My current project is a ­partnership in a Sunfast 3300, a 33-foot doublehanded offshore boat. Our intention is to sail the best races in Europe over the next few years, and while there are clusters of similar doublehanded boats in England, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia, the cream of the crop is racing in France. 

The French have been playing this game for a long time, so we decided to enter the springtime Spi Ouest Regatta in La Trinite sur Mer. This is one of the biggest regattas in the world, with over 460 boats. The format is short coastal races in the Bay of Quiberon, a perfect opportunity for my doubles partner, Alyosha Strum-Palerm, and I to test our skills. Using this regatta, we figured we can see where we need to improve in advance of our big test this summer, the IRC Doublehanded European Championship in July.

Our goals for the regatta were to work on boatspeed, refine our sail crossovers, work on communication and division of responsibility, solidify our boathandling, and enjoy racing in an incredible event in France.

Starting

We did not practice starting, and during the event, that was our weakest area. We had three mediocre starts, one of which we were barely OCS, and one decent start. In retrospect, we should’ve practiced more, and started more in the center of the line. In tight inshore racing, with 58 ­similar-speed boats, the start is critical. With better starts, we could have won the regatta.

Upwind tactics

Our play calling was below average, especially early in each of the beats. The correct side was not obvious, and we would typically go the wrong way, then figure it out and gain some back at the top of each beat. But this is an area for improvement. In some instances, a little more current research could have informed us; in other cases, we should have taken a smaller early loss to stay in touch with the leaders. It was another good lesson.

Upwind speed

Our pace was decent in over 10 knots, but not so good in lighter air. We made some small changes to the rig tune before the event, which I think were positive. We learned to use the J1.5 jib higher into the range than we thought we could, say 14 knots true windspeed, with more halyard and lead pushed outboard for the upper range. We also had good success with the J2 in 15 to 20 TWS and learned the boat likes a pretty powerful jib. A heel angle of 18 to 20 degrees seemed to be a good target upwind and reaching. In light air, it’s hard to induce enough heel in this boat, so I learned to trim the main tighter in less than 10 TWS, which resulted in more heel and power.

Boathandling

Our ­handling was good, among the best in the fleet, which means our training back home in Seattle paid off. It was also an advantage at times to have an asymmetric spinnaker, while many boats had a symmetric. Alyosha also did a good job of predicting the correct sail for the next leg, which is not always easy with the random legs and strong current.

One area we need to improve is tacking. In stronger wind, we lost a lot versus the ­single-backstay boats because it took us a long time to get to full backstay tension. I started to dump the main fine-tune out of the tack instead of the traveler only, and I think that was an improvement. The challenge for us is that the jib sheet and the runner use the same winch, so now we want to try a slightly different jib-tacking technique: Cast off all wraps as the boat is turning, tail to hand tight through the self-tailer, then immediately go runner-up, then jib final trim.

Reaching and downwind tactics

This was a real strength for us. We picked the right side on the runs and played the shifts well, and we got clear air and stuck to the rhumbline on the reaches. It’s important for the helm to know the leg compass angle because you often could not see the next mark.

Reaching and downwind speed

We always passed boats reaching and running. It’s partly because our kites are bigger and our hull form is good for downwind sailing, but I think we have fast downwind sails, and we have a good feel for the right angles and trim.

Sail crossovers

We used the masthead code zero exclusively, using no tweaker most of the time. The A1.5 is good for 3 to 12 knots, and the A2 for 8 to 25 knots. The A2 was surprisingly good for tight reaching in moderate air, up to 105 TWA. We used the spinnaker staysail in 10-plus knots when running and 8-plus knots when reaching.

Weight placement

We went max forward with the sails and gear in less than 10 knots, then centered until about 15 knots, and put more in the stern above 15, especially reaching. In light air, if one tack is favored, it might be worth putting the weight to leeward rather than max forward to try to induce heel.

We ended up 14th of 58 with an OCS, 3, 4, 3. We would have been fourth in the first race, which would have been 4, 3, 4, 3, or 14 points. The winner had 12 points, so we are definitely in the game. The main areas to improve from this event are starting, early leg tactics and light air upwind. The areas we don’t know about yet are big-picture tactics and endurance and energy management.

It’s rewarding to look back on how many goals we were able to focus on with measured success. We raced bow to bow with good teams in a large competitive fleet of boats, made French friends, and soaked up the atmosphere of the largest multi­class regatta in France. We had a lot of fun, and we are excited about our future. It was definitely worth it, and we hope to return next year. Voila!

The post Prepping For the Big Regatta appeared first on Sailing World.

When approaching the ­leeward gate, there are a lot of possibilities to consider: Which mark to round? How to best round it? What’s the exit and the next windward leg plan? All of this needs to be discussed on the run so your overall game plan is clear well in advance. It’s much easier with a single leeward mark, in which case you can jump ahead to the next ­section—the approach—and focus on techniques used for rounding the left-hand gate, which is likely what you’re doing when there is only one leeward mark. But when there are gate marks, things get complicated, and the tactician has a number of factors to consider. Let’s start by defining your choices.

Closest and most windward mark: If the gate marks are in place before the start, it is usually possible to sight them with a hand-bearing compass and then determine the wind direction that would make them square (add or subtract 90 degrees depending on which way you sighted). The mark that is farther upwind should be closer, similar to the favored end of the starting line.

Most favored from where you are: The mark that is farthest upwind (or highest ladder rung) might not be the most favored from where you are in the moment. In other words, if you approach from one side of the course or the other, the mark which you can round soonest is probably favored for you.

Least crowded: This is important, especially if you’re stuck in a pack of boats.

Cleanest air: With the approach and the exit looking upwind, consider where the ­fewest obstructions and the best wind will be. One good test of the favored-gate mark is when two boats round opposite marks simultaneously and continue on opposite tacks. After the fleet is cleared, if both boats tack, the boat that is ahead probably had cleaner air and perhaps rounded the favored or closest mark.

Most advantageous current: Rounding the down-current mark will usually make an easier and faster turn. However, there may be tactical or strategic advantages to the up-current mark. When the current is running across the course—i.e., from one gate mark toward the other—it’s usually best to round the down-current gate (the mark toward which the current is running) because the rounding will be easier and the boat will get there faster due to the movement of the current.

The Final Approach

The goal here is to work hard to be the inside or farthest ahead boat. One way to do so is to stay out of the “no-go zone” in the middle. Approach one of the gate marks from outside the funnel and maintain boatspeed while avoiding bad air.

We learned about the no-go zone the hard way at an Etchells Worlds. We were caught back in the pack (50ish in a 90-boat fleet) and stuck smack in the middle of the funnel, with boats pouring in from both sides. The race committee had set the marks so close that there were less than six boatlengths between them, which meant the three-boatlength zones for each mark overlapped. We intended to round the left mark, but boats to the left of us were telling us to turn right for the right-gate mark while boats to the right of us, who also wanted the left mark, were telling us to turn left for the left mark. Eventually, the funnel overfilled and the whole group converged, locked rail to rail with no one able to turn. The lesson here is to prioritize being inside—with rights, of course.

Approach the three-boatlength zone with the most speed possible to obtain or break later overlaps. It’s imperative to be vocal if you have rights, or if another boat does not have rights and is trying to take inside room. The observation moment for whether an inside boat obtains an overlap and therefore has rights to room inside is when the leading boat of your group that is overlapped and rounding together reaches the three-boatlength zone. If you have been overlapped or not overlapped with another boat for a minute or more as you approach the leeward gate marks, and it suddenly changes, be sure to let the other boat know you have either broken the overlap or established it as soon as that occurs. And remember, Rule 18.2(e) (Giving Mark-Room) says: “If there is reasonable doubt that a boat obtained or broke an overlap in time, it shall be presumed that she did not” (obtain or break the overlap before the first of the two boats reached the zone).

If a boat tries to establish a late overlap to windward of you, your best defense is to luff them above the three-boat-length zone, and then bear off sharply to break the overlap and get your bow into the zone. This defense works well on both port jibe to the left gate and ­starboard jibe to the right gate.

A common ­mistake is getting pinned beyond the laylines when both boats are outside the zone. Rule 18 (Mark-Room) does not apply until one of the boats is in the zone, so it’s important to understand the nuances of the rules in this situation.

And here’s a quick tip on spinnaker handling when approaching the zone: Count down the drop for the crew to hear. Usually, the tactician will provide a 30-second warning and then a 10-second countdown. Once the count is established, the pit, crew boss or bow person should also voice the countdown. For boats with string takedown systems, the sheet is released (slacked) sometimes as late as 2 on the countdown.

The Strategic Rounding

Once we’ve decided which gate mark we want and where we want to go on the second beat, we have to manage and optimize the rounding strategically. Let’s first tackle the standard reaching approach, which is by far the most common and generally regarded as the easiest method.

Some types of boats may require a brief bear away to unload pressure on the spinnaker and facilitate its drop. So, we need to reach into the mark a little high of the layline, allowing the time we need to finish the bear away, and then head up to a fast reaching course.

Another approach is to jibe around the left-gate mark (aka the “Mexican”). Here, we come in, usually at a hot angle, on starboard with rights until reaching the protection of the three-boatlength zone, where the mark-room rule begins to apply. The spinnaker is usually coming down on the left side of the boat, and a wide jibe rounding makes the douse easy for the crew. The douse is ideally left so late that the boat is already jibed and on port jibe, so the spinnaker falls on the new windward (port) deck.

We perfected Mexican drops on the TP52 Spookie using a string takedown system. The crew trained me to pause the turn, nearly dead downwind, as soon as the boom jibed. At that moment, the chute was dropped onto the port (and now windward) deck. It was ­counterintuitive at first, but it worked so well, I readily adopted the technique. We proceeded to mimic the maneuver with a new name for the right-gate mark called the “Rodeo” drop. That way, the crew always knew exactly what type of drop and rounding to expect. The Rodeo goes like this: We’re on port jibe and want to go around the right-gate mark. We stay wide outside the funnel to ensure an inside overlap at the zone and jibe onto starboard around the mark. The spinnaker is still coming down on the left side of the boat. The Rodeo differs from the Mexican in that the spinnaker will end up to leeward.

A third approach—the “Flop”—is a specialty maneuver for certain asymmetric-rigged boats that is used when you can’t quite lay the mark without jibing, but don’t really want to complete a full jibe. A similar technique can be used on symmetric spinnaker boats, possibly by removing the pole and trimming the sheet and guy outboard by hand or foot. The Flop should only be attempted in moderate winds, flat water and clean air. It does not work in light or heavy winds. In light air, there simply is not enough wind pressure to keep the spinnaker full; in heavy air, it can become unstable and hard to handle, and lead to a ­spectacular wipeout.

When flopping, the boat goes wing-on-wing, meaning the main and asymmetric sails are flying on opposite sides. Ease the tack line by 15 percent of the boatlength as you bear away to by the lee to encourage the asymmetric to fill, and then return to slightly above a dead-downwind course. A successfully performed Flop is a very sharp arrow for your quiver and should be practiced to perfection. There are several variations of the Flop, and it is possible to jibe either the asymmetric or the mainsail. We have even tried a “Double Butterfly” by jibing both the main and asymmetric at the same time. I have never seen it attempted before—or since—and I wouldn’t recommend it again, but it did work.

Executing the Rounding

With approach determined, the next focus is the execution of the rounding. Here’s where we need to address the term “seamanlike.” When the inside boat does not have right of way, it is only allowed enough room to make a seamanlike rounding of the mark (see the definition of “room”), which is a smooth, curved rounding that maintains speed and stays within a boatlength or so from the mark.

The next term to remember is “tactical.” When the inside boat has the right of way, it can make a tactical rounding, which basically means “swing wide and cut close,” all the while keeping maximum speed.

One of our options during our rounding is to intentionally slow down once we reach the zone. A brief slowdown can pay big dividends if it improves your rounding, especially if you would have been forced to the outside of the boat ahead had you maintained your speed. You always want to round behind boats you are giving room to and round close to the mark. The slowdown can be achieved by taking the spinnaker down early, overtrimming the mainsail, or weaving with the helm (using your rudder as a sort of brake). When and how much to slow the boat is an art form ­practiced by team racers.

On rare occasions, we might plan to tack around a leeward gate mark. This is usually a bad idea because it sends us straight back into the funnel, with its attendant bad air and confused sea state. The main reason to tack around a leeward gate mark is to take advantage of a windshift, especially if you have just made a big gain and are unsure it will continue (and may perhaps oscillate back the other direction, thereby ­negating or reducing your gain).

In special circumstances, it’s better to round outside of an inside boat we are giving room to; this we call “Round the Outside” (or “Buffalo Girl”). This move helps ensure we can punch out, getting our bow forward of the inside windward boat. This approach works only if we have our bow well forward of the inside boat as we approach the mark and are ­confident we can maintain a safe leeward position. The technique is simple: Keep speed up by making a more gradual rounding than the inside boat, which might have to do a sharp head-up, causing it to slow. If the inside boat sails over and blankets you, it’s game over. It’s a high-risk move, and if it goes bad, it usually results in losing several more boats rather than the one you tried to get around.

The Exit Is Equally Important

The goals coming out of the gate include the following modes: fast, maximum VMG and boatspeed, with sails always correctly trimmed. As you round, the main must be trimmed ahead of the jib to add helm, thus reducing the amount of rudder angle needed for the turn.

Clear wind: Use your approach with reaching speed to coast slightly high of closehauled in order to hold a lane for as long as necessary while the tactician executes the exit plan. The tactician might want to hold high of the bad air from the boat(s) ahead by pinching in order to keep clear air to either maintain a lifted tack or continue toward the favored side of the course. Or the plan could be to tack as soon as the downwind traffic clears out. It’s rarely advantageous to foot through to leeward of the bad air from the boat(s) ahead.

Advantaged: If the gate you chose is favored (more upwind), then you should be able to tack and cross a boat that rounded the other gate. But just being ahead is not enough reason to tack. You need to continue on the lifted tack, heading toward the favored side of the course, and with clear air.

The ideal exit is all about ­flexibility, having the ability to tack when and if we want to, or just go as fast as possible and execute your strategy like you’d planned it on the run.

Rules at the Leeward Gate

Let’s now have Dave Perry, author of Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing, take us through the roundings:

When two boats are overlapped as they enter the zone of a leeward gate mark, the inside boat will either be the “keep-clear boat” (windward or port-tack boat) or the “right-of-way boat” (leeward or starboard-tack boat).

An inside keep-clear boat is entitled to “mark-room” from the outside boat under Rule 18.2(b) (Giving Mark-Room), which is room to sail to and around the mark in a “seamanlike way” (see definition of “room”). If it stays within a seamanlike course, it is exonerated by Rule 43.1(b) (Exoneration) if it breaks Rule 10 (Port/Starboard) or Rule 11 (Windward/Leeward). Typically, that means the inside boat needs to stay closer than a boatlength away from the mark throughout its rounding. It is not entitled to room to make a “tactical” swing-wide or cut-close rounding.

On the other hand, an inside right-of-way boat can sail wherever it wants to, subject to a couple of limitations. Because it is a right-of-way boat, it does not need the protection of mark-room. Furthermore, Rule 18.4 (Jibing), which requires inside right-of-way boats to jibe around single leeward marks, does not apply at leeward gate marks (see the second sentence of Rule 18.4). Typically, inside right-of-way boats sail a tactical swing-wide or cut-close rounding. But with no Rule 18.4 at a gate mark, an inside right-of-way boat can sail farther from the mark than its proper course and delay or attack ­outside keep-clear boats during their roundings.

However, there are two ­limitations on how aggressive an inside right-of-way boat can be at a leeward gate mark:

1) If it became the leeward boat from clear astern, Rule 17 (On the Same Tack; Proper Course) applies and requires it to sail no higher than its proper course. Typically, but not always, when a boat enters the zone of a gate mark, it is fastest to round that mark. In that case, the leeward boat would need to jibe when its proper course was to jibe to round the mark.

2) Anytime a right-of-way boat changes course, it has to give the keep-clear boat room to keep clear under Rule 16.1 (Changing Course). If the right-of-way boat is changing course away from the mark, it is not sailing within the mark-room to which it is entitled, and so it is not exonerated by Rule 43.1(b) if it breaks Rule 16.1.

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When you’re out front ahead of the fleet, everything’s easier. But when you’re battling for lanes in the middle of the fleet, it’s tempting to either run for the corners or sit in bad air while you await for a lane to open. While we know it’s slow(er) to sail in dirty air, often times there may be a tactical advantage to do so and the trick, explains Mike Ingham, is find that sweet spot between dusty and dirty. Here, he explains the basics of windshadows, and how and where to avoid the worst of them.

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Sailing World Racing Editor Mike Ingham explains the basics of mainsail trim.

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As the new watch captain emerges on deck, his counterpart begins his hand-off with a report on the competition, “We’ve dropped them back 5 degrees in the last hour, plus the range has doubled, so we’ve been doing great since the wind came ahead.”

Every sailor likes to know how they are doing in a race. At turning marks, you get a definite read on your position. On the open course, tracking your gains or losses is more difficult, but is invaluable when assessing the effect of changes in sail trim or steering technique and for planning your overall strategy. A hand-bearing compass can provide a wealth of information to this end. When used properly, and interpreted effectively, it is an indispensable piece of racing gear for boats from 24 feet (and sometimes smaller) to maxis.

Like your computer, however, these tools can be a mixed blessing — potentially distracting an inexperienced crew and generating erroneous information that muddles your quest for speed. So, the first step toward incorporating a hand-bearing compass into your arsenal of tactical tools is a little training, and every member of the crew should participate.

Taking a bearing

There are two families of hand-bearing compasses, electronic and traditional analog compasses. Both can be used to obtain an accurate magnetic bearing on the competition or a mark of the course. This may sound simple, but as the waves get bigger, it is impossible to hold the compass rock steady, and the read-out will bounce around a bit. The first step to using either type is to set your target in the site (when the target is a nearby boat, aim at your position on the other boat) and hold it there as steady as possible for a few seconds before beginning any readings. This pre-reading time allows the compass to get oriented. While analog compasses like the venerable Vion Mini 2000 “hockey puck” require the operator to visually average the headings on a swaying compass card. Analog compasses must also be held relatively level so the card is free to rotate. In rough seas, obtaining an accurate reading on an analog compass can be like tuning in a distant radio station—you have to find the center point between the swings to each side of the dial.

Accuracy equals repeatability, so it’s a good idea to practice on dry land. Take a fix on a far-away object, passing the compass around to get the crew accustomed to repeating the reading. On bigger boats (35 feet and over), however, the helmsman’s binnacle compass, with its heavy dampening and large card, can rival any of its hand-held brethren. But it lacks the portability and ease of use from the weather rail that makes a hand-bearing compass so valuable.

Remember, repeatability is key, so when you start taking readings on the water, take several to check your technique. Ideally, each member of the crew would get the same reading if taken from the same position on the boat. However, inexperience, improper targeting, and magnet-affecting items in or on clothing that cause the compass to lose track of magnetic north — like metal zippers — can all affect repeatability. In a race, I prefer to assign one person the job of taking bearings.

Using the number

Once you have the “number,” you must interpret it. For example, you can use it to judge the layline to a mark, or who will cross ahead as boats converge on opposite tacks. If you are on starboard and the bearing of an approaching port-tacker increases over time, then it will cross ahead if the conditions remain the same. You can also determine how you stand on an upwind or dead downwind leg. First determine the “true-wind direction” in magnetic degrees — easy if you have fancy instruments, but if not, split the difference between your port and starboard headings. (When sailing downwind, take the reciprocal of this split difference.) Then add or subtract 90 degrees to determine your “line of equality.” Finally, take a fix on your competitor to ascertain if he is ahead or behind that line of equality.

Let’s say your line of equality lies two boatlengths ahead of a competitor who is .25 miles abeam of you (see diagram). Now let’s assume you lose one boatlength getting up to speed after a tack, and the wind doesn’t shift. If you tack, you should cross that boat by one boatlength.

Be aware that a hand-bearing compass is subject to the same errors of deviation as any compass, and to be truly accurate when using two different compasses, such as in this example, you should take their respective deviation errors into account. Tacticians at the grand-prix level often use “enemy bearings” in more complicated situations that require a general understanding of how bearing and range interrelate. Most sailors think, erroneously, that if you are “gaining” bearing on your competition, you are gaining in the race. This is often not true. Take, for instance, an upwind leg with a north wind. When your enemy on starboard crosses 10 lengths clear ahead of your bow, his bearing is due north. Let’s assume there are no shifts and you are both sailing equally fast. As you diverge, his bearing will decrease slowly, eventually to almost 270 degrees, yet he is still 10 boatlengths ahead. This proves that bearing alone cannot tell you the whole story. You also need to factor in range.

Most of us don’t have the budget to afford a high-tech laser-rangefinder/compass used by America’s Cup teams. Some electronic hand-bearing compasses have crude rangefinders, and your thumb works in a pinch, but as long as you understand the relationship between range and bearing, your bearing readings will be invaluable. We had a saying aboard Stars & Stripes during the ’87 America’s Cup, ”bearing is king,” meaning if you gain bearing, you are faster. This is true in the classic, starting line case where the boats start even on a square line, and it applies equally well on the open course. When the boats are even, a gain in bearing reflects a true gain in the race. But as one boat pulls ahead, bearing gains become less important than gains in range (see first diagram).

In distance races, the hand-bearing compass is valuable since you are often well separated from, but in sight of, the competition, drag racing for the next mark. I often rely on reports from the “scope” to assess small changes in sailing technique, and at night there is nothing better to keep the crew focused on going fast. If possible, keep a written record of the competition’s change in bearing over time.

On a reach, one-tack beat, or run, you should be selective of the targets used as yardsticks. Whenever possible, choose one boat on either side as near to 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock (12 o’ clock being straight ahead) as possible, since with these boats “bearing is king.” Tracking the bearing of a boat nearly dead ahead or astern may provide interesting information on your relative courses (probably just as apparent with the naked eye), but it will tell you nothing about whether you are gaining or losing, since, in this case, range is king.

No matter how expert you become in obtaining highly repeatable bearings, don’t let the compass totally replace your eye —often the fastest and most accurate measuring device —especially when boats are close together. But when used effectively by a knowledgeable crew, the information gleaned from a hand-bearing compass can help you sail faster and smarter. Just don’t drop it in the water!

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