Yacht Racing How To Get Ahead

Yacht Racing:
How to Get Ahead


The goal is not the finish line. That's just the bonus. Any sailor worth his salt knows that the real test in yacht racing is how you deal with the challenge of getting to the finish line. That's the hardest part of all.

So the question, therefore, is not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.

In this article, we offer you some tips on yacht racing to help you deal with the various challenges that come your way.

Things to Remember

The most important thing to remember when you go yacht racing is preparation. This should always take the top place in your list of priorities, and includes making sure you have a clear air, good speed, and already ahead the first beat.

Just think about how much easier it is to have a good position right at the very beginning. If you are able to manage that at the first mark, the rest of the race is going to be a lot easier.

But just how do you get that good position at the first mark? Simple. Just follow the tips provided below:


* The early bird catches the worm.

Or so the saying goes. It finds application in yacht racing as well. If you want to get anything done, you simply have to get there early.

Don't settle for just being on time, because getting there early means having extra time to check the wind and tide, check the start bias, and check if the yacht is in working order.

Is everything okay when you take the starboard and a port tack from line? Is everything right with the transit? Or do you notice any shifts of line after you have taken the transit?

These things might seem minuscule, but if you want your yacht race to start right, then better make sure that everything is good and everything is fine and you are ready to take on the high seas.

* Decide.

Believe it or not, sailing is all about decision-making. It has more to do with deciding what is the right course of action than knowing about the wind's direction, the roughness of the water, and how the yacht is doing. It is all that and more combined together so that all you are left to do is decide.

Decide where you want to start on the line. Decide whether the wind shifts, tide and other boats make this position advantageous or disadvantageous to you. Decide whether to defend your current position or move on to the next water for a more advantageous line. And so on and so forth.


Sailing Upwind

After you've done all you can to give yourself a good start in a yacht race, the next step is sailing upwind. If this is not your first time going on a yacht race, then you probably already know that the surest way to get ahead on the race (next to getting a good start, that is) is to pick the first two wind shifts. Because this is how you settle into the longest track on the upwind leg of the course.

Getting that first two wind shifts puts you in a position where you are sailing with a loose cover over the rest of the sailors, enough to give you good ground (or water, for that matter) to get to the top mark.

This is where the issue of whether to protect your water as hard as possible or letting it go for a more advantageous position comes in. The rule is defense: hug the water as hard as you can for as long as you can. But for every rule, there is an exception and every experienced sailor and yacht racer knows this.

That is why it becomes important that as soon as the race starts, you get the best position, one that lets you sail upwind and closest to the top mark. To do that, there are a few things you need to consider. These include:


* Boat Speed

The speed of your boat depends on a lot of factors, including wind and sea conditions. To sail well at this point, you have to reach your best boat speed, all the while taking into account the condition of the wind and the sea as well as some adjustments that you need to make.

* Batten Weight

* Boom Vang Tension

* Mainsheet Tension

* Traveler Position

* Cunningham

* Outhaul

* Mast Rake

* Centerboard Position (Movement aft and fore)

* Mast Bend (stiffener)

* Hounds Height

* Sail Size and/or Shape

* Gooseneck Position

* Hiking

And finally, after all that is said and done, remember to play the middle. Play the middle until it becomes clear to you that one side is favored, and then go there for the kill.


Reaching

This is the most exciting part about yacht racing. It's adrenaline-pumping and fast. And yet, it is not unusual to find people who only practice reaching as a last resort! Clearly, there is something wrong with these people's sense of priorities. Don't make the same mistake and get your priorities straight.

Reaching is where you get to the downwind. It is that part of the race where everything is going for you – you have boat speed, you have water, and you have the wind right behind you, spurring you on. It is literally smooth-sailing! But provided you get down a few factors right.

Here are some tips:

* Go for the rumbline.

All racers are familiar with the rumbline. It is the course between any two marks in a straight line. There two reasons why you should sail the rumbline when you are downwind. First, because it is the shortest course. And second, it is the fastest.

* The Lulls, the Puffs and the Mark

For the avid sailor, these three (the lulls, the puffs and the mark) are facts of life. As things that you are bound to encounter while out there in the high seas, these things have their own countermeasures set up by sailors from long before. Thus, remember the rules: sail higher in the lulls and sail lower in the puffs.

And when you are about to round a mark, be sure to get your adjustments beforehand because you do not get to play with those once you're there. The only time you are able to make some more adjustments is after you have settled into the groove of your next leg of reaching.

* Look around you.

Remember that this is a race you are in, not some one-man mission (although it is at one point). However, never lose sight of the fact that you are doing this because you have a goal and that goal is the finish line.

So protect your clear air when necessary, but look for the next mark. Check your sail trim constantly, and look behind, around and beside you to see what the other racers are doing.

The last one has a double purpose: you check to see how the competition is doing while also keeping in mind the behavior of the tide. You never know whether you are still sailing the same course as the rest of the fleet if you don't look every once in a while.

* Think ahead.

Well, this one needs no saying, and for experienced sailors, it's a no-brainer. But sometimes, people do forget – to check for weed, for instance or remember to watch for waves and use them to your advantage.

And when you get with the others and decide to overtake, do it with the element of surprise on your side. Do it suddenly. Do it without warning, but remember to calculate. As much as possible, avoid big luffing matches. Instead, do it when the other racer is not paying attention.


How to Sail Downwind

The trick in sailing downwind is not speed. It is not about how fast you are or how sleek in the wind your yacht is. Often, it is not even about the wind.

Rather, it is about having a "feel" for the yacht. If you know what makes your yacht go, you already have the edge that you need to do good at a yachting race. Because no matter how fierce the competition is or how weak the wind is in the first run, all those factors only minimally affect how you do in the race if you know your yacht and how to make it work to its limits.

This is a skill that you don't learn from any sailing classroom. This is the one thing that you can only learn from experience and something you can develop by practicing your skills in reaching and running.

* Body Position

Less experienced sailors don't know this but body position is very important. Every boat is built to travel the most efficiently when they are properly trimmed.

This means that the yacht's efficiency may vary depending on the increase or decrease in the wind. Thus, if the bow drops, your boat won't drive at its full speed. The same thing happens if the stern drags.

So how do you counteract these downsides? Through body position. Your goal is to keep the boat on a plane and as level as possible fore and aft. This means moving backwards and forwards, depending on the wind.

* Centerboard Height

There is only thing to remember about centerboard height and that is to pull it up off the wind the minute you notice a drag in the stern.

* Vang Tension

The importance in vang tension comes in when you encounter death rolls particularly on the run. When that happens, be sure to get your vang tension off the wind. Otherwise, be prepared for a swim when the boat death rolls.

The reason is that the leech of the sail gets in the way of the mast, a common occurrence when not enough tension is applied. This, coupled with death rolls, makes swimming a very likely possibility.


Master all these skills in downwind sailing as well as the important things to remember during preparation and starting on the run and you have the necessary edge to get ahead of your game.