As it is with wingfoil tacking, the exciting and essential skill of wingfoil jibing has two fundamental flows: heel-side to toe-side and toe-side to heel-side. Presuming you are new to jibing, the best starting point is the heel-side to toe-side transition. This involves riding with your front foot forward and executing a seamless turn into the “switch” position (toe-side), which eliminates the need to change your feet during the jibe.

Step 1: Get comfortable with the foil

First, let’s get you comfortable with that foil beneath you. Imagine the little plane below the surface—you must know how to control it. It will instantly respond to your every weight movement. Bigger foils that are ideal for learning are more forgiving and will allow you to have some more time to put it all together, so I definitely recommend starting with big gear in the beginning of your wingfoil journey.

Let’s practice for the jibe by riding heel-side and practicing subtle turns to the left and right. This will help you get a sense of the control needed for the jibe, which you will initiate by shifting your weight from your toes to your heels.

When transitioning to toe-side, the key is to shift your weight forward, leaning onto your front foot. This adjustment is the secret sauce for maintaining that perfect balance and control during your turn. To master riding toe-side, you have two options: initiating a jibe into toe-side or switching your feet while riding. The choice is yours.

Whether you’re switching from toe-side to heel-side, or the other way around, it all starts with lifting the front of your board. As you do this, shift more weight onto your back foot and swiftly switch your foot positioning. This ninja move ensures your board stays perfectly balanced throughout the entire maneuver. Don’t forget, the wing above your head can act as your wingman, providing that extra lift when you need it.

Step 2: Master the heel-side to toe-side jibe

Many wingfoilers consider this type of jibe to be the easiest, making it the perfect starting point for newcomers. Entering the heel-side to toe-side jibe you want to first generate additional speed. To do so, just before making the turn, pull on your back hand to grab some power in the wing. Then, transition to holding the wing high overhead. Keeping the wing elevated will help you master this move. Now, carve your turn to point the front of your board downwind. Shift your weight onto your toes and bring your hips forward. Then, release your back hand from the wing. Allow your board to keep turning while your wing is still high above. Simultaneously, switch your hands and start pulling on the back hand again to power the wing. Finish the maneuver by pumping the wing and the board a bit if your speed drops during the jibe.

Step 3: Move on to the toe-side to heel-side jibe

This second style of jibing has similar steps, but is a little bit more difficult to start with. I believe once you master the heel-side to toe-side jibe, this jibe will be much easier to handle.

Let’s get to it. Build speed before starting the jibe by pulling on your back hand slightly more to power the wing. Now hover your wing overhead as you initiate the turn. Keeping your wing high will help you have more balance. Release your back hand as you begin carving your board downwind while transferring your weight onto your heels.

As the board turns, switch your hand on the top handle, or on the top of the boom. The key moment is when you’re completing the maneuver, swiftly pull back on your back hand to catch the wind and maintain your speed as you exit the jibe. If you need more speed, you will need to pump the board slightly to continue flying.

By mastering both heel-side to toe-side and toe-side to heel-side jibes, you’ll unlock a world of control and excitement in your wingfoiling skills. Mastering the switch of your feet while riding is also another next-level achievement. Always remember: practice, practice, practice and be patient. It all takes time, but let me tell you it is worth it.

Paula Novotna @paulanovotna is the first-ever women’s world champion in wingfoiling, excelling in both freestyle and racing. Follow her journey on her social media channels, including Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, and Facebook. She’s here to inspire and share her experiences with you to become a better wingfoiler.

The post Three Ways to Master Your First Wingfoil Jibe appeared first on Sailing World.

The pre-event practice racing that has been held in Barcelona ahead of the first Preliminary Regatta in Vilanova i La Geltrú from the 14-17 September 2023, has given us an early look into the form and revealed much about the sailor’s approach to pure one-design AC40 fleet racing. The racing has been remarkably competitive with a huge premium on boat positioning with very few passing lanes. Downwind work has arguably seen the biggest gains amongst the front runners and the premium on constant flight is a given. The world’s best foiling sailors, the golden generation of foilers, are certainly not disappointing and we can expect fireworks when all six AC40s line up for eight fleet races that will decide the top two boats to proceed to the match-race final–winner-takes-all. The first Preliminary Regatta on the road to the 37th America’s Cup, begins in Vilanova i La Geltrú with practice racing on Thursday 14th September 2023 with the racing starting on Friday 15th and running through to the deciding match-race final on Sunday 17th September 2023. The America’s Cup media provide their insight into who is expected to do well in Vilanova i La Geltrú.

America’s Cup AC40 Lineup for Vilanova i la Geltrú

Emirates Team New Zealand The Kiwis have performed consistently in the Practice Racing in Barcelona with a tight-knit team that trust in their process. Seemingly preferring mid-line starts and then applying pressure on boats to windward with their high mode and low riding, Peter Burling and Nathan Outteridge have proven to be excellent front-runners once ahead whilst being determined chasers when behind. As defenders of the America’s Cup and with a lot of time on the water, they are the team who always have a target on their back and there’s a sense that several teams are rapidly closing the gap. Will be interesting to see how they go in Vilanova.

INEOS Britannia Luke Parkinson told it straight when he said that the team hadn’t done enough racing and sailing in the AC40 and for the Challenger of Record it has been a tough few days of racing in the practice regattas. At times brilliant, Ben Ainslie’s starting has been world-class but poor execution of manuevers, particularly downwind, has cost them dearly. However, this is a team with superb coaches, who learn fast and there is no more dangerous a sight in world sailing than Ben Ainslie with his back to the wall. Giles Scott is a super-rapid sailor with a lot of experience at the top level of foiling whilst the team has plenty of experience to call up for Vilanova in terms of trimmers. Could be dark horses to show well.

NYYC American Magic The Americans chose to sit out the first few days of the recent practice regatta, preferring to complete their aero and foil testing schedule, but when they came to the racecourse, they were sensational. This is, no doubt, the team to beat with Tom Slingsby, Olympic Gold medalist and Paul Goodison, a three-time International Moth World Champion, looking for all the world like the best pairing in this America’s Cup cycle. Able to sail high upwind with a super low-ride, their brilliance is mirrored downwind with relentless pace and superb trim. American Magic very much look the real deal with so many hours of practice under their belt two-boat tuning in the AC40, and their technique in all conditions is impressive. Many people’s pick to win in Vilanova, the Americans are looking tasty.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli are the one team that everyone is watching closely and carefully. Unafraid to ride very different modes to the others, the Italians have a playbook for every scenario and at times have shown unbelievable boatspeed. Their starting has been hit or miss and when they make a mistake, they are quick to bail and try another tactic. Francesco Bruni is a perfect foil for the mercurial genius and downright competitiveness of Jimmy Spithill whilst their Flight Control team of Vittorio Bissaro and Andrea Tesei are arguably the best in the business. If the Italians can string together some consistent results early on, they could easily make the match-race final.

Alinghi Red Bull Racing The bull is charging. Arnaud Psarofaghis and Maxime Bachelin have formed a dynamic partnership, rooted in steady progression, and Alinghi Red Bull Racing have surprised to the upside in the practice regattas. The Swiss are getting more and more comfortable with front-running when ahead whilst their tenacity to fight back when behind is impressive. Boathandling is still a work in progress, but the team have made big gains downwind to compete with and beat the established teams. Starting has been generally on the money and they are a team that everyone is watching on the racecourse. Can the Swiss make it to the final? That’s the big question and early results in Vilanova will be crucial to their overall regatta chances.

Orient Express Racing Team Having taken delivery of their AC40 just last month, the French are methodically approaching the Preliminary Regatta with ‘humility’ according to their coach Thierry Douillard, but they have shown early signs of being more than capable of taking race wins and collecting scalps. The French are brilliant sailors, of which there is no doubt, and Quentin Delapierre and Kevin Pepponet are forming a formidable afterguard. Whether they can challenge for the title in Vilanova is a tall ask with so little time in the AC40 compared to the more established teams, but they will acquit themselves well and could easily score memorable and morale-boosting race wins. The team to watch and cheer on.

Coverage Specifics can be found here.

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“I was relieved to have officially qualified for the Olympics,” writes Formula Kiteboard champion Daniela Moroz on her excellent and brutally honest blog post. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of my whole life, and it’s crazy to think it’s officially happening – I’m going to be an Olympian. Insane.”

But now comes the hard part. The final push to Marseilles. “There is a lot of work to be done in the next year leading up to the Games,” she writes. “For me, the most important thing will be to keep my head in the right place… there is no off season, no official time where you can recover and disconnect from the job. We think we have to keep training all year, which is completely unsustainable and leads to burnout…

“One of my biggest areas of improvement is gaining weight, so I will be working closely with our awesome team of US Sailing Team trainers based just outside of Miami. I truly believe that following this path will still put out net gains for my Olympic sailing because it will re-spark my fire for the sport. My mission is still clear: the goal is gold, and I’m ready to do everything I can to deliver a winning performance at the 2024 Olympic Games.”

Moroz knows next summer’s Olympic Regatta is not only her first shot at the sport’s first medal, but it could very well be her one and only shot given the emotional and physical drain this campaign has put her through over the past several years at the top of the fleet. There is an underlining urgency in her blog and an honest plea for financial support, which does not come readily from US Olympic coffers. I encourage you to read her latest writing in which she shares the tumultuous experience of her Olympic qualification. She is a legitimate best-medal hopeful for the US Sailing Team, an inspirational sailor that deserves our recognition and support, so let’s all chip in what we can to help her soar to the podium (a GoFundMe pages is now live as well). It’s what she was born to do. The following conversation was recorded at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in Chicago in June ahead of her qualification and published in the Fall 2023 edition of Sailing World Magazine.

—Dave Reed

Born to Soar

There’s a reason why Daniela Moroz, the six-time kiteboard world champion and four-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, is always quick to flash a radiant smile. Happiness comes easy for the 22-year-old foiling phenom from San Francisco, which most certainly has something to do with her parents, her upbringing on, in and now above the water, and the fact that she actually enjoys her training as she pushes ever closer to the Formula Kite’s Olympic debut. “I love pushing myself, and I love seeing how far I can go and how well I can perform,” she says. At the moment, she is performing as expected: fast and faster. In Marseille, France, on the very waters of next year’s Olympic regatta, she won a bronze medal in July and locked in her US Sailing Team spot. All that remains is to qualify the US, and from there it’s straight to the big stage.

Most sailors have likely never watched a kiteboard race. How does it go?

It is course racing, just like what everyone else does in sailing. It’s windward-leeward courses, and it’s a three-minute start sequence. Instead of having an hour- or half-hour-long race, our races are only about 12 to 15 minutes in qualifying [races]. And then eight to 10 minutes in the medal races. It’s really fast. I learned recently that it’s actually the fastest Summer Olympic sport, which is pretty cool. Upwind we’re going 20 to 25 knots, and downwind we’re pushing into the high 30s pretty comfortably. If you want to go fast, it’s a great class to get into. The equipment is unique, and it’s very dynamic and exciting. I always loved going fast, so that was a big thing that pulled me into it.

Describe a typical starting approach; it must be madness with all the kites hovering overhead in one ­confined area.

It’s similar to regular sailing in that you still have your starting routine—do a few line checks, get a transit, check what side of the course has more wind. Then you’re fighting for position on the line and trying not to come off the foil that whole time. There are kites everywhere and RIBs—there’s a lot going on. Once you start, it’s amazing. I always feel like those first 30 seconds are always so interesting because, while holding a lane, there’s this moment of silence where I get into the flow, and I’m going 20 to 25 knots upwind, and I’m trying to see where I can tack out. Everything is happening at such a fast pace.

What’s the key to being able to hold that lane?

Hiking, which sounds weird for kiting, but that’s what I’m doing. I can be holding up to 120 kilos of load on the board, which transfers into my legs. So, it’s kind of like holding a squat or a wall sit for several minutes upwind. And I just heel over as much as possible. I’m managing all of the power of the kite and kind of putting it into the harness and feeling every little movement to try to point higher and go faster. I’m trying to get the vector from the kite to the board to be as close to 180 degrees as possible.

From there, what are the ­tactical fundamentals you have to play out while also managing the kite, the foil, and the rest of the fleet?

Speed helps. As always, it’s nice to have a speed edge. When I’m sending into the left corner off the start, I’m always trying to see what my options are. There’s a lot to manage, and I have to get into the flow right away and be conscious of what I’m thinking about and make sure I’m thinking about the right things. In kiting, there’s so much feel that goes into it. The longer you’ve been kiting, the better your field is and the better your reaction times will be to anything that happens with the kite and the foil. The kite and board have to be an extension of your body because you have to be so in sync with it to be able to go fast.

When you started competing in international events and won your first Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year (in 2016 at the age of 15, the youngest winner ever), the field was tiny—no more than a dozen female competitors. But now the numbers and the competitive field are enormous. It’s amazing to think you’ve been at the tip of this spear for so long.

Yeah, it’s really interesting because there’s all these established Olympic sailing classes that have been around ­forever, so when it comes to the Olympics, there’s kind of a formula. With kiteboarding, we don’t know what the pathway is, and we have to figure it out.

You’ve said recently that your technique is sound, but your next hurdles are the ­equipment and your weight.

I’ve been kiting for pretty much half of my life now, so my technique is pretty good, my feel is really good, and my boathandling is good. But now it’s a matter of figuring out how to make the most gains and improvements with the equipment. For each regatta, we can have four kites that are different sizes—usually 9, 11, 15 and 21 square meters. We can register only one foil for the whole regatta. I’ve never really been a technical person, and I always blame myself before blaming any of my gear, but now I really have to be more technical and have confidence in my skills and my technique. I know what a fast kite should feel like, and I know how a good foil should feel.

What does a fast kite feel like?

It’s impossible to describe. It just feels good, and it just takes you where you want to go.

What about the weight—is it more advantageous to be heavy or light?

As with almost any foiling discipline, weight is important. In kiting, weight is righting moment, so I’m trying to get as heavy as possible. But it’s hard because I want to feel good and I want to feel strong, fit, agile and athletic, but then I also need to be heavy to just be able to go with that. It’s been an interesting mental challenge because I want to have confidence in my body and what I’m able to do, but it’s not always super easy to do that when you know what our sport demands. It’s an interesting balance, but my goal is to be competing for a medal at the Games, and I’m going to do everything I can that’s in my power to do that.

You’ve been transparent about your burnout a few years ago. What happened?

At the end of the 2019 racing season, I was just starting college and able to take some time off and focus on that. But when I got back on the water and back into kite racing, I didn’t feel that fire in me anymore. It was weird because for so many years all I wanted to do was go kite and go shred and have fun on the water. Suddenly, that desire wasn’t there anymore. That’s not normal. That’s not who I am. When COVID happened and all of the 2020 racing season was canceled, I took six months off, and I remember being at a certain point where I didn’t even want to look at my race gear—I didn’t even let myself keep it in the car so I didn’t even have to think about it. It was probably the best thing I could have done for myself at this point because it had taken this weird toll on me where I didn’t want to do it anymore. The thought of going kiting was so unappealing, which was a really weird feeling to have.

What got you back on track?

I eventually realized kiting is all I’ve really been doing with my life for six years and I needed to have something besides kiting. Because as much as we love sailing and we love foiling, it is not everything in life. You also need to be happy in order to perform, you need to be enjoying what you’re doing, and you need to be connected with your sport and with nature and with what you’re doing. So, I got a Moth.

The vagabond pro-kiter lifestyle must be pretty attractive. You get to play and live in some amazing waters and venues.

Last year, I spent maybe 40 days at home. I’m on the road most of the year. There are downsides to that, but I always remember that I really, really love what I’m doing. And when it comes down to it, I love going out and training actually, and I love pushing myself, and I love seeing how far I can go and how well I can perform. So, I always remind myself that I’m super lucky to get to do this and to even do something I love so much. We get to experience the world in such a unique way that few people get to experience.

Speaking of experiences, what is your top speed to date?

It was around 38 knots—a burst in a bear away, but not before a wipeout.

The post US Olympic Sailing’s Daniela Moroz Is On the Verge appeared first on Sailing World.

Like most things in life, innovation is born of either necessity or discovery, and for Tamas Hamor, founder of Xquisite Yachts, the necessity after 11 years of bluewater sailing with his wife was profound: on most production boats it’s nearly impossible to access mechanicals and even more difficult to get after-sales service. One experience in particular following a Pacific Ocean dismasting was the final straw that sent him into the boat building business: “It took months to get a rigging drawing from the manufacturer,” Hamor says. “It got to the point where we said there must be a better way to do this.”

Hamor’s solution was to launch his own brand with a focus on building boats with “the highest build quality and design, where every component, every tank and every pump is accessible and serviceable.” The result over the past 10 years has been a fast-growing line of ever larger award-winning cruising sail and power catamarans and a base of operations in the Bahamas where owners are trained on all aspects of their million-dollar yacht before being cast out to the big blue sea. The company’s base has since grown to be an Xquisite Yachts Charter operation and a sailing school as well.

And to the point of innovation through necessity once again, Hamor and his expanding team—with builders in South Africa, Portugal and Poland—have now launched their new Xquisite 30 Sportcat as a means to upskill owners on the nuances of big-cat sailing by schooling them in a fast and nimble package. In Freeport, it’s envisioned, Xquiste owners and guests will be able to island hop on the Sportcat to familiarize themselves with the feel of a catamaran. And someday in the near future, Hamor says, there will be a fleet of them in Freeport, with inter-island one-design poker racing and a school for the local kids to get up to speed.

It’s been long since the heyday of the slick and fast Stiletto Catamarans that a production builder has offered a sporty mid-sized day sailing catamaran. The industry focus is trimarans with basic cruising accommodations, but the Xquisite 30 Sportcat does not claim to be a liveaboard cruiser whatsoever. Sure, you could take it overnight and sleep on deck or in one of the two small aft cabins, but that’s not the point. Hamor says this boat is all about day sailing and experiencing the sensations and movements of a big cat at a much smaller scale.

“I don’t believe we’re going to sell a lot of them, but Xquisite is not about mass manufacturing anyways,” he says.

The Sportcat 30 model nominated for Sailing World’s upcoming Boat of the Year testing is a 2,000-pound shallow draft version with kick-up rudders and skegs. Homas says the boat can be built with retractable daggerboards for those who are keen to race it or sail it in deeper waters, but again, day sailing and catamaran skill development for Xquisite owners is the priority.

At $285,000 all-in the Sportcat 30 is an expensive day sailor, Homas admits, but he never wanted to build it on the cheap, reasoning the better it’s built the fewer service calls he’ll get. The sailplan is plenty powered up with a North Sails 3Di inventory (main, self-tacking jib, and gennaker) on a rotating carbon spar from French spar maker AG+ and all considerations were made to keep the carbon-reinforced vinylester infused platform as lightweight as possible. “It costs as much as it does because it’s built right and has everything on it—all the top equipment and sails,” Hamor says.

The boat’s modular trailer concept is designed to allow the boat to be assembled on land before slipping it down the ramp or into the hoist with a lifting bridle. The rig, Hamor, says, can be raised with two people easily. Disassembled, the entire operation is designed to be packed into a 40-foot container for shipping or off-season storage.

For propulsion, an outboard bracket on the aft beam will accommodate a gas or electric outboard, and Homas likes the new electric engines from Mercury—which at the moment would be his recommendation over a gas-powered option.

Would be owners apprehensive about assembling, launching and sailing the boat for the first time need not worry, Hamor says. “We can do the training right here in the Bahamas and ship the boat in the container to wherever you are in the world. Or we can fly in a team to assemble it and spend a few days getting the owner up to speed.”

Because that’s the level of service he wished he always had.

The post Xquisite 30 Sportcat Nominated for Sailing World Boat of the Year appeared first on Sailing World.

Perched on the shores of the deepwater Pensacola Bay, in the farthest northwest corner of the Florida Panhandle, the city of Pensacola had for years eluded the sailing spotlight. So-named for the long-haired indigenous inhabitants encountered by the Spanish explorers of the 1500s, Pensacola’s identity has ebbed and flowed with the tides. This City of Five Flags was abandoned for nearly a century after a hurricane wiped out its original Spanish inhabitants, to later be governed by France, Great Britain, the US and the Confederate States of America. 

A significant economic contributor to Florida for timber and fishing in the 1930s and 1940s, Pensacola’s sailing culture flourished in the decades that followed but fell dormant in the aftermath of the 1970s and 1980s hurricanes, which once again drove an entire generation elsewhere. 

With a history as turbulent as the hurricanes that defined it, the city on the bay is rising again, this time capitalizing on its distinguishing geographic features. 

Immediate past commodore of the Pensacola Yacht Club Tom Pace knows the city—and its bay—quite well. The once-professional windsurfer grew up in Pensacola, moved away during the aforementioned dormant years, but returned to care for his ailing parents. His love for Pensacola inspired a Quixote-esque quest to showcase the bay’s ideal location and sailing conditions. 

Spanning roughly 5-by-11 miles in depths of 22 to 32 feet, Pensacola Bay’s sail-racing area takes advantage of the optimal sailing conditions. Here, wind conditions vary from season to season, but serve up a perfect 8.1 mph average punctuated by 15 to 25 mph frontal surges between October and May. The warmer months see light winds in the morning building into a southwesterly sea breeze later in the day.

The bay has been home to several notable youth sailing events in recent years, including the 2018 Optimist National Championship and the US Sailing Youth National Championship, as well as a host of national and international regattas. 

“It had been a dream for years,” Pace says. “We are trying to rebuild a sailing culture.” 

Pace’s vision coincided with the brewing of the perfect storm—one propelled by the New York Yacht Club’s decision to challenge the 36th America’s Cup. Led by three-time Maxi72-class champion and yachtsman John “Hap” Fauth, businessman Roger Penske and Quantum Racing head Doug DeVos, the AC Cup Challenger team American Magic was looking for a training base. Key West offered the infrastructure but temperamental conditions. Pensacola’s protected bay, on the other hand, offered conditions similar to Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.

“We kept bugging American Magic to relocate from Key West to Pensacola,” Pace says. “The bay offers winds from every direction and, unlike San Francisco or New York, it’s not as seasonal. The cost of living factors in as well.” Team representative Dr. Jim Andrews visited during a particularly stellar 40-knot day. “We got a call a month later from Tyson Lamont (WHO). They would need a dock, containers, and stakes for tent structures for the AC36 Challenger team who would use Pensacola Bay as its winter training base, named Warehouse 10.

“In the 1984 Olympics, the US took gold or silver in each of 12 sailing medal divisions,” said Pace. “Since then we’ve fallen off; during the past three Olympic cycles, the US has had one medal. Hap and Doug saw this stagnation of American sailing and went back to the cradle. They needed a performance sailing center.”

In 2020, the biggest names in American sailing turned their attention not only to US sailing, but to Pensacola as well. Names such as Paul Cayard, Dawn Riley, Ray Palmer, Terry Hutchinson, and Mike Cazer were each influential in the fledgling opti, foils, and Moth events now surging on the bay.

This year, Pace’s vision for Pensacola came one step closer to reality when the board of Triumph Gulf Coast voted unanimously to approve an $8.5 million grant for design, renovation, and completion of the American Magic training facility. The new Center for Maritime Excellence will serve as the permanent headquarters for the American Magic team. On top of this, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a $3.9 million grant from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to strengthen Pensacola’s infrastructure and “promote economic opportunities in the sailing industry for the Florida Panhandle.”

“There is a lot of excitement here now that real hard dollars are going into our vision,” says Pace. “None of this would have been possible without Merrill Land Company President/Owner Collier Merrill at the state level and Ellis Bullock, President/Creative Director of marketing and communications firm EW Bullock on the local level. Without them we would not have begun the sponsorship of American Magic. In fact, Pensacola, Florida will now be displayed on the sails through the Cup Finals. They have been critical to the relationship with local leaders as well as with the Governor, Florida Senators and Congressmen, and remain the bedrock of all of this.

“Our task now is to build out the infrastructure,” says Pace. “The marina space may be a challenge but the water is not. There is a load of potential in revitalizing the waterfront as well as downtown Pensacola.”

Now that the momentum is going, Pace can already taste an American Magic win in Barcelona. “If American Magic wins, how do we shape up the defense in Pensacola? There is a lot of excitement. We need tourist development and the county engaged, if it’s all going to work. What we have is an incredibly cohesive core group that we hope will influence the ancillaries. Everything has been set, we have legitimate money, everybody is in. If you build a little bit of infrastructure, you will attract a lot.”

Godspeed, Pensacola. We’ll see you on the bay.

To learn more about Pensacola sailing visit www.visitpensacola.com/feature/sailing/.

The post Winds of Change appeared first on Sailing World.

After honing your skills with wingfoil jibes, the next progression is taking your wingfoiling to the next level by perfecting the tack. Tacks are not only practical for changing your direction swiftly but also add a touch of style to your wingfoiling performance. Mastering tacks requires practicing diligently, and once you’ve perfected them you’re sure to impress others on the beach, and enhance your overall wingfoiling experience. So, let’s get to it.

Step 1: Start from Toe-side Stance

Begin by attempting a tack from your toe-side stance. While riding toe-side, keep your wing elevated to maintain control. To set up for the tack, glide upwind while holding your top hand on the wing. Ensure that your wing is positioned correctly.

Step 2: Turn the Wing and Change Hands

Now it’s time to initiate the tack. Turn the wing over your head to the opposite direction while keeping your board on course. Quickly switch your hands, starting with the one on top. Simultaneously, use your bottom hand on the wing to pull it and catch the wind to continue riding smoothly.

Step 3: Weight Distribution

As you complete the tack, be prepared for your board to want to rise. Counter this by shifting weight onto your front foot immediately after the tack. Depending on the wind conditions, you may need to employ a slight pumping motion to maintain momentum.

Step 4: Practice and Consistency

With practice, you’ll become more consistent in executing your tacks. As you improve, you’ll notice a significant enhancement in your wingfoiling performance and the movements will all become second nature. The elegance of well-executed tacks will garner admiration from fellow wingfoilers and motivate you to continue progressing in the sport.

Step 5: Transition from Heel-side to Toe-side

Transitioning from a heel-side stance to toe-side can be a bit more challenging than the previously explained tack, but let’s break it down:

• Build speed while riding heel-side and turn your board upwind in the opposite direction.
• Keep your wing elevated and release your back hand. Swiftly rotate the wing over your head.
• Change your top hand to your second hand rapidly and position your back hand on the second handle to maintain speed.
• Balance your board and shift your weight from heel-side to toe-side. Place more weight on your front foot to maintain control.

Step 6: Heel-side to heel-side tack (Complete Tack)

For the advanced tack—from heel side to heel side—which is great for upwind progress, follow these subtle steps:

• Start similarly to the previous tack, but position your feet out of the back strap and toward the middle of the board.
• Throw the wing over your head while turning your board.
• As you change your hands and pull on the back hand, switch your stance on the board.
• The board will naturally rise during the turn, so shift your weight to the front of the board.
• If you lack sufficient speed, employ a pumping motion to keep going.

For additional tips, follow me on Instagram @paulanovotna. Happy wingfoiling and see you on the water.

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The enduring allure of the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is most evident in the teams and sailors from around the globe that return to this seaside city every two years to compete in sailing’s premiere Corinthian big-boat regatta. For the eighth edition, which will start on Tuesday, September 12, and run for five days, there will be just two new clubs participating: Corinthian Yacht Club from Marblehead, Mass., and Yacht Club Punta Del Este from Uruguay. Both come in with lofty aspirations and a healthy respect for the competition and the unique challenges of this ultimate one-design regatta.

“In 2024, Yacht Club Punta Del Este will reach a remarkable 100 years of being active, and being asked to attend this event is a fantastic way to start off this special year,” says Aldo Centanaro, the tactician for Uruguayan team. “This is a great opportunity for us to make new friends and give our best effort in the upcoming races. It’s an exciting chance for us to show our skills and perform to the best of our abilities.”

The Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is a biennial regatta hosted by the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I. Since the event was first run in 2009, it has attracted top amateur sailors from 51 of the world’s most prestigious yacht clubs from 22 countries. After five editions in the Swan 42 class, the 2023 event will be the third sailed in the IC37, designed by Mark Mills. The strict one-design nature of this purpose-built class combined with the fact that each boat is owned and maintained by the New York Yacht Club, will ensure a level playing field not seen in any other amateur big-boat sailing competition. The regatta will run from Saturday, September 9, through Saturday, September 16, with racing starting on Tuesday, September 12. A live broadcast on Facebook and YouTube, starting on Wednesday, September 13, will allow fellow club members, friends, family and sailing fans from around the world follow the action as it happens. Nineteen teams from 14 countries will compete in 2023. The 2023 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is brought to you by title sponsor Rolex and regatta sponsors Helly Hansen, Safe Harbor Marinas, Peters & May and Hammetts Hotel.

With the entry from Yacht Club Punta Del Este, Uruguay becomes the 22nd country and the second from South America to compete in the Invitational Cup. Yacht Club Argentina has raced every edition except for the regatta’s debut in 2009. The YCA’s finishes have ranged from eighth to 16th, but the South American club has left a distinct impression as a three-time winner of the Corinthian Spirit Award, which is voted on by the competing teams. This year, the Argentine team may have some competition in that department, from their neighbors across the Río de la Plata.

“Our main goal [for the Invitational Cup] is to sail fast and be as smart as possible on the water,” says Centanaro. “We want to have a great time, make friends and treat our hosts and fellow racers with respect.”

And that’s not to discount the Uruguayan team’s chances of a strong finish. Helmsman Santiago Silveria won a bronze medal in the Snipe Class at the 2003 Pan American Games and finished fourth in the J/24 and the 2007 Pan Am Games. He’s also won major championships in the 49er and J/70 class. Centanarao has also found success in the J/70 class—finishing third at the 2018 Corinthian J/70 Worlds—and the Laser.

“In August, we attended training sessions in Buenos Aires sailing a Soto 33, which shares similarities with the IC37,” says Centanaro. “Once we’re [in Newport], our focus will be on sailing the new boat as much as possible. We aim to learn the essential techniques and strategies before the main race begins.”

Physically the road to the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup for Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass., will be the shortest of any team competing in 2023. The famous Boston seaport is less than 100 miles from the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court, closer even than the host club’s iconic home on 44th Street in Manhattan. However, as is the case for any American club hoping to compete in the Invitational Cup, the figurative pathway is maybe more difficult to navigate than the regatta itself.

Corinthian’s journey started in 2016, when it applied for a berth in the Resolute Cup, the feeder competition for the Invitational Cup, which is run on even years. The venerable Massachusetts club, which occupies a sprawling shingled manor overlooking Marblehead Harbor, finished second in the silver fleet in 2016 and then eighth overall in 2018. After the 2020 Resolute Cup was cancelled due to COVID, Corinthian showed up in 2022 with a revamped team led by veteran trimmer Doug Sabin and a precocious young helmsman by the name of Wade Waddell. The result was a convincing win and a berth in this year’s Invitational Cup.

The four sailors who won the Resolute Cup form the core of the Invitational Cup squad. Among those brought on board to round out the crew for the IC37, which typically sails with between eight and 10 people, is Tim Wadlow, a two-time Olympian in the 49er class and former college sailor of the year at Boston University. Once the crew was selected, the team planned training in Newport and back home in Marblehead. With limited experience in the class, and big boats in general, it’s a steep hill to climb in a short period of time.

“It’s the biggest boat I’ve ever raced and skippered, but it feels like a dinghy, it’s very maneuverable,” says Waddell. “I have a ton of confidence in my teammates. Tim has full reign on the tactics upwind and downwind. I have an amazing trimming team and bow team and pit, that makes my job a lot easier, and I can really just focus on keeping the boat going fast around the course.”

Wadlow has been a committed dinghy sailor for all of his life, whether it was chasing an Olympic medal in the 49er or competing in world championship team racing events. But he’s enjoying this foray into big-boat racing.

“I’ve got two kids and a business, but I still love sailing at the highest level,” says Wadlow. “Wade put together the team and won the Resolute Cup and was like ‘Hey, are you going to come help me?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’ It’s such a cool boat, it’s totally one-design.”

With an intimate knowledge of what it takes to compete at the sharp end of the sport, Wadlow offers a measured response when asked about his team’s progress.

“I feel like we’ve gotten to where we’re at least playing the game, but I think the last 5 to 10 percent are going to be a lot harder to learn,” he says. “We’ve had more success on the course [inside Narragansett Bay]. Flat water and shifty wind seem to suit us really well. We did really well downwind [at the National Championships in July]. A lot of the 49er stuff that I’ve done applies [to the IC37]. I’m comfortable downwind.”

The final stage of preparations for each of the 19 teams competing will take place in the days before the regatta, with the boats available for training from Wedneday, September 6. Mandatory practice starts on Sunday, September 10, with the first race on Tuesday, September 12. A live race-by-race broadcast of the regatta will start on Wednesday, September 13.

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When the wind gets light and weird, a different approach to the racecourse is required says Racing Editor Mike Ingham. Priority No. 1 is to seek the breeze and from there, play the long game.

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It may never happen again.

What we’re talking about is The Ocean Race’s monster of a stage through the southern Indian and Pacific. What was originally a solution to the impossible challenge of trying to organize a round-the-world race with stops through Asia in the time of COVID-19 may have manifested itself as a new classic course—the new Everest peak for fully crewed ocean-racing teams, starting in Africa and ending in South America.

It was always going to be one hell of a ­challenge, this great distorting marathon sitting among six other standard-size Atlantic-based stages in the 50th anniversary edition of The Ocean Race, formerly the Volvo Ocean Race and the Whitbread. And it looked to have disaster written all over it because there were so many unknowns: Would the foil-assisted IMOCA 60s, with their delicate appendages and lightweight hulls, be able to cope with the violence of being pushed full-pelt for 35 days through the most inhospitable seas on the planet? How would their four-strong sailing crews survive in their spaceship-size capsules, on a platform with a ride quality ranging from uncomfortable to unbearable? And how would the race’s credibility survive this challenge, with only five boats on the starting line under Cape Town’s Table Mountain? What if three—or worse, none of them—failed to complete the course? This later concern weighed heavily on race organizers and fans alike.

In the end, we were treated to an epic sporting story too deep and expansive for this space. And it was one that proved that even if there were only four boats on the racecourse (Guyot Environnement-Team Europe dropped out with structural issues), if they are good boats, then it can be a compelling watch. And these were good boats sailed by some of the world’s best solo and fully crewed yachtsmen and -women.

Leg 3 had everything: big downwind racing in towering seas and storm-force winds, and long periods of atypical calm for the Southern Ocean, even in summer, and remarkably close racing. How close? While passing the most remote spot in the world’s oceans at Point Nemo, all four boats were within hailing range of each other. And there was some serious record-breaking pace at times, with the IMOCA 24-hour distance record smashed, jumping from 539 miles to 595 miles, courtesy of Kevin Escoffier and his crew on the Swiss-flagged Holcim-PRB.

The leg captivated a ­hungry social media audience with compelling stories of resilience, determination and resourcefulness by each and every crew as they battled rig and sail damage, hull and appendage structural failure, and personal injury in one case to keep their race on course. And all of it was vividly recorded and shared by the onboard reporters (OBRs) forbidden from taking part in crew work. What the OBRs gave us was a fascinating Big Brother’s-eye view of everything that went on for over more than a month at sea, plus compiling some of the most spectacular drone footage of foiling yachts in the Big South, the likes of which had never been captured in such high definition.

Of all the subplots that played out over 36 days, the most compelling was that of the eventual leg winner—and a surprise winner at that: Team Malizia, skippered by the charismatic German Boris Herrmann. Alongside him was the young British sailor Will Harris, the experienced French navigator Nico Lunven and the Dutch sailor Rosalin Kuiper. The team’s 2020-vintage VPLP-designed boat was tipped by many to come last in this race because it is big, heavy, and slow to get up on its foils in marginal conditions. Indeed, in Leg 2, from the Cape Verde islands to Cape Town, Malizia lost 200 miles to the fleet in just three days.

On Leg 3’s long eastbound highway, however, the hope for Herrmann and his crew was that their beast of an IMOCA would show its true pedigree in the South, and so it proved. But long before it could do that, their race almost came to an end after three days when the Code Zero halyard lock failed and the halyard carved a 30-centimeter trench in the front of the mast, 90 feet above deck.

At this point, the temptation to return to Cape Town was almost overwhelming, but the crew decided to try to repair it. “We thought about going back to Cape Town. That would be an easy reaction. But now we have all agreed to try and continue—it takes even more mental strength to do this than such an endeavor takes anyhow. The day we stand on the dockside in Itajai, I will be super proud,” Herrmann said at the time.

Little did he know.

With Harris and Kuiper taking turns at the top of the rig, they managed to complete a decent patch-up of the spar during a light spot in the weather and got their race back on track, albeit more than 300 miles behind the early leader, Holcim-PRB. The Swiss boat would extend its advantage to more than 600 miles before being reined back in—such is the nature of ocean racing, where being too far ahead can be a curse.

Alongside the US entry and pre-race favorite, 11th Hour Racing Team Mãlama skippered by Charlie Enright, and the French-flagged Biotherm skippered by Paul Meilhat, the game was now all about hunting Holcim down by diving south toward the ice exclusion zone, looking for stronger winds.

If times were tough on Malizia, they were arguably even worse on Mãlama, where Enright and his team, which included veteran British navigator Simon Fisher, British-Australian sailor Jack Bouttell and Swiss soloist Justine Mettraux, were contending with cracks in both their rudders. They repaired one and swapped the other for the spare and crossed their fingers.

The first goal for everyone was the midleg scoring gate under southeastern Australia, where Holcim added to its wins in Legs 1 and 2 by taking maximum points. But it was behind them that Malizia first started to show its qualities in this part of the world. On the way to the imaginary gate—situated at longitude 143 degrees east—Malizia simply sailed past Mãlama in sight of her, as Amory Ross, the OBR on the American yacht, memorably described.

“They seem to be able to carry more sail and keep their bow up, and while we struggled in the waves to keep from nosediving, they were able to sail at the same speed but lower,” he wrote.

In an interview after the finish, Enright was a bit less diplomatic. “It was kind of at that point in the race that everybody realized that Malizia was this Southern Ocean downwind machine—right before the scoring gate—and we were like, ‘Oh f—,’ you know…”

While the first half of this Southern Ocean drama was dominated by Escoffier’s boat, the second act in the Pacific saw a restart at Point Nemo and then a dogfight at the front between Holcim and Malizia in the run down to Cape Horn in big weather. It was a battle that continued up the South American coast, when three depressions produced the roughest weather, with the breeze topping 50 knots on three successive days.

And it was on the run to the Horn in big breaking seas that Malizia crewmember Kuiper was thrown out of her bunk when the boat spun off a breaking wave. She landed on her head, inflicting a concussion and a nasty wound, an incident that only underlined just how dangerous these platforms are in heavy weather. But the tough 27-year-old Dutchwoman, who was one of the brightest stars of the OBR show on this leg, just laughed it off, comparing herself to a pirate with an eye patch.

The weather pattern after the Horn was a gift for Malizia and just what this band needed to hold Holcim off all the way to the finish. Herrmann and his jovial squad crossed the line in the early hours of the morning after 35 days at sea, having sailed 14,714 miles and with Holcim still 80 miles out.

“It’s taking a few days, to be honest, to really realize what we’ve achieved because the last few days were really intense, trying to make sure we stayed ahead of Holcim and just really guaranteeing that we were really going to win this one,” Harris said after the finish. The 29-year-old Englishman couldn’t help but look back to the mast damage early on and marvel at how they turned things around.

“It was such a big comeback,” he says. “If we think back to week two of the leg, it didn’t seem like winning was even possible, so I am very happy that we’ve managed to get there, and we’re all slowly realizing it.”

Harris was candid about Malizia’s performance woes in light air, but he reckoned the crew had mastered its weakest link: marginal foiling conditions in winds of 10 to 16 knots, when the boat is sluggish and won’t get up and fly. The secret, he explained, is to sail with as much heel as possible and load the leeward quarter with all the movable weight to take advantage of a flat spot in the hull. “For the first minute or two, the boat will feel very slow, and then suddenly, it builds apparent and it starts taking off,” he says. “We call it semi-foiling.”

Malizia’s performance in this leg moved them one point ahead of Mãlama into second place overall, five points behind runway leader Holcim. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Enright and his crew, who held off Biotherm all the way from before the Horn to the finish to secure the final podium position. They managed to do so despite trashing their mainsail when the autopilot dropped out, causing a violent crash jibe off the Argentinian coast. Biotherm was also wounded, having hit a submerged object and damaging a foil, and the Americans kept their mainsail damage secret while they effected a Herculean repair.

“We knew it was going to be tight with Biotherm at the finish by virtue of them being in the same weather system as us, so anything we could do to gain an advantage and get a jump on them we had to do,” Enright said in Itajai. “We knew that they were facing adversity too, and if there was a chance that by them not knowing the news of our mainsail damage, they would be complacent, even for just a few hours, they were hours that we desperately needed.”

Fisher, on his sixth circumnavigation, has experienced his share of challenges, but the bleary-eyed and unshaven faces of him and his teammates were all one needed to see to understand the toll this leg had taken on them, as well as their spares and tools.

“We always said it was going to be tough, but I don’t think we ever imagined it was going to be as challenging as it was,” Fisher said in a team statement after finishing. “As much as we would have liked to finish in first place, the fact that we’ve managed to get through this in spite of all the issues we have been dealing with over nearly 38 days is a great achievement.

“Jack has done a fantastic job as boat captain keeping the boat together, but there came a point in the leg that it wasn’t about winning, it was about getting to the finish line. We knew it would be difficult and long, but we all agreed that we should make the most of it. It was about setting the mindset and enjoying it; you can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it.”

Arriving in Brazil, Enright knew the pressure was on, but he was feeling confident the scales would turn back in his team’s favor now that the race had returned to the (supposedly) calmer waters of the Atlantic. For his sake, one would hope Harris’ new-found confidence about Malizia’s performance in medium conditions would prove misplaced.

“We definitely have a boat that is more comfortable, shall we say, in the Atlantic, and we are happy to have turned the corner,” Enright said. “If you could pick a boat for [Leg 3], you probably wouldn’t have picked our boat, but I’m happy with where we are at for the rest of the race.”

Enright placed a lot of emphasis on competitiveness at the end of an Ocean Race, not its early or middle stages, and he certainly wasn’t ruling out winning this edition with four legs still to go, including a transatlantic from Newport, Rhode Island, to Aarhus, Denmark, in late May.

“We’ve always maintained that we want to be the team that is sailing best at the end of the race and improve the most from day one until the finish, and we still have that opportunity,” he said. “No one here is ­worried; we’re just going to keep chipping away, and when you chip, you get chunks.”

Enright, 38, has been around the block in fully crewed ocean racing—this being his third Ocean Race—but he says he has not experienced anything like Leg 3 before.

“It’s by and away the most difficult thing I’ve done,” he says. “That’s not even from a conditions standpoint; it’s from a duration standpoint, but also the platform. There are people that have sailed in the South and people that have sailed IMOCAs in the South, and we are now in that category, and it’s no mystery to me why this class moves in four-year cycles.

“I tell you what,” he adds. “If I was doing the Vendée Globe, man, I’d want to do The Ocean Race. I’d want to get down there two years in advance and know exactly what we are dealing with, with the newest kind of design innovations in the boats and what have you.”

Harris, meanwhile, was hoping to get himself fit and healthy for the next stage from Itajai to Newport in late April. And the young Englishman was daring to dream that Malizia’s performance in Leg 3 could yet herald something even more magical for him and his team. “We’ve proved that we are a really strong team in terms of development, and that’s what this race is about,” he says. “If we can keep developing and learning faster than the others, we can certainly start winning toward the end.”

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Racing editor Mike Ingham shares his insight and expertise on how to handle puffs and shifts on a typical lake when the wind is strong.

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