Past issues of Reflections have contained many valuable articles devoted to the black art of boat tuning, and if this advice is followed, a competitive boat should result.
Now it is true to say that a good helm/crew combination can win in a mediocre boat but a mediocre helm/crew is unlikely to win even when sailing a fast boat.
It follows that the biggest gain in overall performance can be obtained not so much by boat tuning, but by tuning the helmsman and crew. I hope that the following notes will help the keen beginners to possibly cut a few corners in the search for better positions in the fleet.
Helms - points to watch.
1. Don’t aimlessly ‘mill about’ before the start of the race - check the set of your sails and if possible hoist your spinnaker to check that all is well.
Decide if the direction of the wind favours one end of the line and plan your start, The favoured end of the line, if there is one, can be very
crowded at the start and it often pays to start a little down the line. Don’t start too late and at all costs start in clear wind.
2. Watch for windshifts on the beat and use them to your advantage. General rule - tack when you are headed. But, as with all general rules, this doesn’t always apply and there are occasions when it pays to stay on a tack even if you are headed, particularly when the shifts are very frequent.
3. Be careful not to throw away valuable yards by overstanding marks. This is very easy to do when beating with the current.
4. In the close company of other boats always arrange your tacks to arrive at the windward mark on the right of way starboard tack.
5. Always try to keep out of the wind shadow of other boats - very often you can see boats tacking into a position where there is dirty wind when a few yards further before tacking would have seen them clear.
6. Learn the Racing Rules (or at least the more important ones) and insist on your rights - unless it is to your advantage not to do so - e.g. it is sometimes better to allow a port tack boat to continue rather than forcing him to tack when he may be on your lee bow and interfering with your wind supply.
7. Do not try to point too high on the beat or pinch’ - Mirrors do not like it Sometimes it can help, e.g. to squeeze round a mark - but generally it does not pay.
8. Try to develop a technique of sailing fast while still appraising the tactical situations developing in the race. In other words keep one eye on what the opposition are up to.
9. After the race, think about what went wrong, and more important why and what you can do to prevent it happening again.
10. Don’t shout at your crew, he or she is probably doing his/her best. If a crew is not giving maximum effort there is probably a good reason - very often the reason is the helmsman.
Crew
1. Take as much load off the helmsman as you can, e.g. operating daggerboard and trimming the boat - without being asked. This will leave the helmsman more time for tactics.
2. Try to anticipate what the helmsman will do next and be ready for it.
3. Is your spinnaker going up and filling as fast as the leader’s? Is it coming down as late and as smoothly? If not more practice is required or perhaps the boat needs attention.
4. If your spinnaker collapses prematurely try to find out why. Perhaps your pole is set too low.
5. It is easy on a Mirror to overtighten the jib sheets on the beat and must be avoided. It is a case of not too little and not too much.
6. Keep your eyes peeled for boats that your helm may not have seen. Tell them anyway and then you will not be blamed afterwards.
7. Don't shout at your helm - they are probably doing their best. If you think you could do better - politely suggest this and perhaps you will get the chance.
Helm and Crew
Aim to work together smoothly as a team.
Always look for ways to improve your performance. If you stop looking you will probably not improve further.
Very often the acknowledged ‘experts’ in a fleet will avoid offering unsolicited advice to others, not because they are unwilling, but because they do not want to give the impression of being ‘know-alls’.
Therefore if advice is wanted never be backward in asking others who may by able to help.
Editors Note: This article is from Reflections No. 105 Summer 1995, page 6. It has been captured by OCR, so typos & errors are possible.
