Making Reaches Work
In this day and age of mainly windward and return races, the art, and skill of sailing a reach is becoming a distant memory for many of us with symmetrical spinnaker boats.
Please note though, that a lot of the tips below are also relevant to two-sailed and single-sail boats as well.
If you do get a reaching course...
Strategy For The Upwind Leg
Question:
The wind has just shifted left so it has headed all boats around you on starboard tack - Should you keep sailing into the header, or take the instantaneous gain and tack?
As always with sailing, the perfect answer begins with ‘It depends’
Possible scenarios for you to consider: Strategy For The Upwind Leg
The wind has headed,...
Sail away from shifts and toward better pressure.
Downwind Secrets - When you are racing upwind, the principal rule of thumb is to sail toward the next shift, on a run, however, you should sail away from the next shift because you are trying to make progress downwind, not upwind.
By getting farther away from the direction of the next shift...
Left or Right? This is probably the most asked question in yacht racing. Going fast is important but it is no good being the fastest boat if you are going fast the wrong way.
That’s why, no matter how fast you are, you must consider whether you want to go left or right.
Strategy
When racing, we must employ strategy. Strategy is...
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These days, for those of us that race, we seem to be doing more and more short, windward-leeward races. The Secrets For Going Fast Upwind will help you to get to the first mark in great shape.
The importance of Good Speed On The Upwind Leg
Arguably the upwind leg, especially the first upwind is the most telling in where we...
Excerpts from an excellent article on "Wind Shift Rules of Thumb" written by by good friend David Dellenbaugh of Speed and Smarts - https://www.speedandsmarts.com
Playing the shifts is all about minimizing the distance sailed around the course. Whether it’s light or breezy, keep your eyes on the compass and identify the type of shift before reacting.
FREE BOOK - 49 SAILING...
The 'Doppler' Windshift Effect - We all know what happens when a train comes toward us at full speed with its horn blowing, at first the sound is very high pitched, but it drops quickly as the train passes by and becomes quite low-pitched while the train speeds away.
The Doppler Effect
The reason for this is what's called the Doppler...
As a rule of thumb Downwind, Always be searching for the best pressure.
When sailing on a run, the key to success is locating better wind velocity, getting your boat into that pressure, and then staying in it as long as possible.
Better pressure allows you to sail lower and faster than your fellow competitors meaning you will gain on those...
Effective steering off the wind - On reaches and runs it is essential that the helmsman and trimmer communicate and co-ordinate their actions.
As the helmsman, you must also respond to input from the tactician and changing sailing conditions plus the trimmer’s input based on sheet load and boat speed. The problem here is that there may be conflicting voices...
Your upwind Sweet Spot is the point of sail in which you sail against the wind most efficiently and at a consistent angle of heel. Also known as the "groove", it covers a range of a few degrees angle to the wind in which you are able to steer consistently at a steady speed.
The sweet spot for your boat...
