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When This Tactic Works Best Use wind shadowing at any point during the race in order to overtake a boat in front.

So you have completed the beat or upwind leg and rounded the mark. Most people now just sit and play follow the leader until the next beat.

However, people who want to actually win the race will instead try to get in front of the sailboats ahead. The way to do this is to take advantage of a technique called Wind Shadowing.

In order to do this, your boat must be windward of the boat ahead of you if on a run, and if you are on a reach, you need to try to get windward of the boat in front. Of course, if the sailor ahead of you knows their stuff, they will anticipate your windward maneuver and will try to keep control of their wind by heading up as well, so make sure you are quick on your toes rounding the mark to try and get windward of the boat ahead.

If you are on a run, this technique will cause the boat ahead to slow down, because essentially you are taking their wind by creating a wind shadow in front of your boat. This will cause you to continue to go at the same speed (and take any available gusts), while the boat ahead will keep slowing down as their source of energy disappears.

The only way to overtake a boat downwind is on the windward side, because going the leeward side (despite having the right to call the windward boat to give you room) will mean you are stuck in the other boat’s windward shadow.

Your wind shadow can also have an effect on the beat, but this time you will be in the wind shadow of the boat ahead. In order to overtake the boat ahead, you will need clear air. If you find yourself slowing down or unable to point high, or your sails are flapping, it’s because you’re in somebody’s wind shadow, so tack to get clear air.

Advice •Boat speed is the most important aspect in a race.
•In order to get boat speed, you need clear air.
•In order to get clear air, you need to not be in somebody’s wind shadow.
•In order to overtake the boat ahead, you need to have clear air and get them in your wind shadow.

This is one of my favourite Dinghies, yo don’t often see many around in RSA. They would not work well in the Vaal due to the light wind conditions all though I dis see one that hand just been sold at New Generation Yachting in Johannesburg. In the 70’s I recall seeing a few sailing. But check out this video :

Clickety click Contender action

Dinghy Sailing

Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using the sails, adjustable centreboard, and tiller. It also involves adjusting the trim and balance by changing position of the crew and helm within the boat. Together with ‘course made good’ (effective choice of route and maneuvers), these are the five essentials of dinghy sailing.

Development of the Dinghy.

There has always been a need for small tender boats as transport to and from moored sailing ships. Together with other smaller work craft such as fishing and light cargo, small inshore craft have always been in evidence. Charles II of England had a private sailing boat presented to him when he returned from exile to England in the 17th century, and he sailed for recreation and competition.

Towards the end of the 19th century people began to use these small boats for sport and recreational sailing, utilising the opportunities for leisure afforded by the industrial revolution. Larger privately used sailing boats had developed separately, and have resulted in the yachts of today. There has been some crossover, in that the sloop sail plan was adopted as standard and most convenient by early dinghy designers.

The development of the sailing dinghy was helped in the early 20th century by Uffa Fox (1898-1972), an English boat designer and sailing enthusiast. He developed and contributed to many dinghy classes which are still with us nearly a century later: the International 14, the Firefly, and the Flying Fifteen.

He also introduced the major advance of hull shapes which can ‘plane’, and which can therefore reach beyond the usual speed limits for small sailing boats. In effect, a boat which is planing is skimming along the surface, rising up on its own bow wave. This results in less friction because of reduced waterline length, reduced displacement (the amount of water needing to be pushed aside by the boat), and reduced ‘wetted area’. The power given by the sails has to overcome less resistance, and therefore speed increases dramatically.

In 1928 Uffa Fox introduced planing to an astonished racing world in his International 14 boat, the Avenger. He gained 52 first places, two seconds and three third places out of 57 race starts that year.

Another advance in dinghy sailing was introduced in the 1930s, when the technique of trapezing was introduced. This involves using the crew to provide more leverage to keep the sails vertical, by hanging outside the boat on a harness and rope attached to the ‘hounds’ or upper mast. As a result the boat is easier to keep upright, and the sails can deliver maximum power most of the time.

Trapezing during a race first appeared in 1934, on the Vagabond sailed by Peter Scott (son of the famous Scott of the Antartic), and John Winter. The owner of the boat, Beecher Moore, of Thames Sailing Club had worked on developing the technique, in discussion with Uffa Fox. Vagabond was spectacularly successful in that race, winning by four minutes.

Sadly, the innovative technique was immediately banned, and received little development until it was reintroduced on the Flying Dutchman class in the early 1960s.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, dinghy sailing is still a rapidly developing sport. It is losing its image of being expensive, time consuming and exclusive. This is because of the earlier work of pioneers such as Uffa Fox, and through the use of modern designs and techniques such as lighter hull materials (eg, fibreglass and foam sandwich hull construction, which eliminate timeconsuming maintenance of wooden hulls), more responsive sail materials and design, easily transportable boats (many car-toppable), and simpler rigs such as Gennakers instead of more complex Spinnakers. These advances are more economical in time and money, and have greatly extended the appeal of dinghy sailing.

In Britain and Europe the sport has also been considerably advanced by the RYA, the regulatory authority which regulates racing and which provides modular and accredited training courses for leisure and competitive sailing. A basic sailing course can be completed in several days, and participants can be sure that the training is competent and delivered in a safe setting.

Types of Dinghies

Skiffs are generally the fastest type of dinghy. The skiff has a small narrow hull, and is designed to plane in most conditions with the crew trapezing. It has impressive sail areas including a massive foresail, usually a Gennaker. The 18 ft Skiff is one example which usually has a crew of three: another is the Musto Skiff, a singlehander.

Cruising dinghies are designed for leisure and family sailing and are usually more stable than high performance dinghies. This is provided by a ‘chined’ (less rounded) hull, greater displacement, and proportionally smaller sail area. Examples of these are the Wayfarer, the Mirror, and the Laser 16. Sailing these boats can still give much excitement.

Catamarans are fast, high masted and double hulled boats which fall under the definition of dinghy also, usually having adjustable daggerboards. The influential Hobie was developed in America, and this has its keel built into each hull shape. The Tornado is a high performance Olympic class catamaran, not for the fainthearted.

Racing dinghies cover a wide range, and many are descended from Uffa Foxe’s seminal International 14. People often “travel” with their dinghies to international races in famous sailing spots such as Lake Garda in Italy. The International 14 remains a popular racing class, having acquired racks (for trapezing crews) and a gennaker since its original design. The Laser is a single hander whose combination of simplicity, portability and performance has done much to advance dinghy racing and training.

Sports Boats: These classes are larger off-shore racing dinghies which shade off into classes of yachts with fixed keels. Usually they have several crew members as well as the helm. Melges 24 and Laser SB3 are current examples of this type.

Development classes: Most dinghy classes have a fairly fixed layout of sails and hull design, and changes are very infrequent. However, some classes can compete and sail with less rigid definitions and measurements. This encourages experiment which often leads to innovation in techniques and construction. Examples are the International 14, the International Moth, and the 18ft Skiff. Classes which are not development classes are usually referred to as “One design”. The first one design was the Water Wag, which first sailed in Dublin Bay in 1887. The class is still sailed today, over a hundred years later.

Organisation of Dinghy Racing

An International Sport
Saiing dinghy racing comes under the auspices of the International Sailing Federation, ISAF http://www.sailing.org
Sailing dinghies compete on an international, national, state, association, club and class basis, using the ISAF International Rules of Racing.

Single Handed or More than One Crew
While many dinghies are single handed (one person only) such as the Laser, many are double handed such as the Heron, Tasar or NS14 and some have more than 2 sailors. Some classes allow children to sail double handed until a particular age and then require them to compete single handed. Some double handed boats are ideal for an adult and child like the Heron, while some such as the Tasar have weight restrictions which ensure they are sailed competitively by two adults or near adults.

One Design or Development Class
Sailing dinghies can be one design, virtually no difference between boats, or development classes like the International Moth which has gone from a wide hulled scow, to a thin hulled skiff and now with a hydrofoil based design competing. Many people prefer one design as it mean the competition is more about sailing ability rather than who can afford the newest innovation, although weight and sail age and quality also come into it even in one design. The people with most chance of winning a regatta often have new sails if not new boats.

An Olympic Sport
Sailing is an Olympic sport in both Mens and Womens divisions and for both yachts and dinghies / skiffs. Olympic dinghy classes include the Laser, 49er, 470 and Europe as well as a particular sailboard.

Racing for All Ages, Sexes and Weights

Most races and regattas are organised based on a class of dinghy, and within the class there may be several divisions such as Masters (older sailors), Heavyweights, Ladies and Juniors.

Handicap Events Mean Anyone Can Win
Results can be compared on a scratch or handicap basis. The most commonly used handicapping system is the back calculated yardstick. Handicaps take into account the results of the sailor over past races, so a heavy person/crew or a female who sails significantly better than previously over a season or regatta can win on handicap.

A Lifetime Sport
Because of the use of handicap events, sailors of any age can be competitive. In the Concord & Ryde Sailing Club in Sydney, New South Wales Australia the youngest crew is 5, the youngest skipper is 10 and the oldest crew is 73 and the oldest skipper is 72.

Yardsticks to Compare Across Classes

Results between classes can be compared using a Yardstick which recognises that, for example, a Laser would be expected (based on past results over a variety of regattas) to finish a course in say 1.1 times the base time, while a Heron would be expected to finish the same course in 1.2 times the base time. A 49er (the Olympic skiff class) might be expected to take 0.9 times the base time and an A class Catamaran might be expected to take 0.8 times. on this basis if the Heron sailor took 110 minutes, the Laser sailor took 108 minutes, the 49er took 92 minutes and the A class too 81 minutes, by dividing the elapsed time for each boat by the Yardstick you will see the Heroner won on corrected time.

Class, Association, Club
Clubs geneally have a number of different classes competing on any one day, often sailing the same course at the same time, but with each class starting a few minutes arpart. Keen club sailors join and compete in events with their State and National Associations. Associations generally cater for only one class of boat, but generally have competitors in several divisions.
Examples
1.1. Class: Laser http://www.laser.org/m/_general/default.asp
2. Club: Concord & Ryde Sailing Club http://www.concordrydesailing.org
3. Association: NSW Heron Association: ” class=”external”>http://herons.dinghies.org

Dinghy Construction Methods
Most dingies were originally carvel hulled, that is, made of overlapping planks. After the Second World War plywood, because of its success in building fighter aircraft, and specifically marine ply was used to build boats on a timber frame. As the skills necessary to build a timber framed boat were too demanding for many people another method of construction called stitch and glue was developed. Fibreglass has since become the main method of construction and even classes originally designed as ply on timber such as the Heron are now more usually made of fibreglass/fiberglass. In the quest for reduced weight foam sandwich construction has been adopted where weight limits allow the weight of the boat to be further reduced and exotic materials are often used for masts where design rules permit. Masts and booms have developed from solid timber through aluminium to carbon fibre. Sails have similarly developed with the advent of kevlar and mylar but some class rules exclude certain types of cloth to ensure expense does not become a factor.

Conclusion

Dinghy sailing is a rapidly changing and popular sport all over the world. It has become safer and more accessible over the years.

The sport has a tendency to retain its followers who ‘catch the bug’, but who have not been told about its addictive properties when they started!

Clickety click http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=a9GOKFXk_ZY

1. What famous explorer is associated with a ship called the ?Beagle??

2. What is a ship?s or boat?s diary called?

3. What type of boat has twin hulls?

4. The word ?POSH? was an abbreviation for cabin bookings made by wealthy passengers on ships going to the east. What does the acronym mean?

5. What fictional vessel did Captain Nemo command?

6. In the 60’s, who took a ferry across the Mersey?

7. Name the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta of 1878, about navy life?

8. What is the name of Captain Pugwash?s Ship?

9. What vessel did Shirley Temple sing about the in the 1934 film ?Bright Eyes??

10. In which European city might you travel in a gondola?

11. Which millionaire built The Spruce Goose flying boat?

ANSWERS
1. Charles Darwin.

2. A Log.

3. Catamaran.

4. Port Out – Starboard Home

5. Nautilus.

6. Gerry and the Pacemakers.

7. HMS Pinafore.

8. The Black Pig.

9. Good Ship Lollipop

10. Venice

11. Howard Hughes

In Sailing, many different Lines are used for a variety of purposes. For clarity, almost each Line used in a Sailboat has its own term. Know the terms used to identify different Lines in the sport.

Here are some examples:

■Halyards – used to raise and lower the Sails
■Sheets – used in Sail Trimming
■Vang – keeps the boom from lifting
■Preventer – controls the sideway motion of the boom
■Docklines – used in securing a Sailboat to a dock
Since Lines are essential features of Sailboats, it is imperative to take good care of them and keep them away from elements that may contribute to the wear and tear or deterioration of Lines as time progresses.

Here are some guidelines in keeping Lines in their good condition:

■Avoid frayed Line ends.
It will be hard to tie Sailing Knots if your Lines have frayed ends. Moreover, they look messy and worn out. To avoid having frayed ends, seal Line ends with proprietary liquids, glue, or adhesive tape. Make regular checks of your Lines so fraying (if any) will be attended to before it gets worse.

■Clean the Lines.
Dirt, dust, and other particles can accummulate in strands of the Lines. This buildup of dirt can affect the performance of Lines over a certain period of time. Scrub the Lines in a bucket of water and mild detergent. Coil the Lines and let them dry.

■Store Lines properly.
Coil Lines when not in use to avoid kinks and tangles. Make sure they are coiled properly before storing. Otherwise, they will get tangled up. Just imagine the effort and time you need just to straighten out various sorts of Lines that you need. Coil three strand Lines in loops, while braided Lines should be in figure 8 coils.

These are some tips in taking care of Lines on your Sailboat. Proper Care and Maintenance of Sailing Lines is all you need to extend their life and to ensure that they are in good condition every time you go sailing.

On most sailboats, telltales are positioned on both sides of the leading edge of the jib (called the luff). These small strips of yarn or ribbon show how the air is flowing past the luff and can indicate when you need to trim the sail.

At the best sail trim, air flows smoothly past the luff on both sides of the sail. The telltales then stream back horizontally on both sides of the sail, as you can see in this photo. The red telltale is on the near side of the jib (to port), and the two green telltales are showing through from the other side of the sail (starboard).

This sail is in good trim because the telltales on both sides are streaming straight back. With good air flow on both sides, the sail’s shape generates power.

It’s simple to trim the jib when the telltales show a problem. Move the sail in the direction of the fluttering telltales. If the fluttering telltales are on the inside of the sail, then pull the jib in tighter until they are streaming back horizontally.

If the fluttering telltales are on the outside of the sail, then let the jib out until they are streaming back horizontally.

Depending on the sunlight on the sail, it may be difficult to see the telltales on both sides of the sail at the same time. You may have to change your angle of vision to catch their shadows. With a little effort you can usually see the telltales on both sides.

Adjusting the sails using the sheets is called trimming. You trim a sail to give it the best shape for the direction you are sailing relative to the wind.

Remember that the leading, vertical edge of the sail is called the luff. When a sail is trimmed perfectly, it is in tight enough that the luff is not shaking or flapping – but not so tight that the wind is simply blowing against one side, making the boat heel over excessively. If the sail is brought in almost tight enough, it will look good at the back edge but the luff will be shaking or not tight.

Examine this photo carefully and you’ll see the billowing back of the mainsail luff, which is more noticeable in the blue area of sail. See how it does not have a smooth airplane-wing shape near the luff? The movement or shaking of the luff that happens when the sail is not quite in tight enough is called luffing. Luffing means the sail is not working as efficiently as it should, and the boat is going slower than it can.

The general principle for trimming the mainsail perfectly is to let out the mainsheet until the mainsail begins to luff, and then pull it in just until it stops luffing.

Remember: if a sail is in too tight, it can look perfect. You can’t tell by its appearance if it is in too tight. The only way to know is to let it out until it starts luffing, then tighten it just until it stops luffing.

One of the most important things to remember, when learning to sail, is to always know where the wind is coming from in relation to the boat. Study this illustration to learn the terms for the primary points of sail (the position of the boat relative to wind direction).

The wind is blowing straight down from the top in this illustration. All the arrows pointing outward from the circle are directions a sailboat can sail:

•A sailboat cannot sail directly into the wind but can sail about 45 degrees toward it; this is called being close hauled.
•When the boat is sailing across the wind, with the wind coming directly over either side (the “beam”), the boat is on a beam reach.
•When the boat is sailing at a broad angle off the wind (but not directly downwind), the boat is on a broad reach.
•When the boat is sailing directly downwind, it is said to be running.
Knowing how your boat is positioned relative to wind direction is crucial for how you set the sails and how you position your body weight. A good way to learn to pay attention to the wind is to tie short pieces of light yarn to the boat’s shrouds (see Part 1 of this lesson) and keep an eye on which way they are blowing.

Finally, when you are sailing you will find that the motion of the boat affects wind direction, because the boat’s movement through the air creates its own wind. For example, the true wind may be blowing exactly across the boat (beam reach) when the boat is at rest. As it picks up speed, however, it make its own wind by moving forward through the air. This added wind from the front adds to the wind over the side to produce a combined wind at an angle more from ahead – and so the boat may actually be close hauled. When you first start sailing, you don’t have to think too much about the difference between true wind and apparent wind. All that matters is the resulting (apparent) wind over the boat and sails.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, 75, will return to his solo ocean racing roots this November when he takes part in French single-handed classic, the Route de Rhum on his Open 60 entry, Grey Power.

The British founder of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and first ever man to sail solo, non-stop around the world in 1968/69, will compete in the tenth anniversary edition of the 3,500 mile Transatlantic race from St Malo, France to Guadeloupe, which starts on 2 November 2014.

Knox-Johnston last did this race in 1982 in his 70-foot catamaran Olympus, better known as Sea Falcon. He is the oldest participant entered so far at the age of 75.

Asked why he had chosen a solo Transatlantic Race at the age of 75, Knox-Johnston responded: “Participating in the 2013 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race reminded me how much I enjoy the excitement of an ocean race. Solo sailing is where I feel most at home – no one else can benefit you or let you down – it is all in my hands. The Route de Rhum is one of the classics – it is a very well-run race.”

The race sees sailors cross the Bay of Biscay late in the year in November before reaching the kinder, yet still squally climes of the trade wind belt before finishing in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.