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Upwind Sailing Tips

Brett Bowden
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Upwind Sailing Tips

 

 

We all need upwind sailing tips and who better to tell us how other than Noel Drennan

Noel is well known across the world in sailing circles and has done and achieved more than most sailors could ever dream of in their lifetime and therefore is imminently qualified to give us tips about how to get faster upwind.

Classes he has sailed include the Laser, Etchells, Farr 40, RC 44, TP 52, A class cat, Maxis, Ocean racers, and Soling plus he has sailed many other types of boats from Arabian Dow to the Version 5 Americas Cup boats. 

Noel has been part of four Americas cup campaigns. In 2000 and 2003 he sailed on Stars and Stripes with Dennis Conner plus competed in the Volvo round the world Ocean Race in 2001 and 2005 winning in 2001 with “Illbruck” and completed the circumnavigation on “Movistar” in 2005.

Noel has sailed in 33 Sydney to Hobart races winning overall twice and has sailed on boats that have won line honours three times.

How do you recognize whether a shift is velocity-driven or an actual shift?

Essentially, most shifts will usually happen with a velocity drop or a velocity increase, but essentially, before the start of the race, I try and get my head to wind reading and check the wind. I’ll try to do it in the lulls or in a gust and see if there’s a pattern there, and go from there.

What’s the most important trim adjustment when you’re going upwind?
I think just as simple as the main sheet, it does so much in all boats, from dinghies to keelboats. And the main sheet is the absolute key adjustment for the balance and trim.
Speaking of trim, can you actually feel it when you’re sitting on the side of the boat.

For me, that’s been a very important factor for my success in that I have the dinghy feel, but I’ve sailed a lot on keelboats, so you’re feeling what’s happening with the boat.

It’s loading up or unloading, or the mainsheet’s too tight for acceleration, whatever it is, but on a keelboat, you’ll also have an instruments package that will quantify that.

If you have the feel from previous dinghy sailing, then you’ll be ahead of the instruments and that’s what you need to be.
As you approach the weather mark and you get lifted ten degrees above the mark, how would you handle this?

I would probably sail above the mark for sure, to take the shift and get above and just for the clean lane around the mark yes, probably somebody will gain by going to the mark, putting the bow down and going at the mark.

You hear it often said that you should always sail towards the next shift is there a reason why you should sail towards the next shift?

Not really, but it usually does work out as an advantage. It really depends if you know it’s more likely to be a header on one side of the course or not.

I don’t think it’s always a golden rule that you should sail towards the next shift. It might be a lift and you might end up being to leeward of everybody.

How do clouds influence your upwind strategy?

I’ll always look up and look at the clouds. If I was sailing in Melbourne, for sure on the day I’d be looking for the sea breeze clouds building on the land or if it’s any sort of southerly or westerly, just the cloud formations which give you a hint of what is coming.

Because I’ve done a reasonable amount of ocean racing, and in the Volvo ocean race you sail with really good navigators, when they come up on deck they just tell you to look at the cloud, and go to the right-hand side of it and you’ll be lifted, or stay away from that one. 

You learn what to stay away from or when safe to go towards. Which side of the clouds you’re going to be lifted and which side you’re going to be headed. I think it’s a pretty important thing to do.

It’s often said that you must sail the long the tack first when heading to a mark, why is that?

I think it’s a pretty good rule, essentially because you don’t really know what’s going to happen next, and if you’re getting close to the top mark you don’t want to end up on one layline, you just want to have options.

Should you sail for puffs or shifts?

Essentially it’s a little bit to do with the boat. If it’s a boat like in an Etchells…if you’re racing to six to eight knots, it’s wind speed. And over probably 10, it’s probably the shift.

Downwind in a planing boat,  I go for windspeed every time. 

When you’re going upwind, what sort of feedback are you looking for from your crew?
I like to actually have a pretty well-defined person who is looking around. They are the member of my crew who gives me a  good description of how we’re actually going.
As the forward hand, you’ve got the best option to look around. It depends on the crew, we might have someone that is better but is on the main sheet.

This might be a bit class-specific, but how much and when do you play the jib sheet on the beat?

I think it’s pretty important. And it’s more where you are on the racecourse, and deciding what your next move tactically will be. If you get a lift, if I want to get to the right side,  ease and play the jib. Boats like the Etchells will accelerate better with the jib eased, you can almost leave the main. 

Mainsail twist, what do you look for in different wind conditions and wave conditions?

I’d use the leech ribbons as a bit of a guide in certain conditions to make sure I’m not over-trimmed.

Look at the leech and the telltales in the middle of the sail. See, if they’re lifting or they’re stuck or flowing. Consider the backwind from the jib on the luff of the main.

If the mainsail back wind is starting down low, the jib cars are down too low or in too far.

In Melbourne where we sail a lot, you get extreme conditions from flat water, bumpy water and tack to tack. It’s so different starboard and port, so in most cases, you have to acquire a different setup on each tack.

If I knew that we are going into the waves on port tack,   we’ll set up for more twist, and I’ll ease the backstay, and I might make one or two other minor adjustments because if I know I have to have more twist because of the waves, I’ll set this up to be slightly deeper.

I’m assuming it’s all about balance?

It’s such a difference between a big boat and a small boat with the board, but absolutely.  Quite often in dinghies, the board is just put down and not adjusted. The position and depth of the board is a factor in the whole balance of the boat.

FREE BOOK – 49 SAILING TIPS



Choose The Best Side Of The Course

Brett Bowden
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Choose The Best Side Of The Course

 I and most sailors continue to struggle with how to choose the best side of the course.

Fortunately, it is not Voodoo and an article I located written by hugely accomplished yachtsman, Gary Jobson from Annapolis in the USA goes a long way to demystify this essential planning aspect of any race.

I have copied Gary’s advice below.

  • Sailors tend to stay in a group when they are winning. If you see a majority of the fleet heading in one direction, it’s an indication that they are sailing to the favoured side of the course.
  • Study the water carefully for more wind, look for dark patches on the water. Study one section of the horizon at a time. Stand up so you have a greater height of eye. Use polarised sunglasses because they help contrast the colour of the water better. Let your eyes blink naturally.
  • Watch and observe how the wind affects other boats, even if they are not on your course.
  • Look for current shears in tidal areas. Once you pass a shear in the water, immediately analyse whether you are gaining or losing on the boats that have not yet passed the shear.
  • Remember, taking a flyer rarely pays off. If you are behind, go for the smaller gain. If you go for the big gain, you risk losing a lot of distance.
  • Remember which side of the course was favoured on the first windward leg and then play that side again, both upwind and downwind.
  • Keep a note of what happened during the day, patterns often repeat themselves.

FREE BOOK – 49 SAILING LEGENDS TIPS

 

Understand The Elements And Plan Accordingly

Brett Bowden
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Understand The Elements And Plan Accordingly

All racing sailors must Understand The Elements And Plan Accordingly.

As a competing sailor, we must study the weather when planning to race and must know as much as we can about the wind, clouds, rain, currents and water temperature as is possible. 

This knowledge can have a big effect on the outcome of a race and I must mention that even though the science of Meteorology has a place to play,  it is too much to expect a meteorologist to guess what local wind and wave conditions will be for a particular day.

Weather forecasts are helpful in giving predicted wind strengths which will affect your sail selection and rig settings but you should always temper this with your observations both from the shore on race day and out on the course when racing.

It is important when racing to look ahead and develop an ability to see the velocity of the wind and set your sails and rig accordingly.

One way to calculate what the wind velocity will be is to look at the waves and ripples on the surface. and sunglasses will heighten the contrast.

Gusts and Clouds

Wind direction on the race course can have a high degree of predictability if you have done your homework but there are other things that you should keep in mind.

First, you must know how to handle a gust. Look at the band of wind as it is coming at you and work out which tack you should be on to take maximum advantage of the puff.

If you see some horizontal movement that shows the gust is moving from your right to left when you are on Starboard tack, plan on getting a lift and staying on the same tack.

If you see more wind to weather, you should consider tacking to get to the pressure sooner but the important thing is to go after the wind.

Stability is an important element in all wind shifts and early in each season, there is a significant difference in water and wind temperatures meaning that the horizontal flow of wind over water increases or decreases its speed by a dramatic amount.

With regard to clouds, sail towards them but note the movement, wind is stronger on the leading edge and sides but not so strong on the back edge.

A land mass can have an effect on the wind as much as 3 miles distance meaning local knowledge about an area is important, so study the geology of an area if you have not sailed there before.

If in doubt stay with the fleet and then use your own evaluation as to which side is paying.

#sailingtowin #sailing #yachtrace #sailingcoach #sailtowin #sail

SAILING TO WIN

Tacking and How To Get It Right.

Brett Bowden
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Tacking and How To Get It Right.

Competing sailors must practice tacking and how to get it right

Unfortunately, all of us have fluffed a tack and sometimes with disastrous results. We may have let a competitor off the hook, got the boat in irons or caused ourselves a myriad of poor outcomes.

The goal of a good tack is to maximise our gain to windward. This is not the same as completing the tack as quickly as possible. (although this may be necessary sometimes) Not coming out of the tack as fast as possible.

You need to control the speed of your tack to ensure that you end up where you want to. Whether it is to be on the layline or on or off another boat.

The way you execute this is by speeding up or slowing down the turn.

When you are simply tacking to make it around the course, you should aim for a good tack. You should calmly set up and not rush it. Always be considering the boats around you and where each will be when you have completed your turn.

If your aim is to get across to the other side of the course, you would tack and foot off a little initially. The aim is to get to the favoured side as quickly as possible.

It is extremely rare that a crash tack pays. This is because of the time it takes to build speed again on the new course plus the distance you lose to windward.

When tacking on a knock towards the lifting tack, ideally you tack straight away rather than bearing away with the knock. In this case, the tack may be quicker than usual as you will tack through fewer degrees.

As with all things to do with sailboat racing you must constantly have your head out of the boat. This ensures you are prepared in advance to play the shifts and pressure changes.

Tacking to loose cover 

As an example, you may want to stay with a particular boat or boats and head to the favoured side of the course. By tacking but not giving the boat or boats heading your way dirty air they are likely to keep going.

Tacking for Tight Cover

A tight cover is used when you need to beat a particular boat or even need to sail that boat down the fleet. Position yourself where you are giving the boat dirty air.

Watch them closely and tack when they tack but be wary of dummy tacks and be prepared to act accordingly so that you maintain the cover.

A tight cover is a way of shepherding a boat to go the way you want them to as they will continually tack to get clear air.

As an example, if you want the fleet to go right, you can tight cover on Starboard and loose cover on Port.

To tack in precisely the right place, you may need to speed up or slow your tack down.

#sailingtowin #sailing #sailtowin #sailingcoach #yachtrace #sail

SAILING TO WIN

 

 

How Telltales Work

Brett Bowden
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How Telltales Work

You must know how telltales work to be a successful sailboat racer and those sailors that have mastered their use can be found on the podium more often than not.

Twist is when the top of the sail opens in comparison to the lower sections. This gives us the ability to control the lift and drag created by our sails.

Twist is increased in light winds and progressively taken out as the wind increases. The reason for this is fiction from the water slows the wind on the lower parts of the sail. 

In lighter wind, the wind angles up the sail vary greater than they do in heavier winds. You need to twist your sails in light air to make sure they are trimmed correctly all the way up.

As the wind speed increases the surface friction has less of an effect on the wind angle. There is less difference between the top and bottom of the sail so less twist is required.

How to Set Twist for the prevailing conditions.

Headsail: 

The luff telltales tell you where the sail is in terms of power and car position, but, when sailing upwind, the leech telltales are absolutely crucial as they show how close you are to maximum trim.

You want to be as close to stalling as possible and your leech telltales are the best indicator of this. Generally, the top leech telltale will stall first so trim the sheet until it stalls.

Once it stalls, ease the sheet slightly until it gets flowing 95% of the time.

As the wind drops the sheet should be eased and as it increases, the trim should come on.

Mainsail:

Trimming the mainsail is virtually identical for all boats, fractional, masthead, racing or cruising and the cunningham, boom vang, backstay, outhaul and running backstays (if fitted) are all used for the same purposes.

On a cat-rigged boat, telltales near the luff can help and are sometimes known as steering telltales.

Set the mainsail with the maximum depth it can carry but without stalling the leech and as with the jib different amounts of twist are needed depending on the prevailing wind conditions.

When sailing upwind twist should be controlled using mainsheet tension, and the correct twist is determined using the mainsail telltales.

A word of warning – If your vang pulled on hard you will not be able to add twist by easing the mainsheet.

When you sail into a lull and the mainsail begins to stall more twist is needed. Once the telltales are stalled the main sheet is eased until they fly again.

For correct trim in lighter air, all mainsail leech ribbons should flow, in moderate conditions, the top leech telltale should flow about 50% of the time.

#sailingtowin #sailing #sail #sailingcoach #yachtrace #sailboatrace

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Ultimate Sailing Success Comes From Teamwork

Brett Bowden
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Ultimate Sailing Success Comes From Teamwork

Ultimate Sailing Success Comes From Teamwork

Being Part Of a Crew

In a crewed boat there is great satisfaction from being part of a good crew.

It is often said that everyone secretly wants to be the skipper but there are also those that get more rewards from being part of a well-functioning team.

When you compete in a world-class event, great crew work is what makes the difference between two boats. Ninety per cent of the difference comes from boat handling and being the slickest at tacking, gybing, working the waves and calling the shifts.

Crew Responsibilities

While the helmsman concentrates on steering, the crew do everything else, so their importance cannot be underestimated.

A great crew arrive at the boat early, check and recheck equipment then set the boat up for the day’s racing. Talk will be about the forthcoming races, the weather, competitors to be aware of and what to expect out on the course.

Those teams that sit around in the clubhouse till the last minute discussing a range of subjects not related to the racing are setting themselves up to fail.

Every crew member needs to have a clear idea of what their job is. They must also know the tasks of their teammates. This ensures that they can fill in when an emergency arises or someone can’t be there.

To be successful, your team must have the desire to win in order to push themselves harder than their fellow competitors, even when they are dead tired.

Communication

Good communication onboard is essential and the larger the crew, the more important this becomes. In the case of a huge team, there is the need to have a spokesperson for each essential team. For example, bow, mast office, trimmers and tactics.

Too much-undisciplined chatter only serves to distract and causes the concentration of all crew members to suffer.

On a lot of boats, the downwind leg is seen as the chance to relax. Many places can be gained or advantage increased by working the waves and the shifts whilst those around you take it easy.

Compatibility

As well as the desire to win and personal optimism, another essential requirement is compatibility. That is followed by sailing knowledge and good physical condition.

Most other things to be successful in sailing can be taught, practiced or learned. You must though have the desire to achieve.

How often have we seen a team of champions not succeed because they couldn’t get along? Each crew member and their skill set needs to complement other team members

#sailingtowin #sailing #competitivesailing #yachtrace #sail #yachtrace

 

 

 

Importance Of Psychology In Sailboat Racing

Brett Bowden
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Importance Of Psychology In Sailboat Racing

As sailors, we don’t often consider the Importance Of Psychology In Sailboat Racing.

In any sport, the higher the level, the more important the state of mind becomes. In racing a sailboat, because of complexity, mastering this aspect is even more critical if you want to win.

Top sailors master boat handling, trimming, the rules of racing, meteorology, and sailing in current. As you reach the top few in any fleet, psychology starts to play a greater role.

At the top level, the difference in boatspeed is negligible and at this point, your mental condition becomes every bit as important as your physical condition.

A racing sailor who doesn’t have a clear and relaxed mind may miss a cloud that produces a wind shift or miss seeing a tide transition line ahead.

They are also not thinking about how an opponent will react if they gybe or tack therefore they miss things which means they can no longer influence or control their competitors.

When you go racing, whether it be at the club, national or international level, you need to be able to vacate the mind of your business, financial or relationship concerns so you can concentrate on the race.

We Are All Different

Obviously, we are all different, with different outside pressures, so each of us needs to have our own ways to relax. 

For some, it may be sitting quietly with a coffee and the newspaper, for others it may be tinkering with the boat whilst at the same time listening to your favourite music through headphones.

I was chatting to a very successful sailor who told me that on a light day he tuned his earphones to gentle music. On a heavy wind and wave day, the music he listened to whilst setting up was much more boisterous.

For some sailors, it is setting up early and then moving around the boat park chatting to fellow competitors about the day’s coming event and for others it is immersing themselves in their own boat and thoughts, blocking out everything else.

An Easy Win

One easy win in the psychological stakes is to launch and get out to the course area early or being the first off the beach, fellow competitors who are still rigging and setting their boats up will notice and become stressed.

If you can control your mind you are a long way toward becoming a champion.

#sailingtowin #sail #sailtowin #yachtrace #sailingcoach #sailboatrace

SAILING TO WIN?

How to Lose to Win

Brett Bowden
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How to Lose to Win

How to Lose To Win

The article below covers the virtues of defeat and How to Lose to Win. I found this article online, written by Colin D Neal. It was written in 1972 and appeared in Yacht Racing.

It is as relevant today as it was then.

Let those who consistently sail to victory remain smug and not read this article, lest they see herein the future and be touched with the first gentle pangs of anxiety over their eventual defeat by that newcomer who now just barely muddles around the course.

Winning Sailors

Winning sailors don’t lose their touch, they just get out of the habit of learning from every race. Those of us who are losing have the decided advantage. We are hungry for victory and thus learn something from every loss.

After a year of watching the rest of the fleet sail gracefully off into the distance, the act of gradually improving to the point of being able to sail around several marks with your competitors brings one to a peak of ecstasy that will probably never be experienced again in sailing, except perhaps when one first rounds the windward mark in the lead.

The Novice

Therein lies the advantage of the novice, and the reason why this sage of 29 years asserts. Today’s losers shall inherit tomorrow’s trophies. The pains of defeat provide more incen­tive to win than do the joys of victory.

Losing a sailboat race is probably one of the most distressing conditions in which a person voluntarily puts himself. What could be simpler, at first sight, than speedily and easily sailing around those little marks?

Almost anyone can learn to sail within a matter of hours. In fact, if we are to be truthful with ourselves, we are forced to admit that sailing is ludicrously easy after a bit of practice.

If sailing is so easy, why then is competitive sailing so agonizingly difficult? We must learn how to lose to win.

During our first races as a beginner, why are we only one-third of the way to the mark when everyone else is rounding?

Or, why is our boat continually alternating between luffing and almost capsizing when everyone else is merrily beating into a 15-knot hurricane. They have smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts.

On light air days, how are they able to plod cheerfully onward while our tub wanders resolutely back from whence it came whenever a wave of more than two inches in height breaks apathetically under the bow?

Why do some sailors improve quicker than others?

With the same sails and boat, how come the other guy sails higher and faster than we do on the beats, and even faster on the reaches and runs?

The answer to such questions lies in the acquisition of a sound psychological understanding of the sailboat and the relationship of the helmsman to it.

And the key to this understanding (and to the secret of eventual success) lies in the recognition of our boat’s inherent devilishness. We must constantly battle and from which we can constantly learn.

Scientific knowledge to the contrary, who can privately doubt that the tender, hypersensitive creature we allegedly command actually has an inhumanly human and maliciously independent spirit of her own?

To those rationalists who scoff and claim otherwise, I say this: explain in 25 words or less why changing the length of the forestay by three inches puts you far ahead this week and at the back of the fleet the next, under the same wind conditions.

The old cliché about winning races by making the fewest mistakes is not only trite but true. And how do we learn to make the fewest mistakes? By making mistakes.

Nobody learns to cover until he loses because of his failure to cover. We learn how to round properly by rounding wrongly and losing.

We learn how to tune for and sail the beats by getting angry enough to find out everything we can. Then getting out and tuning and practicing and racing and racing and racing.

There are no child prodigies or other amazing successes in sailboat racing. The dozens (or hundreds) of variables in tuning, tactics, boat handling and wind­finding see to that.

The guy who regularly beats you has served his apprenticeship of defeats and is now reaping the benefits. He got there as a result of a lengthy quest for ways to avoid the embarrassment and agony of defeat.

#sailingtowin #sailing #sailboatrace #sailingcoach #sail #sailtowin

Assessing a Regatta Venue and Big Fleet Strategy

Brett Bowden
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Assessing a Regatta Venue and Big Fleet Strategy
 

 

To get an insight into Assessing a Regatta Venue and Big Fleet Strategy, I spoke with Roger Blasse from Melbourne, Australia. Roger has won 11 National and 2 World championships in the OK dinghy and is also a front-running competitor in the International 14′ skiff, a very technical development class.

Brett: When you’re going to a regatta, how long before the racing starts do you arrive and get on the water?

 
I think you need to get there and at least get a couple of sails in.  A couple of sails before you go to the invite race. So, I’d suggest at least three days beforehand.

If there’s a pre-regatta see if you can do that. If you’ve got the time, you should maybe get there three days early. if there’s a pre-regatta try and get there earlier and do that. It’s important to just get knowledge of where you’re going to be sailing.


Do you have any secrets to preparing for a regatta? Is there anything that you do to prepare yourself mentally and prepare your boat?

The first thing I think you need to do is you need to decide whether you’re going to do the regatta or not.

And usually, I think like nine months out, you need to make that decision. And as that time gets closer I mean obviously the first things you’ve got to work on is what you got to take…practicing in sailing and working on your fitness. 

So speaking about the venue, how do you gather local knowledge regarding wind, currents and weather? Have you got a particular thing you do? Assessing a Regatta Venue and Big Fleet Strategy
 
The first step is to maybe have a chat with people who’ve been there before which is very important.

And obviously, even if they’re outside your class, have a look at the last Worlds. Who has been there, maybe get on the website and have a look at the report.

Have a look at the results and see where some of the Aussies went and just from the people that have been there you’ll understand whether they are a light or heavy crew and so forth.

I think the next thing is getting on the internet.
 
There are plenty of sites that you can have a look at and just check what the winds are going to be like during that period.

As we all know that sometimes the weather isn’t exactly what it’s meant to be. Go with the knowledge it will be what it will be. You have to adapt to what the wind strength will be and the conditions.

So it all comes back to preparation. So let’s talk a little bit about championship and regatta strategy. Do you have a plan to deal with other competitors or do you simply sail your own race?
 
 I try and sail my own race in general terms. I think it’s important, particularly in a larger fleet. There are going to be at least 10 people that are just as good or just as competitive as yourself.

If you start to hone in on a particular person then I think you’re risking the other nine boats. So it’s important to just sail your own race and use the strategies that you’ve got, you feel comfortable with and the knowledge that you’ve got, tactically and try and sail as well you can.

You do have to be mindful of the fleet during the course of the regatta and make sure that you are keeping them in the back of your mind. But in general sail your own race.

One of the problems we have is that at home we sail in much smaller fleets.When you do go away to a worlds, you have rarely sailed in fleets that big. You have to think about it beforehand, not just get out there and say now what do I do? Assessing a Regatta Venue and Big Fleet Strategy
 
It’s one of those things you don’t know until you’ve done it. Certainly, if you haven’t sailed in a big fleet before it can be quite daunting. Especially if it’s 20 knots and there are 80 boats reaching around before the start. 

If you’ve never been in that type of scenario and particularly if you’re in a 14 that’s travelling at 12 knots, it’s being mindful and looking out, boats can pop up out of nowhere.

Have you got any basic strategies for big fleets is there anything you plan before you go out for instance?

Well, I think when you got a big fleet you’ve got to be…before the start you got to have a look up the course and commit to your strategy uphill.

If you’ve committed to the strategy you then can concentrate on sailing the fleet a little bit.

One of the most important things is to make sure you have a clear air lane. So just after the start be mindful of where you’re going to go and how to maintain that clear air lane.

You might not be sailing always on the lift. If you’ve got a clear lane you probably got another half and knot split over everyone else. So that can take up an account for any loss whether you’re sailing on a knock or a lift.

It’s also worth noting that as the breeze rotates, you’re positioned in the right spot for that rotation. So don’t get the mentality where you’re always thinking I’ve got to cross that boat. I’ve got to cross that line of boats.

If it’s already knocked, don’t worry about crossing them just tack straight away to get a clear air lane. Then you can maintain that longer than the remainder of the fleet.

If you suddenly find you have dropped back in the fleet, what are some of the things you shouldn’t do? You may have dropped back unexpectedly, what shouldn’t you do?
 
Well, I think as I mentioned before, you shouldn’t panic.

You shouldn’t try and take the whole fleet in one flier. We’ve all found ourselves in that position and it’s very tempting to do that.

The other thing is to look outside of the boat and really start to look at what’s happening out on the course.

So don’t stress too much about where you are, try and just start afresh and have a look at what you can do to improve.

#sailingtowin #sail #yachtrace #sailingcoach #sailtowin #sailing #yacht

 

Winning Tips For Sailors

Brett Bowden
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Winning Tips For Sailors

 

 

 

I have copied below a couple of awesome tips written by my good mate Dave Dellenbaugh, sailing legend, coach and author of the Speed and Smarts Newsletter. Winning Tips For Sailors Competing Over The Holiday Season

I know you will find these tips very useful even if they are just to remind you of things that you already know but have forgotten.

MINIMISE RISK:

Don’t take unnecessary chances! If you want to finish consistently near the top of the fleet, you must follow a conservative game plan. 

That is, you should minimize risk, or exposure, by sticking to tactics and strategies that have a high probability of success.

Of course, there are situations when it’s all right (or even smart) to take a chance, but your general approach should be to avoid risky decisions, manoeuvres, tactics and strategies. 

13 ideas on how you can minimize risk

Here are 13 ideas on how you can minimize risk around the racecourse. If you implement as many of these as possible, your finishes should be more consistently near the top of the fleet.

Learn the racing rules.

Knowing the rules is the best way to avoid breaking any rules. So spend some time looking at the rulebook on a regular basis. Besides reducing your risk, it will put you in a much stronger position tactically and help you stay in control of your race. (Don’t forget your class rules, too.)

Study the notice of race and sailing instructions.

If you really want to minimize risk-taking, don’t ever sail a race without reading all the regatta rules first. This is an easy, foolproof way to avoid the kind of embarrassing mistakes that can cost you a regatta.

Work hard on boatspeed. 

Improving your boatspeed may be hard work, but it can give you a huge return with no risk at all. In addition, good boatspeed will help you recover from mistakes. It lets you take slightly bigger risks (in search of slightly bigger rewards) while reducing your downside.

Practice boat-handling maneuvers, especially in heavy air. 

When you’re racing, there is always at least a small risk whenever you perform a maneuver (e.g. heavy-air jibes). To minimize this risk, practice as much as possible, especially in stronger winds, and try to avoid high-risk maneuvers while racing.

Check over your boat and gear. 

Another easy way to lose a race or regatta is by having something break. Therefore, if you want to reduce your risk, be sure to check your boat carefully before every race. Pay special attention to areas of high wear like the boom vang, hiking stick, hiking straps, halyards and so on. 

Aim to finish in the top three or five, not first. 

If you try to win every race, you will probably take too many risks in order to beat all the other boats. A better idea is to aim for the top 5 or so instead. Just as you don’t need the best start to win a race, you don’t need first places to win a series.

Keep your head out of the boat. 

To avoid bumps in the road, keep your eyes on where you’re going. Anticipate, anticipate, anticipate. Keep the big picture firmly in mind so you won’t sail into a position where you are left with only high-risk options.

Avoid close encounters with other boats. 

If you foul another boat it can be very costly, especially if it’s early in a race. Therefore, in order to reduce risk, keep clear of other boats.

Be willing to take a penalty. 

No one likes to admit they broke a rule or do circles in the middle of a race, especially when they’re not sure they were actually wrong. However, when you go to a protest hearing you typically have a 50% chance of losing. So, if you really want to minimize risk, your best move is to take a penalty (720° or yellow flag) at the time of the incident.

Don’t take fliers. 

The greater your separation from other boats, the more you are at risk. Therefore, stay away from the corners and laylines of the course, and avoid sailing off by yourself.

Make a strategic plan and follow it. 

Much risk-taking results from decisions that are made on the spur of the moment. To avoid this, get out to the course area early, develop a race strategy and use this as your guide for decisions during the race. Of course, you should modify this as necessary during the race.

Sail the longer tack first.

In other words, stay on the tack where your bow is pointed closer to the next mark. This gives you the best chance of success because it will keep you closer to the middle of the course in a position where you can best play the wind shifts and handle other boats.

Cover the boats behind you.

When you want to stay ahead of the boats behind, cover them by positioning your boat between them and the next mark. This will minimize your risk of losing them.

POST-RACE CHECKLIST: 

It ain’t over when you finish! Crossing the finish line may be the end of the race, but it definitely doesn’t end your responsibilities under the rules, and it should mark the beginning of your preparations for the next race. Here is a checklist of things to think about just after you finish the race.

If you are protesting, inform the RC. 

This is not required by the rulebook, but many times the sailing instructions modify protest procedure and require you to tell the race committee (RC) at the finish if you intend to protest. Often you must hail the number of the boat you’re protesting (or tell them that you did a 720° turn penalty during the race). Make sure they acknowledge your hail before you leave.

Look for witnesses. 

If you might be involved in a protest, try to find any potential witnesses as soon as possible after you finish. This way you can talk to people before they scatter ashore and before they forget what happened in the race.

Hold a crew meeting to review the race. If you want to improve the overall performance of your boat and crew, it’s essential to spend time learning together. Right after you finish, when the race is still fresh in everyone’s minds, is the best time to pull everyone together in the cockpit to talk about speed, boat handling, communication, tactics and more. All crew are captive on the way in, so use this time wisely.

Make a list of boat things you need to fix. Ask one person to start a list of all the boat breakdowns and things that need to be fixed or improved. At your crew meeting, ask everyone to do a brainstorm for this list. For each item on your list, write down the name of one person who will be responsible for fixing that item. The list-maker has overall responsibility to make sure everything gets done.
Get ready for your next race. 

If you have to start another race soon after this one, I recommend preparing for the second race right after the finish. For example, overhaul your spinnaker gear and re-pack the chute. Sail upwind from the starting line to check your sail set-up and the wind. Then, if you still have time, you can take a break.

Keep clear of other boats still racing. 

Once you have finished and cleared the finishing line and marks, the rules require that you avoid any kind of interference with boats that are still racing. Don’t just cross the line and become oblivious to the world – you must keep your head out of the boat and stay clear.

Record your finish time and sail numbers of nearby boats. 

Recording all the finishers in proper order is one of the hardest jobs for any race committee. To be safe, assume the RC may miss your sail number at the finish, and make sure you can re-create your finish time or position if necessary.

Write in your racing notebook.

You can learn a lot by keeping a daily notebook of good moves, mistakes (i.e. things to improve), weather conditions, tactics and so on. When you’re done with your post-race crew debrief, find time to write in this log while everything is still fresh in your mind.

Say “thank you” to the race committee.

Usually, the race committee does a great job, but they don’t get enough appreciation from sailors. So after you cross the line, go by the RC boat, give them a friendly wave and shout, “Nice job.” Even if you feel they made mistakes, you can still appreciate all the time and effort they have volunteered for the job.

Compliment your competitors.

Another thing that’s not done often enough after the finish is saying “Good race” to your fellow sailors. In particular, compliment any of the top finishers who aren’t usually up there. Or compliment someone who didn’t finish near the top but made a nice comeback or another good move.

If you have found this information useful, have a look at Dave’s website – https://www.speedandsmarts.com there is a wealth of vital learnings there for competitors of all experience levels.

#sailingtowin #sailing #sail #yachtrace #sailingcoach #sailboatrace #sailtowin

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