It's The Little Things That Make The Most Difference
Often the difference between mid-fleet hackers and great sailors is simply the fact that champions pay attention to the little things.
I have listed below, some of the things you need to pay attention to. I am sure you will be able to add many more but you catch my drift about...
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,...
A sail stalls when airflow detaches from the back of the sail and is indicated when the leeward telltales fly forward or upwards.
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...
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...
As part of a team in a multi-crewed boat Teamwork in Sailing Ensures Success
Multi-Crewed Boats
Sailing in multi-crewed boats is a team sport and the crew that knows each other and works together well will get the most out of their boat and enjoy more than their fair share of podiums.
What is seen on some boats which are unsuccessful is...
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...
Footing, Pointing and Changing Gears
Shifting gears on your boat requires knowledge of your boat, the conditions, and plenty of practice. Gear changing is what separates those with adequate boat speed from those who always seem to be higher and faster.
Many in your fleet start a race with a similar setup using a tuning guide or by following class-accepted principles...
Not enough sailors use Different Steering Techniques For Different Winds.
When Wind Speed Changes
When the wind speed changes you need to focus on heel and pitch angles, adjusting each for the optimum boatspeed.
As the wind builds, you use heel angle as a guide using the sails to keep the boat on its feet. It’s good to have rules of thumb...
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...
