20 directly abeam, but not very quickly." What I should tell the helm is, = "Small=20 lifting puff, lasting 20 seconds, hitting in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1, breeze = on." Note=20 that even though the puff is big, its slow movement indicates there = isn=92t=20 necessarily a lot of breeze in it. Armed with this information, the helm = can=20 make changes in sheet tension and adjust the backstay for what he knows = will be=20 a long period. Knowing that it=92s a lifting puff allows him to ease as = the puff=20 hits in order to let the boat accelerate. He then turns up as he = re-trims the=20 sheet.

I occasionally give the helmsman extra information if I = think he=20 can deal with it and break it down fast enough. For example, what I = might see=20 and say to myself is, "Lots of breeze (really dark water), in a very = small=20 patch, same direction as current breeze, coming fast." What I tell the = helmsman=20 is, "5 knots more breeze, this direction, lasting 7 to 10 seconds, = followed by a=20 lull, and then the same breeze we=92ve had, in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1." This = allows the=20 helmsman to make a drastic adjustment for the puff, knowing how long he = has to=20 stay depowered, when he can start to power up again, and to what=20 degree.

The other important ingredient in the above example is=20 information about the lull. Doing this allows the boat to be properly = powered up=20 when it needs to be. As the wind fills after the lull, the call will be = much the=20 same as calling a puff. What I say to myself is, "Flat water, no ripples = for a=20 while, darker line about 200 yards away, coming slowly, with about the = same=20 pressure we had before, same direction as before." What I tell the helm = is,=20 "Lull for 15, slowly building breeze for 20, back to what we had, = initial=20 velocity lift, steadying out to the median. Small increase in 5 . . . 4 = . . . 3=20 . . . 2 . . . 1."

The helm knows he has to live with this breeze = for a=20 short time and trim for it. He knows how he was set up before the lull = and when=20 to return to the pre-lull trim settings. He also knows the boat=92s = heading so he=20 can let the boat climb to its previous heading as the puff hits. Giving = an=20 accurate countdown with a gap gives the helm time to consider when to = start=20 making fine-tune adjustments.

Downwind: Look = behind

The=20 best part of calling puffs downwind, especially on a keelboat, is that = it=92s=20 usually possible to stand and see them from a higher vantage point, = which allows=20 you to track the direction of the puff more accurately and gives you a = better=20 idea how much wind there is in the puff.

When calling puffs, scan = everywhere behind and determine whether a dark patch is easy to get to. = If you=20 can, you generally want to head for a nearby puff or to at least place = yourself=20 in front of it. As you reach a puff, you=92ll usually get an initial = header. As=20 the puff begins to fade, and you enter its center, you=92ll slowly be = lifted. If=20 there=92s still pressure in the puff, you can jibe onto the headed tack = and stay=20 with it until the breeze returns to the median pressure. Then start = looking for=20 another puff.

Puffs that are abeam will probably be gone before = you can=20 reach up to get there so don=92t bother. It=92s better to look directly = up the=20 course to watch for puff development. If a puff isn=92t really catching = up, then=20 it=92s important not to chase it around trying to get in front of it, = often it=92s=20 better to sail less distance and let a puff go by.

A few more = things to=20 remember downwind: If the puff approaches from the left (looking = upwind), it=92s a=20 "lefty," from the right it=92s a "righty." If it=92s filling from = astern, track its=20 direction and figure where you are in relation to its inside = edge=97that=92s where=20 you want to place yourself. Boats behind are perfect clues as to what = the puffs=20 are doing. Generally, the boats toward the edges will jibe toward the = middle of=20 the puff so they sail the headed tack, or they will try to sail low = toward the=20 center in more pressure.

The most important part of calling puffs = downwind is to make sure you maximize the time you=92re in the increased = breeze.=20 With this in mind, I=92ll often tell the helm to steer low because the = breeze is=20 going from windward to leeward. My advice to the helm as I do this is to = "maintain pressure, stay low until the chute starts to de-pressure, then = slowly=20 head up for speed build." This allows maximum leeward separation from = weather=20 boats or allows you to get down into a different lane for tactical or = clear-air=20 considerations. Staying artificially low will also allow you to re-align = for the=20 next puff without having to jibe for it.

There=92s generally less = talk=20 about the characteristics of the puffs downwind since they come to you = slower=20 and you stay in them longer. As a tactician, you tell the helm whether = to sail a=20 VMG course or a course that will keep them in the puff the = longest=97there isn=92t=20 much more you can say. A typical conversation when seeing a puff coming = from=20 astern is "building breeze going right to left, build speed and take it = down=20 when you=92re at max pressure." The important conversation deals with = telling the=20 driver when to shift gears from sailing in the current puff and setting = himself=20 up for the next one. The biggest mistake people make is not recognizing = when=20 they=92re in a dying directional puff; you=92ll have to step up to the = next puff=20 because the directional puff won=92t fan to you. Don=92t be afraid to = make a quick=20 but drastic course change to get to a lot more breeze, the pressure will = allow=20 you to extend and roll down later.

The hardest part of talking to = the=20 helm downwind is trying to figure how long the puff will last. Upwind = you=92re=20 sailing toward the puff so you=92ll usually see some increase, even if = the puff is=20 dying, and it will increase as you get toward the middle. Downwind = it=92s possible=20 to outrun the puff and it=92s very important to let the driver know that = the=20 breeze is dissipating. I=92ll often see a puff with a small increase and = relay=20 that, but in these situations, it=92s critical for the spinnaker trimmer = to let=20 the driver know when they feel the breeze in the chute=97you can=92t = turn down until=20 the chute is loaded. When you have the pressure, you have to recognize = where in=20 the puff you want to be. The air inside a puff is semi-turbulent and may = be a=20 little unstable, on the edges it tends to be more defined and solid. = However,=20 the breeze on the edges is usually less so pick your = poison.

The=20 author sailed with Paul Cayard=92s AmericaOne syndicate in the 2000 = America=92s Cup.=20 Last summer he won the J/24 Worlds crewing for Brad Reed. He is a = representative=20 for Dimension-Polyant Sailcloth Technologies.=20 www.dimension-polyant.com