Excerpt from “Speed and Smarts” Newsletter issue 131 - David Dellenbaugh
Almost every sailor realizes the importance of making a strategic plan for the first leg before they start the race but how many of those sailors also develop a strategy for every other leg in the race?
It’s tough to make a game plan...
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...
Racing in Big Fleets
With national championships and annual long-distance races fast approaching, we need to turn our minds to sailing in bigger fleets than we have been racing in all year.
Racing in big fleets requires a number of different disciplines to think about and master. In general, you can take more risks in a small fleet and if you...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Deal with congested areas when sailing. You may already have noticed that, shortly before the Start, when the boats have lined up, the wind is significantly weaker there, even if you are in the front row and have clear wind.
Effect of The Fleet On The Breeze
The reason for this effect is the congestion that forms in front of the...
Step 1. Work on your weaknesses. Steps to Winning a Regatta
We all have different strengths and weaknesses, for some, it is light air and flat water, for others they are faster in a big breeze and boisterous seas.
It is fun to practice in your favourite conditions but you need to get out of your comfort zone and spend more...
Often too much significance is attributed to sailing tactics and tactics only become the most important factor if you are sailing at a very high level. Sailing Tactics Be Better Than The Competition
For most of us, it’s better to invest in training time, concentrating on sailing technique and boat tuning. As a word of caution though, you can't manage...
