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LEEWARD MARK CHECKLIST

Brett Bowden
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LEEWARD MARK CHECKLIST

Photo by Ludomil Sawicki

Have a leeward mark checklist. Although this rounding is like others there is more potential for gain or loss.

If you don’t approach the mark correctly, you can easily end up on the outside of a gaggle of boats. If you don’t exit from the mark in good shape, it will be hard to do well on the next beat.

At the mark, use a mental checklist to help you get the most out of each rounding. Things to think about include:

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As you approach to the leeward mark, think about what the wind will do on the next beat. Which side will be favored, which side will have more pressure? This will have a significant impact on your mark-rounding strategy and at a leeward gate will determine which mark you will round.

  • Check for any course change –

The race committee will use the leeward mark to notify of any course change. Take note of the new compass bearing to the weather mark plus there may also be a + or – symbol which indicates whether the leg has been shortened or lengthened.

  • Check for current –

When you are at a fixed mark, its a perfect time to check current set and drift. This is information that you can incorporate into your next leg strategy.

  • Check your compass heading –

As soon as you are heading upwind, note the compass heading and note whether you are lifted or headed. you need to know how many degrees you are different to the previous heading on that tack. This information will help you to decide, coupled with the information collected downwind, whether its a persistent or oscillating shift.

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Spinnaker Takedown –

Think ahead prior to dropping the spinnaker. Do you need to set it again, if so what side do you need it set? Where possible take it down on the side that you will be setting it from again.

Drop the kite earlier than you think. The most common snafu I see at the leeward mark is boats rounding with the spinnaker still part up and the crew rushing around finishing the drop.

This unsettles the boat and ensures those rounding close behind can head up inside and past you.

Leave the tidy up –

After you pass the leeward mark, get all of the team to their upwind positions and get the boat sailing fast in the groove. Once you are settled down then get the lightest crewmember to get off the side to complete the tidy up.

This should only be commenced when battles with fellow competitors are over and any bad sets of waves are conquered.

Clear to tack –

Whilst the helmsperson is concentrating on keeping the VMG at its best, have one of the crewmembers keeping an eye on the boats around you.

Even if you want to carry on for tactical reasons, have that observer call out “clear to tack” so the tactician or helm knows that if something changes they can throw the helm down.

Obviously this would only happen after warning the team that they are going to tack.

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Cutting it too fine at the rounding – Leeward Mark Checklist

The risk of hitting a mark is not worth the small amount you gain by cutting it close. So don’t make your rounding too tight. However, you can usually sail closer at a leeward mark because:

  1. You don’t have to worry about the anchor line;

2.Your boom, sheets and halyards are on the side of your boat that’s away from the mark;

3. Your wind shadow won’t suck the mark into your boat.

Smaller boats turn easily so you can get closer. Be careful when the mark is bouncing around in waves, and don’t hike out suddenly right as you pass the mark for fear of it brushing a crew member and resulting in a penalty.

 

 

SAILING FAST IN WAVES

Brett Bowden
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SAILING FAST IN WAVES

Waves are never helpful when you’re racing upwind. Sailing in flatter water is always faster, and that should be your main aim on beats. 

To be fast in waves requires a team effort between the helmsperson and crew. A crew member should be tasked with calling waves. They must keep the steerer informed of the approach and relative size of waves and a countdown such as “wave on you in 3, 2, 1”.

Each team should develop an alert system that suits them.

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There are different ways of dealing with waves upwind. 
Steering straight through waves –

This is the best option where the waves are everywhere and too small to steer around. In a big, heavy boat this is the most likely approach as the boat is slow to react to the rudder.

When the waves are large, this is not always the best approach but steer to keep the boat moving a little faster by putting the bow down a degree or two.

Anticipation is important and when faced with a bad wave, shift gears before you get to it. This is where the crews warning needs to give the team enough time to power up the sails before getting to the larger wave.

Steering over waves –

This is the best option when waves are further apart. This is particularly suited to smaller lighter boats.

The technique to use here is to head up on the front side of the wave and bear off on the back side. The steeper the wave and the faster your speed, the more sharply you will have to turn your helm.

In light boats, use the crew weight in conjunction with the steering for greater effect. Lean aft and in a little as you go up the wave and then hike out and forward and ease the mainsheet as you go over the top and down the back of the wave. 

Avoiding waves – 

This is always the best option but unfortunately it is not always possible.

Look across the course to see if you can see areas with less disturbed water. There may have been a power boat or two travelling across a part of the course or an area with particularly large steep waves.

The techniques that work best in waves are often subtle enough that you never know how well they are working until you measure your performance against  nearby  boats.

Test your wave strategy before the start and continue to evaluate it during the race. If you’re not fast, change something and try again!

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How much to steer in waves –

When you turn your rudder to steer around waves, the drag you create will also make you go slower. Steer with sail trim and body weight to reduce rudder movement.

You are always searching for the optimal trade-off between using a lot of rudder and missing waves versus using less rudder and hitting waves.

The only true way to judge whether you are doing a good (fast) job of this is by comparing your performance to that of a nearby boat.

It’s critical, when you have waves, to train with another boat if possible and to tune up with a competitor before every race. While you are doing this, try different steering techniques to see what is fastest in the unique conditions that you have on any day.

The last thing you want to do in a wavy race is to be looking for the groove as you come off the starting line.

SAIL BY FEEL

Brett Bowden
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SAIL BY FEEL

Sail by feel is a critical factor in getting your boat up to speed. To to develop a good sense of feel there are many things you can do to tune up your senses and I have outlined a couple of important ones below.

Clothing

Of course dress for the conditions but wear light and non-restricting clothes wherever possible. Its tough to sail at your best if you are restricted by bulky heavy gear. Lighter gear also ensures that its easier to feel changes in wind direction and pressure.

If conditions and the type of boat you sail permit, sail without gloves and boots. No gloves allow you to feel subtle changes in sheet pressure. No boots help you to feel up and down pressure better when you are hiking and boat movement underfoot.

Rudder and Tiller

Remove all friction and play from the moving parts of this system. Lubricate pintles and gudgeons plus make sure the tiller extension universal operates freely.

On a boat with a wheel, take any slack out of steering cables but don’t tighten to the point that you restrict movement.

Any friction here will lessen you sense of feel and you will not be able to notice subtle changes in pressure.

Sheets

Use as small a diameter rope as possible, and this goes for all systems, haliards, spinnaker, jib and mainsheet ropes. With a multi purchase system such as used with the mainsheet, in lighter air remove as many purchases as you are able.

Choose the biggest diameter blocks as you can as this also greatly reduces friction and therefore increases feel.

Avoid cleating sheets and unless conditions dictate otherwise, hold them in your hand. Holding the sheet is the best way to feel what is going on with your sail whether it is the main, jib/genoa or spinnaker. Increases or decreases in pressure are transmitted through your hand and will show you when to make adjustments to improve boat speed.

Sheets need to be user friendly though. Using sheets that are super light but hard on the trimmers hands will be counter productive in the long run. Go for light and thin enough to get a good feel but thick enough so the trimmer will be able to trim for the whole leg.

If you are trimming around a winch, use as few turns as possible so that you can feel the pull of the sail.

Hiking

Keep hiking straps tight so that you are always exerting upwards pressure on the top of your feet. This gives you a more secure connection with the boat and better transmits what is going on.

Not using footwear will also make hiking under straps give you a better feel for what the boat is telling you.

Consider not wearing rigid hiking pants. In some classes this may not be an option but without them you will feel the boat better.

Onboard chatter and noise

Of course communication between team members is really important but keep it to a minimum. Its much easier to tune into the feel of the boat when things are quiet.

Being able to hear the sound of the water flowing past the hull, wind noises or the sounds from other boats is really helpful when racing.

For a helmsperson, noises other than those created by the boat or others in your fleet hinder their concentration. Poor concentration translates to poor boatspeed.

SAILING FITNESS TRAINING

Brett Bowden
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SAILING FITNESS TRAINING

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With the start of the sailing season in the Southern Hemisphere many of us badly need to get in to sailing fitness training.

For those sailors in the Northern Hemisphere it is worth keeping up your fitness in the off season. This avoids the shock at the start of the next new season.

I have copied below excerpts of an interview I did with Krystal Weir. Krystal gives us an insight into the importance of using a professional for your sailing fitness and care of your body.

Krystal is a qualified Physiotherapist and Exercise scientist. She has sailed at the highest level in many different classes from sailboards to catamarans. Krystal has also represented Australia in the Olympics twice. Once in the Yngling class and once in the Laser Radial.

Currently she runs her Physiotherapy business out of Royal Brighton Yacht Club on Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne Australia. Krystal works with a large number of sailors helping them improve their sailing fitness and strength.

At the same time, she works on their various health niggles which invariably stem from a lifetime of playing sport.

THE FULL INTERVIEW AND MORE

Brett: The first questions I’d like to ask, is should a sailor have a personal trainer? Do you see that as a sensible thing for a sailor to do? Sailing Fitness Training

Krystal: I think the first thing is to establish your goals of what you’re working towards, and a lot of people, they’re like, “Oh, I just need to get fit.” But you need to find the area in which sport you’re doing.

If we’re talking about sailing, are you talking about a hiking based boat, or a trapeze boat? Are you working with winches? What is it that you’re actually training for?

I think a personal trainer can help a lot in just getting your own thoughts down on paper. Exactly what you want to achieve out of your fitness regime. And then ultimately be successful in what you’re doing.

THE FULL INTERVIEW AND MORE

Brett: So you actually have a discussion with your client and find out what they’re trying to achieve. And then you design a program to suit them? Sailing Fitness Training

Krystal: Yeah, 100%, you talk about what they have got in their week, have they got work commitments, family commitments, on-water commitments. If they’re sailing, how often and really the timeframe leading into their event is also really important.

A lot of people get trapped in the over-train category when they start getting the ball rolling with their fitness regime.

They’ll tend to leave things a little bit late and then over-train leading into events, and then you end up quite fatigued during the actual event.

And then you have a poor performance and you’re sort of on the end of it wondering why it didn’t quite work out.

So, learning how to taper a little bit into events is quite important, too.

Brett: Do you design a program based on the sailor’s age, physical attributes, and any medical condition they may have? Obviously, they’re the questions you ask I’m assuming?

Krystal: Yeah, definitely. Different people depending on their age will have different injuries.

I work a lot with adolescent kids and they go through important growth spurts during that time. Depending on age, whether they’re 10 or 17, the program is going to be totally different.

A program that’s completely tailored to their growth spurt. You do that via their height and also, a lot of the time it’s just how they’re feeling. That goes for any age across the board.

Past injuries also makes a really important part of what type of training you would choose. If you’ve got poor knees, you’re more likely to not be a runner but get onto a bike because that’ll strengthen up your quads.

It’s good to have a personal trainer and a a physio involved so that you have a physio screen before you go into your fitness program. A lot of the time personal trainers may not necessarily be on top of all your injuries.

If the physio is able to then give your personal trainer a “what to do, what not to do” list, that can be really helpful.

They can then produce a program that’s more specific to you rather than just giving you this mass-produced fitness program.

THE FULL INTERVIEW AND MORE

Brett: That’s a problem with a lot of gyms. I think that that’s what happens, so that’s why it’s good to go to someone like yourself who’s actually a sailor but also not just a personal trainer. You’re a physio as well. Sailing Fitness Training

Krystal: Yeah, a bit of the best of both worlds, I guess, with having a physio background and also having done all my training with the Olympics and everything, so knowing what to do, when, at the right time is important.

Things That Establish Boatspeed

Brett Bowden
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Things That Establish Boatspeed

 

There are three things that establish boatspeed and I have listed them below in order of importance.

Obviously, number three is not relevant in a strict one design boat as all hull shapes are the same within fine tolerances. Having said that some one design classes do allow subtle differences which can affect boat speed in different conditions.

An example is the amount of rocker tolerance or station variances that are written into the rules. Variations here can affect light or heavy air performance whereby you boat may be quicker in one or the other of those conditions.

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  1. The helmsman and crew – Things That Establish Boatspeed

If you want to compete at the top of your fleet you must excel in all three but number one is by far the most important.

To win you must be in great physical shape with fitness work concentrating on the type of boat you sail. If you sail a Laser for example, its important to work on your stamina and core strength so you can be hiking as hard at the end as you were at the start.

Don’t discount your mental shape, don’t party hard at a regatta, save the real fun for when the regatta finishes. Get to bed early, get up early each day of the regatta and prepare quietly and methodically. This will avoid you being panicked into last minute hitches.

Don’t let a bad result or even a slow competitor passing spook you, be confident that your boat and preparation is at least as good as anyone in the fleet.

Train together in the conditions that you expect at a regatta but don’t totally discount training a little in alternative conditions. We have all been to events where the expected conditions have not eventuated.

Having the best rig, sails and equipment in the fleet will not guarantee a win if the helmsman and crew are not properly prepared. The same goes that the best helmsman and crew will find it hard to win if their equipment is second rate.

FREE BOOK – 49 SAILING TIPS

2. The sails and rig – Things That Establish Boatspeed

Old sails rarely win races.

If you have bought new sails for a regatta make sure to tune your rig to the sails. Make sure as well that you sail with them prior to the first race. That’s important because they will behave differently to the sails you have been using. You need to familiarise yourself with the differences before entering the heat of battle.

Use the sailmaker who has put work in with you fleet because they have been through the painstaking process of sail development. There is no silver bullet to be found with sails and it is best to buy the brand that is already getting results.

Use the rig that has proven best in your class. If unsure when tuning the rig to suit your sails, crew weight and the prevailing conditions, ask competitors who are sailing at the front of your fleet for advice. You will be surprised how helpful they will be.

FREE BOOK – 49 SAILING TIPS
3. The fit out and hull – Things That Establish Boatspeed

Keep your hull fair and polished and foils are smooth with nicks and scratches either filled or sanded out. Don’t ignore the slot gasket or the fairing of self bailers. These areas can be the source of enormous drag.

Keep your fit out simple. I have seen sailors slavishly following the latest fad and adding fittings and systems that they don’t really understand. This can lead to unnecessary distraction during a race, add weight and cost money that would be better spent elsewhere.

Check all gear each day before you head out. Tighten every shackle pin and check fastenings. Look for worn sheets and lashings plus check that all sheaves are turning freely and lubricate if necessary. Turn Ratchets on or off as the conditions dictate.

Keep your boat as light as legally possible without the quest for lightness becoming an obsession.

Always carry a spare shackle or two and a couple of short lengths of different sizes of light rope. These can be used for running repairs should something break whilst you are out on the water.

Sail hard but above all make sure you have fun. You will learn something new every time you sail.

Race and Regatta Preparation

Brett Bowden
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Race and Regatta Preparation

I have copied below excerpts from an interview that I did with sailing professional Sam Haines about race and regatta preparation.

Currently Sam is racing in the Etchells and their team has a boat in Europe as well as Australia.

Sam has a vast sailing background and is a qualified sailmaker, having worked in the industry for 19 years. He had his own loft in Melbourne, Australia and until recently, worked with North sails as their One Design specialist.

Brett: Speaking of regattas, your team sailed in the World Etchells in the UK where you  did really well. Can you give us a bit of background on how you prepared for that regatta? 

Sam : So for the Worlds, obviously it’s a big event. It’s a long event.

So what we did is we actually went to the venue about six weeks prior to the event. We went over there for 12 days. We did a one off local event, and we did a few days of training with the guys that we did the World’s with. 
 
So that was one, you check in with the venue.

Two, you know where you’re going to eat your dinner at night. You know where your house is. There’s a lot in a regatta preparation and just having an understanding of where you’re going.

You’re not trying to sort out where to get your toothpaste from the day of the racing.

So we went over and did those 12 days. We then came home, back to Aussie for a couple of weeks. Caught up with family life and all of that sort of stuff.

Then we went back 10 days prior to the World’s.

We did four days of intense coaching. We had a day off, off the boat, didn’t go near the water for a day.

Then we’re into the Europeans and the World’s, so it was quite a long-winded exercise but there’s no substitute for the variety.

You don’t win the regatta on the last day. It’s what we took away from it. We obviously didn’t win it, but we battled, as well as we could expect for the regatta.

Brett: Obviously that preparation worked really well because the score was excellent. Once you’re on the water and before the start, what do you do as part of your preparation?

 
Sam: So with a world or a nationals program, I would suggest you want to be at the starting area an hour prior to a race.

Usually the race committee will be on station or there about at that sort of time. We would get comfortable, obviously, sail or a tow out to the start line, get there an hour before, by the time you get to that start line an hour before you would have had your sandwich and get comfortable.

You’ve got your kit that you’re actually going to race in on, we would then do a little up wind exercise.

Hopefully, you’ve got a mate that you have an understanding with to do a little two boat up wind preparation probably for 15 minutes.

Pull the kite up, come down, really intense as if you were racing. Pumping the kite, a few jibes, all the rest of it.

Get back to that starting area, by then you’re probably looking at a half an hour, 20 minutes prior to the start. 
 
Around that time, we would have another mini break have a water and a sandwich.

By that time the committee will have your start line in. We would then from the middle of the line, we would sail up wind.

Again, couple of tacks, get your numbers. You’re now getting within 10 minutes of the 5 minute gun at this time.

Couple of tacks, get your numbers correct, head to wind before you come back down wind. Then you’ve got an understanding of whether it’s left, right or in between.
 
What we actually do at that point is sail to which ever end we think is going to be the correct end to start at.

Let’s say it’s going to be a pin end bias line. We’ll come down towards the pin, wander down there.

All this is just having your head switched on that we are actually racing right now. We’re not cruising up and down behind the boat.

What you’ll find in any big fleet and I’m sure everyone has a story to tell with that.

But everyone reaches up and down behind the line flogging their gear and half the guys well, not half of them, but there’s always a little collision along the way.

No one’s really switched on, so you are actually intensely getting into your racing, a bit like football. You’re in the rooms, half an hour before, pumping each other up. Same deal.

So you’re staying out of the mess. Then you’re in that five minute sequence and then obviously it comes down to racing.

It’s a moving picture, but you’ve done this little bit of homework so you know when you do a head to wind with two and a half minutes to go and the breeze has actually gone right that you actually need to get up towards the boat, you’re actually in that mode.

Whereas if you’ve just raced up and down you don’t actually know where the wind is.

Brett: During that period, do you actually look at your main competitors? especially if it’s getting to the pointy end of the regatta. Do you try and keep away from them? Do you try and dog them? 

Sam: Well, I’m a firm believer in not racing one boat in the fleet.

And especially in an Etchells type of fleet or any large class, you don’t really get away with it. You end up beating yourself along the way. 
 
I’m an honest believer in sail your own race. Obviously, as the regatta goes on and you’ve usually done a lead up event, say with a worlds you’ve done a Europeans or Nationals or whatever.

You know from previous events that X,Y and Z, you don’t want to start to windward of those guys because that’ll make your life hard. Or there becomes an amount of people so you have a little plan “O there’s so and so, let’s go a couple of boat lengths up from them”.

Start at the right end or towards the right end. You don’t have to win that end. Again I’m a fan of if it’s a boat end start, it’s not going to hurt you being four boats down from the boat end.

You’re going to get away nice and neat. As long as you’re on the boat there’s going to be 10 boats there, 1 boat’s going to win it and the rest of them are going to lose. 


Brett: I noticed that you guys have spent a lot of time getting your boat just right having easy to operate systems. But I see plenty of unnecessarily complicated boats.  Have you found that’s been an important part of how you guys have improved?

Sam: I think there’s two parts to that. And one is that preparation in that everything works 100%. You need to have gone out and tested that six months prior to the event.

There’s also the other side of it is having that set up for the people that you’ve got on the boat. 
 
We had an instance at the World’s, we got a new person on the bow of the boat, I was doing the bow previously. I had it set up the way that works for me, but our new guy, Mark, he wanted to change a few things.

To make it was easier to hike, there was a couple of the control lines that he wanted to change to different positions.

You’ve got to have an open mind, I basically see it that the boat is a tool.

It’s not a piece of beauty that you’ve got sitting on there that you want to keep. You know, it’s however you make it work.

We changed some things during the regatta to suit him. So you make it custom to the people using it.

Some of the control lines we moved back to me because of the understanding that I had.

So you have to set up the boat to what works for the people in the boat.

Not to what somebody says this is how your Etchells or your 505 have to be set up. You’ve got to work it into you.

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The Sailing To win Membership site has a video and transcription of the complete interview as well as plenty of others on a multitude of sailing subjects. Click the button above to get lifetime access to these interviews and others that will be added from time to time. 

STRATEGY AT THE LEEWARD MARK

Brett Bowden
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STRATEGY AT THE LEEWARD MARK

Strategy at the leeward mark

Strategy at the leeward mark is critical and an ineffective plan can cause many places to be lost. Conversely, if you have planned well before reaching the mark, many places can be gained and a good rounding could affect the outcome of the race.

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Rules at the Leeward Mark

Understanding rules at the leeward mark is probably more critical than anywhere else. The reason for this is that boats can approach from a multitude of different directions and attitudes of sail. Also the general rules of port and starboard crossings and windward leeward right of way don’t always apply.

As explained in rule 18.2, when two boats are approaching the leeward mark and the inside boat (closest to the mark) has an overlap on the outside boat, at the moment that the first boat enters the zone, the outside boat has to give the inside boat room to round the mark.

Even if the overlap is broken inside the zone, the inside boat still must be given room to round.

When rounding a downwind mark, there are times that a starboard tack boat has to give way to a port tack boat and a boat to leeward has to yield to a boat to windward.

If an inside boat has an overlap with a boat on the outside at a moment one or the other crosses a point 3 boat lengths from the mark, the boat on the outside has to give the boat on the inside room to make a rounding, regardless of its angle of sail or position in relation to the inside boat.

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Strategies At The Mark

Especially in a big fleet, picking the right spot and executing a good rounding can make a huge difference. This will be reflected in the number of boat lengths gained or lost.

No matter how you choose to approach the rounding, always set yourself up to come in with speed. This is especially true with boats that have asymmetrical spinnakers.  A loss of speed will mean that you will be easy pickings for the competition.

The basic principle to follow when rounding a mark is wide in and tight out wherever traffic allows.

Use Your Sails To Assist The Rounding

As with any manoeuvre, the less rudder movement the better rudder movement equals drag. As you are about to round the leeward mark, trim the main in progressively to aid turning the boat towards the wind.

The headsail should be trimmed a little more slowly so as not to slow the turn. This is a great drill to practice and the ensuing reduction of drag from excess rudder use will see you leap ahead of opponents who don’t use this technique.

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Leeward Mark Tips – Strategy at the leeward mark

  • When rounding the Gybe or leeward mark, always go in wide and come out tight.
  • When coming up on to the beat, sheet the main first letting the headsail lag to limit rudder use.
  • If you are the trailing boat, attempt to force your competitor to make a tight in and wide out turn. This gives you the opportunity to get inside and to weather of them.
  • When there is plenty of traffic at the leeward mark, get in the habit of dropping the spinnaker early and slowing down. You will have the advantage of being able to avoid the carnage and perhaps sneak around inside.

Sail Controls And Their Effects

Brett Bowden
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Sail Controls And Their Effects

Sail Controls And Their Effects

Sail Controls And Their Effects – Sail Controls are the things that you can adjust once afloat to take advantage as the conditions change. I have set these out below in no order of importance. Be aware that some controls on different types of boats will have a varying degree of importance.

Use a practice day to experiment with each control. Initially set up two boats of the same class identically. Then with each boat making a single adjustment, it will very quickly teach you what makes you faster and what doesn’t.

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Boom Vang

When sailing upwind, the vang controls the leech of the mainsail. An over tight leech is indicated by stalled leech telltales. By easing the vang until the telltales start to flow indicates the right setting for the wind.

A secondary effect of pulling the vang on is to push the mast forward and with the bend it introduces, flattening the mainsail.

The vang also helps with pointing and in a situation where you need height, the vang is one of the controls that you would employ.

Offwind and on a reach, use the vang to control the leech but remember when reaching that the leech telltales should never be stalled.

The Outhaul

The outhaul is used to power and de-power the mainsail. In light air, pull it on to flatten the bottom part of the mainsail. As the wind increases into the medium range, ease the outhaul to put more power into the sail.

As the breeze increase above the medium range, pull on the outhaul to flatten the bottom of the sail and depower.

The Cunningham – Sail Controls And Their Effects

This control affects the draft position in the sail and pulling it on moves the draft forward and loosens the leech. Pulling on the Cunningham, bends the mast and opens the top of the sail to assist with depowering.

In light air there should be no Cunningham tension. As the wind increases and you start to get overpowered, pull it on to flatten the head of the sail and free the upper leech.

Traveller

The traveller or bridle is used to position the boom in relation to the centreline of the boat.

If you are sailing a boat with a jib, and you are underpowered, the traveller will need to be above the centreline so the boom will be in the middle or thereabouts. As the breeze increases, the traveller will be lowered and the sheet tension increased.

In heavy air, the traveller can be lowered further and the vang and sheet worked harder to keep the boat balanced.

In the case of a single sailed boat the boom will be over the side deck for power. To get the leech tension you need, use a combination of traveller, vang and mainsheet.

Mainsheet

The mainsheet controls the sails angle of attack and also powers up the leech.

Jib Halyard – Sail Controls And Their Effects

The effect of pulling on the jib halyard is to give less sag which gives the jib a flatter entry which is good for heavier wind. In light air ease the halyard to give more luff round and a fuller entry and thus more power.

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Jib Cunningham

Similar to the mainsail in that pulling on the jib Cunningham moves the draft of the sail forward. Easing moves the draft progressively aft as the wind decreases.

Jib sheet angle

The changes in angle of the sheet to the clew changes the shape of the jib.

With the sheet more horizontal, or lead back, the foot is tighter and the leech freer. Having the lead back is a great set up for light air or heavy air and gives a freer leech.

If the sheet lead is in the middle position, this gives a fuller more powerful sail and suitable for medium winds.

With the sheet lead way forward, this gives a tighter leech which is good for pointing. When the sheet is forward it works well for lighter air and flat water.

The luff telltales will break evenly if you have the setting right.

Inboard – Outboard Sheet Lead Angles

This position controls the slot between the Main and Jib which affects pointing.

To get an indication of the correct slot, move the lead inboard until the mainsail is almost backwinding. It is important to make sure that the main is not too full or flat for the conditions when setting the angle.

The closer you can sheet means that you can point higher

Jib Sheet Tension – Sail Controls And Their Effects

The leech telltale is the best indicator of whether the tension on the sheet is correct for the conditions.

In light air it should be streaming most of the time and the same goes for heavy air. In medium wind, the leech telltale should be breaking about 50% of the time.

If the telltale is streaming all the time, the leech is too open.

FREE SAILING GLOVES

 

 

Losing Sailing Control

Brett Bowden
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0
Losing Sailing Control

I have copied below excerpts from an excellent article written by sailing legend and coach Dave Dellenbaugh of https://www.speedandsmarts.com regarding losing sailing control on the race course.  In the article he speaks about how to avoid losing control of your strategy, tactics and race.

https://sailingtowin.com/49tips

Techniques to avoid being controlled

You must work hard to avoid being pinned by your competitor, and you should know how to escape when you’re taken down.

At the same time, you have to go on the offensive. A classic example in sailing is the pre-start circling that happens in match racing. Here each boat circles to get on the tail of the other boat (offensive) and to keep the other boat off their tail (defensive).

To avoid being controlled on the race course the most important thing is anticipation. Keep thinking ahead and avoid situations where you could get trapped.

Stay away from the corners and laylines.

The closer you are to the sides of the course, the easier it is for someone to control you. So try to stay closer to the middle, where you keep the option to go either way.

Find lanes of clear air.

Clear air is key in following your strategy. So keep looking up the course for channels of undisturbed wind that will let you sail in the direction you want.

Avoid overlaps with other boats.

It’s usually dangerous to sail upwind or downwind very near other boats. The closer you are to your competitors, the more likely it is they’ll interfere with your plans.

Communicate your rights.

Loud hails are recommended not only for safety reasons, they’re a good way to keep other boats from infringing on your space. A typical example is yelling “Hold your course” when you duck a starboard tacker.

https://sailingtowin.com/49tips

Techniques for controlling other boats

Use your wind shadow.

The large area of disturbed air to leeward of your sail plan is your most effective tool for affecting other boats.

Pinning and blocking.

Often the best way to “herd” another boat is simply to use your physical presence. For example, you can prevent another boat from tacking by setting up just to windward of them on the same tack.

Steering a converging course.

Your right-of-way under the rules is another tactical tool for helping you gain control. The best example I know of is when you’re on starboard tack and you bear off at a port tacker to prevent her from lee-bowing you or squeezing around the windward mark ahead of you.

https://sailingtowin.com/49tips

How to improve your tactical skills

Learn the racing rules.

Knowing the right-of-way rules is an incredible confidence-builder when you get into tight situations.

Try match racing.

This one-on-one competition offers the ultimate experience in tactical control. The more you match race, the more comfortable you’ll feel whenever you’re near another boat on the race course.

Sail in tight, close, competitive fleets.

You have to get your feet wet if you really want to become a better “tactician.” Fleets of  small one-designs are perfect for this.

Be assertive.

If you want to come out on top, you can’t be passive. It’s nice to be laid-back at times, but if you want to avoid being stepped on, you have to assert your rights.

Develop A Race Day Routine

Brett Bowden
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0
Develop A Race Day Routine

Develop A Race Day Routine

Whether it be a single race or a regatta, you need to develop a race day routine if you want to be successful. This is not only for those in Fantasy land at the back of the boat but everyone onboard needs to be included. This ensures that every crew member understands their position, duties and what is expected of them whilst they are racing.

FREE Book – Instant Download

There are 4 main phases of the race day routine.

1. Pre-Race

  • Review the starting schedule.
  • List your goals for the days event or for each day of the regatta.
  • Make sure that you have the correct number of crew and maximum crew weight to match your rating certificate,
  • Have a list of pre-race jobs and who is assigned to them such as sails, rig tune, gear, navigation and weather to list a few.
  • Have a schedule and stick to it. This builds morale, enhances the leaders integrity and respect.
  • Set the boat up for days race prior to leaving the dock.

2. After Leaving the Dock – Develop A Race Day Routine

  • When heading out to the course have a crew meeting and review goals which gets everyone’s head in the game.
  • Having a team uniform is great to build teamwork and also shows professionalism.
  • Ask for and listen to and if necessary act on crew comments and even consider changing positions if the team believe it is beneficial.
  • Go over safety procedures and refresh the team on where equipment is stowed and who is the go to person in different scenarios. eg Man over board.
  • Practice upwind and downwind maneuvers for at least 30 minutes.
  • After the practice and at least 10 minutes prior to your starting sequence take time to rest, stretch and chat amongst the crew for final comments related to the race.

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3. During The Race

  • Stick to the game plan.
  • Each team member needs to be conscious of where they are positioned with regard to balance of the boat. Should they be inboard, outboard, fore or aft.
  • Make sure they are low and not blocking anyone’s view.
  • Keep chatter to a minimum and let one person speak at a time.
  • On a boat with a very large crew, appoint a spokesperson for each major position. Only they should communicate with the afterguard.
  • Contain excitement when in front or behind, yelling on the boat only serves to unnerve everyone.
  • Play the averages and be consistent as that is what wins races, not taking a flier or making a “go for gold” move.
  • Continually update observations on where your competitors are, how you are going against them and changes in the weather and sea conditions.

4. After The Race

  • Pack the boat up and stow all gear and sails.
  • Make a list of any maintenance issues that have arisen during the race and where time permits attend to as many jobs as possible.
  • Have a crew de-brief and make notes about what has been learned.
  • Before leaving the boat, let everyone know when the next race is and find out who is available.
  • As a team, head to the clubhouse and catch up with fellow competitors. Its amazing how much you can learn from talking with them.

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