With many of us in the Southern Hemisphere getting ready to head off to National championships and the Sydney to Hobart big boats already finished I thought it was a great time to re-post good mate David Dellenbaugh's article, Ingredients of Success.
As I have mentioned before, Dave's website https://www.speedandsmarts.com is the best resource that I have found on the...
Simplify your tactics - Every sailor has bad days and when debriefing after the days event many competitors realise that if they had not tried to be too fancy, the end result would have been better.
FREE SAILING GLOVES
Keep Your Thinking Process Simple -
Sailing as a sport is complicated enough without concentrating on the wrong aspects of a race which...
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...
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...
We all need help to overcome emotions when having a bad day. On occasion, all of us let a poor performance on the water affect the eventual outcome of a race or regatta. Your emotions in the heat of battle will determine your success.
How Do We Turn The Tide In Our Favour
If you are competing in a multiple-race regatta and...
Strategy and tactics are the key ingredients of your plan to ensure success and fun for the day's sailing event.
What is Strategy?
A definition of strategy is having a plan for how you would like to sail a race if there were no other boats on the course.
Tactics are being able to adapt quickly to changing situations, that is,...
Knowing how to attack and defend is a skill that develops with time on the water.
When racing, it rarely pays to concentrate on beating one boat as you risk the rest of the fleet getting away.
Having said that, there are key areas of the race course or regatta when this could be necessary, so the ability to attack and...
I and most sailors continue to struggle with how to choose the best side of the course.
Fortunately, it is not Voodoo and an article I located written by hugely accomplished yachtsman, Gary Jobson from Annapolis in the USA goes a long way to demystify this essential planning aspect of any race.
I have copied Gary's advice below.
Sailors tend to stay...
Tips For Championship Sailing
Watch your competition to get a quick understanding of your boat's relative performance and once noted, do not wait to make changes.
When sailing to windward, bear off a degree or two and simultaneously ease your sails to increase speed.
Keep a constant note of the angle of heel. Too much windward helm indicates that you have too...
Be Consistent in Big Fleets
Being consistent is especially important in big fleets where a small mistake can lose you plenty of places. With a large number of fast boats in an international championship, the chances of getting those places back is highly unlikely.
Great boat handling is particularly relevant and practice is an easy way to ensure that small but...
