Windward Mark Roundings, As sailors we put an enormous amount of thought into the start, and so we should, and next, we talk a lot about upwind speed and observing and playing the shifts but planning and thought seems to go out the window when considering rounding the windward mark and transitioning to the downwind leg. Having a clean windward mark...
              See The Wind. Perhaps the most important skill that separates the best sailors from the rest of the fleet is their ability to see the wind. The reason that this is critical is that it enables them to consistently get to the windier side of the course and thus sail faster than their competition.  Obviously, no one can actually see the wind...
Consider Current When Planning a Race. An excerpt below from an interview that I did on the subject of Current and How to Plan for it with Professional Sailor and International Sailing Coach Andrew Palfrey. It’s important to know what the tide is doing, what observations do you make on the course in assisting you to know where to go? Ideally,...
                        Become a Student of The Weather - Part 2 of the interview that I did on the subject of weather and how it affects your sailing with Professional Sailor and International Sailing Coach Andrew Palfrey. Do you take notice of the clouds on the course and how...
Become a Student of the Weather. Because I am not a student of the weather but now know what I should have realised much earlier after speaking with a lot of high achieving competing sailors, that no race planning is complete without gathering as much information as possible prior to heading out to race. To that end, I...