In the last race of the 2008 Etchells Worlds, as we were sailing upwind, I was trying my best to keep our heel angle consistent in the puffy offshore winds. In addition to my main-trimming duties, I was also calling tactics, so, while looking around, I missed a few gear changes that would have kept us at our desired heel angle. Our speed started suffering, at which point my skipper, Bill Hardesty, said to me, “Steve, I need you to trim and call tactics really well right now!” With the regatta on the line, I concentrated on keeping the boat heeled right and going fast. It worked immediately, reminding me once again how important heel angle is to speed.

Observe the leader at your next regatta, and you’ll notice their boat always looks the same as they sail upwind, even as conditions change. In light air, they’re powered up with a consistent heel angle; in heavy air they look flatter than the competition, and their masthead is unwavering. They don’t tip over in puffs or stand upright in lulls—they’re rock steady and in total control of their boat.

When your heel angle is steady, flow stays attached over your boat’s blades and sails, allowing it to move through the water efficiently. A consistent angle is also a sign that your boat setup is correct and your sails are trimmed well, allowing you to sail the boat with ease. The ultimate beauty of focusing on your heel angle, though, is that it simplifies your thinking on the racecourse: it will force you to steer, trim, and hike well.

Every boat has its optimal heel angle, but as a rule of thumb, dinghies should be sailed dead flat, and keelboats anywhere from 10 to 30 degrees. Ask your class experts what the angles should be in different conditions. Once you’ve got this information in hand, going fast is only a matter of keeping your boat on its lines as the wind changes.

The first step—yes, it’s obvious, I know—is setting up your rig for the racing conditions. Get your hands on your sailmaker’s tuning guide and don’t be afraid to ask your class champions for advice on baseline setups for specific conditions. Once you know the proper boat setup, you’ll be able to control your heel angle with weight placement, steering, and trimming.

Weight for heel control
Weight placement is the most important factor when the crew is not fully hiking. Until this point, using the crew to compensate for puffs and lulls by moving inboard and outboard helps adjust heel angle and reduces the amount of steering and trimming that needs to take place. As a skipper, you should communicate target heel angle to your crew based on the amount of helm you’re feeling. In other words, let them know if the boat feels balanced. Relating the optimal heel gives your crew a working target. Comparing the forestay angle to the horizon is a great way for the crew to judge heel angle and adjust their weight placement as necessary. It also helps to have someone calling the puffs and lulls so the crew can anticipate their next movements and work together to keep the boat level.

Once everyone is fully hiking, the hardest-hiking team is usually the fastest—there’s no way around it.

Use your power tools
Both wind and waves change the power of the boat and thus the heel angle, so, as the wind changes, steering and trimming are the primary tools you’ll use to keep that consistent angle you’re looking for. They’re similar in that they control the amount of power in the boat: with steering, the helmsman can head up slightly to depower the boat, and bear away slightly to power it up for micro heel changes.

Trimming your sails to add power or reduce power is especially important in controlling heel angle. Different boats, however, react differently to certain controls. For example, a 470 sailor mostly uses mainsheet and vang to control heel angle. Etchells sailors rely mostly on traveler and backstay, while mulithulls often play the cunningham to control heel angle. FJ sailors use mainsheet and jib sheet in combination.

Tuning guides and other sailors can help you determine the best approach for your boat if you’re unsure which combination is the most effective for a given condition. Regardless of the specific combination, using these tools in conjunction with steering and weight is crucial.
Recently, I was trimming main during an Etchells regatta in San Diego for Dave Ullman. The breeze was a puffy 16 knots with 8-foot swells, and the variable wind and waves changed the power in the boat often, affecting our heel angle every few seconds. We were sailing upwind on starboard tack, the boat felt good, and the heel angle was where we wanted it (slightly flatter than the competition).

Then a puff hit.
Dave headed up slightly, and I dropped the traveler a few inches to prevent the boat from heeling more. As the puff disappeared, I pulled the traveler back up, and Dave bore away slightly. During this whole sequence our heel remained constant.

But let’s say the puff was a long-term increase in pressure. At the onset of the increase, I would lower the traveler. Then, as the pressure builds, I would depower the boat with the backstay, then pull the traveler back up to our sweet spot. If I happen to see a lull coming, I start easing the backstay to power up the boat as the breeze dies. The key to all of this is a keen focus and awareness of the boat’s power and heel angle, and adjusting steering and sheeting to keep it constant.

With the above example, you can see that it helps to be able to anticipate the puffs and lulls, and even anticipate their magnitude and duration. If they are brief, we can take short-term actions to keep the boat stable, such as traveler changes. But if they are large enough, or last long enough, we can make bigger changes for the long haul, such as backstay.

All of our actions were a result of our singular focus of sailing at the proper heel angle. Keeping the heel angle correct, with telltales streaming a majority of the time, is very fast. Work on improving a consistent heel angle next time you race, and I guarantee you will get around the racecourse faster, and have more fun.

The post From the Archives: Heel For Speed appeared first on Sailing World.

To determine the best way to escape a windshadow on the run, you first must be able to figure out the windshadow’s location. This requires understanding the apparent wind angles for the boat you’re sailing and the boat you’re sailing against. On boats with asymmetric spinnakers, the true and apparent wind angles are ofen widely divergent when sailing downwind.

On lightweight, planing keelboats, such as the Melges 32, and lightweight dinghies, such as the 49er, the tremendous downwind boatspeed moves the apparent wind well forward of the true wind. These boats go much faster at hotter (i.e. closer to the wind) angles. In fact, in the Melges 32 class, few people sail with full-size spinnakers. A slightly smaller kite, with less drag, will be faster at a slightly higher angle and result in better progess (velocity made good or VMG) toward the leeward mark. In planing boats, just a few more degrees of height can create a significant difference in speed.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are heavier, non-planing sprit boats, such as the J/120. The speed differential between a J/120 that’s sailing a low angle and one that’s sailing slightly higher is usually quite small. These boats carry large asymmetric spinnakers. By easing off the tack line, heeling the boat to windward, and rotating the kite from behind the mainsail, you can sail quite deep without losing much speed. The true and apparent wind angles will be further apart than on a boat with a symmetric spinnaker, but not by a lot.

The other factor to consider is the general range of a windshadow. A good rule of thumb is that a windshadow will extend as far as 10 boatlengths to leeward of a boat in light air and as little as six boatlengths when it’s windy. The most accurate guide to the location of your opponent’s windshadow is the Windex on the top of his mast. However, that can be hard to see, or he may not have one. It’s often easier to use your Windex (or shroud tell tales). And your Windex provides the key information to how you should react.

Sight off your Windex and see where it points relative to your opponent’s sail plan. If your Windex is pointing close to the center of your opponent’s sail plan, then you can safely assume he has you in his sights.

If your Windex is pointing in front of the luff of your opponent’s spinnaker, you’ll be in clear air. Since your breeze is coming from ahead of the other boat, this situation is referred to as “air ahead.” If your Windex is pointing well aft of the leech of your opponent’s mainsail, you’ll be in clear air as well. Conversely, this is known as “air behind.” Knowing whether you’re covered, have air clear behind, or have air clear ahead will help you determine your next move.

Light air
If you get jibed on in light air, don’t bother trying to live there. Struggling to sail in bad air when the wind is under 10 knots will be more detrimental than jibing away. With a symmetric spinnaker, you have a better chance of living in disturbed air, but with a sprit-flown asymmetric, clean air is more important. If you see a boat jibing to blanket your wind, jibe away before their dirty air gets to you, while you’re still in the “air behind” position, and while your spinnaker is still full and pulling. If you wait until you enter your opponent’s windshadow, your spinnaker will get soft, it won’t fly away from the boat when you cast off the sheet, and you’ll have a poor jibe. If there’s any doubt, jibe out, and do so early.

Medium air
In 10 to 15 knots of wind, the game changes considerably. Now, it depends on the position of your opponent’s windshadow once he jibes on you. If you don’t want to jibe, you have three options: You can sail lower, sail your VMG, or heat it up. Which of these is the best option depends on exactly where your opponent’s windshadow falls. If they hit you square on, you’re always going to lose, and it’s a real weapon for a covering boat that has great crew work.

Regardless of the type of boat you’re sailing, if your opponent plants you squarely in the middle of his windshadow, your best option is to jibe away.

If your opponent is a little slow or late on the jibe and hasn’t hit you perfectly—you can tell this because your Windex will point more toward the bow of his boat than the middle—put the bow up immediately, especially if you’re in a lighter boat. Your speed will increase, your Windex will rotate forward, and you’ll move into a position where you have “air ahead.”

If they jibe on you, and your Windex points to the aft part of their boat, suggesting that you’re in the aft half of their windshadow, it can be tempting to try to live there. However, on a lightweight, planning asymmetric boat, as you sail through puffs and lulls, you’ll gradually end up losing your lead. When your opponent gets a header or puff, they’ll drive off, and since they’re to windward, they’ll be the first to get that new wind direction or speed. So they’ll be driving off while you’re still sailing on the old wind, enabling them to further close the gap and obstruct your breeze. At some point, you’ll have to sail in their wake. It can be a really hard spot to be in. More often than not in a planing boat, if you find yourself in this situation, jibe away while your opponent’s windshadow is still in front of you and you are “air behind.”

On symmetric or heavier, non-planing asymmetric boats, holding your optimum downwind angle works best when you find yourself toward the back edge of your opponent’s windshadow. You will go a little slow for a short period of time before you run into the clean air aft of the windshadow. At that point, you should be able to match your opponent’s speed. The loss created staying on the same jibe and enduring a bit of bad air will be less than the distance lost through jibing.

Heavy air
On a 49er or Melges 24, the mantra in heavy air is to always keep the boat going fast. If a boat jibes on you, and their windshadow hits you, you’ll stop, and your competition will plane away. The first choice is to put the bow up to keep the boat planing. If that’s not an option, you must immediately jibe away.

If the covering boat hits you square on, it’s almost guaranteed that, no matter how you deal with the windshadow, you’ll lose out. The trick is to minimize that loss.

On symmetric and heavier asymmetric boats, the windshadow becomes less important once the breeze gets above 15 knots. The heavier and slower the boat, the more likely your best move will be no move. If you get jibed on or rolled, keep sailing your angle. By sailing straight, your opponent will get in front of you, and eventually you’ll start sailing the same speed as the other boat. If you’re in a J/120, for instance, and you get jibed on, it’s tempting to reach up for clear air. The problem is that displacement boats generally don’t go much faster on hotter angles, so you won’t gain any distance forward. In the long run, you’ll lose VMG and put yourself deeper into his windshadow. Rarely would you want to immediately jibe away, because the windshadow is not that effective. It’s best to wait for the windshadow to move ahead of you and sail with air behind while controlling your opponent from a leeward position.

This article originally appeared in the Tactics section from our June 2011 issue.

The post From the Archives: Great Escapes appeared first on Sailing World.

In the Soling European Championships on Austria’s Attersee in 2012, I was in fifth as I approached the starboard layline for the first mark and was pulling away from a German on my hip. A little header appeared and (as I didn’t want to join the layline parade 150 yards from the mark) I tacked, crossed the German, and soon sailed into a back. But thinking that a passage farther toward the port layline would provide clearer air, I held on. By the time I tacked, about five boatlengths below the layline, the wind was veering once again, and when I reached the starboard layline, I had lost all I had gained and had to duck the German. In retrospect, a few simple tactical rules would have kept me in the hunt.

Take what you’ve got when you’ve got it

The weather mark is like a finish line: What you get there, you are likely to keep. Make sure you beat the boats that are astern, while attempting to catch those close ahead.

If the winds are oscillating consistently, one should utilize the last lift until close, but recognize that overstanding is never wise. It is better to tack under the layline (pertinent to that shift) if an oscillation to your side is likely in the minutes remaining. Indeed, if there are but a few boats in contention and the wind is oscillating, one must be willing to sail the shifts right up to the mark. A last second back may permit crossing on port a boat that in an earlier veer was well ahead but sought the starboard layline early.

Catching boats is chiefly accomplished by avoiding the laylines that your competitors regularly seek too soon, by tacking where the air is less disturbed and the lanes less congested, and—most importantly—by being aggressive when making the final tack onto the starboard layline.

Avoid the port layline

The worst way to round a weather mark is to reach the layline—either layline—early, and the worst of the worst is to reach the port layline early. Every crossing boat has right-of-way, and you must accept their tacking directly ahead and close to leeward. Expect to continue in that unhappy condition until you must tack onto the starboard layline.

And—insult piled on insult—you are persona non grata when you reach that starboard layline. The modern rules have made it almost impossible for a port-tack boat to tack into the starboard-tack parade close to the mark. Even a tack ahead and to leeward could be illegitimate as it may require an approaching starboard tacker to luff. And the approaching starboard tacker (who knows precisely where the layline is) is entitled to head down to convince you that you don’t belong there and cannot tack there. Your only escape may be to duck a half dozen crossing boats to find a hole in the column through which you can pass and tack to windward.

One should (almost) never approach the weather mark on the port layline (or within three boatlengths of that layline).

Avoid the starboard layline
Of course, as a consequence of the recognition of the risks inherent in the use of the port layline, “everyone” uses the starboard layline, and, although advised by every article ever written on the subject to avoid it until close to the mark, the majority tack onto it and line up early. But in a big fleet, reaching the starboard layline early is only slightly less onerous than reaching the port layline early. As a line of boats begins to form hundreds of yards from the mark, each boat adversely affects its followers by the cumulative effects of backwind, blanketing, and disturbed water.

When one tacks onto either layline, one abandons all hope of acquiring a subsequent strategic advantage and, until the mark is reached, commits oneself to sailing more slowly than those competitors who have yet to reach a layline. Clear air will increase the speed of—and a shift to their side will shorten the course of—every boat not on a layline, but the speed of every boat on a layline is limited by those in line ahead. The course—a straight line to the mark—cannot be reduced.

Avoid the near-mark picket-fence effect

Of course, every boat does eventually sail on the layline and near the mark, and consequently the picket-fence effect contributes to a marked disruption in airflow. To leeward and astern of a line of boats (and their accompanying blanket zones) for a distance of five mast heights, and to a lesser degree beyond that, the air flow is severely disturbed. Consequently, the third most undesirable place of transit when approaching the weather mark in a crowd is within five boatlengths to leeward of either layline.

Stick to a general plan

In uncongested conditions, pursue an advantage to within three lengths of the mark, but after that tack onto the starboard layline.

In congested conditions, tack onto the starboard layline as late as possible, but not less than five boatlengths/mast heights from the mark; i.e., to avoid the picket-fence effect, one must not approach within five boatlengths of either layline before reaching a position five boatlengths from the other. And by reaching the starboard layline at five boatlengths from the mark, one also avoids the restrictions on the port-tack boat tacking into position and is more likely to find a place to leeward of the starboard-tack parade in which to tack.

As one is sailing along five boatlengths to leeward of the starboard tack parade (or approaching it on port, five lengths to leeward of the port layline), one must be looking for a hole and, before tacking to starboard, deciding on whose bow one intends to tack.

Tack ahead and to leeward of a boat in the starboard-tack parade within five to eight boatlengths of the mark

In congested conditions, this is the means by which one may catch several competitors who were previously ahead. The farther back one joins the parade—although the maneuver itself becomes easier—the greater is the likelihood of loss, the less is the possibility of gain, and the more misery one must accept, and vice versa.

If, when approaching on port, there is no evident opening into which one may tack to leeward and/or if the air is light and/or the current adverse, the only solution is to reach off and wait for a hole through which one can cross the parade and tack to windward of it. And in these conditions—dense crowds, light air, or adverse current—it is far better to give up five (or more) boats, so as to be able to pass through the parade and tack above it. Then one will be to windward when rounding in a position that provides clear air and the opportunity to fill one’s spinnaker and drive over the congealed, airless pack fouling the mark to leeward.

However, in most circumstances—particularly in moderate air, smooth water, and (ideally) favorable current—there will be a hole to leeward into which one may safely tack. Each of the boats in the parade is working to keep upwind of the backwind of the boat ahead, which leaves a space directly astern of the boat ahead, a space that the boat approaching on port should notice and into which it can tack. Such a tack is made into backwind, but in moderate to heavy air, backwind can be tolerated for the five to eight lengths required to reach the mark.

The minimum space essential to the tacking boat must permit the completion of the tack (so that one is on the new closehauled course), either dead ahead or slightly to leeward of the approaching starboard tacker, before the latter is forced to initiate an avoidance move. Although you, the tacking boat, must complete your tack in a manner that permits the starboard-tack boat to avoid a collision, the latter must anticipate your acquiring right-of-way and be prepared to alter course abruptly, if necessary, so as to keep clear.

Know your boat’s capabilities in the wind extant, and presume that—in moderate to heavy air—you can safely tack close under a boat in the parade which is in relatively clear air, is sailing at least slightly above the line of the boats ahead, and is moving at or less than the speed of the other boats. Be wary of tacking to leeward of a boat that is below the layline, is in very disturbed air, and/or is severely slowed by the adverse conditions ahead. So long as you end up with your bow out from under the boat astern, you should be able to hold position for five to eight boatlengths (until the mark is reached), and then you can luff (up to head-to-wind, if necessary) to round.

Ultimately, the only way you are going to discover the techniques required, the risks involved, and the potential gains to be made is to try it a few times.

Pro Tip:

Shorter distance to the mark, smoother water and stronger air mean that a more daring tack can be used to get into the layline parade.

The post Smart Roundings at the Weather Mark appeared first on Sailing World.

It’s the ultimate bummer. The starting gun sounds, you’re in the front row and looking good. Just like they draw it up on the wipe board. Then there’s another horn, the X flag, and, after an excruciating wait, you hear your sail number on the VHF. You’re OCS and you can kiss a good result good-bye.

Don’t give up so quickly. An OCS is a hurdle for sure, one of the bigger ones you’ll ever face in your quest for a good result. But on the plus side, you’ve still got the whole race in front of you—not to mention whatever’s left of the regatta. Take a few deep breaths, and keep these tips in mind.

1. Stick to the game plan. So many times the frustration of being OCS causes teams to completely abandon the pre-start game plan. Here’s a perfect example, you’re OCS at the leeward end of the line, you clear yourself by jibing around the pin, and then you head off on port tack and go hard right only to see the left side come in strong, just like you’d predicted. It’s the ultimate double whammy! Don’t abandon all your pre-start research.

2. Work to get a clear lane. Sticking with the example above, your best opportunity to get to the left might be to clear yourself around the pin and tack back to starboard. You’ll be second row—or worse—but the separation from the boats that started properly may allow for you to execute the plan. However, this may also be a little bit of wishful thinking, especially in a big fleet. So instead of tacking right back to starboard and sailing in bad air, sail on port tack to take advantage of the lifts off of the backside of the fleet on starboard and choose a cleaner lane for your tack toward the left side of the race course.

3. Get out of phase (with the fleet). If neither side is strongly favored, look to find clean air by going against the grain: sailing on port when most of the fleet is on starboard, and vice versa. Sailing out of phase with the fleet will create separation and allow you to sail your boat at optimum speed. Groups of boats always tend to slow each other down. I am always amazed how long people will sail in a pack when tacking away would afford them much cleaner air.

4. Minimize tacks. Hitting a corner is one way to reduce the number of tacks. But it’s a risky call. If you decide to be more conservative, make sure to limit your tacks to the bare minimum. Double check your lanes and try to anticipate where boats ahead of you will tack.

5. Boat speed. This may seem obvious. Boat speed is always important. But it’s easy to get discouraged or distracted when looking at so many transoms. Redouble your efforts and focus. Every ounce of energy needs to go into sailing the boat fast.

6. Focus on short-term goals. Turn your OCS into a positive. Establishing short-term goals, for example, by only looking one mark ahead, helps the motivation on the boat. It can be difficult for everybody to put everything they have into hiking when it may all be for naught. A quick acknowledgment of the mistake is key. Identifying boats that can be picked off, or closed on, and then maintaining a constant dialogue of your progress will keep the team’s frame of mind as positive as possible.

The post Terry’s Tips: Recovering from an OCS appeared first on Sailing World.

Getting your boat properly balanced upwind is a challenge. The best sailors are always quick to find the fastest set up and get their boat consistently hitting target speeds. Good sailors will find the sweet spot here and there. The best do it in each race, no matter the conditions. It can seem like a dark art, however, there is no secret to getting your boat balanced. The boat will tell you everything you need to know.

To get a rough idea of your boat’s balance, trim to where the sails look good to the eye and let go of the tiller. A boat that turns quickly into the wind is either over trimmed on the mainsail or under trimmed on the jib. Conversely a boat that bears-away quickly is most likely over trimmed on the jib and under trimmed on the mainsail. Ideally you’d like to get the boat to a point where it tracks—i.e. sails straight—and can be driven, or will head up only slightly if you let go of the tiller. This slight amount of weather helm will indicate that you have some positive rudder angle.

When you find that balance, mark your sheets, both main and jib. These marks will provide reference points for the trimmers and helmsman. If you want to set up the boat with a narrow groove, you’ll want more sheet tension and tighter leech on both sails. A wider, more forgiving groove requires a little bit less tension on both sheets.

When you really get this right, the twist profiles of both sails will match. This can be difficult to see from onboard the boat. A chase boat with a camera is invaluable when trying to fine-tune the twist profiles of your upwind sails. If no chase boat is available, look toward the luff of the mainsail. A bubble there is caused by the blow back from the jib. If there is no bubble, chances are the jib is very flat or not trimmed on enough. Conversely a mainsail with a big bubble or one that is breaking up and luffing a lot will mean the lead is too far forward or the jib is trimmed too tightly for the conditions. Too much inhauler, if your boat has one, can also be the culprit. Experiment with the extremes so that you can see the cause and effect of having the jib lead forward or aft.

Once you have found the settings that create a similar twist profile for your main and jib, you want to get into a line up with other boats to check your speed and height. Working from your trim reference points, you can quickly fine-tune the mode by comparing your performance to other boats. In flatter water you should see sails that are trimmed flatter and harder. In chop it’s the opposite: deeper in the bottom and more twist up high to allow the helmsman more flexibility to drive through the waves.

Whenever you find a setting that works for a specific condition, make a note of the placement of your reference marks and of your sail controls—outhaul, Cunningham, boom vang, inhauler, jib car position—so you can repeat it when you see those conditions again, or when you get to the leeward mark and have to go upwind again. Finding the sweet spot for any combination of wind and waves is the hard part, repeating it should be easy.

No matter what, the basic principle still stands: Let the helm go and see which direction the boat wants to go. The boat will always tell you what you need to know.

The post Terry’s Tips: Finding Your Balance appeared first on Sailing World.

The ultimate goal of the warm-up session before racing is to eliminate surprises. I like to have between 70 and 90 minutes prior to the start as this will allow me a couple of opportunities to sail the first quarter of the beat as the committee is setting a course. So many times the subtle things happen early in a race that can determine the success of the first leg. The fewer the surprises for the first few minutes after the start, the clearer your decision-making will be.

My first priority upon arriving at the racecourse is to sail as much of the first beat as possible, set a spinnaker, and run back to the start line. During this time I focus on the upwind and make sure I have a good feeling for the beat. Getting to the top mark first is my top priority.

If we’re trying to decide between two headsails, we turn downwind partway up the beat, switch sails, harden up, and get a feel for which jib is doing a better job of balancing the boat.

While the trimmers and helmsman are getting a feel for the conditions, the correct sails, and the rig tune, the tactician should focus on all the tactical considerations. Check the current at different points on the racecourse, and see if the weather—both the general direction and velocity, and the timing of the shifts—matches with your forecast or what you know about this venue from previous regattas or local knowledge research. There are a lot of subtleties to study, and so the more time you can give yourself to identify what is or is not happening, the easier the decisions will be once the race begins.

If you’re presented with the opportunity to line up with another boat, take it. So many questions can be answered by positioning your boat two lengths from a competitor and speed testing. These tests can and should be lined up in advance with a reliable competitor; one you know will show up on time at the designated spot. Don’t take this agreement lightly, or blow it off. You may find it tougher to arrange the next time around.

The best line-ups will have the two boats fairly close together—to ensure you’re sailing in the same breeze—and the leeward boat either bow-even or slightly bow-forward. If you’re the leeward boat, be sure you allow the windward boat to sail normally. If you get too far forward, or too close, he’ll eventually fall into you and neither of you will learn very much. After 5 to 7 minutes of sailing, tack, switching windward-leeward positions, and repeat. I guarantee trends will be noticed.

Sometimes, however, you may not have 90 minutes. If you get to the top of the course area and there are only 45 minutes to go to the start, set the spinnaker right away, sail downwind, and round the race committee boat. From here do the first half of the beat and then relax for a bit. Get the boat ready to race, and discuss the general impressions of the legs just sailed.

Motoring past the top mark area and all the way to the start may seem like an efficient use of time, but it will often put the team into a frenzy as you try to pack all your research plus the upwind and downwind speed and boathandling warm up into a short period of time. Sailing downwind may take a little longer, but it allows the team to get in sync with the wind and waves and get a feel for the conditions. Plus by the time you’ve reached the committee boat, the team is warm, you’ve done the pre-race spinnaker set, and the whole crew can focus exclusively on the first-beat and upwind sail tune research.

Whatever time you have, use it wisely. I will almost always prioritize tactical and boatspeed research over boat-handling practice. You are not likely to solve bigger boat-handling issues in this short period of time. Instead, you’ll likely chew through all your warm-up time and go into the race without a strong idea of what to expect or whether the boat is going well in the conditions.

Finally, I always build in an 8- to 10-minute chill period before the start. This is enough time to discuss the upcoming race in a low-stress manner, and gives the team an opportunity to think about sail selection, and to fuel up and hydrate.

The post Terry’s Tips: Warm Up Right appeared first on Sailing World.

Good coaches in any sport usually advise their charges to focus on just a handful of ideas when they compete. This advice is especially potent in sailing because there are so many variables. Try to focus on them all, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Putting your emphasis on what’s important will keep you at the front of the fleet. Here are six general rules I keep in mind whenever I compete.

1. Stay in line at the start
Generally, the worst starts are a result of getting to the line too early. All of the other boats are just behind you, and when you slow down to avoid being over early, the trailing boats overlap you and steal your speed and maneuverability. At the gun, you’re in the front row, but going nowhere, and everyone else leaves you in the dust. Conversely, if you get behind the line of boats that set up 50 to 20 seconds before the start, you may never get through—especially in light air—and find yourself sucking bad air off the line.

Try this: When everyone starts to line up, get in there and keep your bow even with the other boats. Focus half of your energy on staying in line with the other boats and the other half on determining whether the line of boats is early or late. If you can’t determine where the line of boats stands relative to the starting line, when the guy next to you sheets on, do the same. Nine times out of 10, if you’re in the line of boats and sheet on at the right time, you’ll be in better shape than if you try something else.

** 2. Develop an anti-pack mentality**
Packs of boats go slow. This is especially true in light air. On the starting line, stay to the edges of the packs: maybe it’s just to leeward of a group of boats fighting for position at the committee boat, just to windward of a pack trying to win the pin, or on either side of a pack in the middle of the line. Staying on the edge keeps your options open and, more importantly, keeps you from being controlled by other boats. Plus, it usually keeps you in clean air at a very crucial time.

The same principle applies on upwind and downwind legs. When you see a pack forming, get to one side or the other. Tactical issues, such as trying to hold the inside position at an upcoming mark rounding, may determine the side you choose. Regardless, avoid running with the herd.

3. Stay lifted
This is Racing 101, and I’m sure you’ve read or heard this nugget of advice a million times, but it’s always worth repeating. Stay on the lifted tack as much as possible. It’s very difficult to predict the wind. The key is to take a little bit of a gain whenever you can and minimize the risk. Sailing on the lifted tack—the one where your bow points more toward the mark—always makes your VMG to the mark, at that moment, at least as good as any other boat out there.

If you’re on the headed tack, you should have a good reason to be going that direction, such as better pressure or a known geographical shift. While you’re on the headed tack, however, anyone on the lifted tack is making better progress toward the mark. There are a lot of reasons to sail a 5-degree header, but there are few good reasons to sail a 20-degree header.

4. Take the under
If you’re contemplating a tack, and there are boats coming the other direction, the smart move is to leebow instead of crossing, or letting them cross and tacking on their windward hip, or “hipping up.” The boat to leeward, and ahead, always has cleaner breeze. The boat to windward, and behind, is always in a compromised position. There’s also a psychological advantage to being the leeward boat. Seeing a boat in the window of your sails tends to make you pinch and go slower.

If you’re thinking about tacking because you’re getting headed or approaching a layline, you’ll want to lead the other boat to the next shift. If you cross them, or let them cross you, before tacking, you won’t be leading your opponent to the next shift. You’ll be following them. An exception to this would be when you’re sailing the lifted tack. If you leebow a boat that’s sailing on a headed tack you’ll obviously end up on the headed tack, too. Then, once the wind shifts and starts to lift, the boat you leebowed will gain because they are closer to the shift.

5. Plan ahead
Before you round a mark, determine in which phase the breeze is in and use this information to formulate your plan for the next leg. For example, if you’re on the lifted tack as you come into the windward mark, you’ll want to think about jibing after rounding the mark. And if you’re coming into the leeward mark on a headed port jibe, you’ll want to get on starboard tack as quickly as possible after rounding the mark. Make sure to discuss these plans with your crew before you begin any preparation for rounding. Then execute the rounding that best fits your plan. That means before the crew begins preparing for the spinnaker set while going upwind, and before the takedown begins going downwind. If you decide to continue on starboard jibe after the windward mark rounding, you don’t want to get caught low immediately after the mark and risk a trailing boat sailing high and stealing your breeze.

6. Warm up right
A common rule of thumb for sailors is to get to the racecourse at least an hour before the first start, giving you time to learn the course, work on your boatspeed, plan your start, etc. But there’s never enough time to do everything. So you must plan your warm-up time to suit the conditions.

If it’s really shifty, sail upwind and focus on learning the maximums and minimums (high and low headings) on each tack, and whether there’s a pattern to the shifts. Sail through a whole phase on one tack, from all the way headed to all the way lifted. When I sailed collegiately on upstate New York’s Lake Seneca, we would have races with 40-degree shifts. On one tack you’d be sailing toward the mark, and on the other you’d be sailing away from it. In such shifty conditions you’re better off spending your warm-up time on learning shifts than on boatspeed. Conversely, if the conditions are such that one side is usually favored, and there might be just a small shift or little bit of a pressure difference, 90 percent of that race, assuming you’ve had a good start, will be boatspeed related.

If you’re slow, there is no way you can have a great race. In this scenario, use your warm-up time to focus on boatspeed. Try to tune with one of the best teams. When they tack, you should do the same to stay with them. Make sure you start the race with a good idea how to set up your boat for the conditions. While doing this, however, keep an eye on the shifts. A timed split with another good team is one quick and effective way to learn the subtleties of the breeze. In those conditions, knowing that passing lanes will be few and far between, I would also practice starting, focusing on details such as accelerating off the line.

If there’s a favored side, practice a start that will set you up for that side of the course. The general idea is to pick an important factor for the upcoming race and practice that beforehand instead of, for example, something more general like spinnaker takedowns or roll tacking. Ideally, by the time you’re on the course, you’ll have those key basics down, and you can focus on what’s most important for the prevailing conditions.

Like anything in sailing, this list is far from foolproof. It’s all about playing the percentages, and avoiding unnecessary risk. Stick to this list—write them down on your deck or review them before each race—and more often than not, you’ll benefit. They will not win you every race—they may not win you any races—but they will prevent you from making many regatta-losing mistakes.

The post From the Experts: Focus on Success appeared first on Sailing World.

At some point in every race, and especially in the top half of the beat, you’ll be faced with a seemingly easy decision: “Should I cross (or pass behind) this pack of boats, or should I tack and stay with them?” The decision, however, is rarely straightforward. There are a lot of variables to weigh before making the call, and often very little time to do so. The choice between a tack and a dip can make all the difference in how you get to, and out of, the top mark.

Leading back on the open course, by tacking underneath a group of competitors, takes patience and speed. Speed will lead to patience and allow this conservative tactic to work more often than not. As a big fan of conservative mid-line starts, I continue to work on this concept in an effort to sail consistent, low-risk races. No one situation on the racecourse will be the same, however, so the focus here is to provide a couple of helpful tips that will hopefully work, and give you higher top-mark percentages.

First, let’s revisit speed and patience. The two go hand in hand, but it’s always worth reiterating the point that solid, conservative tactics start with good boatspeed. There’s no way around it. As a team, make sure you’re committing the appropriate amount of time and energy into developing boatspeed; everything else will fall into place.

Now, back to the subject at hand. When determining where I am on the racecourse and whether to lead a group back, I weigh three factors in my decision-making process: time to layline, traffic management, and windshift.

Let’s first examine time to layline.

The closer I am to the opposite-tack layline (for example, on starboard tack approaching the port layline), the more likely I am to tack under the group. The reason is simple. Allowing a group of boats to get bow out on the long tack increases the chances of them passing you. Even if you can cross a group of boats, there is a 50-percent chance of being passed because of a windshift favorable to them. If I am within 2 minutes of reaching a layline, especially the port-tack layline, I will most likely tack underneath and lead a group (or even a single competitor) toward the top mark. The likelihood of being passed because of a shift is small, and, realistically, if the shift goes toward the boats that are to the right or left, they were probably ahead already.

Otherwise, if I’m close to the top mark on port tack and looking to get in line, I won’t lead them back. This would be in situations in which I have less then 2 minutes sailing time to the top mark on the starboard-tack layline.

With more than 2 minutes, there’s a greater chance of either overstanding the top mark or sailing slow in the starboard parade, so I’d be inclined to tack underneath and lead back on an inside track, looking for an opportunity to get in line closer to the mark. In a persistent shift, rather than leading a group back, I’ll cross and set up to windward to be in position to take advantage of the shift.

The decision to lead back or not is most difficult when you’re halfway up the beat. When leading a group, I try to position the boat as close as possible to the pack, but still bow out. If you look at it from the perspective of sighting from where the helmsman sits, you always want the helmsman to turn his head to windward and see the windward boat just over his aft shoulder. The closer you are to the windward boat, the more disruptive your position will be. However, I never put myself so close that it prevents me from sailing my preferred mode.

What happens if you have to deal with a persistent windshift and traffic management? There’s a balance. If I’m approaching a group of five (it all depends on fleet size) or more boats, and I’m on the lifted tack with the times even to either layline, the decision is easy: sail the shift, even if you have to dip all five. Make every dip close! While dipping is no fun, as long as you’re in phase with the wind, you will be sailing the shorter distance to the top mark and against the traffic. Be careful in this scenario, however, because if you are truly on the lifted tack, then you can expect one of these other competitors to know it and tack on you. In the same scenario, and if the shift is even (meaning not headed or lifted), I will balance the traffic versus being able to sail my boat’s mode because bad traffic is just as bad, if not worse than, a bad shift.

Also consider every boatlength that you dip as a step down the imaginary ladder rung. The top of the ladder gets you to the top first or in the lead group. I use this concept to lead back. If, by tacking under a group in the middle of the course, I can go into a holding pattern, sail my mode, and wait for the next obvious decision, then I have, in effect, kept myself on the same ladder rung as the lead group.

In the middle of the course, with your bow in the front row, even though boats are getting leverage toward the sides, I am essentially using my boatspeed and patience until a higher percentage move becomes obvious. The most important point to consider with the ladder rungs as an example, is tack loss. Every tack costs boatlengths, so you must balance the tack loss against the dip loss. The best tacticians will do as little as two tacks on a beat and as many as five with the same result. So be mindful to not tack yourself up the middle of the course in an effort to play it safe as that won’t work either.

While we’ve discussed traffic already, I’d add that traffic on the starboard-tack layline must be avoided like the plague. If you have the option of either overstanding or tacking underneath the group and weaving through a couple of boats at the mark, take the latter, as doing so will keep you in the game. Overstanding by five or six lengths is succumbing to the inevitable. If, by tacking under the group and leading out of the right-hand side you have avoided traffic and kept your nose clear, there’s a good chance you are in a better spot at the top mark than had you overstood the layline.

Pro Tip: Leading on the Run
If we’re talking about a gate mark or the bottom of the course, I always prioritize clean air, wind shifts, and the direction I want to be going—in that order. Sometimes, you have to go the wrong way for clean air, but that is a gain over somebody going the right way, but sailing in dirty air.

The post From the Archives: When to Lead ‘Em Back appeared first on Sailing World.

The post Quantum Key West 2014: Day 1 Photos appeared first on Sailing World.

Sailing World kicks off the U.S. racing season with Quantum Key West 2014. Check out all of our photos, blogs, and videos from the event.

Photos by Onne van der Wal: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5

Jonathan McKee’s Key West Minute from_ Delta_ in the Melges 32 fleet

Terry Hutchinson’s Quantum Leaps blog from TP52 Quantum Racing

Editor Dave Reed’s Blog from the the Swan 42 Mahalo

Meredith Powlison’s blog from the HPR class_
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Stuart Streuli’s Slow Boat Chronicles from the Swan 42 Arethusa

Results

Daily press releases from Premiere Racing

A vintage photo gallery of the first Key West Race Week from J H Peterson

Event Homepage

Entry List

Tweets about “#QKeyWest”

SW’s past Key West coverage: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009,2001- 2008

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