Boat Speed and Handling

  Some Information from Nick Craig's brilliant book "Helming To Win" distributed by Fernhurst books from their SAIL TO WIN Series. https://www.fernhurstbooks.com    In most classes, boatspeed can be summed up as 5% static settings, 20% dynamic settings and 75% technique. When you hear talk around the boat park prior to leaving to race, nearly every discussion is about the static...

To sail fast in waves and chop you need speed which means powered-up sails and footing off in the worst bits. As you hit each wave it slows you down and sailing well in waves requires determination, concentration and the correct technique. When sailing in chop, acceleration mode is the only mode and speed breeds speed. The faster you go the...

When to Pinch and When to Foot. The concept of going fast-forward in a lift, or pinching in a header, has been around forever. When to Sail Low and Fast Going fast-forward or making a bearing gain is a great weapon to have in your tactical arsenal. Bearing gain is when making trees on your competition.  To gain bearing you need two...

                            When racing around a set or fixed marks course, a competitive sailor uses the compass to plan and then implement their race strategy. Using a Compass For Course Racing If you are sailing in a crewed boat, one crew member should be responsible to watch the compass. This establishes...

  Although light air sailing is far from most sailors' favourite conditions, it does provide the greatest number of opportunities to make the biggest gains. A well-sailed boat can develop a great speed advantage and at times it can go literally twice as fast as its competitors – so it is not unusual to see the largest race-winning leads developed in...

Read Situations at the Leeward Mark. All the good work of the upwind leg can be undone at the leeward mark. Leeward mark rounding in a competitive one-design fleet can be a daunting experience and when a mix of boats are arriving at different speeds and angles it can be even tougher to work out who’s going to get there...

Footing, Pointing and Changing Gears Shifting gears on your boat requires knowledge of your boat, the conditions, and plenty of practice. Gear changing is what separates those with adequate boat speed from those who always seem to be higher and faster. Many in your fleet start a race with a similar setup using a tuning guide or by following class-accepted principles...

When you are suffering in certain conditions follow some of the tips below to troubleshoot your sailing. FREE Book - Instant Download Slow in waves or a chop: In a chop or waves, your boat needs to be set up for power to push through the waves. Sails need to be fuller with a little more twist and steering should be less...

Changing Gears. In sailboat racing, change is continuous, you have puffs, lulls, lifts, headers, bad air, waves, tacks and so on. It's rare that you can set the boat up and sail for too long without changing something. To go fast you must constantly adjust the trim of your boat and sails. We actually use many different settings to cover...

  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...