Key tactical tips on how to improve your sailing both upwind, downwind, and around the course.
When sailing downwind, use your masthead wind indicator to show your apparent wind and look at your nearby competitor's indicator to see if they are shadowing you.
If you lose distance after crossing tacks or gybes, have the courage to shift sides of the course.
Always...
Who better to get help with boat speed issues than Mat Belcher, current Olympic Gold medallist in the 470 class from Tokyo 2021. Olympic Gold Medalist Tips For Boatspeed and Changing Gears
I have copied below excerpts from an interview that I did with Mat in 2017 while he was waiting at the airport to travel to yet another overseas...
Common Myths of Competitive Sailing and the truths behind them.
MYTHS REGARDING CURRENT ACROSS THE COURSE
MYTH - Your apparent wind will be different on each tack. Since you sail faster over the bottom on the down current tack, you’ll feel more wind on that tack and this will affect sail trim and speed.
TRUTH - The apparent wind on both tacks is...
How To Improve Your Racing Skills
The Best Way To Get Started
The best way to get started and build your initial skills is to get tuition either at the club level or with a course provided by your National sailing body.
If your initial sailing was not in a club environment, joining a club is one of the most important steps...
Back To Basics - How To Get Out Of A Slump
If you feel as though you are losing your touch out on the race course sometimes you need to go back and start at the beginning.
If your performance is a shadow of your past, you need to go through each one of the potential problem areas.
First, check the finish...
With the burgeoning Sportboat fleets and modern yacht design favouring high aspect keels, maintaining flow over the foils has become increasingly important.
To get a great start, line up slightly sprung sheets and hold your course until the boat is at full speed. Then gently steer up to close-hauled just before the gun goes.
With a boat to leeward of you,...
Use Your Eyes When Sailing. Using your eyes effectively whilst racing takes plenty of discipline and practice.
Work Out What You Are Looking For
First, you need to ascertain what it is that you are looking for, is it a mark, a puff coming towards you and does that puff look like it is a lift or header.
It may just be...
Strategy And Tactics
Boatspeed and Strategy are two things that you have sorted prior to the start of a race.
Strategy is the big picture game plan that you work out before the race starts and tactics are the decisions you make to execute the strategy.
Boatspeed
Without boatspeed your chances of success are limited and this is something that you must have...
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...
Racing in light air needs the same attitude as racing in heavy air, you have to like it to do well.
In the Southern Hemisphere winter, we get plenty of light air days and in the US about 75% of races are sailed in less than 10 knots. Bearing that in mind, there is plenty of reason to develop a...
