• What the Experts Say
• Videos for Laylines
• Books for Laylines
• Links for Laylines
• What We Learned

What the Experts Say

Stuart Walker – “Smart Roundings at the Top Mark” – Sailing World

The shorter the distance remaining to the mark (but never less than three boatlengths), the smoother the water, the stronger the air, and the more favorable the current, the more daring can be the tack into the layline parade.

David Dellenbaugh – Smart Moves Near the Laylines (sailingbreezes.com)

The layline is a critical part of any windward leg because every boat has to get there eventually and, once they do, it’s a tactical dead-end. The closer you come to a layline, the fewer options you have, so you need smart tactics whenever you are approaching (or avoiding) it.

Jon Emmett – How to Hit the Right Layline (yachtsandyachting.com)

It’s tight at the top mark so you don’t want to sail any extra distance if you can help it.

Andrew Campbell – Stay Out of “No Man’s Land” – (campbellsailing.com)

Picking laylines from a distance is a challenge. Even with the best technologies, laylines are a fickle concept. They change as the breeze shifts and they’re affected by current.

Andrew Kerr – Laylines Revisited (s20.org)A team is certainly not going to nail every lay line but they can have a set of principles that can help them increase their chances of making a good call.

Videos for Laylines

Jon Emmett with a short video on laylines

First windward mark in the Laser Radial Olympic Medal Race, 2012. The Irish boat judges the Port layline prefectly and gets around the mark ahead of the fleet. A risky approach, but superbly executed. She also pulls off a good port tack approach at the second windward mark, finding a nice gap to round in second.

The USA get their Layline wrong in this clip and it costs them a lot of places

Some Optimists demonstrate the effect current can have on laylines, and the mayhem that can ensue when you get it wrong. Slower boats in a strong current can really struggle with this kind of situation.

Books with information on Laylines

• Ben Tan – Complete Introduction to Laser Racing, page 137
• Jon Emmett – Be Your Own Sailing Coach, page 82/83, 97/9,, 103-105, 113, 140

Websites and online articles for Laylines

Stuart Walker talks about approaching the windward mark (and avoiding joining the starboard tack parade too early)

Jon Emmett writes a great article on how to hit the right layline…and updates it here

A really good piece on approaching laylines

There is a good description of the dangers of hitting either layline too early at the beginning of this article.

A good article on laylines, with help for three common layline scenarios

Judith Krimski on learning to love laylines……and here talking about using laylines at the start

This article on rounding the windward mark has some good stuff about how close to get to laylines, and how soon to do it

A nice post about keeping clear air and room to manoeuvre on the approach to the top mark.

This helmsman looks at approaching laylines, and some of the tactics needed for a good windward mark approach

Find a brief description of Laylines in Chapter 5 here

What We Learned…

Well, the first thing we learned is there is a lot more to laylines than we’d thought, and this piece took a lot longer to put together than we’d thought it would.

Anyway.

What is a layline?

A layline is the straight line course you would sail to fetch an object, normally a mark of the course. Generally when people refer to laylines they are talking about the approach to the windward mark, but it also applies to the leeward mark (especially in the case boats with asymmetric spinnakers) and even startline buoys.

For most of the fleet, laylines are not our friend. The leader of the race wants to get the boats behind him to the layline for the windward mark as soon as possible, while sailors that want to overtake boats that are ahead want to get to the layline as late as possible, within reason.

And here is why: assuming the windward mark is a port rounding, the starboard tack layline is like a mini finish line. Or perhaps a better description might be that you have given yourself a “best achievable position” – i.e. you have established that you can’t overtake anyone that is ahead of you – you can only drop positions from where you are to the windward mark. Once you reach this layline you can’t take advantage of any shifts or changes in pressure. Worse than this, though, is the fact that boats you were ahead of, but that haven’t yet reached the starboard tack layline, can take advantage of shifts and pressure, and can potentially overtake you before the mark.

The other problem with hitting the starboard tack layline early is bad air from other boats. Once you are on the layline and making your approach to the windward mark you are a sitting duck for other boats to tack either above you on your wind, or on your lee bow. Both scenarios are slow, and can even lead to you failing to lay the mark as your pointing ability is affected. Not good.

Hitting the port tack layline early is also a bad idea. The same reasons for avoiding the starboard tack layline apply (inability to take advantage of shifts or pressure; bad wind from other boats), but there is the added problem of having no right-of-way. Boats coming round the windward mark ahead of you (with their heads in their boats as they hoist spinnakers and adjust sail settings) are on starboard; the boats approaching from the starboard tack parade are on starboard; and if you are going to have to tack within the three-boatlengths circle then you have virtually no rights at all. It is a pretty bad idea to have a long approach to the windward mark on the port tack layline.

So What Should You Do?

The general advice is:

• Follow the shifts until you are around five- to ten-boatlengths from the mark, then hit the starboard layline.
• Keep an eye on the starboard tack layline as you approach, looking for suitable gaps you can slot into.
• Don’t get within five boatlengths of the starboard tack parade before that time – i.e. keep clear air by staying well below any boats that are ahead of you and already on the laylines.
• Don’t overstand by more than a boatlength. In strong winds it can be worth overstanding by a boatlength to aid your rounding – you can ease the main earlier and get the boat nice and flat for the rounding.
• Be prepared for less wind at the mark and adjust your settings if appropriate
• Pay attention to current, wind and swell/waves. All of these can push you below the layline (or above in the case of current). Jon Emmett suggests using a three-quarter filled water bottle near a buoy before the start of the race to get an idea of how much effect the current might have. See the box at the end of this Jon Emmett article for further information on the effect current has on how you judge laylines.
• Know your mode – is pinching or footing quick in the prevailing conditions? Bear in mind how you want to be sailing the boat when deciding on where to tack for the mark.
• Likewise, know if you are on a lift or a knock as you approach your final tack. If you will be tacking onto a lift, be aware that you could get headed as you approach, so consider giving yourself a little extra room to account for this. Double tacks at the top mark can be slow, and if it is busy, they can be very messy.
• It may go without saying, but make sure your final tack is a good one – it will set you up for a good rounding. If necessary, sail half a boatlength further to tack in a flat spot.
• Stay out of trouble – it is not worth being in the right but being tangled with another boat and going nowhere.

Tips and tricks

You need to develop a reliable method of accurately judging a layline. Remember, you are aiming to be tacking for the mark from between 3 and 10 boatlengths out. It is very difficult to accurately call a layline from further out, not least because other boats may influence your pointing ability and boatspeed (which in turn can lead to more sideways drift), so tacking onto the final layline should not be done from too far out.

Tricks

• One simple trick is looking for the windward mark over your wrong (or back) shoulder. It depends on your boat’s pointing angle, but for a lot of boats, glancing over your wrong shoulder until you can see the top mark out of the corner of your eye can give you the correct time to tack.
• Another good way to judge the layline is to check if the boats slightly ahead of you are laying the mark. But beware because…
• …another trick on approaching the top mark can be to have a”fake heading”. As a boat crosses behind you, point your bow lower so you look as though you aren’t laying the mark. This can trick the following boat to sail a couple of extra boatlengths beyond the layline, giving you a little headstart on the downwind leg, with hopefully clearer air.

Tips

• In small fleets, or when the fleet is well spread follow the shifts right up to the three boatlengths circle, then tack for the mark
• In big fleets, or when the fleet is converging sail to between 5 and 10 boatlengths before tacking for the mark, so you avoid the port tack layline, have time to find a spot (and you’ll probably be able to squeeze in underneath the overstanders), and you’ll avoid the “snowfence effect”
• If someone tacks on your wind as you approach the windward mark on the layline, should you do two tacks for clear air or sail in the bad air?
  • It depends on the boat you sail, but the closer you are to the mark and the stronger the wind the less necessary it will be to do two tacks. The further away you are and the lighter the wind, the more likely it is that it will pay to throw in two tacks early.
• Should you sail on to tack on another boats wind on the layline, or tack on the layline?
  • You should tack on the layline, unless they are (a) a long way from the mark; (b) not overstood by much; and (c) other boats you are racing against are not a factor. Essentially, you should tack for the layline almost every time.
• You can practice picking laylines using this Pipeline Drill

The post Laylines for Dinghy Sailing appeared first on THE FINAL BEAT.

• What the Experts Say
• Videos for 720s
• Books for 720s
• Links for 720s
• What We Learned

What the Experts Say

This section will be completed soon…

Videos for 720s

A very good video of Jon Emmett doing penalty turns, with tips

A good example of a 360 by Rob Crane:

More penalty turns tips from sailgroove.org:

Tips for penalty turns courtesy of the RYA and their Optimist Coach Handbook:

Optimists practising penalty turns

Demonstration of a Topper doing a 720:

This video on boat control is excellent for understanding some of the skills needed to execute quick penalty turns:

Books with information on 720s

Ben Ainslie – Laser Campaign Manual, page 68

Paul Goodison – Laser Handbook, page 64

Ben Tan – Complete Introduction to Laser Racing, page 66

Websites and online articles for 720s

A video showing what a 720 actually is

A good article on doing fast penalty turns

How to do a legal (and fast) 720

Some great advice on when and how to do a penalty turn from top match racer Ian Williams

An article on the basics of doing penalty turns

What We Learned…

This section will be completed soon…

The post 720s and Other Penalty Turns appeared first on THE FINAL BEAT.

What the Experts Say

Jon Emmett – Be Your Own Sailing Coach

“A good leeward mark rounding is essential so you have clean wind for the upwind leg and the option to tack.”

Eric Twiname – Start to Win

“…the perfect rounding is the one that loses as little ground as possible and leaves your boat ideally placed to start the next leg, travelling fast.”

Jim Saltonstall – Race Training with Jim Saltonstall

“…in order to use less rudder, you must use your sail trim, boat trim and boat balance to maximum effect to turn the ship.”

Buddy Melges – Sailing Smart

“I prefer a spinnaker takedown to windward…because I think it not only pulls the boat into the spinnaker and produces a bit more drive, but it also reduces the chance of a mess if the sail decides to turn inside out and flail off to leeward.”

Videos for Leeward Gates and Gybe Marks

Jon Emmett on leeward mark roundings:

A GP14 leeward mark rounding in light airs:

Olympic Gold Medallist Sarah Ayton with some racing tips, including these ones for leeward mark roundings:

Leeward mark roundings in an E-Scow:

Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson on leeward mark roundings in an Optimist…

…and a Laser:

Andrew Scrivan with a Leeward mark rounding in a Laser:

Books with information on Leeward Gates and Gybe Marks

Pretty much every book about sailing has something on leeward gates or leeward marks. I’ve listed the main ones I’ve used below, but these three are the ones I found most useful. It goes to show that sometimes the old ones really are the best ones:

The Top 3 Books for Help with Leeward Gates or Leeward Marks

• Buddy Melges – Sailing Smart, pages 160-165, 169, 170, 171
• Jon Emmett – Be Your Own Sailing Coach, pages 83, 86-90
• Eric Twiname – Start to Win, pages 167-174
• Paul Goodison – Laser Handbook, pages 58-59, 138, 139, 142
• Dick Tillman – The Complete Book of Laser Racing, pg 57
• Jon Emmett – Coach Yourself to Win, pages 63-64
• Nick Craig – Helming to Win, page 50
• Ben Ainslie – Laser Campaign Manual, page 93
• Ben Tan – Complete Introduction to Laser Racing, page 73 and page 150
• Tim Davison – The Laser Book, pages 119-121
• Jim Saltonstall – On Course to Win, pages 84-86
• Ed Baird – Laser Racing, pages 54 and 56

Websites and online articles for Leeward Gates and Gybe Marks

This article on leeward gates covers most of the main areas when approaching leeward gates

The third article on this web page has some useful ideas about Leeward Gates

This article on Racing Basics gives a brief description in Chapter 5 of gybe mark and leeward mark roundings

This article gives some good advice on the approach to leeward gates and the exit from them

A Laser sailor goes over some important lessons from regatta sailing, including stuff about leeward gates

Some of the tactics for gybe and leeward mark roundings are discussed towards the end of this article

This photo workshop has some useful points regarding leeward mark roundings

This article mentions the “slow-zone” you can get at the leeward gate or mark, and how to get through it with the least difficulty

This useful article covers giving mark room at the leeward mark. And this article has some further clarification

What We Learned…

The leeward mark or leeward gate is a very important part of any race. You can stand to gain or lose a lot of positions in a very short space of time if you get it right or wrong – so practising this area has the potential to improve your results quite a lot.

There are two key areas to getting the leeward mark rounding right – the tactical and the practical. This piece covers the practical – the sailing techniques you need to make a fast rounding; you can find the tactical stuff here.

Leeward Mark Technique

Leeward mark technique can be broken down into a three basic areas:

• The approach
• The sheeting
• The steering

Approaching the Leeward Gate or Mark

The first thing about approaching the leeward mark or gate is to know what you want to do on the beat, and this is covered here.

The second thing to remember when approaching the leeward mark is that you want to have a wide entry and a tight exit. This should be second nature – completely automatic. If it isn’t, then practice till it is.

Once you have an idea where you’re going on the next leg and you’re ready for a nice wide entry to the rounding, your approach should be dominated by a routine.

Routines are important. They make a lot of the work second nature or automatic, freeing you up to keep your head out of the boat and watching for opportunities or problems. So decide on a routine, and practise it religiously – Jon Emmett recommends always finishing your practice on a leeward mark rounding as it is such an important skill. The practice will pay off – it will improve your roundings immensely – and you’ll also find it easier to replicate in pressure situations.

Different boats will have different routines depending on what you need to get done – a Sunfish sailor’s routine will be quite different to someone that sails a Flying Scot, for example – so figure out what is needed for your boat and plan a routine accordingly. Here’s a suggestion, which you can add to or remove from as appropriate:

• Lift board fully to check for weed, then fully lower for upwind leg. Also check rudder at this time.
• Adjust outhaul to upwind settings;
• Adjust rig tension;
• Drop kite;
• Adjust cunningham;
• Adjust kicker;
• Round the mark;
• Fine tune a re-check all settings.

The idea behind your routine is to get the boat fully set up for the next leg before the mark, whilst impacting on your current speed as little as possible. For this reason, you need to know what your speed-killers are: as an example, for some classes putting the cunningham on will really slow the boat, so it may be worth doing this after the kicker rather than before.

Knowing your speed-killers has one other important advantage. Occasionally, for tactical reasons, you will need to slow your boat down as you approach the mark: perhaps to avoid being on the outside of another boat or boats, or to give yourself a little room behind a slow moving boat ahead. The last thing you want is to have to really slow suddenly or duck to leeward to avoid a collision with the boat ahead – you’ll be on the outside of the rounding despite all your best efforts, and start the windward leg in a bad position.

Slowing a boat down on the run isn’t always easy, and different things work better with different boats. Here are some things to try and to practice:

• Over-sheet: effective but beware of an unwanted gybe
• Collapse the spinnaker
• Drop the kite early
• Tighten sail controls early or excessively: can help, but not as useful as some other techniques if you need to slow a lot
• Sail a zig zag course using a lot of rudder: a good way to slow down if you have the room around you – just be careful of other boats.
• Move your weight aft to dig the transom into the water: I use this a lot, and on some boats it is incredibly effective

Sheeting at the Leeward Mark

How hard can it be to sheet in correctly?

If you’re thinking “Not very hard at all” then you’re 100% correct.

But just because it is easy doesn’t mean that everyone does it right.

You should use hand-over-hand sheeting the whole way round the racecourse, but it is especially important to be able to do it well for your leeward mark roundings – you have to get a lot of sheet in very quickly. Here is Nick Thompson demonstrating how it is done:

(By the way – if you are a Laser sailor, then you really should watch the whole video – it is a brilliant view of how to sail a Laser fast. Also, in his book Start to Win, Eric Twiname describes a rounding “from a run to a beat with a gybe at the mark” as the most difficult of all – doesn’t Nick make it look easy(ish)?)

If possible, you should even use your sheeting to help the boat turn to windward – matching your sheeting to the turn. However, this isn’t always possible. If you watch the Nick’s mark rounding closely you’ll notice that his the front half of his sail flaps as he heads up to close hauled – he’s turned faster than he has sheeted in.

This is deliberate. When it is breezy it takes a lot more energy, and is a lot slower, to pull in a mainsail that is full of wind than one that is flapping. So rather than heaving in the sail slowly, Nick turns up quicker and sheets in rapidly, a much more effective technique. Steve Cockerill also recommends it in his Boat Whisperer DVDs.

In two-sail boats co-ordination is important. The helm needs to sheet as with a one-man boat, and the crew should sheet slightly slower than the helm. If the jib comes in too fast then the boat fights the turn a little, meaning more rudder and a slower exit. It is better to have the jib luff a little through the turn than to have it jammed in suddenly.

A final note on the above video – unless you’re a double world champion it is probably worth gybing before you get to the mark in breezy conditions – it is one less component of the rounding to worry about. If you must gybe at the mark, then make sure your controls are on early, except the vang if it is breezy.

Steering Around the Leeward Mark

As mentioned earlier, you need to aim for a wide entry and a tight exit when rounding the leeward mark. Something like this:

If you enter too tight you will exit wide, meaning more distance to sail upwind, and possibly bad air from boats just ahead. It may also limit you tactically – boats behind may stop you from tacking as they sit on your windward hip.

As with all directional changes, the aim should be to use as little rudder as possible. This means using a little leeward heel to initiate and aid the turn. Exaggerate this heel a little in light winds, and keep it minimal in heavier breezes – in heavy conditions you’re likely to be heeled as you turn into the wind anyway, and too much heel will lead to sideways slippage which is something you want to avoid.

Finally, keep the turn smooth, and allow the rudder to follow the turn, using the sheeting to help as you go.

To sum up:

• Know what you want to do on the next beat
• Have a routine
• Think “wide in, tight out”
• Practice your sheeting technique
• Use heel and sheeting to turn the boat
• And, as always, keep it smooth

Easy.

The post Racing to Win – Leeward Gates and Leeward Marks appeared first on THE FINAL BEAT.

About the Sunfish

The Sunfish dinghy is a single-handed, pontoon style dinghy, with an un-stayed mast and a lateen sail. It has a simple rig set-up, making it good for beginners, but the class is hugely popular with a very competitive racing scene.

With over 300,000 sold worldwide there is an argument that it is the most popular fibreglass boat ever produced. They are hugely popular boats in the United States, and this popularity is spreading into South America and parts of Europe too.

Videos for Sunfish Sailing

On board at a World Championship:

Tips from the top of the fleet from the Midwinters in 2019:

David Loring talks about his technique when sailing in a breeze, and also briefly his fitness regime:

Andrea Aldana with some pointers on setting up and sailing in a breeze:

Sailing with Bill Brangiforte

Video from the Worlds in 2011:

Some tips for Sunfish Sailors

Rigging the boat:

Adjustable Hiking Strap design

Sail a Frostbiting Race from the comfort of your own home (including a capsize at 27 mins 55 secs)

Books for Sunfish Sailing

Specific for Sunfish Sailing

The Top 3 Class Specific Books (All in One!)

This book has the main three books in one, so it is definitely the best class-specific book there is. If you only need one of the titles, then all three are still available separately, and I’ve listed them below.

The Sunfish Bible by Will White, Derrick Fries and Larry Lewis

The Other Class-Specific Books

General Books Useful for Sunfish Sailors

The Bestsellers

These three books will help any sailor improve in any class of boat.

Sailing Fitness

You need to be physically fit to do well – even just a little bit of all-round fitness can improve your results a lot. These books are all helpful in designing a program that works for you. My favourite is Sailing Fitness & Training by Michael Blackburn.

Psychology

Getting your head right can be as important as getting your technique right. These books will all help with this area, and the Eric Twiname book, Sail, Race and Win is possibly my all-time favourite book on how to improve your sailing

Books for Self-Coaching by Olympic Coach Jon Emmett

Jon Emmett coached Lijia Xu to an Olympic Gold Medal, and is a multiple World Champion himself. These well written books share the secrets of how to coach yourself and improve your sailing.

Sailing Technique and Performance Books by Frank Bethwaite

Frank Bethwaite is a bit of a legend – relentless in his pursuit to understand high performance race craft. His two bigger books (High Performance Sailing and Higher Performance Sailing) can be quite dense to read while Fast Handling Techniques is lighter and easier to read. All are hugely important.

…and finally, Three Absolute Classics

These three books are nailed-on classics – books that have helped generations of sailors and are still relevant today. Start to Win is a good, relatively basic book that will help get you to the front of the fleet; Winning in One Designs is widely regarded as essential reading for one-design sailors; and Advanced Racing Tactics is more in-depth, is a tougher read, but will help with a lot of in-race strategy.

Links for Sunfish Sailors

Class Information

• The International Sunfish Class Association
• The Netherlands Sunfish Racing Class

Boat Set-up, Boat Handling and Other Tips

• Tuning Guide
• Rigging Manual from Laser Performance
• Sunfish Knowledge Base
• Sunfish Rigging Guide by Eduardo Cordero
• Sunfish Racing Sail Bending On and Tuning Guide
• Windline Sails “How-to” section
• Rule 37.3, and another post on this piece of rigging
• Storing sails
• Foil repairs
• A useful boat repair video
• Want to make your own dolly? Or how about a road trailer?

Mike Ingham on sailing in a big fleet:

David Mendeblatt gives some tips on setting the boat up for sailing in a breeze, and includes the basics of his fitness regime:

One of the many great things the class does is provide “Words of Wisdom” from top sailors explaining the things that they felt were key to them doing well in particular regattas. It is always great when top sailors pass on information and tips that will be useful to other sailors, and this class is particularly good at doing this. Have a read and find out what the best sailors focus on:

• Conner Blouin on adjusting to shifty lake conditions
• Amanda Callahan’s WOW: Lessons learned during a global pandemic
• Greg Gust on heeling to windward upwind and other tactical situations
• Conner Blouin on downwind Sunfish sailing

Andy David:

• Fall Frostbiting 2013
• Bolton Lake Regatta, 2013
• Fall 2012 Season

Bill Brangiforte

• Wequaquet Lake Regional, 2013
• World Championship 2012
• Frostbite Series, 2011-2012
• International Masters 2012
• December 18th 2011
• Juan Delgado
• Fitness, Aging and Sunfish Racing
• December 2010
• Random Thoughts on the 2010 Season
• Barrington Regional 2009
• Spring Frostbiting 2009
• Lewes NAs words of wisdom from 2010 NA champ

Forums for Sunfish Sailors

• Yahoo Group – Sunfish Sailor
• The Sunfish Forum
• The Sunfish Sailing in the Midwest Yahoo Group

Blogs and Blog Posts

• My2Fish
• Massapoag Sunfish Sailing News
• Sunfish 3929
• Proper Course (it’s not all about Lasers…)

The Vital Statistics

Suggested sailor weight range: 55kg to 90kg (120lbs to 190lbs)

• Hull Material: Fibreglass
• Year designed: around 1953
• Length: 4.19 metres
• Beam: 1.24 metres
• Mainsail Area: 7.0 square metres
• Hull Weight: 54 kg

Who’s Who in Sunfish

• Alexander Zimmerman
• Matheus Dellagnelo
• Jonathan Martinetti
• David Loring
• Paul Foerster
• Sebastian Mera
• Lucas Gonzales
• Eduardo Cordero
• Malcolm Smith
• Paul Jon Patin
• Stephen Smeulders
• Scott Kyle
• Donnie Martinborough
• Bruce Sutphen
• Andy Pimental
• John Kostecki
• Dave Chapin
• Cor van Aanholt
• Pierre Siegenthaler
• Paul Fendler
• Serge Marsolle
• Bob Bowles
• Ted Moore
• Gary Hoyt
• Bill Brangiforte
• David Mendelblatt
• Andres Ducasse
• David Gonzalez
• Jonathon Martinetti
• Doug Kaukeinen
• Andy David

The post Sunfish appeared first on THE FINAL BEAT.

• What the Experts Say
• Videos for Averting a Death Roll
• Books for Averting a Death Roll
• Links for Averting a Death Roll
• What We Learned

What the Experts Say

Paul Goodison, Laser Handbook

The worst thing you can do is sheet out or alter course as this makes the boat unstable and uncontrollable

Steve Cockerill in The Complete Introduction to Laser Racing (by Ben Tan)

If you pull it (the tiller) towards you, the rudder becomes a lowering plane and drives the boat deeper “by the lee” and forces the boat upright

Ed Baird, Laser Racing

…keep your hands in front of your body. When you start to roll to windward trim the mainsheet in while reaching across with your tiller extension in hand and, trying to head the boat up at the same time, grab the leeward rail to pull your body to the leeward side

Ben Ainslie, The Laser Campaign Manual

…push the tiller away, sheet in slightly and (if you have all your weight on your legs) move slowly into the cockpit.

Dick Tillman, The Complete Book of Laser Sailing

…lower the centreboard…5 to 10 inches. If you’re still rolling, trim the mainsheet 1 or 2 feet

Mark Rushall – Yachts and Yachting, June 2011

• learn to anticipate and feel the causes
• take preventative action
• don’t be greedy – watching the speedo as you power down a wave is fun – but remember to head up early and keep control

…(and) ‘Keep the boat under the rig’

Videos for Averting a Death Roll

A nice, concise video on how to avoid death rolling. The accompanying article is linked to in the links section, or can be found here.

Nice save! Watch this helm steer in to the death roll and avert disaster:

You can see this sailor signing their own death roll warrant as they push the tiller away sending the boat to its watery grave:

Proof that the death roll is timeless and that it can happen to people in big boats too

Books with Information on Averting a Death Roll

Ben Tan – Complete Introduction to Laser Racing, page 49

Dick Tillman – Complete Book of Laser Sailing, page 14 and page 155

Jon Emmett – Be Your Own Sailing Coach, page 182

DVDs with information on Averting a Death Roll

The Boat Whisperer Downwind DVD

Websites and online articles for Averting a Death Roll

A nice article on why death rolls happen and how to avoid them

This is a good post on avoiding death rolls in boats with spinnakers

This article on sailing by the lee has lots of help on how to avoid death rolls

What We Learned…

This is a little tricky, because the experts don’t all agree on how best to avert a death-roll. Not ideal for our purposes, but here is what we learned from reading and listening to the experts and from trial and error too.

Stayed Rigs

Stayed rig boats (boats with shrouds, etc.) are less liable to death-roll than un-stayed rigs. That said, it is still an issue in the upper wind range at times.

Generally, the advice is to avoid sailing too “deep”, i.e. don’t sail dead downwind, and don’t sail by the lee in high winds. This keeps the flow from mast to leech which stabilises the boat, and also means that if you go into a death roll then you are less likely to have a sudden gybe and capsize.

If a death-roll does start, then don’t react too dramatically to it, as your weight will act as a stabilising agent. Sheet in a bit (maybe 1 to 2 feet), and point up a little. Use your weight gently to act against the movement, but, as mentioned above, don’t leap about the boat.

If it is happening regularly then tighten your vang a little (which will take some of the twist out of the sail, stopping it pushing you in top windward), and put the centreboard down a few inches to make rocking motions more difficult for the boat to perform as it will have to drag more of the board through the water.

Boats with Spinnakers

If the boat suddenly rolls to windward then trim on the kite and the mainsheet. This stops the kite from pulling the boat in more to windward. Ease the kite again once the danger has passed.

Also, try not to be too greedy in sailing dead downwind. Broad reach more if the boat is unstable. And make sure that the kite is stable and not swinging around too much using the uphaul.

Un-stayed Rigs

This is where it all gets a little messy. The experts differ in opinion as to the best way to deal with death-roll situations, but there is some consensus, so let us start with where they all agree.

Firstly, sheet in a little. If the boat starts coming over on top of you, then sheeting in 1 to 2 feet should help counter the effect. It is important not to sheet in too much, because if a gust hits then the boat will want to point up. In a breeze this can cause sudden leeward heel, and if the boom hits the water then you’re in trouble. Be prepared to use the mainsheet to help counteract whatever is happening – ease if you’re heeling to leeward, sheet in if you’re heeling to windward.

Secondly, tighten the vang a little. It may be that the kicker is a little too loose, allowing the upper leech to get too far forward. This has the effect of pushing the mast forward and, critically, to windward – hence the death roll. Don’t tighten it loads, but add some tension to counter the effect.

Thirdly, lower the board a few inches. As described in the stayed rigs section, this makes it more difficult for the boat to oscillate quickly, buying you some time to react and making the situation less dramatic.

This is where the consensus ends.

There is some disagreement about what to do with the rudder. Some say head up a little (i.e. push the rudder away from you), and some say bear away (i.e. pull the tiller towards you). And some say don’t alter course!

So that is what we learned from the experts. What did we learn from putting all this into practice?

Firstly, all the points on which they agree are indeed helpful.

As for the rudder, I found bearing away far more stabilising than pointing up. The act of bearing away naturally flattens the boat due to the angle at which the water flows over the rudder when it is healed to windward, and, added to sheeting in a little, this can save even quite dramatic death-rolls. Also, the boat is heeling to windward for one or both of two reasons:

1. The sheet is too far out, and the boat wants to bear away to bring itself into equilibrium. This is the same reason that we ease the sail quickly at the windward mark to bear away quickly and naturally.
2. The vang is too loose, pushing the leech in front of the mast (as described above).

In either of these scenarios, bearing away helps the boat towards an equilibrium, stabilising it quickly.

Incidentally, bearing away in these situations has one more benefit. As you bear away you stabilise the flow of the sail to a leech-to-mast flow, a by-the lee flow. You also flatten the boat (often quite rapidly) from having been heeling to windward. This has the effect of a pump, actually accelerating the boat.

So that is what we found. I’m a little uncomfortable finding myself disagreeing with Ben Ainslie, Dick Tillman and Ed Baird, but I can only go on experience. Interestingly, Ben Ainslie also writes that “if the roll isn’t too dramatic you can sometimes use it to turn away and sail by the lee”, suggesting that he also finds the bearing away option useful. My recommendation would be to try both methods and see what works for you.

I’d be really interested to see what methods other people use to avert death-rolls, so feel free to let me know in the comments below or by email.

Blog Posts on Death Rolls

Learning not to Death Roll

The post Averting a Death Roll appeared first on THE FINAL BEAT.

• What the Experts Say
• Videos for Approaching the Windward Mark
• Books for Approaching the Windward Mark
• Links for Approaching the Windward Mark
• What We Learned

What the Experts Say

Ben Tan – Complete Introduction to Laser Racing

The decision on which approach to take is dependant on:

• Your upwind race strategy…
• Wind shift…
• The expected crowd…

Jon Emmett – Be Your Own Sailing Coach

When approaching the windward mark, make sure you do not allow room for other boats to tack inside you

Videos for Approaching the Windward Mark

Some thoughts on whether to do a straight rounding or a gybe-set from the British Sailing Team:

A good example of shooting the Windward Mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ps0VFNwk4U#t=14

A useful video about some of the rules considerations:

Books with information on the tactical considerations when approaching the windward mark

Complete Introduction to Laser Racing – Ben Tan, page 137

Be Your Own Sailing Coach – Jon Emmett, page 83 and page 88

Websites and online articles with information on the tactical considerations when approaching the windward mark

This is a really good article on rounding the windward mark and the tactical considerations involved in a successful rounding

This is another great article on the tactics involved in windward mark approaches and roundings

This article gives a good, brief description of some of the key tactical considerations when approaching the windward mark

An enjoyable article covering some key tactical points for a windward mark approach

In this piece the author discusses some of the key tactical considerations that need to be thought out before you reach the windward mark

There is some useful advice on getting control of the windward mark rounding towards the end of this article

This article mentions the “slow-zone” you can get at the windward mark, and how to get through it with the least difficulty…

…and this piece describes an unusual but effective way of skipping past the “slow-zone” in the right circumstances.

This is an excellent article on the importance of understanding persistent shifts, and there is a practical example of the end of the persistent shift at the end of the windward leg in this post

What We Learned…

Approaching the Windward Mark: the Tactical Considerations

The windward mark can be a busy place, especially in big fleets, and even more so on the first lap. You need to have your head out of the boat well before you get to the mark, and assess how the fleet is shaping up and where you fit into the picture. There are quite a few things you need to think about as you decide how you will approach the mark:

• Your fleet position
• Your upwind strategy
• The type of boat you are sailing
• Your confidence in your boat-handling
• The windshift you are in, and what you expect the wind to do as you approach the mark
• What you want to do on the subsequent leg

First and foremost of these is where you are in the fleet – this is always going to be crucial in how you decide you will approach the mark, whilst your upwind strategy may naturally lead you to approach the mark from one side or the other.

Up amongst the leaders

If you are leading or amongst the first few boats then things are a lot simpler. You can sail the shifts right up to the mark, and your priority is to get around cleanly and accelerate away from the pack as much as possible before they round the windward mark after you. The greater the distance, the easier your position will be to defend. One way to assist accelerating away from the pack is to make sure that your final tack onto starboard is not right on the windward mark unless there is a very good reason to do this. The reason you should tack a little earlier than right on the mark is that you will have better momentum as you round the buoy, helping you to pull away from the mark more quickly.

If you are in direct competition with one other boat, then you can also use the lay-lines to defend your lead. When the boat you are defending from is sailing away from a lay line, cover them tightly to try and force them to tack towards the lay-line; when they are sailing towards the lay line, place only a loose cover on them, to encourage them to continue in that direction. As soon as the following boat hits a lay line, there is no reason that they should be able to overtake you: they can no longer play the shifts to overtake you, and you have the option of sitting on their wind all the way to the top mark. Obviously, if you are the trailing boat, you need to try to stay away from the lay-line as long as possible – try and break cover early to give yourself as much opportunity to overtake as possible.

In the pack

Once you are back in the pack things get a little more interesting. You need to start thinking about how the fleet is shaping up as they approach the top mark.

You will almost always find a lot of boats hitting the starboard tack lay-line early (especially in big fleets). Consider how congested the fleet is: ideally you don’t want to hit this lay-line early, for a few reasons:

1. The earlier you hit a lay line, the harder it is to judge it exactly
2. The earlier you hit the lay line, the more susceptible you are to windshifts leading to you overstanding or not laying the mark
3. The earlier you hit the lay line, the more other boats positioning is likely to affect your approach to the mark

For most club racing and a lot of big fleet racing there tends to be other options. If you think there may be gaps to sail into in the ‘starboard tack parade’ then you should continue to play the shifts as you approach the mark, making sure that you keep clear air. All the time you do this you are making gains on those that are on the lay line – they can’t tack on headers, and if they are in bad air so much the worse for them. Try to keep to the left of the fleet until the last moments, then approach on port and find a gap: you may be able to tack in below boats that have overstood the mark, or duck a stern or two before tacking onto starboard and rounding the buoy. This is an area where four things become important:

1) The type of boat you’re sailing

a) Some boats handle bad air better than others: if your boat slips sideways a lot in bad air then you need to take this affect into account before tacking below overstanding boats. Even if you aren’t originally in bad air, remember that they may be sailing slightly freer (and therefore faster) than you, and if they roll you then you are stuck in bad air and with a wake that is gently nudging you below the mark.

b) Some boats (generally high-performance boats) foot very well. If your boat foots well then it can be well worth while overstanding by a boatlength or two and footing to the mark rather than trying to pinch from below the pack. However, if this isn’t the case, your better option may be to tack on the layline below the pack.

c) If you are sailing in a mixed fleet, think about your boat’s characteristics as compared with the other boats: good at pointing/pinching – tack underneath; good at footing – duck sterns.

2) Your confidence in your boathandling

a)  Don’t attempt to pull off the perfect tack, just on someone’s lee bow, inside the two/three boatlength circle if you can’t do it 19 times out of 20. You are very vulnerable to being called for tacking in an opponent’s water, and 720s aren’t good for race results

b) That said, don’t be afraid, though, of tacking tightly under other boats. If you’ve practiced your tacks enough, and are confident of laying the mark, then go for it – it is a good way of picking up valuable positions.

3) The windshift phase you are in

a) If you think the ‘starboard tack parade’ are on a header and laying the mark, and you expect the wind to oscillate them onto a lift, then you can tack under them reasonably confident that you will be able to fetch the mark

b) If you think they are on a lift that will change into a header, then ducking sterns can help you roll boats as they realise they aren’t going to make the mark and start pinching

4) Your plan for the next leg

a) If you want to go high on the reach, or right on the run, ducking sterns and overstanding slightly might be a better option if it is possible, as it will give you the freedom to go in that direction with minimal fuss

b) Likewise, if you want to go low on the reach, or left on the run, try to tack under overstanding boats if the option is there.

Be very conscious, however, that you are very vulnerable under the rules if you enter the two/three boatlengths zone on port tack – don’t leave it that late unless you’re sure you can get around without any difficulties. Along with this, remember your momentum – if you tack right on the windward mark you may have less momentum than those that have approached on starboard, and may be susceptible to being rolled early on the next leg.

Shooting the Windward Mark

If you are just short of the lay-line you may be able to shoot the mark. It is well worth practicing this a little so that you are aware of what you can do, and also when you will need to throw in a double tack. Heavier boats tend to shoot better as their momentum carries them further, whilst lighter boats tend to slow more quickly. Also, some boats are better at pinching: a lot of modern boats tend to slow a lot when pinching above their best course, leading to less foil grip and therefore sideways slippage. In these cases pinching is counter-productive as the distance you gain from pinching is more than lost in sideway slippage and lack of speed. If you think you can shoot the mark then generally the best method is to continue sailing normally until the last second, then heeling the boat to leeward to assist the boat pinching up to windward. As you bring the boat flat the squirt of speed should be enough to squeeze you past the windward mark.

One final thing to remember: even if you are in the right, do your best to stay out of trouble. Being in a collision, even a minor one, is slow, so avoid them. By all means know and use the rules, but not at the expense of your race position.

The post Approaching the Windward Mark – the Tactical Considerations appeared first on THE FINAL BEAT.

• What the Experts Say
• Videos for Approaching the Leeward Mark
• Books for Approaching the Leeward Mark
• Links for Approaching the Leeward Mark
• What We Learned
• Leeward Gate Decision-Making Flowchart

What the Experts Say

Nick Craig – Helming to Win

“…the earlier you form a plan for your leeward mark rounding, the better chance you have of executing it well.”

Buddy Melges – Sailing Smart

“When you are approaching a leeward mark, note the angle your transom makes relative to your opponent…A boat that …changes course at the…circle can break the overlap and therefore does not have to give an opponent buoy room going round the mark.”

Jim Saltonstall – Race Training with Jim Saltonstall

“…slow down, let those ahead of you make the mistake while you make the better rounding and gain heaps on those who did not.”

Rodney Pattisson – Tactics

“If you are chasing one other boat blanket her late so you shoot alongside a few lengths from the mark; this gives her little time to regain the upper hand.”

Ben Tan – The Complete Introduction to Laser Racing

“…before you enter the … circle, verbally declare your rights to the surrounding boats.”

Videos for Approaching the Leeward Mark

This video on downwind sailing (and particularly downwind overtaking) shows how the protagonist is always looking to get the inside rounding at the leeward mark.

Books with information on Approaching the Leeward Mark

Pretty much every book about sailing has something on leeward gates or leeward marks. I’ve listed the main ones I’ve used below, but these three are the ones I found most useful. It goes to show that sometimes the old ones really are the best ones:

The Top 3 Books for Help with Leeward Gates or Leeward Marks

• Buddy Melges – Sailing Smart, pages 160-165, 169, 170, 171
• Jon Emmett – Be Your Own Sailing Coach, pages 83, 86-90
• Eric Twiname – Start to Win, pages 167-174
• Paul Goodison – Laser Handbook, pages 58-59, 138, 139, 142
• Dick Tillman – The Complete Book of Laser Racing, page 57
• Jon Emmett – Coach Yourself to Win, pages 63-64
• Jim Saltonstall – Race Training with Jim Saltonstall, pages 123-124
• Nick Craig – Helming to Win, page 50
• Ben Ainslie – Laser Campaign Manual, page 93
• Ben Tan – Complete Introduction to Laser Racing, page 148
• Tim Davison – The Laser Book, pages 119-121
• Jim Saltonstall – On Course to Win, pages 84-86
• Ed Baird – Laser Racing, pages 54 and 56

Websites and online articles for Approaching the Leeward Mark

A good, brief description of the main tactical considerations of leeward gates can be found here

This article on leeward gates covers a lot of the main tactical points when approaching the leeward mark

This is a very useful piece on how to choose the correct mark in a Leeward gate rounding

A basic description of the tactical considerations of leeward mark roundings can be found here

This photo workshop has some good tactical points for leeward mark roundings on the last page

This piece covers communication between boats in the approach to the leeward mark

This article mentions the “slow-zone” you can get at the leeward gate or mark, and how to get through it with the least difficulty

In these two articles the author first describes how to pass a boat at the leeward mark, then describes how to break an overlap on the approach to the bottom mark

This is a useful article on giving mark room at the Leeward Mark

Another article on mark room at the leeward mark

What We Learned…

The leeward mark is a great opportunity for gaining places – either by getting water on a boat in front or by making a better rounding.

In this section I’ll first cover some of the more general advice that is applicable to leeward marks and leeward gates, and then cover some leeward gate specifics in more depth at the end.

Because of the potential for making good gains (and big losses) you should start to think about your leeward mark approach from around halfway down the run, and certainly no later than two-thirds of the way down.

Depending on the fleet you are sailing in and your position in that fleet the amount of thought you need to give your approach can vary quite a lot: if you are well ahead of any boats behind you, and well behind any boats leading you, then your focus will be much more on the technique; however, if you are surrounded by competitors, you need to be making decisions early, and getting into position in plenty of time to make a good rounding.

The aim for any rounding is to make as much ground as you can on all your competitors whilst starting the new leg in the best tactical position possible. For a leeward mark rounding this means that

You do not want to be on the outside of any boats.

I can’t stress enough how important this is. Assuming it is a port rounding, you should be looking to protect the left-hand side and be moving over to the inside lane for the mark without losing any places to do so (for leeward gates and starboard roundings it may be the other side that you need to protect).

Getting into position may require time, and it may be a case of waiting for the perfect opportunity – and this is the main reason you need to start thinking about your approach early.

In some situations you may end up needing to slow down on your approach to the mark to let others round before you. It isn’t ideal (and it probably means you didn’t start anticipating and setting up early enough), but it is infinitely better than rounding on the outside of other boats.

Avoiding the outside of the pin-wheel

So how do you avoid being on the outside of other boats?

Protect the Left
The first aim is to protect the left-hand side of the run. If you have gone right then you may have to cross the fleet to secure the inside lane, and this can mean sailing through a lot of wind-shadow. Look for a good opportunity – an extra bit of breeze, a favourable shift, a split in the boats behind – and make your move. Don’t be tentative when crossing – you want to move to clean air on the inside as quickly as possible so be decisive.

Use Your Angles Part I
You don’t want to be approaching the mark sailing your slowest angle. If any potential overlaps you might have on outside boats are going to be tight, you don’t want to be approaching on a dead run whilst others are coming in at pace on a broad reach or sailing by-the-lee. So remember which angle of approach will suit you best and set yourself up to approach from this direction. This may require you doing a gybe-rounding (or a drop-gybe-rounding for boats with a kite), so it is very important to practice these skills – it can be horribly messy to be in a bunch of boats and get your rounding badly wrong.

Use Your Angles Part II
If another boat has had the same idea as you, then you need to make sure they don’t get water on you as you enter the zone. As water is given based on the line from your transom – the angle you are at as you enter the zone is hugely important:

Blue has angled her approach so that Green is not entitled to ‘Water’; but Yellow hasn’t been so savvy, and her angle of approach means she must give both Blue and Green room at the mark.

If you are Green in this scenario, then the closer you stay to Blue’s transom, the less likely it is that this trick will work – more separation will mean that even a small angle change can be enough.

Take the Initiative
If an overlap is very marginal, as with Blue and Green above, then make the call early to your opponent. Blue should call “No water behind” immediately on entering the zone, so that Green knows the situation. Be clear and decisive when making the call – arguments only take your attention away from the things you want to be concentrating on, and therefore slow you down.

Accept Your Situation Early
In the above diagram, Yellow is set to be on the outside of two boats – not good at all. But her best move from here is to slow down and follow the two boats around. Psychologically this can be hard to do (especially if Yellow had been ahead of these boats before), but rounding outside them both is going to do a lot more damage. If she gets her deceleration right then there is every chance that one or both of these boats will make a wide exit as their entry is likely to be tight – leaving Yellow the opportunity to have a tactically strong position on exiting the mark.

Leeward Gates – The Tactical Approach

Choosing which gate mark to round is (as with much of sailing) both simple and complicated. Essentially, only three factors will influence your decision:

• The gate bias – which buoy is furthest upwind
• The side of the beat you want to go
• The traffic

This leeward gate decision making flowchart should help clarify your decision-making process

The gate bias

Most of the time the gate is set up before the start of the race, which gives you the chance to check the bias just as you would for a start line. If you do this, then you need to take into account any changes in the conditions – did the wind track right or left on the upwind leg? If the wind is in a different direction, then this will change the bias on the gate: if the wind veered to the right as you look upwind then the right hand buoy will be more favoured; if the wind backed left as you look upwind then the left-hand buoy will be more favoured.

For example (click on the image to enlarge):

Unfortunately, the Race Committee don’t always set the gate before the start, or set it up so late that you don’t have time to check it. In this case, a bit more judgement is required. Fortunately, identical buoys are usually used, so the one that looks larger is closer (if you’re not sure what I mean, you may find this video helpful). But remember, you’re looking for the mark that is furthest upwind, not necessarily the mark that is closest to you.

It is also worth bearing in mind that rounding the favoured mark on a gate with a one boat-length bias will lead to a two boat-length gain – one on the way down and one on the way back up, so getting good at judging this can be a very useful skill.

Which way do you want to go up the beat?

If the gate bias is small, or the beat is heavily favoured, then your decision may be more influenced by the way you want to go. Logic would suggest that if you want to go left upwind then you should aim to round the buoy on that side so you can head that way straight away. This is generally the right thing to do, and should be your default reaction.

However, if you are mid-fleet or worse, and in a crowd, then there is every chance that, once you round the mark, you\’ll need to clear your lane. In this case, it can be worth sailing to the other gate buoy (again presuming that the bias isn’t a major factor). The reason for this is that you’ll only need to tack once after the mark to be heading in a clean lane towards your preferred side of the course; from the other buoy you’d require two tacks – one to clear your wind, and another to head back towards the favoured side of the beat.

Just remember the boats still heading downwind to the gate – you don’t want to be tacking into lots of bad air and confused chop.

How busy is each gate mark?

Crowds are slow. Bad air, confused water, rules distractions – these all slow you down. If the fleet is big, and the gate and beat aren’t heavily biased, then taking the quieter gate can be an excellent way to pick up places. Have a read of Lesson 4 in this piece to see what I mean. In summary:

• Have a plan for your next beat
• Protect the left – (or the right if it is a starboard rounding)
• Use your angles – keep your approach quick and avoid giving water to boats behind you
• Take the initiative – be clear to the boats around you what rights you have
• Know the bias – know which buoy is favoured in a gate
• Remember your plan – know which buoy will help get you where you want to go
• Avoid crowds – crowds are slow for both the rounding, and also when sailing back upwind

Leeward Gate Decision Making Flowchart

Here’s a simple flowchart to help you choose the correct mark to round when approaching a leeward gate:

The post Approaching the Leeward Mark – The Tactical Considerations appeared first on THE FINAL BEAT.

About the 420

The International 420 is a two-handed trapeze dinghy with a main, jib and spinnaker.

Designed in 1959 by Christian Maury, who also designed the Olympic class 470, it is easier to sail than its more high performance relation. It rewards good teamwork, and is commonly regarded as an excellent youth and club boat that also provides a stepping-stone to Olympic sailing. This is evidenced by the number of top Olympic sailors that have done well in the class’ championships – previous world championship podiums have included Belinda Stowell, Matt Belcher, Peter Burling, Nathan Wilmot, Malcolm Page, Nicolas Charbonnier, Nathan Outteridge, John Merricks, Cathy Foster, Jo Aleh, Olivia Powrie, Hannah Mills, and many more. The list is quite astonishing.

There is also a derivative of the 420 – the Club 420 – which is popular in North America. Although it isn’t recognised by ISAF (now World Sailing) and can’t be used in International 420 events, the boat is widely used as it is tougher and heavier than the original.

Videos for 420 Sailing

You can view this video with the commentary in a number of different languages

A beautifully edited video of 420 sailing

This may look a little dated, but there is loads of useful stuff here for 420 sailors

A couple of good videos on how to roll tack…

…and another good video on wire-to-wire tacking:

And finally, this video is a lot of fun:

There are loads more videos on the International Class Association website

Books for 420 Sailing

Specific for 420s

We haven’t found anything specific for the class – let us know if you know of something.

General Books Useful for 420 Sailors

Coach Yourself to Win by Jon Emmett

Be Your Own Sailing Coach by Jon Emmett

Be Your Own Tactics Coach by Jon Emmett

Helming to Win by Nick Craig

Sail, Race and Win by Eric Twiname

High Performance Sailing by Frank Bethwaite

Higher Performance Sailing by Frank Bethwaite

Fast Handling Technique by Frank Bethwaite

Sailing Fitness and Training by Michael Blackburn

Go for the Gold by Gary Hoyt

Advanced Racing Tactics by Stuart H. Walker

Winning in One-Designs by Dave Perry

Links for 420 Sailors

Class Information

The International 420 Class Website

The last time I checked there were 56 National Class Associations, so rather than duplicate the list you can find your most local one here.

Wikipedia page for 420s

Boat Set-up, Boat Handling and Other Tips

If you didn’t catch this video in the Videos section of this page, then have a look now – it has tons of information on boat handling and set-up:

This is an really excellent resource – the International 420 Class Association ebook

A 420 Rigging Guide

If you’re thinking of getting into the class then this equipment guide from previous major championships is very helpful. Knowing what the top sailors use takes a lot of the guesswork out of choosing equipment. Also, this list of tips is very helpful when buying a second-hand 420.

Once you’ve chosen your gear these tuning guides should be helpful:

• North Sails Tuning Guide
• Olimpic Sails Tuning Guide
• Speed Sails Tuning Guide
• Toni Tio Trimming Notes

• Pinnell & Bax Tuning Guide
• Superspars Tuning Guide

These beginner’s guides are really useful too. Topics covered include:

• Barber Hauling (tensioning the windward jib sheet to adjust jib sail shape)
• Mast Rake (and changing mast rake on the water)
• Mast Chocks
• Spreaders
• Mainsheet Bridles
• Tuning

Blogs and Blog Posts

The Zim Sailing Blog has a bunch of good articles on 420s

The Vital Statistics

Suggested (combined) sailor weight range: 100kg-145kg (ideal weight range is 110kg-135kg)

• Year Designed: 1959
• Hull Length 4.2 metres
• Beam 1.63 metres
• Mainsail Area 7.45 square metres
• Jib Area 2.8 square metres
• Spinnaker 8.83 square metres
• Hull Weight 80 kg

Who’s Who in 420s

Jo Aleh

Matt Belcher

Peter Burling

Nicolas Charbonnier

Cathy Foster

John Merricks

Hannah Mills

Nathan Outteridge

Malcolm Page

Olivia Powrie

Belinda Stowell

Nathan Wilmot

The post 420 appeared first on THE FINAL BEAT.

• What the Experts Say
• Videos for Practising Starting
• Books for Practising Starting
• Links for Practising Starting
• What We Learned

What the Experts Say

Ed Baird & Dick Tillman – The Complete Book of Laser Sailing

We’d sail maybe 10 to 20 short races. Pretty soon it didn’t matter how you did in each race – you just tried your best all the time, experimenting with different starting techniques each raceBen Ainslie – The Laser Campaign Manual

To practise (holding station on the start line), use the tiller to hold your boat head to wind and in position. Be aware it is illegal to scull so don’t allow your tiller to cross the centreline continually. Also try tacking back and forth to hold the boat in the same position.

Videos for Practising Starting

Ben Ainslie talking about and demonstrating starting skills

This video from Jon Emmett has him demonstrating holding station and accelerating off the line

This video shows boat-handling skills needed for starting – look especially at 2 minutes 17 seconds and 3 minutes 32 seconds

Books with information on Practising Starting

• Laser Campaign Manual – Ben Ainslie, page 20
• The Complete book of Laser Sailing – Dick Tillman, page 129
• Be Your Own Sailing Coach – Jon Emmett, pages 40, 42, 44 and 50

Websites and Online Articles for Practising Starting

Lots of different drills for practising starting

This useful guide for beginners and less confident racers covers some good practice drills for improving your starting

Some more practice drills for starting, with videos.

This comprehensive article on starting has a good list of the skills you need to hold position and accelerate at the start

What We Learned…

There are quite a number of skills needed to make good starts on a consistent basis:

• Holding Station
• Protecting Your Space
• Sailing Backwards
• Time and Distance
• Using Transits
• Acceleration

Each of these can be practised easily on your own or in small groups, and it is useful to do this on a regular basis as this area of racing is crucial to improving your results.

We have a section on practice exercises, but here are all the key exercises for practising starting:

Holding Station
This is absolutely essential to getting a good start as it enables you to get in position early and watch the start develop from a position of strength.

Find a buoy and manoeuvre your boat so your bow is just to leeward of the mark and start your stopwatch. The boat will slowly drift to leeward. Try to stay as close to the buoy as you can without going beyond it (i.e. treat it as if it is the committee boat end of the line). As soon as you are more than two boat lengths away from the buoy stop and start again, taking note of the time on your stopwatch. The aim is to hold position for as long as possible, with the eventual aim being to be able to hold position within the two-boat length space indefinitely.

Tips for improving this area:

• Release the vang – a loose vang will depower your sail. Even with the sail flapping a tight vang will push the boat forward, making it harder to keep the boat moving as slowly as possible. Also, a tight vang will try to push the boat head to wind; likewise a very loose vang will see the boat slip sideways. Play with the vang to find the best setting for holding station.
• Use the tiller in short jabs to maintain a head-to-wind position. Be careful not to scull (clearly prohibited under rule 42).
• Practise quick double tacks – sheet as little as you can to keep acceleration to a minimum (just enough to see you through the tack), use the tiller more than normal to create rudder drag, and push the boom out as you turn to back the mainsail and stop you moving forward and beyond the buoy.
• Keep the boat flat – this will help stop the sideways drift. If you need sideways drift for some reason then raise the daggerboard.
• Learn how to sail backwards

Protecting Your Space
There are two ways to protect space to leeward

1. Shutting the door – practice as above in Holding Station, but include regular periods where you drop your bow down below a close-hauled position (as if on a beam reach but with the sails flapping). You use this skill when you see a boat sailing along the line looking for a gap to sail into before the start – it discourages them from taking your space to leeward.
2. Work boat to windward – again, as above in Holding Station, practice double tacks to make space back to windward.

Sailing Backwards
Sometimes it is necessary to reverse out of a bad spot on the line and find another, better position. Two important things to remember though:

1. You have no rights when sailing backwards
2. 30 seconds is probably too late to use this manoeuvre – you should only really use it when you have comfortably more than a minute to find an alternative spot.

Practise bringing the boat head to wind, and then push the boom out as far as it will go. Make sure your weight is bell forward to keep the transom out of the water. It is important to practise:

Steering – steering will be reversed. If you are able, practise sailing backwards around some buoys to improve your manoeuvring skills

The transitions – you need to be able to start sailing backwards quickly, and also to understand how quickly you can do this and how fast the boat is likely to move. This is essential to avoid getting into rules difficulties. You also need to be able to go from sailing backwards to sailing forwards again quickly and smoothly.

Time and Distance

It is essential that you understand how quickly your boat accelerates. This will differ between classes, but also within a class it will depend on the wind and sea conditions. You should also bear in mind that the water and wind will be more disturbed on a busy start line, and this is likely to affect your boats ability to accelerate.

Park your boat next to a buoy. Accelerate as quickly as you can, and take note of the distance sailed in order to get up to full speed.

Now sail back below the buoy, and try to judge the distance to match the distance sailed to get up to full speed. Accelerate hard again and see how well you judged the distance.

Repeat the exercise, taking note of the difference that gusts and lulls make. You can then vary the practice – if it takes 8 seconds to get up to speed, then do an imaginary start where you want to be passing the buoy at full speed after an 8 second count down. Try to ensure that you are never too far away from the buoy to get there at speed and on time.

Using Transits

For this exercise to be effective you need a coach boat. The coach boat anchors, having dropped a pin end buoy. The coach stands in position, acting as a starting mast. Each of the sailors takes a transit, then, one by one sails to the middle of the line. When they have the boat stationary on the line (using the transit(s) they have got) the sailor raises an arm and the coach can then inform them whether they are on, over or behind the line. Repeat the exercise until each sailor is consistently on the line.

Remember, it helps considerably to have a straight line to look down when using a transit – a bowsprit, a straight line down the centre of the bow area of the boat or something similar will help utilise your transit to its best effect.

Also, a lot of top sailors take a transit from the back of the committee boat as well as from the actual start mast. This acts as a ‘safe’ transit – i.e. you are certain to be behind the line with this transit. It can be useful in the holding station period or the acceleration period to ensure that you are not over at the start.

Acceleration

Firstly you should practice your technique for accelerating:

1. Get yourself stationary in the ‘holding station’ position.
2. Put on the vang to the required setting for the first beat.
3. Get your ‘bow down’ using the rudder, but not allowing the sail to fill.
4. Tilt the boat to leeward to help bring the bow back up, and sheet in hard, bringing the boat smoothly flat again and steering gently to bring yourself into the close hauled position and going at full speed.

Find two or, most preferably, three sailors of similar ability. Line up in a close hauled position about a boatlength apart and the same distance upwind, all holding station. Once in position the middle boat calls “5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO”, and all three boats accelerate as hard as possible from a standing start on go. Once up to speed stop and start again, with the boat most to leeward in the previous start becoming the boat most to windward, with the others shuffling down

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What the Experts Say

Jon Emmett – Yachts and Yachting website

“Make the gap too big (big enough for another boat to fit in comfortably) and someone will probably come along and take it. Make the gap too small and you will struggle to get up to speed off the line.”

Kurt Taulbee – Sailfit.com

“we need to create room to leeward at the correct time. There is no use in creating and protecting a leeward sailing area with more than 30 seconds to go.”

Steve Hunt – Sailing World

“If nearby boats try to poach your hole, you have to fight to protect it.”

Videos for Protecting Your Space

Double tacks are a good way of creating a bit more space if someone does steal the gap you’ve created:

This video is good for learning how to hold position on the line, but it is also excellent at showing how to create and protect your space as the start gun approaches:

Books with information on Protecting Your Space

Be Your Own Sailing Coach by Jon Emmett

Jon Emmett – Be Your Own Sailing Coach, page 52

Websites and online articles for Protecting Your Space

Jon Emmett talks about defending your gap on the startline

A useful article for Getting off the Startline well (from sailfit.com)

A really good article on starting, with some good stuff on protecting your space

This comprehensive article on starting tactics has some useful advice on creating and protecting your space to leeward before the start

This piece has descriptions of some starting drills, with one particularly useful one for protecting your space

Paul Goodison talks to Jon Emmett about starting, and gives a good description of when to make a space to leeward

On the second page of this article there is some useful stuff about protecting your space (and stealing someone else’s!)

What We Learned…

This section will be completed soon…

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