Victor Diaz de Leon often rides his road bike for a couple of hours before and after a day of racing. In the saddle, he doesn’t listen to music. Instead, he’s simulating racecourse scenarios: what was happening on the boat, what the tactical play would be or could have been. “It’s a time of meditation; a place where I get ideas,” says the Etchells world champion tactician, who calculated a brilliant final-race win in Miami in April, a race executed alongside his teammates on John Sommi’s Veracity.

To earn the title on that light and shifty last day of the Aon Etchells World Championship, Veracity had to beat series leader and past world champ Steve Benjamin and his all-star crew on Tons of Steel, but there was a lot to it. Hedging a one-race day, Diaz de Leon hatched a plan: “I knew it would be hard to make nine points on Benji with only one race, especially if they had a good race themselves. So, I’m thinking we just have to have a good start, assess where ­others are in the race and take it from there.”

The others were Jim Cunningham’s Lifted, tied with Veracity, and Luke Lawrence’s Cruel Jane 2.0, sitting mere points behind in third.

“We started near the favored pin end in a tight lane, but held on long enough that when we tacked to port, we were strong on the fleet. When we tacked, Benji was a few lengths below us, slightly bow forward, and it turned into a real speed thing to get strong on him and get ahead of him. When we finally recognized Jim and Luke’s teams were deep, it was us and Benji, and it was on.”

Problem was they were 1-2 at that moment and both were “launched.” “If we won and they got second, that wouldn’t work,” Diaz de Leon says, “so we decided to start playing down on them.”

Veracity slowed its rival as much as they could on the starboard layline, allowing a few boats to get ahead and between them. Veracity was fourth to the mark and Steel was ninth. Still not enough.

“Playing backward downwind is very risky,” Diaz de Leon says, “because it’s easy to get passed. So, I was comfortable just doing it all upwind.”

On the second beat, Veracity herded Steel deeper into the fleet, always from a controlling position. “It was important to do it as early as we could,” Diaz de Leon says. “We were conscious about not getting too close or ever slower than them, but there was less tacking than I anticipated. They were content sailing in our bad air, which made it a bit easier. They were also reaching a lot to try to get clear air, and I was happy with that too as we were sailing into the fleet. The magic number for us was they had to finish 22nd or worse.”

A jibing duel down the next run continued the skirmish, ­pushing Steel ever deeper to beat them around the course with points to spare. They celebrated their win with Champagne and plunges, but once ashore there was the business of two protests lodged by Benjamin’s tactician Mike Buckley, who invoked rules 11 and 17. To the protest room Veracity dispatched its trimmer, Will Ryan, a two-time Olympic medalist and national judge. The situation involved an attempted luff on a windward leg, and the way the veteran judges saw it, Benjamin overstuffed his luff and was ultimately disqualified.

Veracity’s owner and skipper, 65-year-old John Sommi, from Darien, Connecticut, got his first sailing world title, and as is always the case, this win was a high-caliber team effort. On the bow was Beccy Anderson, who is also Veracity’s boat captain. It was Anderson who deftly identified Lifted and Cruel Jane in the lineup of identical boats and white sails during that last race, empowering Diaz de Leon to promptly ­execute Plan A.

Ryan, who won his Olympic 470 gold medal in Tokyo and his silver in Rio, is the team’s speed maestro, and Sommi is, of course, on the helm. They’d been sailing for more than a year, a syndicate that formed when Sommi, a successful Wall Street executive and father of four young adults, found himself with an empty nest and a desire to get back to sailing. Sommi campaigned a J/88 and a Melges 20 before diving into the deep end of the high-stakes Etchells class. “The goal was to go sailing and play at a high level,” says Diaz de Leon, “and I remember John saying that he just wanted to sail well and be respected—or something like that.”

They won both the National and North American championships last year. “We were sailing really well,” Diaz de Leon says. “And then one day, Will said, ‘Someone has to win the Worlds, so why couldn’t it be us?’”

With a supporting cast of top-shelf coaches that included Veracity teammate Tom Dietrich, sailmaker Chris Larson, Etchells whisperer Jud Smith and pro-sailing legend Morgan Trubovich, Veracity established itself as the team to beat by winning the first of three Miami Winter Series events that were each essentially pre-Worlds regattas. As a result of a collision before the second event, Veracity’s mast was toast, and that’s a big deal in Etchells sailing because rig tune on this tweakable old one-design is everything.

“All the tuning numbers and the characteristics of the rig that suited our style were gone, and the next rig we got didn’t suit our style,” Diaz de Leon says. “That was difficult, and we did the second event with the new mast and we struggled.”

They then dispatched Larson to the Selden Mast factory in Charleston, South Carolina, on a forensic search for the perfect spar. Larson bend-tested several spars and picked the best two he could find. “We weren’t as fast as we were [with the old mast] initially, but we got better and better,” Diaz de Leon says.

Veracity’s results at the Miami Worlds speak for themselves, from the development of their sails with Smith to their many tuning and training sessions of the past year. They were never slow and, aside from the match-race discard with Steel, 12th was their highest finish over eight races in the fleet of 65. A review of Veracity’s tracker replays paints a picture of their consistent approach to the congested Biscayne Bay racecourse. They never once started at an end, they worked the middle left on the first beat, middle right on the second, and worked the center of the course on every downwind leg, which is easier to accomplish with good starts.

“Most of the time when I start a race, I don’t know where I want to go,” Diaz de Leon admits. “I like to leave my options open and decipher during the race. By starting toward the middle [of the line], there’s lower density, and it’s harder for the race committee to call the boats there. Working with Truby (Trubovich) in our debriefs, we got a sense of the race committee’s style during the general recalls. The race committee [on the signal boat] was more aggressive calling boats than the pin boat, so I figured I might as well move a bit left.”

They were also geared up for every start, and Diaz de Leon says that was all thanks to Trubovich, who deployed his own buoys in the starting area in the morning, which Veracity would use for three practice starts as part of their pre-race routine. Trubovich, a 16-time world champion from New Zealand who has enjoyed a fruitful career in the grand-prix world, is also representative of the level of coaching in the Etchells class today that makes winning impossible for mere mortals. He brings all the tools to the table, as well as an attention to technical detail and a sense of humor that Diaz de Leon says was magic to the team.

“He just brings such a great positive energy, and his debriefs are incredible with the technology. Let me give you an example: For the Worlds, he sent me out to Best Buy to get a bigger TV for the hotel room because the one we had was too small. He told me the model we needed, and I came back with this huge cinema TV, and it really did help see the footage better from the GoPros we have on the boat, his stuff from outside the boat, all the data, speed, heading, and we have microphones on so he could hear how we interacted with each other.”

In these debriefs, Diaz de Leon says he realized how hard he was on Sommi at times and thought maybe he should dial down his intensity. “But John never once complained, he just grinds away and is completely focused, and works his ass off to correct any weakness. He’s been so successful in life, has a beautiful family and, as a young guy, I very much look up to him as a role model. I remember him telling me once that in his 30 years on Wall Street he never once missed a day of work, and that’s the same commitment he brings to the team. After our practices, he was always the one asking for 10 more tacks, or jibes or more starts, or whatever. His dedication is amazing.”

Veracity established itself as the team to beat by winning the first of three Miami Winter Series events that were each essentially pre-Worlds regattas.

Sommi’s focus on the helm, Diaz de Leon says, is what allowed them to be so strong in the first few minutes off the start, surviving and climbing off competitors in lanes so thin and seemingly impossible to hold. But it wasn’t just Sommi that made Veracity’s tactician look smart all the time—full credit, Diaz de Leon says, goes to Ryan.

“He’s the best sailor I’ve ever sailed with,” Diaz de Leon says of the Australian medalist and decorated world champion. “He’s insane and has a feel for the boat like no other. I sometimes think I can feel the boat better than most—and I’m not being cocky here—but the first time I sailed with him I thought, ‘Man, this guy is feeling things that I don’t even feel at all.’ He’s an animal and has a crazy ability to focus under pressure in the thick of it.

“He said something to me once that I thought was really cool: He said, ‘We’ve earned this privilege to race under pressure, so let’s enjoy it.’ He’s just positive, so polite and fun to sail with. To be honest, I have a man crush on him, and he has one on me too.”

Ryan is a disciple of the 470, and Diaz de Leon says: “His understanding of how the rig works, how all the jib controls work—it’s all amazing, and he knows what control to touch to achieve whatever mode we want to sail. He and John are now so good at moding the boat that I can look out of the boat all the time.”

In the 7 to 18 knots of “Champagne sailing conditions” for the Worlds, Veracity—the boat and the team that massaged it around the racecourse—was collectively true to its namesake. They were honestly fast and sharp under pressure, and there’s a parallel to be drawn between Diaz de Leon’s obsession with bike racing and the experience of winning one the most difficult world championships in one-design sailing, especially the calculated handling of Steel in that final race. “In bike racing, when you’re in a breakaway, you’re suffering with everyone. You want to keep up, and you might want to quit, but you tell yourself, ‘Hang on a little longer because they’re eventually going to give up.’ You need to be patient. It’s said that everyone has a limited number of matches, and whoever finishes the race with the most matches left will win the race.”

Such is the mentality of Etchells sailing’s breakaway specialists. It is the same in sailing as it is on the bike. The fight for every advantage, every inch and every point is fueled by determination, discipline and a willingness to suffer. As it was for team Veracity, it’s about getting out front and setting the pace until the title is firmly in hand.

The post How The Worlds Were Won appeared first on Sailing World.

Most contemporary one-designs are based on the principle of all boats coming from a parent set of hull and deck molds, which means the boats we sail today have exactly the same basic deck layout as when they were first built. Class rules usually dictate that the molded shape can’t be altered once the boat is constructed. Yet, hardware placement and rigging systems still evolve, sometimes over decades, and we end up with boats that are easier to sail and almost always faster. One such class is the Etchells, which has been around since the 1960s. From the beginning, it has seen development of ideas and marginal gains in performance, within the class rules. The tinkering nature of the class has often resulted a circular nature of ideas and development, where nothing is really new, but it can pay to revisit ideas long past, as what was tried and discarded years ago may work really well today, especially when done in conjunction with advancements in materials and hardware.

One area of significant development over recent years in the Etchells class has been the narrowing of the jib-sheeting angle. Historically, jib tracks were placed on the side deck, just outside the cuddy (the small raised coach-roof area). This set the sheeting angle at around 10.5 degrees. Over the years, and going back to the origins of the class, various great sailors (including some serious testing by Dennis Conner in the early 1990s) tried narrowing the sheeting angle, with mixed success and uncertainty that such tight angles were actually faster. However, we now know that sailing with narrower jib sheeting angles is quite a weapon, particularly in light to moderate winds and in relatively flat water. Why now and not then? It’s a combination of factors.

First is balance. The trend today is to set the mainsail up with less drag—trimmed flatter and firmer. Secondly, jibs are now being designed with narrower sheeting angles in mind. Notably, they are slightly straighter in the aft sections. In other words, they have “less return.” Thirdly, boats are now stiffer, as are masts, giving more control over headstay tension and thus jib shape.

Two recent performance gains have been the domination by Peter Duncan’s team (which included Jud Smith) in the Etchells Miami Winter series of 2013-’14 and the domination of the 2019 Etchells World Championship in Texas, the winning team led by the talented Iain Murray. Duncan’s team fitted a jib track to the top of their boat’s cuddy, set at approximately 8.5 degrees. That winter series saw many race days in 10-knots of true windspeed, or “full-power” conditions. The two Australian teams had a block-and-tackle inhauler system and were regularly sheeting to 7.5 degrees, complemented with a very firm and flat mainsail, and the traveler set relatively high.

Having always been drawn to deck-layout solutions, I started experimenting with how best to sheet an Etchells jib narrower. One challenge was that the class rules do not allow altering the molded surface, which includes the cuddy. So simply chopping part of the cuddy away (as seen on all sorts of grand-prix race boats) isn’t an option. Another factor is that nobody wants to freely give away sail area. So, in order to sheet the jib properly on top of the cuddy, raising the jib clew would be the last option to consider.

Initially, in 2014, we employed a deflection system, whereby a strop was connected to the jib sheets, dragging the sheets toward the boats’ centerline. Simple, but effective. However, as the angles got narrower, there was too much friction for this solution to be practical.

In 2018, we simply placed thru-deck bushes where we thought the narrowest sheeting angle would be (8 degrees) and had a simple low-friction ring connected to a below-deck purchase to control the up-down lead angle. This was great when in favorable narrow-sheeting conditions, but as the breeze built and sea-state increased, it is faster to be out to the traditional, or wider, sheeting angle. So, we installed another similar system at approximately 11 degrees, allowing us to sheet to the widest angle in 20-plus knots of true-wind speed. But in medium winds, we needed to sheet between the two extremes, which put a massive load on the system, as we were triangulating between the inhaul and outhaul system in order to get the jib lead down to the cuddy top.

Apart from the loads and friction, this system required a highly skilled jib trimmer and risked a brief performance loss if controls were not managed accurately. For instance, if you wanted to mode the boat faster, meaning you needed to widen the main’s and the jib’s angle of attack, the trimmer had to ease the inboard control before pulling the outboard control. This resulted in the jib lead rising, in turn causing the jib to lose its shape and twist profile, and the boat fell out of balance. Every time you made a change, you had to accept an initial performance loss.

During the winter series of 2019-’20, with the limitations of the double-bush system in mind, I fitted an athwartships track and car system on the cuddy top and bridged it out onto the side-deck. The idea was to maintain the ability to sheet wide in fresh conditions. This system immediately revealed several advantages, most notably the ability to achieve consistency in sheeting angle and vertical lead height. It gave us simple and accurate jib trimming, which meant less experienced jib trimmers could accurately work the system and, of course, it allowed eyes and minds to remain outside of the boat. Only two problems remained: The assembly looked appropriate for a tractor than on a sleek Etchells deck. Also, more geometric testing needed to be done to prevent jib camber and twist from changing across the entire length of the track.

The best way to place an athwartships jib track is for it to be radially equidistant from both the tack and the head of the jib, but given the Etchells’ cuddy profile, and the need for the outboard end of the track to extend out over the cuddy edge to the side deck, the same measurement from the head of the jib to the outboard end of the track would mean the outboard end of the track would be 6.5 inches above the deck! Clearly this would not pass aesthetic muster. Plus, it would be a major trip hazard for the foredeck crew and have significant windage implications.

I therefore placed the track aesthetically and equal-distant to the forestay only. I then collaborated with the UK Etchells builder David Heritage to custom-make a mounting for the outboard end of the track that would not detract too much from the traditional look of the boat. Over several weeks we tried three variations, finally settling on a shape that blended in well with the deck. It was also structurally reliable and simple for owners to retrofit. Whether we achieved a decent aesthetic result is in the eye of the beholder, but knowing the advantages it offers, I am OK with it. We customized a Harken car to get the jib lead height as low as possible to the deck, discarding the bale supplied, and rounding the hard corners of the car to prevent our highly loaded up-down strop from chafing and breaking.

Next came the geometry, knowing we had given away the equidistant measurement to the head of the jib for the sake of styling, windage and safety. As a result, the distance from the outboard end of the track to the head of the jib is about three inches longer than to the inboard end of the track. This would result in the jib leech rapidly tightening for every move outboard. The ideal solution lay in the athwartships position of the jib lead’s up-down control—which was positioned forward—and the lateral location of the jib-sheet control blocks on the aft side of the track. Essentially, the placement of hardware needed to “give back” some (but not all) of the vertical difference on the jib track. I say “not all” because, as the lead rises, the force of the jib sheet also pushes it aft, just like moving the car aft on a traditional fore-aft track.

This could only be resolved by testing. So when UK COVID restrictions were eased in May, allowing us back on the water, I was out there with friends, honing in on the correct hardware positions. I’d love to report that I nailed it first time. Close, but it took a few holes in the deck, fine-tuning of control systems and hours sailing to achieve the “same camber and twist for the length of the track” goal. The best outcome of the new system is making it easier for any level of crew to achieve consistency in jib trimming at tighter sheeting angles and a higher level of performance in a class that has been around for more than a half century.

The post A Sheeting-Angle Solution appeared first on Sailing World.

After a successful day of one‑design racing, I’m often asked: “What base numbers do you use?” and “What were your rig settings today?”

These are common and valid inquiries, and like tuning guides, they’re a great place to start when initially setting up your boat. But at the end of the day, your better-than-average speed usually comes down to knowing how to adapt, on the fly, to changing conditions. It sounds pretty simple: First, identify the problem—inability to point, lack of speed—and then look critically at your setup to find a solution. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

Let’s start with a basic ­principle: A boat is either looking for power, in perfect power or overpowered. You must be able to recognize which is the case in order to figure out which changes to settings must be made to improve your speed and VMG. From there, you must understand cause and effect: “If I adjust this, then that happens.”

Make sure you’re clear about what each control does and how it affects the sails, the boat’s balance, and thus, VMG. Remember, for the most part, only slight adjustments are needed to make a change. Following the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) rule, here’s a quick guide we use on our Etchells, but much of it is applicable to other boats.

Traveler: Changes power by adding or reducing heel and changes weather helm. It can add drag to the sail plan if too high.

Mainsheet: Changes power by adding or reducing heel and weather helm. Also tightens the forestay because the mainsail’s leech shares some load with the backstay.

Cunningham: Depowers the mainsail as it pulls the draft forward, thus flattening the sail aft. Generally reduces drag and removes “overbend” wrinkles from excessive backstay.

Outhaul: Changes the mainsail camber down low. Increases or decreases power and drag.

Backstay: Changes the ­mainsail cambers more uniformly. It also changes the twist in the mainsail leech as the mast bends. It can rapidly affect power, which is helpful when increasing or reducing heel. It also tensions the headstay, which controls power in the jib.

Jib sheet: Changes leech ­tension while also slightly changing the cambers. Be careful not to ease the sheet too much, or you can make the top flatter with twist while keeping the bottom to full.

Jib lead: Changes depth and power in the jib, mostly in the bottom two-thirds. It changes twist, so make sure you check the jib leech after adjusting the leads.

Jib halyard: Similar to the ­cunningham, it changes the draft position and overall depth of the sail. Beware that as you tighten the jib halyard, the leech can get tighter, reducing twist.

Inhaul: Changes the proximity of the jib leech to the mainsail while also changing the angle of the jib to the wind, allowing you to point higher when used. If you are overpowered and the mainsail is depowered to the point that it luffs, let off the inhaul until the main settles down.

Jib tack (cunningham): Tightens luff by pulling draft forward, and flattens the back of the sail slightly. It can also ­create a small amount of twist.

Mast ram: Changes the ­cambers of both sails. It bends the mast down low. In the mainsail, it affects fullness in the lower sections, and in the jib, it affects headstay tension. Letting the mast bend farther causes the headstay to sag farther.

Let’s now take a look at these adjustments in action on the course. You’re going upwind shortly after the start in a tight lane, and you need to sail a little higher to hold that lane. Accept that you will go a little slower by sailing higher. If it’s windy and you are overpowered, you can generally sheet a little harder on both sails. That increases power, but by sailing higher to the wind, you are reducing power. Generally it will be a small net loss in VMG as you sail slightly higher and slightly slower, but you will hold your lane, which will ­net-gain you VMG later.

In some cases, such as in flat water where there is little chop or waves to slow you down, you can simply sail higher and flatter to achieve this mode without changing anything. While you decrease power in the sail plan by sailing higher into the wind, you also reduce leeway because the boat will be sailing flatter. If the power is perfect and the boat feels balanced, a tiny pinch in on the jib and either a tad of traveler up or mainsheet tension will do it. Pulling the traveler up or tightening the mainsheet adds power to the back of the sail plan, making it easier for the boat to head up.

In chop or waves, mainsheet on often works well, but when it starts to get bumpy, traveler up is better because you often need twist in the main to help reaccelerate after hitting a wave.

If the boat is underpowered, ease the backstay. This will round up the sail plan in both sails, creating more weather helm, making it easier to head up. As the backstay is eased, the main leach gets tighter and the sail gets fuller. It also adds sag to the headstay, which results in additional shape and power in the jib. Pro sailor, Steve Hunt, a four-time Etchells champion, cautions that the backstay and mainsheet always go hand in hand; if you adjust the backstay, immediately consider adjusting the mainsheet.

Now that you’ve held your lane and are now free to go anywhere. The left side of the course is favored, so you need to sail “fast forward” to the left. This is accomplished by sailing slightly lower but faster through the water. It’s a similar VMG to the mark, but it gets you the positioning farther to the left side of the course. If overpowered, add backstay and let the traveler down. Just “lay” on the jib slightly, making the leeward telltales start to dance. Easing the traveler and pulling on the backstay will reduce power and drag in the back of the sail plan, allowing the boat to bear away slightly without healing over more. That results in a faster lower mode. If the power is perfect, just the smallest change is needed. Ideally, keep the same amount of heel. If the power is perfect, you likely don’t want to change the backstay and negatively affect the jib. In this situation, a little traveler down works well. Simply bear away and reduce the drag in the main ever so slightly.

If you’re underpowered, you can try simply bearing away slightly. Then the boat will heel somewhat and likely accelerate. Make sure that the jib isn’t sheeted too tightly or it might stall. A small ease of the mainsheet can also help; it will help increase headstay sag, thus powering the jib up even more.

Second Opinion

Andrew Palfrey, a two-time Etchells World Champion, Star Olympian and grand-prix coach, offers these tips for better upwind speed.

Balance and power, in harmony, are key. Keep in mind the vertical distribution of power, particularly when overpowered. For example, in higher true windspeeds, keep depth and driving force low in the sail plan to get through waves, while ensuring that the upper part of the sail plan is all about reducing drag.

Develop a tuning guide specific to your boat. Every boat will have a slightly different balance due to the slightest difference in the underwater foils.

Invest time (and even some money) on the basics of accurate foil and mast alignments. This is the building block of consistent performance. This is my primary focus when I am involved in a new build.

It is getting easier these days to quantify fast sails (and even rig to foil alignment) digitally. If you are high and fast, take a photo of both sails and the major controls, such as the backstay, traveler and inhaul. Simple apps to analyze sails such as the SailCloud are available for a fee. It is no longer the realm of only the sailmaker or pro coach. This will really help when you get your next new sail. Compare the two scans, and you are in a much more informed position to make any changes to mast setup or to discuss things with your sailmaker. Get facts and data before opinion.

When moding one way or the other, too often people overreact. If moding fast-forward in a boat like an Etchells, aim for only a 1 to 2 percent increase in forward speed. This is the slightest press into the jib, with the major controls sympathetic to the mode. Otherwise the resultant heel and change in balance will have a negative effect.

Keep asking questions—that is what the best sailors do.

The post Sail-Shape Controls: What Does What appeared first on Sailing World.

After a successful day of one-design racing I’m often asked: “What base numbers do you use?” and “What were your rig settings today?” These are valid enquiries, and like tuning guides, they’re a great place to start when initially setting up your boat. At the end of the day, however, consistent speed usually comes down to knowing how to adapt, on the fly, to changing conditions. It sounds pretty simple: first, identify the problem—inability to point, lack of speed—then, look critically at your setup to find a solution.

But there’s a lot more to it than that.

Let’s start with one basic principle: a boat is either looking for power, in perfect power, or overpowered.

You must be able to recognize which is the case in order to figure out which changes to settings must be made to improve your speed or VMG. From there, you must understand action and re-action: “If I adjust this, then that happens.”

Make sure you’re clear about what each control does and how it affects the sails, the boat’s balance, and thus VMG. Remember, for the most part, only very small adjustments are needed to make a change.
Following the keep it simple, stupid, here’s a quick guide we use on our Etchells, but much of it is applicable to other boats.

Traveler: Changes power by adding or reducing heel and changes weather helm. It can add drag to the sail plan if too high.

Mainsheet: Changes power by adding or reducing heel and weather helm. Also tightens the forestay, as the mainsail’s leech shares some load with the backstay.

Cunningham: Depowers the mainsail as it pulls the draft forward and thus flattens the sail aft. Generally reduces drag and removes “overbend” wrinkles from excessive backstay.

Outhaul: Changes the mainsail cambers down low. Increases or decreases power and drag.

Backstay: Changes the mainsail cambers more uniformly. It also changes the twist in the mainsail leech as the mast bends. It can rapidly affect power which is helpful when increasing or reducing heel. It also tensions the headstay which controls power in the jib.

Jib sheet: Changes leech tension while also slightly changing the cambers. Be careful not to ease the sheet too much or you can make the top flatter with twist while keeping the bottom to full.

Jib lead: Changes depth and power in the jib, mostly in the bottom two thirds. It changes twist, so make sure you check the jib leech after adjusting the leads.

Jib halyard: Similar to the cunningham, it changes the draft position and the overall depth of the sail. Beware that as you tighten the jib halyard, the leech can get tighter, reducing twist.

Inhaul: Changes the proximity of the jib leech to the mainsail while also changing the angle of the jib to the wind, letting you to point higher when used. If you are overpowered and the mainsail is depowered to the point that it luffs, let the inhaul off until the main settles down.

Jib tack: Tightens luff by pulling draft forward and flattens the back of the sail slightly. It can also create a small amount of twist.

Mast ram: Changes the cambers of both sails. It bends the mast down low. In the mainsail, it affects fullness in the lower sections, and in the jib, it affects headstay tension. Letting the mast bend further causes the headstay to sag further.

Now, let’s take a look at these adjustments in action on the course. You’re going upwind shortly after the start in a tight lane, and you need to sail a little higher to hold that lane. Accept that you will go a little slower by sailing higher. If it’s windy and you are overpowered, you can generally sheet a little harder on both sails. That increases power, but by sailing higher to the wind you are reducing power. Generally it will be a small net loss in VMG as you sail slightly higher and slightly slower but you will hold your lane, which will net gain you VMG later.

In some cases, such as in flat water where there is little chop or waves, you can simply sail higher and flatter to achieve this mode without changing anything. While you decrease power in the sail plan by sailing higher into the wind, you also reduce leeway, since the boat will be sailing flatter. If the power is perfect and the boat feels balanced, a very small pinch in on the jib and either a tad of traveler up or mainsheet tension will do it. Pulling the traveler up or tightening the mainsheet adds power to the back of the sail plan, making it easier for the boat to head up.

In chop or waves, mainsheet on often works well, but when it starts to get bumpy, traveler up is better, as you often need twist in the main to help reaccelerate after hitting a waves.

If the boat is underpowered, ease the backstay. This will round up the sail plan in both sails, creating more weather helm, making it easier to head up. As the backstay is eased, the main leech gets tighter and the sail gets fuller. It also adds sag to the headstay, which results in additional shape and power in the jib. Pro sailor, Steve Hunt, a four-time Etchells champion, cautions that the backstay and mainsheet always go hand-in-hand; if you adjust the backstay, immediately consider adjusting the mainsheet.

Now that you’ve held your lane, you’re free to go anywhere. The left side of the course is favored, so you need to sail “fast forward” to the left. This is accomplished by sailing slightly lower but faster through the water. A similar VMG to the mark but gets you the positioning further to the left side of the course. If overpowered, add backstay and let the traveler down. Just “lay” on the jib slightly, making the leeward telltales start to dance. Easing the traveler and pulling the backstay on reduces power and drag in the back of the sail plan, allowing the boat to bear away slightly without heeling more, resulting in a faster lower mode. If the power is perfect, only the smallest change is needed. Ideally, keep the same amount of heel. If the power is perfect, you likely don’t want to change the backstay and negatively affect the jib. In this situation, a little traveler down works well. Simply bear away and reduce the drag in the main ever so slightly.

If you are underpowered, try bearing away slightly. The boat will heel slightly and likely accelerate. Make sure the jib isn’t sheeted too tightly or it may stall. A small ease of the mainsheet can also help; it will help increase head stay sag thus powering the jib up even further.

Andrew Palfrey, a two-time Etchells World Champion, Star Olympian, and AC, TP52 and 44Cup coach, offers these tips for better upwind speed:

Balance and power, in harmony, are key. Keep in mind the vertical distribution of power, particularly when over-powered. For example, in higher true-wind speeds, keep depth and driving force low in the sail plan to get through waves, while ensuring the upper part of the sail plan is all about reducing drag.

Develop a tuning guide specific to your boat. Every boat will have a slightly different balance due to the slightest difference in the underwater foils.

Invest time (and even some money) on the basics of accurate foil and mast alignments. This is the building block of consistent performance. This is my primary focus when I am involved in a new build. It is getting easier these days to quantify fast sails (and even rig to foil alignment) digitally. If you are high and fast, take a photo of both sails and the major controls like backstay, traveler, and inhaul. Simple apps to analyze sails such as The SailCloud are available for a fee. (*Another simple and free app can be found here).

It is no longer only the realm of the sailmaker or pro coach. This will really help when you get your next new sail. Compare the two scans and you are in a much more informed position to make any changes to mast set-up or to discuss things with your sailmaker. Facts and data, before opinion!

When moding one way or the other, too often people over react. If moding fast-forward in a boat like an Etchells, aim for only a 1- to 2-percent increase in forward speed – i.e.: 0.1kt. This is the slightest press into the jib, with the major controls sympathetic to the mode. Otherwise the resultant heel and change in balance will have a negative effect.

Keep asking questions—that is what the best sailors do.

The post A Prescription for Better Upwind Speed appeared first on Sailing World.

Tradition is a vital component in the oldest active annual regatta in the United States. With the exception of a few years when the country was focused on more important goals, the New York Yacht Club has held its Annual Regatta presented by Rolex every year since the first one on the Hudson River in 1845.

This year, the 162nd Annual Regatta presented by Rolex will take place from Friday, June 10, to Sunday, June 12, on the waters of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound. The social activities, including Saturday’s Regatta Dinner presented by Rolex, will take place at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court, in Newport, R.I.

But no event lasts more than a century and a half without adapting to the changing times. And the same can be said of the competitors. The list of skippers signing up for the event includes many familiar names, but some who will be viewing the event from a different perspective.

Last year, Charles Kenahan (Swampscott, Mass.) sailed in the Annual Regatta presented by Rolex on board his Swan 42 Mahalo. He and his team had an eye on the class’s national championship later that summer, which they won. For the 162nd Annual Regatta, Kenahan has moved onto the Etchells class, which is smaller and is sailed by only three or four crew as opposed to the 10 to 11 needed for the Swan.

“It’s a big change,” he says. “Steering with a tiller on the Etchells verses the wheel on the Swan 42 takes some adjustment. There’s a lot more feel and, with a smaller crew, there is more for me to do.”

While the boat is different, the focus on a larger picture remains a constant. For Kenahan, the goal is now the 2017 Etchells Class World Championship, to be sailed on San Francisco Bay. He’ll sail New England events this summer, move the program to Miami this coming winter and then back to the Northeast for the 2017 summer before heading west for the championships in October.

In past years, Jason Carroll (New York, N.Y.) raced the Annual Regatta in the Melges 32 class, one of the most competitive keelboat classes in the world. This year, even though the Melges 32 class will return to Newport in September for its world championship, Carroll is racing his 62-foot Gunboat catamaran, Elvis. The fleets are much smaller than in the Melges 32 class, and the racing is less serious.

“The Annual Regatta presented by Rolex seemed like a great opportunity to get the Gunboats together, and for many of us we’ll be racing in our home waters,” says Carroll. “It’s less intense than most of the other racing I do, so I can bring a crew full of friends and have a great time.”

After a pause, Carroll notes that Elvis has been substantially optimized, so it’s not all fun and games. “We still have to stay sharp. Elvis has plenty of power to get an inattentive crew in trouble.”

More than 150 boats are expected to compete in the 162nd Annual Regatta presented by Rolex. The event will feature a race around Conanicut Island on Friday, June 10, and then two days of buoy racing for the IRC and one-design classes, and point-to-point racing for the multihulls and navigator classes. The 72-foot Maxi72 class will be contesting its North American Championship during the regatta.

The post NYYC Annual Regatta: The Old and the New appeared first on Sailing World.

Among the budding cherry blossom trees and the first sunny days of spring, skippers and crew will be brushing pollen off the decks and trailers to prepare for what is, for many, the first major regatta of the season. Nine classes, plus the North Sails Rally Race fleet, will be in Annapolis this weekend for the third stop of the 2016 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Series.

At this year’s Annapolis NOOD, the two newest classes of the regatta will be the ones to watch. The J/70 class boasts a fleet of 42 boats and top international performers among its registrants. Will Welles’ Scamp, Dan Troutman’s Pied Piper, and Bruno Pasquinelli’s Stampede will arrive in Annapolis following strong performances at Sperry Charleston Race Week. For the C&C 30 class, the Annapolis NOOD is the first event under its finalized class rules, specifically the mandate for owner-drivers. The paint is still drying on Mark Bremer’s City Girl, so this regatta will be trial by fire for the new team.

The J/105 fleet continues to show up in force, and the NOOD is no exception. “We have learned to enjoy subjecting ourselves to the vagaries of the Chesapeake Bay,” says Bermuda-based skipper James Macdonald. “It’s always a challenge to sail well.”

Macdonald, skipper of the aptly-named, Bermuda-flagged J/105 Distant Passion admits that the class isn’t as active as it once was, but maintains that there are still hotspots for regattas, including Annapolis. In Bermuda, says Macdonald, he generally races between six and eight other boats in their weeknight and weekend racing series. “In Annapolis, we see nearly twenty boats,” he says. “Those twenty are of high caliber as well. When it blows here, the racing gets interesting. When it’s lighter, the J/105 can be underpowered, but that’s when the tweaking and tactics come into play.”

After sailing his first J/105 from Bermuda to Key West Race Week and not enjoying the long haul, Macdonald purchased a second J/105 in 2009, Distant Passion, exclusively for sailing events in North America, like the Annapolis NOOD. When not competing in Annapolis, Block Island, or even Ontario, Distant Passion sits on a trailer in Annapolis, what Macdonald calls a good “jumping off point” for northeast regattas. Conveniently, then, the boat is already in place for this weekend’s competition.

The NOOD is a perfect event for he and his crew, says Macdonald, because the three-day event structure gives them enough time to make the trip worthwhile. Macdonald’s tactician, Jon Corless, also runs his own J/105 program in Bermuda, but the two combine forces for faraway regattas. They bring a variety of crew every year, another option made available by the characteristics of the J/105. “It’s easy to sail in some ways,” says Macdonald. “There are still enough controls for great variation among the fleet, but overall it’s a great way to get new keelboat sailors comfortable with the bigger boats.” Macdonald and Corless will be sailing against the Helly Hansen Junior Crew, a group of youth sailors with little to no keelboat experience.

While the J/105 has imports from further afield, the Etchells and Alberg 30 classes are full of local sailors. In Annapolis, the Etchells fleet has struggled to maintain numbers. According to skipper Jeff Borland, a lot of the fleet was lost to the Harbor 20, the J/22 and then the J/24. “We’re in the process of slowly rebuilding the fleet,” says Borland, an AYC member. “We used to require drivers to be over 50-years-old to sail in the AYC fleet, but we’ve changed the rules and now we see younger members buying these boats.”

Borland, a software engineer from Silver Springs, Marlyand, was attracted to what he fondly calls the “Wetchells” because of his love for tweaking controls on the boat. “The Etchells is more cerebral than physical,” he says. “I just love the feel of this boat, it drives so nicely and you can do so much more with it than other one design classes.”

The Annapolis NOOD is the local Etchells fleet’s biggest event of the season, and as Borland points out, it’s also their first, so it’s a reunion of sorts as well as a kick-off. “It’s an entire weekend of good friends and good competition,” says Borland. “Everyone knows each other and it’s a great way to put each other to the test in a major regatta.”

The Etchells aren’t the only born-and-bred Annapolis fleet making moves to recruit younger sailors into its ranks. The trusty Alberg 30s, a racing-cruiser hybrid with a strong foothold in the Chesapeake, has also seen a resurgence in younger owners. “These boats are comfortable in the deep blue and shallow enough to take you anywhere,” says Jonathan Adams, skipper of Laughing Gull and past Commodore of the Chesapeake Bay Alberg 30 Association. “We’re seeing folks who are looking for a boat that can do it all, and seeking a change of pace in life, buying these boats.”

According to Adams, the Alberg first came to Annapolis in 1964, when a consortium of locals purchased 20 to 30 boats at once, founding the Chesapeake Bay Alberg 30 Association, and began attracting local sailors as crew. In the 52 years since, many sailors have moved on to race higher performance boats, but the association remains 200-members strong. “I have so many sailors who want to race, I don’t have enough boats to put them on,” says Adams.

Of note, among the Alberg crews are also two of the oldest sailors in the Annapolis NOOD, Harry Gamber and Ralph Townsend. “Ralph is the perfect example of how to make sailing fun and not just about winning,” says Adams. “He can make the boat go without a whole lot of effort, which is fun to watch. Harry is the oldest AYC member still racing, and Ralph have a great time out there.”

For these three classes, and the other nine slated to compete next weekend in Annapolis, the forecast looks to be a challenging one. While the larger one-designs will be tested by the light air, the smaller boats will have three days of intense tactical battles ahead of them.

Full results for the event will be available on yachtscoring.com.

The post From Near and Far appeared first on Sailing World.

The first is a forestay adjuster. The old system involved taking the forestay pin out (that’s right, no forestay attached), turning the pigtail to shorten or lengthen the forestay, and then reattaching the forestay. The new system never disconnects the forestay, making it safe, plus we could adjust it between races much more quickly.

The second item is a lever system that provides an alternative to the traditional mast step block and chocks used to control the mast position at deck level. The old block and chock system had limiting factors. One that frustrated me most was that the “steps” in the step block needed to be perfectly fit for your ideal mast position, but once we moved the mast butt, the chock didn’t fit as snugly. The “steps” only provided what I would call a gross-tune of the mast collar. Another problem is that mast movement was limited to the thicknesses of the chocks. Like other teams, we carried quarter-inch thick chocks, but there were times when we needed slightly less or slightly more. Plus, it was tough to get a tight enough fit to prevent the mast from pumping. Andrew’s under-deck lever got rid of all of that. Now, we could incrementally situate the mast in the partners in any position we needed. And we could do this on the fly. But it got even better.

Before each day of racing, we did what most everyone else does—sail upwind with our training partners. We had specific questions to answer. Was our forestay length right? Could we get enough mast bend if the wind increased? Could we get enough forestay sag if they wind decreased? My goal was always to create a range of adjustments that would allow us to depower or power up by making small, fine-tune changes.

Once we got the forestay, shrouds and mast butt in a comfortable spot for the conditions, I fine-tuned with the lever. If I needed to depower, I pulled on a lot of backstay, which tightened the forestay and made the jib flatter. Of course, that flattened the main. If I felt the main had become too flat, I used the lever to slide the mast aft, which deepened the main. Conversely, if I needed more power, I eased the backstay, which softened the forestay, powering up the jib. That also deepened the main, so I would lever the mast forward. That forced low bend in the mast and flattened the main. This “range” of adjustment was initially tough to correlate, but as we became more comfortable with the lever, we dialed everything in relatively quickly. As I adjusted the lever, I gauged the mast position by looking at the space between the aft edge of the mast and the back of the partners. To further quantify that, we put a vertical mark on each side of the mast with a sharpie and then a peel and stick numbers scale on the deck on either side of the mast. That way, Jeff Eiber, our forward crew, could confirm the mast location. Once into the race, rarely did we keep the mast in the same upwind position for the entire race. Whenever the wind built or dropped off, we moved the mast.

In addition to getting the sail plan set up for the entire range that we were expecting for the race, the lever also provided us with a nice tactical weapon. If we found ourselves in a tight lane, I used the lever to push the mast forward, pulled on a little more backstay and trimmed the main hard. That sacrificed some forward speed, but set us up in a point mode. When you have two-mile beats and living in a lane for a long time is critical, this is a nice tool to save your position. Done right, it allows you to sail up and off a leeward competitor and then, once clear, readjust for fast-forward speed, which is where our rig setup usually lives. If for some reason I’m not in the fast-forward mode and need to get there, such as if there being a shift ahead or maybe we need to cross a group of boats, I power up the rig. I let the mast back and ease the backstay. That makes both sails fuller and got us going fast.

Skip Dieball, along with crew Jon McClean and Jeff Eiber, won the 2015 Etchells World Championship, held in Hong Kong, this past November.

The post Mast tune on the fly appeared first on Sailing World.

The post Etchells World Championship 2012 appeared first on Sailing World.

The Value of a Group Effort

The member lounge in the San Diego YC is typically the site of quiet conversations or restful reading. Last spring, it served as Ground Zero for five teams taking steps to excel in the 2011 Etchells World Championship.

The genesis for the group was earlier in the year when Bill Hardesty, who won the Worlds in 2008, started to focus his efforts on winning another title. I had the good fortune of joining Bill for this campaign, and I saw firsthand how he integrated a group of sailors and expert coach Ed Adams, and how everyone benefitted.

While the purpose of our group was to be prepared to compete in the Worlds, our goal was really to be our very best for one week. It could have been any event. As with everything, what you put in controls what you get out. By working as a group, the end result was a cheaper and more effective effort than a one-on-one relationship between a coach and a single team.

One early key to the program’s success was establishing a routine. At our morning meeting we would discuss the goals of the day. On the water, Ed would lead us toward fulfilling these goals. The afternoon debrief included observations, video, photos, and the plan for the next day. During a four-month period, we had 15 days of training and 12 days of competition. All of it was at the Worlds venue. The routine never varied.

Ed was there for 18 of those days. While we were able to move the program forward without him, we always got more accomplished with him present. We were more focused, more organized, and the days were often longer.

“There is no magic to this process,” Adams said. “Just make every hour count. Get comfortable and confident in your sails and settings. Identify weaknesses, whether it is with speed, tactics, strategy, or communications, and come up with solutions. Review each day thoroughly so the lessons become instinctive.”

To maximize training time, we developed plans for things as trivial as picking up the towline to get out to the course, and getting our sails ready. Once we arrived at the training location, every boat had to be ready to sail. We didn’t tolerate stragglers, and it soon became a test to see who would be ready first. Each boat carried a handheld radio to expedite communication. And while not every team in our group was at our level, each was fast enough to win a race at a major regatta. Everyone had qualified for the Worlds, and they were all committed to the process.

It’s easy to get consumed by speed testing. It’s a vital variable, but it’s one of many. There were days we tested sails and other days when we tested rig tune. But nearly every training day on the water also included practice races. It’s one thing to be fast when tuning, but it is much harder to carry the same pace into a race. Settings that work in a coordinated tuning line-up might not work as well when boats are tight off the start line. And the distraction of competition affects concentration.

John Pedlow had worked with Bill and Ed during the lead up to the 2008 regatta, and was back again for the 2011 Worlds. “Bill runs a tight program and served as a good role model for the rest of us,” said Pedlow. “Ed has a no-nonsense approach and is not shy about giving very direct feedback when you need it. We would sort of cringe when the coach boat approached us during a tuning leg, knowing that something wasn’t right on the boat. Then we would fix it and go a little faster.”

By pooling the resources of five teams, we were able to hire the best coach we could find. Ed is a two-time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, a Star and Laser Masters world champion, and an accomplished coach with an amazing eye for detail. For example, during one group tuning session, we moved our mast butt 5 mm back while Ed was helping another boat. When we lined up again, Ed noticed our main looked flatter down low. Heck, we couldn’t even see the difference, and we were looking for it. He didn’t know we made the change and he spotted it. Credibility is key for a coach. Ed has it.

Having upwards of five boats in our program meant that we were not reliant on who else might be training on any given day. We always had the critical mass needed for tuning, upwind splits, practice starts, and short-course racing. We knew each other, and we all knew how to execute each plan. And while not everyone had the same needs, everyone’s needs were met during the course of our practice sessions. Structure and routine ruled.

Over the course of the program, there grew a sense of togetherness. With everyone attending the meetings, speaking openly of their experiences, and respecting each other, tiers were erased. It was not always apparent we were moving forward—relative to each other there wasn’t a tremendous amount of change—but the group was always experiencing their sport at a heightened level as a team.

While our routine was vital, we also tried to manage our energy levels. The additional meeting time before and after made any day on the water quite long. And, we were all balancing our sailing commitment against our other responsibilities. Balanced rest and practice time was an important consideration leading into the Worlds. The activity in the final week at the regatta venue is intoxicating, and can lead to training even harder. But for a nine-race, six-day regatta, with upwind legs in excess of 2 miles, it is also important to be mentally and physically strong throughout the event. We took a couple breaks in the week leading up to the worlds.

Bill had put together a program to win the 81-boat championship, and that is what we did with a day to spare. It was a bit bizarre attending the afternoon debrief the day we clinched the regatta; popping champagne and swimming in the bay seemed more appropriate. But our routine was our routine. What I remember about that meeting was the genuine support that existed in the room. It was as if we had all won the Worlds, not just one boat. And when working with a group training program, that is the ultimate goal.

The post The Value of a Group Effort appeared first on Sailing World.