Impala 28 Offshore One Design

by Westaway Sails

Impalas are very difficult to beat in IRC handicap in 10-22 knots of wind. They hold their own downwind and are very fast upwind and especially good at pointing.

Your Genoa needs to be flat and the rig set up correctly to point high. The Genoa should be sheeted in hard against the shrouds again with little halyard. Unless overpowered the backstay should be off, outhaul tight, traveller around the middle of the track, the mainsheet pulled in until the top tell-tale starts to stall (flip to leeward) and the slack taken out of the vang.

Use your No 1 Genoa unless completely overpressed the sail will not last long but it will be fast By now your Impala will fly upwind.

Fetching you should ease the outhaul and sheet the Genoa onto the outside track. If overpressed fetching with the No 1 Genoa or large waves and overpressed up wind, change to the No 2 Genoa

Downwind you can sail almost straight downwind with the pole squared well back and set the pole higher than you expect, this will open the leeches, maximising the projected area.

Again crew weight forward is fast, but more aft when reaching to increase control on the helm.