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Psychology and Competitive Sailing

Brett Bowden
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Psychology and Competitive Sailing

                              Psychology and Competitive Sailing

Psychology and Competitive Sailing. Where your equipment is the same as everyone else’s, there are only two ways to beat your opponent – through superior physiology (your size, weight and fitness) or through superior psychology (just about everything else!).

Psychology is perhaps one of the most neglected parts of sailing, your mental approach and the attitude you bring to your racing is one of the most effective ways of improving your results on the water.

Learning new mental skills will do you more good than buying a fancy new gadget for your boat and they won’t cost you a penny either.

Paul Elvstrom on Psychology

I am going to take the liberty of setting out below some dot points regarding Psychology and sailing from the great Paul Elvstrom.

  • You must not believe that a fellow competitor is better than you. If he is currently sailing a little faster than you, you have to say to yourself that this is just happening at this moment, soon it will be my turn to be faster.
  • You must try to put his past achievements out of your mind and you must concentrate on the race that you are in now. Many times we have seen an opponent who has let you past because he thinks you are better than him.
  • In a regatta, it is important to sail in the practice races and to show your worth. Always arrive at a regatta a number of days before the event. Sail around the course and tune your boat. This will not go unnoticed by your adversaries.

Give Fellow Sailors a Complex

  • When lining up against practice partners or other competitors sail your hardest. You can bet that your fellow competitors may get a complex about you.
  • Many sailors get a complex about you and a simple thing like sailing hard on the run or beat out to the course will show others that you are a force to be reckoned with.
  • You must always keep your spirits up and say you are hurting after a long beat just remember that so are your fellow competitors.
  • If you are behind in the fleet and you are tired and hurting, remember so are the guys in front of you.
  • If you get a bad start you must still go the way that is the fastest. You should not get flustered and start taking chances or going off on a flyer. Never do the opposite of what the leading boats are doing in the hope that you may pick up a little advantage.

Are You Going The Right Way?

  • If you are sure the leading boats are going the right way then all you have to do is follow them. If you think they are going the wrong way, of course, you shouldn’t follow them.
  • It is really important to recognise the difference between good and bad luck and also skill and good fortune.
  • It is important that when you have a bit of good luck, recognise it for what it is. In the next race or leg you may not concentrate or think it through as thoroughly.
  • Don’t keep clear of the better sailors on a run for fear of interfering with them. Compete hard and sail your own race taking all factors into account.

Practice Techniques For Sailing

Brett Bowden
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Practice Techniques For Sailing

Practice techniques for sailing. You will have invested considerable time money and effort to enter and travel to a sailing event so it makes sense to invest some time into preparation involving well-planned practice hours leading up to the races.

Dedicated practice rather than just racing – Practice Techniques For Sailing

It amazes me, how many competitors at events that I have attended have put in no extra effort. All they do is normal club racing prior to turning up to State or National championships.

It goes without saying that if you want to win, practice is essential and importantly, it doesn’t matter how close to race day it is. A day or two, immediately prior to racing begins, and in the waters that you will compete in will reap the greatest benefit.

All you need are a couple of hours to fine-tune everything. Plan the night before the practice and come up with a list of things you want to work on. When you get on the water, no time is lost. Get down to the important task of working on your weaknesses.

Two or three boat practice is a huge advantage if you can swing it. After practicing some drills it is really advantageous to carry out some short races. This further hones your skills and shows the things that still require attention.

What Should Practice Races Consist Of?

Practice races should include a start, upwind leg and downwind leg, short and sharp with a number of starts in order to give you time to make adjustments and have a discussion between the participants to improve the things that are troubling you.

Short races and on-water discussions are important. Most benefits can be had though back on shore with a debrief between all participants.

Obviously having a coach on the water during your practice sessions is the ideal situation and they will be able to guide the debrief using their observations but there is still plenty to be gained in discussions between participating sailors should you not have the luxury of a coach.

Take Notes – Practice Techniques For Sailing 

Note-taking is essential after all training and practice sessions. I highly recommend keeping a journal of training and practice findings. Also, jot down a few notes of observations from every time you hit the water.

This journal should be referred to regularly. Don’t come in from a race to discover that you didn’t use a setting that worked in a previous race.

 

Use your Traveller or Mainsheet

Brett Bowden
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Use your Traveller or Mainsheet to depower the mainsail. The traveller has two functions, it controls the boom’s angle to the wind and it steers the boat controlling helm and heeling in puffs and lulls.

Mainsheet

The mainsheet controls the twist and then you use the traveller to position the boom on the centreline. This gives maximum power and pointing as long as the helm and heeling are within the normal parameters. These are the ones that give the best results for your respective type of boat.

As a general rule of thumb, as the breeze builds and mainsheet tension increases, the traveller will gradually be dropped to keep the boom on the centreline.

Traveller – Use your Traveller or Mainsheet

In medium conditions, the role of the traveller will expand to include control of helm. As the boat generates weather helm, drop the traveller to de-power the boat.

The position of the boom, relative to the centreline becomes irrelevant. In medium air, play the traveller aggressively to maintain the correct amount of helm.

Dump the traveller quickly at the onset of a puff. Pull it up as the initial power of the puff dissipates and turns into forward speed instead of heel.

If you leave it down too long you will miss the opportunity to point once the boat has

   

accelerated.

The beauty of using the traveller is that the mainsail twist which is controlled by the mainsheet and which is vital to both speed and pointing, does not change, only the total amount of power.

The mainsheet is the Gross Trim

The main sheet is the “gross trim” adjustment for the overall amount of power.

As a general rule of thumb, on fractional rigged boats with large mainsails, the mainsheet is played more aggressively and the traveller is usually kept closer to centreline.

The mainsail trimmer continually makes adjustments to both traveller and mainsheet based not just on the overall amount of power, but issues like boat speed, waves, and even a tactical situation.

How to get the Most out of Using a Coach

Brett Bowden
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How to get the Most out of Using a Coach

Now that most of us in the Southern Hemisphere have completed our National championships, our attention must turn to analysing our results so that we can improve for next year’s competition.  

Some competitors will be more than satisfied with the end result but for most, now that they have competed on the same track with the best in their class, their minds will be turning to what they need to do to show up higher on the leader-board next year.

Of course most of us lament the fact that we did not have enough time on the water but a surefire way to shorten the process is to engage a coach.  Coaching doesn’t have to be an expensive venture for it to add immense value.

Step 1: Find the Right Coach

Consider avoiding a coach who has a personality similar to yours. Sailors often assume that understanding the sport will come easier when explained by a like mind, but benefits will come from those who notice your weaknesses. Seek coaches who are experts in your weak areas. For example, if you struggle with starts, look for a coach skilled in that area.

Step 2: Show Up with the Right Attitude

You’re not there to show the coach how much you know, you’re there to grow. Show up with an open mind, ready to improve or learn something new. Keep your emotions in check. they cloud the experience and distract from getting every bit of information from a coach.

Step 3: Come with Questions
If you have a question, chances are that someone else does too. Either as an individual or as a team, spend time writing down a few questions to ask the coach. Having questions ready will help the coach make sure you get the experience you’re looking for.

Step 4: Debrief
Take time to debrief with the coach and then debrief with your crew immediately afterwards to share thoughts and the biggest take-aways. Discuss ideas for improvement and make a game plan for implementing and practicing new techniques.

Step 5: Document & Implement 
Turn your game plan into a playbook for the boat. In addition to being a great resource, a playbook gives new crew ideas on how manoeuvres are made. The key to an effective playbook is to keep it simple with not much confusing detail.

ALTERNATIVE COACHING IDEAS

  •  Video: Coaching doesn’t have to be expensive, take Go-Pro videos and have a coach review them plus trade and evaluate each other’s tapes.
  • Peer Review: Sailors can find coaches in their peers.  Take turns making manoeuvres and then discuss what went well and what didn’t –  exchange ideas. 
  • Split Costs: Set up a few-day training session or a clinic for the fleet, and split the coaching costs. 
  • Seminars: Take advantage of seminars, if there aren’t any in your area, call your sailmaker and arrange one for your local yacht club.

Pressure of Being in the Lead

Brett Bowden
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Pressure of Being in the Lead

Pressure of Being in the Lead

The pressure of Being in the Lead. Holding on to a lead can be as much about your mindset as it is your speed or tactics. Being at the front of the fleet is daunting, but to stay there it’s important to focus on the little things.

The anticipation of losing the lead you’ve achieved can create a multitude of thoughts that are unrelated to sailing smart and fast.

The anticipation of success can come with fears that are unrelated to getting to that finish line such as “Will I maintain this success in later events? What will people say? Do I really deserve this?”

Outcomes are largely based on uncontrollable variables, like how fast other people are sailing.

When you find yourself in the lead, you did something right, you focused on variables such as wind shifts, current, and fleet positioning or such controllable variables as your boat speed, boat handling, and keeping calm.

The pressure of Being in the Lead

Once you’re in the lead, you don’t want to start doing something different such as wasting mental space on what place you will or won’t finish.

You can influence your thoughts, but not control them and over time, you need to form new habits in thinking, if you’re going to play mind games with yourself, play games that work for you, not against you.

Picture what you want to happen, rather than what you want to avoid and your mind programs your body for action.

Practice mental skills, these are like any other skills, could you imagine having good roll tacks without practicing them?

 

Downwind Secrets

Brett Bowden
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Sail away from shifts and toward better pressure.

Downwind Secrets – When you are racing upwind, the principal rule of thumb is to sail toward the next shift, on a run, however, you should sail away from the next shift because you are trying to make progress downwind, not upwind.

By getting farther away from the direction of the next shift you will end up on a lower ladder rung when that shift comes, and this means you will be closer to the leeward mark, one clear exception to this rule is when the next wind shift also brings an increase in wind velocity.

Your main priority should be finding the best pressure, once you take care of that you can play the shifts.

Gaining  ground  to leeward

 One common thing that happens on a reach or run is when the boat behind sails higher than you want to sail. This forces you to sail above the VMG course in order to keep your air clear in front of them. The problem is falling into their bad air and then losing ground to the rest of the fleet.

To avoid this happening try two things, first, as soon as the other boat starts heading high, luff up sharply in their path to let them know there is no way you will allow them to sail over you. The windward boat believes that they may be able to roll over you, so squash that early.

The second thing to try is talking to the other boat, and suggest they sail lower so that both of you can gain on the rest of the fleet.

If neither technique works and the other boat keeps sailing high, gybing is one way to keep your air clear and regain the ability to sail your VMG angle, but often this is not a strategic option. 

The basic idea is to keep your wind (just) safely in front of the other boat, and at the same time try to work farther to leeward and away from them. In other words, pick a safe bearing to that boat and then try to hold this bearing constant while increasing your range (or distance) from them.

Sail your own race.

As they say, the best defence is usually a good offense. If you find the puffs, hit the shifts and sail your boat as fast as possible, there is little chance that boats will catch you from behind.

Sometimes the worst thing you can do is get overly defensive and reactionary, if you let the boats behind dictate how you sail down the run, you could easily miss the puffs and shifts and slowly lose your lead.

Instead, stay aggressive and proactive.

You want to minimize the amount of time that you sail in bad air and you should generally stay between your opponent(s) and the leeward mark.

Avoid Laylines and Corners.

When you get to the sides of the course you risk being cornered with no option to play wind shifts, cover the boats behind, or avoid wind shadows.

The only time when the layline is a good place for the leader is when the boat behind gets there first – then it’s easy to stay between that boat and the mark. 

Improve your Exit Angles

One of the most important steering techniques for downwind boat speed is exiting gybes. Your exit angle affects your heel angle and acceleration.

During gybes, you should come out just a bit higher than your normal course and accelerate before steering to your downwind angle.

 Constantly Ease the Kite

A good spinnaker trimmer is always easing the kite until they see a slight curl in the luff, and then trimming in slightly to eliminate the curl.

Once that process is complete, they do it over and over again to ensure that the spinnaker is not over-trimmed, which we all know is slow.

Experienced trimmers can even sense lifts and headers by constantly easing for a curl and watching the bow to see if the boat has turned.

If you ease more than normal before getting the curl, and the skipper sailed straight, you got lifted. If you get a big curl without easing, and without the skipper heading up, it’s a header.

Stating this aloud helps the helmsman immensely because he’s looking to gybe on lifts and sail straight on headers.

Sail Fast on the longer Gybe.

When you come around the windward mark and you are almost fetching the leeward mark, the last thing you want to do is sail below your VMG angle or speed.

If the wind shifted left or increased in velocity, there was a fair chance you would fetch the mark on starboard gybe. If the wind went right, you could gybe across the boats that sailed lower.

In either case you would gain the most by sailing fast down the run without worrying about fetching the mark until you were very close to it.

SAILING REGATTA CHECKLIST

Brett Bowden
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SAILING REGATTA CHECKLIST

Sailing Regatta Checklist – For those of us travelling interstate or overseas for National or World championships, you need a Sailing Regatta Checklist to help you get packed for the regatta.

Good luck, go out there and sail fast and smart but above all have fun and learn heaps.

Essential stuff

□             Notice of race

□             Sailing instructions

□             Rulebook and class rules

□             Appeals book

□             Charts of the racing area

□             Money/cheque book/credit cards

□             Rating/measurement certificate

□             Class membership card

□             AUS Sailing membership card

□             Your personal racing notebook 

Car and trailer – SAILING REGATTA CHECKLIST

□             Trailer registration

□             Car registration and insurance

□             Spare tire for trailer

□             Trailer license plate

□             Wheel Nut spanner that fits trailer

□             Extra wheel bearings for trailer

□             First aid kit/safety items

□             Extra key taped under the car

□             Road maps/directions

□             Plane tickets

Personal items

□             Water bottles to bring on the boat

□             Cooler and frozen ice packs

□             Hiking pants

□             trapeze harness

□             Hiking boots

□             Sunglasses

□             Sunblock lotion

□             Hats/visors

□             Sailing gloves

□             Life jacket

□             Wet weather gear

□             Stopwatch and spare watch        

Boat preparation gear – SAILING REGATTA CHECKLIST

□             Ditty bag

□             Toolbox and extras

□             Spare rigging and blocks

□             Lifting bridle

□             Boat cover(s)/sail bags

□             Masthead fly

□             Extra corrector weights

□             Wet/dry sandpaper

□             2 protest flags/I flag

□             Class identification flag 

Sailing things

□             Mainsail and spare(s)

□             Jib or genoa and spare(s)

□             Spinnaker and spare(s)

□             Sheets, spinnaker pole, etc.

□             Rudder, tiller, daggerboard

□             Battens (heavy and light air)

□             Bucket, bailer, sponge

□             Required safety equipment

□             Tow Rope

□             Compass

Miscellaneous stuff

□             Roll of paper towels

□             Plastic cups, plates, utensils

□             Wet/dry hand wipes

□             Garbage bags/sandwich bags

□             Snacks (e.g. granola bars)

□             CDs/tapes for trip

□             Bug spray/lotion

I am sure there may be other items that are specific to you and your boat but the list above is a great start.

PUBLICITY FOR A SAILING REGATTA

Brett Bowden
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PUBLICITY FOR A SAILING REGATTA
Publicity for a sailing regatta. Sailing has always been tricky to get across to the spectator but now TackTracker can show every spectator what all the sailors know …. and more!
 

How To Watch Ashore

 
The spectator can be at the hosting clubhouse’s bar or restaurant, at home, the office, down the road in a cafe or even on another continent.
 
Coaches, sports lovers, friends, family and sailors researching their competition or sussing out the local conditions for the regatta they’ll be sailing in soon all love it.
 
TackTracker’s ability to bring the sport to the spectator means spectators now exceed many thousands for any significant event
 
TackTracker’s analytical features also add to the spectator experience.  Spectators now understand what happened to their boat of interest out on the course but also to all the other boats in the race. 
 
They now know the what’s, why’s and how’s!
 

Races can be embedded almost anywhere – on yacht club’s sites, sponsor’s sites, yacht class’ sites, local council sites, etc. 

For The Sponsor – Publicity For a Sailing Regatta

The lucky sponsors can have their logo on the races and a direct link to their site or a chosen landing page so that every time a replay is watched the sponsor’s logo and contact details are displayed again.  

Considering the number of spectators TackTracker attracts, the number of races and the number of times races are replayed by spectators and competitors, this amounts to great exposure and a direct path to a sponsor.  As a bonus, this publicity is for eternity.

Ask your next sponsor if they will enable TackTracker-ing at your next regatta and make it a win-win.
 
Australian and New Zealand Distributor
Sailing To Win

Brett Bowden
Telephone Australia: 0417 005755
Telephone International: +61 417 005755

brett@sailingtowin.com
www.sailingtowin.com

  
International Inquiries
TackTracker

Greg Seers
Telephone Australia: 0402 302403
Telephone International:+61 402 302403

sales@tacktracker.com

  

 European Distributor

SailRacer Simon Lovesey
info@sailracer.co.uk
www.sailracer.org

Racing in Big Fleets

Brett Bowden
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Racing in Big Fleets

Racing in Big Fleets

With national championships and annual long-distance races fast approaching, we need to turn our minds to sailing in bigger fleets than we have been racing in all year.

Racing in big fleets requires a number of different disciplines to think about and master. In general, you can take more risks in a small fleet and if you make a mistake you are not likely to lose many boats.

There tend to be more highly skilled sailors in bigger fleets, a faster pace and less opportunities to carry out your strategic plan so you need to adjust your strategies and tactics accordingly.

Some important considerations in big fleets are –

Be conservative,

in a big fleet, there are many other boats that influence your sailing so that you are often forced to take tactical decisions over strategic decisions.

A conservative approach means not going for the best position or the best strategy but always being close to it, and accepting small mistakes or small disadvantages to avoid major mistakes.

In the regatta, you may not win every race but by being conservative you will be able to avoid really bad results and be close to the top in most races. At the end of a series, the winner often hasn’t won a single race but was always placed well.

Clear Air,

this is a no-brainer to any competitive sailor but even more critical in a big fleet. In small fleets, it’s much easier to get clear air. In big fleets, there will be heaps of boats getting slowed down by sailing in dirty air. Don’t be one of them.

The Start,

there is more chance of a disaster in a big fleet and avoid the ends. They are generally more crowded. Try to have space below and above you so that other boats cannot force you to tack away. Tacking early can also cause you to lose ground which means losing many boats in a big fleet.

Boat Speed,

set your boat up for the conditions and line up with a known performer before the start. This makes sure you have the settings right. You will not be able to win a big fleet if your speed is not at least equal to the top boats.

A word of warning though, boat speed doesn’t help you if you stuff the start or sail in dirty air.

The best preparation for sailing in a big fleet is to race in big fleets. This is not always possible so there are ways of training to prepare yourself.

Practice

When you are out practicing with other boats, simulate the big fleet by staying close together. Learn how to sail in dirty air. With a small practice fleet using a really short line is a good way to practice a big fleet start. This gives you plenty of boats in close proximity.

Train at holding lanes of clear air and practice how to stay in the windward position of a boat that is going high.

Learn how to go for speed to pace it with fast boats around you. Get in the habit of putting the bow down a couple of degrees to get the water flowing over the foils. 

Learn how to adapt to each situation and the sailing styles of boats and helmsmen around you. Doing this helps you to hold your lane for a long time but also teaches you what you need to do when you drop in a leeward boat or get gassed by a boat that has come out from under your lee bow.

These are all situations that you will encounter regularly in big fleets. Instinctively knowing what to do will ensure that you make to right split-second decision every time.

How To Prepare for Unstable Conditions

Brett Bowden
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How To Prepare for Unstable Conditions

How To Prepare for Unstable Conditions

Regattas generally bring with them diverse wind conditions. Crews need to be prepared to handle whatever the venue hands out. 

Researching the most up-to-date forecasts, in combination with understanding the venue is absolutely critical in preparing for success on race day. It is great to speak to the locals about what to expect. By all means, take this into account, and do your own research as well.

Research The Sailing Venue

How many regattas have you been at only to hear the locals say, “its not normally ever like this”. They mostly only sail on weekends so their experience generally does not cover a week-long regatta.

If they had done the research they may have found that what you got is exactly what always happens. Local knowledge is a key weapon when dealing with current and knowing where and when to hide on the course.

Shifting from a heavy building breeze one day then down to light air the next can take a toll on even the best crews and staying connected is essential.

Understand the limits of technology. As much as it helps, it can also hinder boat awareness. Its important for the helmsman and crew to be aware of what is actually going on.

Remember the basics and be aware of what the telltales are communicating and how the boat feels as conditions shift.

Communicating weight management and sail trim relative to tactics and strategy. Doing this in varying conditions will keep the team focused on the impact their individual roles have. 

Keep fun in the program. and make sure everyone is enjoying the day. 

Dialling the rig and managing the tune as conditions build or diminish will have a direct result on how the boat responds in varying conditions. An important consideration may be the differences between symmetrical and asymmetrical car set-ups to take advantage of favoured tacks in chop.

Whether races are in a big breeze or light air, it’s important to know and communicate when it’s time to change gears along with changing conditions. Develop a strategy and be aware of what is happening both on the course and in the boat, then adjust as needed. 

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