Death Roll

This great post from our Dinghy Anarchy forum is especially relevant to all you psychos spending your Sundays frostbiting in Lasers.  This is Anarchist miahmouse’s Comprehensive Guide to the Heavy Air Death Roll. 

Step 1 – Realization
The exact point at which you need to realize you’re completely screwed on a downwind run will vary, and that point comes later with experience. For some, it’s the first moment the boat starts to wobble a bit, while for others its when the last twitch of the tiller was a bit too much or the yank on the mainsheet wasn’t quite enough. Either way, knowing your moment – be it early or late – is paramount to both executing and recovering from the death roll.