Windward mark layline mistakes, unfortunately, are very common and can be extremely costly. Laylines & Getting Them Right.
One of the most common things that sailors get wrong is getting to the layline too early. If you get to the layline too early, you can no longer play the shifts and you also lose tactical options.
More often than not it is...
Effects of Headstay Sag
Headstay sag affects everything from boat speed to pointing ability and that's why headstay sag matters.
Sailboats with headstay sag often point higher and maintain boatspeed better in light-air conditions. One of the key methods to power up a sail is to induce sag in the forestay.
Dinghies obviously only have one jib and many sailboat classes limit...
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...
In all sailboat races, you must sail toward better pressure as more wind velocity almost always means more speed. More Sailing Wind Velocity makes a marked difference to boats' relative speed around the course.
Darker Water Usually Means More Wind
On the course look for darker water as changes in wind velocity are a lot easier to see than changes in...
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...
