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...
Steering fast is a combination of mechanical skill and intuition. Being a fast helmsperson is something sailors acquire by spending a large amount of time on the water both practicing and racing.
Common traits of a good helmsperson are intense focus and heightened senses. Added to these, they also need clear visibility and be able to accept input on...
When you are suffering in certain conditions follow some of the tips below to troubleshoot your sailing.
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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...
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...
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...
A sail stalls when airflow detaches from the back of the sail and is indicated when the leeward telltales fly forward or upwards.
All sailors must learn how to tackle lulls. Changes in wind pressure are a constant in sailing and lulls tend to be the area that many of us struggle with.
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Keep it up in the lulls
One thing that we must do is maintain the proper angle of heel and be quick to shift your weight to maintain...
Why Heel Angle Is Important. Don't worry about the instruments (unless of course it is showing heel) just keep the heel angle steady.
One of the biggest mistakes crews make is letting the wind push the boat around. It is easy to look around the fleet on a puffy or windy day and work out who is fastest. The boats...
Who better to get help to improve your boat speed than Mat Belcher, multiple Olympic Gold medalist in the 470 class.
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 regatta.
Brett: So the first question is about checking your speed. When...
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...
