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Having spent more time in the middle of the fleet than I’d care to admit at a recent regatta, either due to having a bad start, picking the wrong side of the first beat, or having boatspeed that was merely average, I started thinking about how to break out from the middle of the pack. When conditions are steady, race leaders typically leg out, but the boats immediately behind tend to condense around certain areas of the racecourse. When this happens, there are passing lanes. By setting up for strong mark roundings and picking smart areas to sail clean upwind and downwind, all it takes is a few things done right to make a mid-fleet position a keeper finish.

ACCEPT AND DO THE RIGHT THINGWith competitive juices flowing shortly after the start, it’s difficult to accept that an error was made, which resulted in a bad position right off the bat. The top priority should be to quickly evaluate your position in the fleet and focus on getting into a stronger position with the boats around you. Winning the race is probably not an option at this stage, so instead of giving in to the temptation to take a flyer to the corner, continue to sail in the most wind, with a clean lane to start chipping away at the distance to the lead pack.

AVOID TRAFFIC UPWINDBoats in packs slow each other down, and only a few emerge strong, so assess your position with the boats around you. To eliminate a bad lane or clearing tack, think about where the boats ahead might tack. When possible, either lead the pack that’s crossing ahead of you to the center of the course by tacking to leeward and ahead, or hip up on the group if that’s the better option for less traffic. Thinking two to three moves ahead and putting a priority on lane management, while minimizing tacks and jibes, is crucial when you’re behind.

USE THE LEADERS AS BLOCKERSTake advantage of the gap between you and the leaders. Their immediate dirty air will deter any boats between you and them from tacking, allowing you to sail in phase or get to the preferred side of the course quicker. Picking a lane in which to live on the upwind leg can keep you within striking distance, but having a keen eye on whether you’re losing or gaining with the boats around you will be the determining factor, whether or not you’re far enough behind the leaders to live in a lane to leeward and behind.

MANAGE THE WINDWARD MARK LAYLINEWhen you’re near the top of the beat, sail to leeward of the pack of port-tack boats approaching the starboard-tack layline and tack shy of the layline for an easy gain and a strong position on the run. More often than not, most sail to the starboard-tack layline early, and their lanes get snatched quickly. They’re forced to do several clearing tacks, which ultimately results in being overstood, sailing a lot of extra distance, and going slow. Tacking 10 to 12 lengths shy of layline allows you to sail less distance, and although there may be a lot of boats ahead casting dirty air, you can typically live well enough in this area, while the boats crossing ahead of you on port tack continue to the layline and get tangled up in the fray. Again, paying attention to whether or not you are losing gauge with the boats around you is the determining factor as to whether you should stay.

There are, however, a few cautionary items with this move. It doesn’t work as well in light air, as the cone underneath the windward mark becomes tougher to live in, and this move often results in a port-tack layline approach, which can be risky. When executed well, however, the gains will set you up for a better downwind leg.

When tacking shy of port layline isn’t an option, sail a few lengths beyond the starboard layline, come in with speed, and encourage any other port-tack boats to tack to leeward and ahead. This will not only preserve your lane, but the other boats can be used as blockers. Despite sailing extra distance, overstanding by a few lengths can result in fewer tacks or less time spent in a bad lane.

AVOID TRAFFIC AND BE PATIENT ON THE RUNAt a recent Melges 20 regatta, both McKee brothers (Jonathan and Charlie) passed on opportunities to jibe on a small shift with the boats around them. When I later asked them why, they both separately responded, “Clear air.” After watching their gains with this type of patience, it became clear that the ability to sail the best VMG mode downwind was more beneficial than being tangled up with the group to get a small part of the shift. There are exceptions to every rule, but when in the middle of the fleet, be patient as you pick a clear spot to jibe and get separation, and don’t let the boats around you dictate your mode.

COME IN WITH PACE TO THE BOTTOM MARKSDownwind laylines are always farther out than you think. When working from behind in the fleet, it’s amazing to see how much the fleet slows and condenses at the bottom mark. Just when you think you’re at layline, count to 10, and then count another 10 from there, and then you typically will be on a solid layline. When the fleet starts to approach both layline corners downwind, most tend to get itchy, jibe early, and then end up soaking low into the gates while trying to manage a clean lane. By being patient, going a bit longer than you think to layline, and sailing a slightly hotter mode to the mark, you can gain. The risk with this move is getting into traffic with boats that have rounded the mark and are headed upwind, so keep your eyes peeled.

EXIT EVERY MARK WITH PACEWhen working from behind, your margin for error is much smaller, so having a good leeward-mark rounding and setting yourself up for a clean lane on the upwind leg is crucial. The bow team needs to be prepped for a good mark rounding; approaching and exiting with speed is important to battle through chop, dirty air, and traffic. Rounding the favored gate is always the goal, but choosing the gate with less traffic can often result in more speed and options when you’re exiting the mark. A sloppy, mid-fleet leeward mark rounding often leads to a bad lane or a down-speed tack in an already congested area, which will wash away any gains you’ve made. There’s typically only one bottom-mark rounding each race, so nail it.

FINISH AT THE FAVORED ENDThis is true regardless of where you are in the fleet, but when battling from the middle, your comeback isn’t complete until you finish ahead of the pack you’re battling with, which can often result in a five-point swing. In the latter half of the last leg, get a set of eyes on the finish line and use the boats ahead to find which end is favored, or typically more crowded. Continue to sail in clean lanes as you consider how to set up for a strong finish.

By thinking a few moves ahead, finding sneaky lanes, managing your mark roundings, and keeping the pedal down, a mid-fleet position can turn into a regatta- or series-defining race. Make it happen.

If the pin is favored, many sailors will jockey for the perfect pin start. The ability to leg out on starboard below the fleet or to tack and cross the competition is an advantage worth fighting for. Of course, you may have to battle for it; rarely will a good fleet give you the pin end at the start. The trick to winning the pin is to control the situation and take charge of your own destiny. There are two match-racing moves that can help you win the pin, but you must make one critical decision: Do you lead the pack to the pin, or do you push them?

Leading to the pin

This maneuver is best executed with a port-tack approach to the line. In a typical starting scenario, the flow of boats will move counterclockwise between the race committee boat and the pin. If you want to lead the pack to the pin on starboard, it’s best to be the last boat on port and tack closely to leeward of the boat nearest to the pin. A port-tack approach allows you to see any available holes and how others are positioning for the start. Tacking tightly below the boat closest to the pin allows you to control the situation. From this position, you can prevent the boat above from moving towards the pin, and you can herd the pack in a windward position while protecting your hole to leeward. A critical element in making this work is the concept of “time and distance.”

In order to accurately position yourself to win the pin, you need to gauge how far away you are from that sweet spot, and exactly how long it will take you to get there. It’s important to spend some time in your pre-race preparation gathering this information. Being one or two seconds early can ruin your start, forcing you to jibe around into traffic. To properly execute this start, you must know three things: 1. How long it takes you to sail the length of the line. 2. How long it takes you to get from any stationary object in the water, a lobster pot or anchored spectator boat, back to the pin. 3. How long it takes you to tack and accelerate. The time to sail a given distance will vary with your sailing angle—reaching is faster than running or beating. And don’t forget to consider current set.

Once you’re in a lee bow “leading” position, your time and distance homework should pay off as you pick the moment to put your bow down towards the buoy, accelerate, and win the pin start. The biggest risk is a rogue boat coming in from astern attempting to snatch your hole while you’re herding the pack above. Keep a wary eye astern, and to discourage a rogue boat, put your bow down, ease your boom out, and close the distance with the pin layline. Make it obvious that the rogue will not be able to sail to leeward of you and still fetch the pin. In fighting off the rogue, however, make sure you don’t underestimate the time and distance required to reach the pin. In other words, don’t run out of room yourself.

1. To lead to the pin, approach on port and tack to leeward of the crowd 2. To push to the pin, get on the tail of the lead boat. Your goal is to overlap to leeward and luff them, or make them early.
The best times to lead back to the pin are: 1. In light air, because tacking angles are wider and you can accelerate more easily with no one under your bow. 2. When you have a large runway available to the pin. 3. If a pack of boats is crowding toward the pin. With everyone overlapped, it’s much easier to control the group.

Pushing to the pin

Pushing an opponent is another way to win the pin, but it requires a keener sense of time, distance, and layline position. Before the start, test the layline to get a feel for its position, and then sight through the pin for a marker on land—a shore sight. Check this layline reference several times to ensure that it’s accurate—wind shifts will cause it to change.

Pushing is most effective when you’re vying with one other boat for the pin. It’s more effective in stronger wind because it’s easier to accelerate and the ability of the lead boat to slow and stop is reduced. Pushing requires using the match racing technique of tailing another boat closely. The goal is to force the lead boat to use up its runway to the pin, forcing it to luff and slow prematurely. This should allow you to establish a leeward controlling position, or to pressure the lead boat into being early and jibing out.

When pushing the lead boat toward the pin, match their sail trim and angles in order to stay on their transom without gaining a weather overlap. As you push, the lead boat will probably fishtail back and forth, trying to slow its rate of progress toward the pin and attempting to “hook” your bow into a weather overlap. If you become trapped to windward, the lead boat has won. With luffing rights, the lead boat can control the action, slow its approach to the pin, and create a hole to leeward.

As the lead boat tries to hook you, your move is to bear away, cross their transom and overlap them to leeward with speed. If you can establish a substantial overlap to leeward early in this dance, you can then luff and stop the lead boat and control the approach to the pin. If the lead boat bears away before you get a solid overlap, you’ll soon fall astern in their dirty air.

Once astern, you have two choices: the first is to aim for the pin and continue sailing fast, forcing the lead boat to match your course to stay ahead. Alternatively, you can luff sharply if you’re running out of time or if the lead boat has sailed past the pin layline.

As the pusher, keep in mind that if you establish a leeward position from clear astern, you are required to assume your proper course after the start. If you have erred on time and distance, misjudged the layline to the pin, or trapped your bow to leeward with mere seconds to go, you’re in big trouble. At best, you’ll have a second row start; at worst, you may not fetch the pin.

Having a great start almost ensures that you’ll be in the top pack up the first beat. Confidence in your ability to handle the boat in tight quarters, hold position, generate and protect a hole below your bow, and accelerate at the proper time are vital to winning the pin. One match racing technique that helps is backing the jib hard to windward to swing the bow down and accelerate without a lot of rudder movement.

There is nothing more satisfying than winning the pin and having all the options open to you. Try these aggressive moves in smaller, less competitive fleets at first. Then try them against a more competitive pack. Slowly, your timing, boat handling, and confidence will improve. The pin will be yours whenever you want it.

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THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU ON A DABCHICK SO TAKE NOTE
Weymouth, UK – As we went through the sailing photos from the Sail for Gold Regatta, this doozy caught our eye, not because of the drama of the capsize, but because of the safety concern it so clearly demonstrates. Whether sailing a little Laser dinghy like this one, or a big sailing yacht, some of the dangers to watch out for are all too easily ignored by the novice sailor. We always remember to warn guests about the boom, or to keep one hand for yourself while working on deck (to avoid falling overboard), but we are often oblivious to the dangers of the running rigging – one of the most hazardous parts of any sailboat.

As you can see in the photo above, this dinghy racer’s foot was caught in a line when the capsize took place during a race off Weymouth last week. Luckily, this solo sailor was able to quickly get free from the danger, and came away from the incident unharmed, but the photo should serve as a warning to us all. All too often we are aboard sailboats where the bitter ends of lines are carelessly thrown about the cockpit and deck. You don’t need to capsize for this “deck spaghetti” to become a serious hazard for the crew. Should a line come under load and wrap around a body part, these ropes can become deadly instruments, injuring limbs, or flinging a person overboard without warning. While it is a good idea to keep a rigging knife on you at all times in order to free yourself, it is not often that a scenario like this will give you enough time to put that knife to good use – much better to avoid the situation all together.

So remember: Messy lines are much more than an eyesore, they can cause serious harm. Coil those lines neatly, and keep them away from your feet. Being neat and organized under way, also known as “keeping things ship-shape,” is not only a fine maritime tradition, it can quite literally save your life. If your sailing buddies accuse you of being anal retentive (and some may), you can spin a salty yarn about Davy Jones’ locker like the shipmates would in days of old, or just show them this photo.

– by the YachtPals Crew exclusively for YachtPals.com

Attitude:This is probably the most important aspect of racing-attitude. The one thing that can win or lose a race faster than anything is the attitude of the racer.

MistakesEvery race, you’ll make many mistakes. The key is to forget about them for the moment, and go on with the race. It never helps your game to dwell on a mistake. All the energy spent on the last blunder takes concentration-concentration that is needed for sailing a great race. It might help to say “f…,” but only once.

After the race, it will be time to recall the mistakes and put them on paper. Get a notebook and write as much of the race as you can remember, outlining it from start to finish. The point of your notebook is not to dwell, but to compile a list of frequently-made errors which can be easily fixed. For instance, I often run into trouble at mark roundings with other boats. Knowing that, I try to concentrate a little harder on what will happen before I get to the mark, in order to avoid problems. Use your mistakes later to clean up your game, but don’t let them interfere at the time they happen.

Being a StudentAnother area in which attitude is important is in your ability to take criticism. No matter the form of the criticism or the messenger, it can almost always be used to advantage. It is too easy to take offense at helpful comments, not to mention those you consider derogatory. However, each may contain a bit of truth that you can use in the future to improve. Keep in mind that even well-intentioned remarks can be wrong, so you must take each with a grain of salt. If you don’t know if the advice is any good, give it a try-what the hell.

The most beneficial position in which to be is that of a student of the sport. Many times, when a person joins a club and begins to race, they will follow a faster boat and finish second or third. However, for some reason this stops, and they drop back in the fleet. It may be that “beginner’s luck” runs out. But, more than likely, they just stop following faster racers.

Following a better racer is a great way to win, as well as to learn. These guys are often better for a reason, and there is much to learn. Follow them, figuring out why they went the way they did, or why they didn’t do what you would have done. If you can’t figure it out on your own, ask them after the race. Many people are flattered and will offer much more than just a quick answer. This applies at any level of the sport from club races to the national level in your class. Never be afraid to ask for help, or start a conversation on a part of a race that bothered you.

How to PracticeKeep in mind that sailing, like any other skill, should be practiced. It should be practiced with the intent of improving the slowest part of your game first. Roll tacks are fun, but if you can’t “stay on the wind” on the first windward beat, you’ll lose big, even if your tacks are the best in the world (if you don’t know what a roll tack is, don’t worry-it’s explained a little later). You should always make a list of priorities, with the goal of making the biggest improvement possible. Here is a list for the beginning racer:

Priorities:
Beating-stay on the wind. Learn to “feel” the wind.
Transitions (tacking and jibing)-this does not mean roll tacks, just master the basics first.
Sailing Close to Other Boats Without Getting Nervous-this mean centimeters.
Starting-learn to get a consistent start. This means lots of boat handling practice.
Mark Roundings-large gains and losses are made here.
Reaching and Running-
After learning the basics, you should be able to pinpoint weaknesses on which to focus, resetting your priorities accordingly. Most importantly, keep in mind that the easiest things to practice are the things that you can do well. You will improve your sailing most by concentrating on skills you don’t do particularly well.

Many of the skills can be practiced alone with no props, or with one buoy in the water. It is always good to practice with other boats, if for no other reason than to combat boredom. However, there is much to be gained even if no one else is around.

The eventual goal for your upwind development is to be able to sail to windward by merely feeling the boat. However, in the beginning, and also in some conditions, such as very light air, you will need to watch the telltales on the jib (or the main if you’re in a cat-rigged boat, like the Laser). Have the crew pull the jib in as far as possible. By “as far as possible,” I mean the point where it is as close to the centerline of the boat, without “squashing” all the power out). Don’t flatten it completely. To determine where this point is, sail against someone while trying different settings on the jib. If the boat feels sluggish, let the jib out a little to put some power back in. Remember, also, that if the jib is cranked in too tight, this will close the slot between the jib and the main.

Once you have the jib trimmed correctly, you can start steering the boat, using the telltales as guides. If the outside telltale “piddles,” this means the sail is overtrimmed for the direction of the wind on the boat. You don’t want to let the sail out, so you must head up. This, in effect, retrims the sails, except instead of bringing the sails in, you “brought the whole boat in.”

If the inside telltale piddles constantly, or if the sail luffs (actual luffing, or just an inversion at the front edge of the sail), the jib is undertrimmed. You don’t want to crank in more on the sheet, so you must retrim by bearing off.

Your goal is to make the outside tale flow straight back and the inside tale “lift” occasionally, meaning some air is getting to it, but not all the time. If you don’t know how often the inside tale should be lifting, err on the side of too often. It’s better to have too much air flowing along the inside edge of the sail, than not enough.

When this happens, you should be pointing as high as possible. Remember through all this adjusting that if the boat is not up to speed, you won’t be able to point, so make sure you’re going as fast as you can. Also, you should be able to feel when the power is gone from the jib and the main.

I am in my late 50’s but can still clearly remember some mind blowing reaches on Dabbies on Sandvlei in Cape Town around 1970.

But check out this clip of some maniacs :- Click here Click here for some 420 Madness

Owen

Do you use a boom vang–also called a “kicking strap”–on your small cruising or racing sailboat?

Vangs on larger boats combine a rigid tube with the mechanical advantage of block and tackle.

If not, you are losing lots of power from your mainsail…

and your small sailboat will be thrown out of balance on reaches…

with tons of weather helm, loss of punching power, and excess heeling.

Few controls in sailing are as overlooked and underused as the sailboat boom vang.

Did you realize that the boom vang ranks 2nd, right behind the mainsheet in your ability to trim the mainsail for maximum sail power?

Look at this selection of super tasks this single piece of sailing gear can perform for you:

• Trim your sails to perfection on reaches.
• Serve as a preventer on smaller sailboats.
• Keep the leech shaped for power in heavy air.Trim Your Sails to Perfection on Reaches

  When beating or close reaching, the sailboat boom lies close to the centerline or just over the edge of your boat. The mainsheet performs the job of pulling down on the mainsail to keep the leech trimmed just right. But what happens on reaching points of sail?

  When the boom hangs out over the water on beam reaches or runs, the mainsheet no longer has the power to pull downward on the boom. This causes the end of the boom to rise, the leech to curl into a half moon, and the sail draft moves all the way aft. You end up with severe weather helm and a white-knuckle helm in a stiff breeze.

  Pass the baton over to a boom vang whenever the end of the sailboat boom gets out over the water. The vang will pull down on the boom, tighten the leech, and give you just the right sail shape for powerful performance.

  Rig a Preventer on Small Sailboats

  Use the vang as a preventer on smaller sailboats when broad reaching or running long distances. Attach the vang to a strong deck fitting that can handle the high loads.

  If you are anything like me, running provides a lot of thrills.

  On inland waters, the boat levels out and the wind lightens.

  Offshore, the thrill pumps when you surf down waves and exceed hull speed!

  But there’s a downside too…

  When running before the wind, the apparent wind can shift faster than in any other point of sail.

  The boom could slam over to the other side of the boat in a dangerous “flying jibe”.

  This could injure sailing crew, damage boom fittings, and cause temporary loss of boat control.

  Set the boom vang as a preventer before you fall off to a broad reach or run. Smaller boats can disconnect the vang from the mast bale and lead it over to a strong pad-eye on deck. Lead the vang sheet aft to the cockpit for easy adjustment.

  With the vang at the rail, the boom will be prevented from jibing–thus a vang rigged in this manner takes the name “preventer”. For sailing safety, always rig a preventer when running downwind in heavy air, or when running for long periods of time.

  Keep the Leech Shaped for Power in Heavy Air

  When the wind begins to build, you want to move to heavy weather trim tactics. This involves more than just reefing. You need to use the vang, along with the mainsheet and traveler to maintain good mainsail leech shape to provide power and performance.

  Follow these steps when its time to move the mainsheet down the traveler track:

  1. Tension the vang just a bit to remove slack.
  2. Move the mainsheet car to the desired spot along the traveler track.
  3. Set the car in place (track stops or traveler line)
  4. Stand aft of the mainsail. Sight up the leech.
  5. Slack the mainsheet a bit until you see the leech twist halfway up the sail.

  This technique will help spill high-octane wind higher up off the water to keep the boat more level and balanced. And it will keep your boat on her feet, and provide more power to punch through a chop.

  Boom Vang Tips to Get You Started

  Most boom vangs attach about 1/3 of the way aft of the mast. A “U” shaped bail attaches to the underside of the boom and another bail to the mast base. The vang attaches to each bail, and consists of three to four part block and tackle or–on larger cruising or racing sailboats–a rigid hydraulic tube.

  Make sure that a block and tackle vang has a quick-release cam action cleat on the lower block. In heavy sailing weather, you need to be able to release the vang to prevent sailboat boom damage in case of a boom trip (the end of the boom dips into the water).

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Pump up your mainsails power on reaching points of sail with a boom vang. You will learn how to sail a boat better than ever before with peak performance, speed, and drive.

This clip at the Vaal Nationals 2010 proves that perserverance and practice do eventually pay off.

Click here to see the clip watch?v=_IVHviB6DII&feature=player_detailpage

What happened to forget the rest sail the best ?

There has been so much said about the merits of Dabchicks, our past champions blah blah. SAS in my opinion are missing the point. I liken them to bunch of old men locked in a smokey room making decisions totally out of touch with reality. The reality is,there has been an attempt to kill Dabbies already but we grew in numbers.Instead of drawing up pretty documents SAS should be concentrating on promoting our sport NO MATTER WHAT CLASS I CAN AFFORD OR CHOOSE TO SAIL. We need Bums on boats enjoying themselves, we are simply not ready for Gold Medals etc. and I wonder who can afford an Olympic campaign without Bonding their homes.The hot shots will come out naturally once we have the numbers.Get the numbers of youth up sailing regularly and sponsorship will surely also follow.

Owen

click here – Just wanna live Dabbie Mania

Click here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k554e8yvY2M&feature=player_detailpage