What a fantastic weekend in Geelong for our sailors with three days of close racing in light to moderate breeze and flat water. The race committee did an awesome job to get the full schedule completed even when the wind was very light and shifty. It was obvious to all who attended that the whole Victorian fleet has improved significantly over the past year. Well done to all the sailors in our programme, it’s been great to be part of your development. Whether you achieved your goals or were a little disappointed, you all deserve a big pat on the back for a well sailed event.
Below are a few summarised notes from our coaches at the event:
Starts
- the timing of acceleration is key to be able to have clear air 200m off the start. This timing changed frequently due to the gusty conditions. A good thing to practice is lining up next a few boats and accelerating on the whistle to full speed. This will help your mechanics when accelerating but also if you do this enough it will give you a good feel for how long you need to get to full speed in any given wind condition.
Placement on the line:
Deciding where to start is massive decision that could be the thing that influences the outcome of your race the most. It was interesting watching the fleet crowd towards the boat end of the line for the majority of the regatta. This was often not the favoured end of the line but the national champ started there every time so we think this influenced the fleet. Starting in the bunches is risky, a better plan is to start near the end you plan to start but in a low density area. This is usually closer to the middle of the line but getting off clear will always benefit you more than being in the second or third row.
Being Bow on Bow
- Being bow on bow relative to the boats around you is another skill that is crucial to be able to have a lane 200m metres off the line. A simple rule for this is that the your bow should be forward enough that the boat that is above has there bow no further forward than you the back of your mast step. Your bow should be no further back then this on the boat below you. This is a judgement that requires practice and which changes in different breezes. The drill described above helps develop this skill.
Sail Set-up
Setting your sail up for the race is tough when the wind is going up and down. A rule of thumb is to set up for the predominant breeze. In Geelong it was crucial to look up the course prior to the start and adjust you sail to what you could see. The most important control to adjust was the sprit. As it gets lighter you must ease the sprit to maintain flow across the sail.
Strategy
- For us coaches it was great to see how everyone handled sailing in the gusty/ shifty conditions. Gusts were often coming out of both sides of the course and so you needed to keep looking around to check you were heading towards the pressure. I think everyone got caught being too in boat or boat on boat focused when looking up the course was what you needed to be doing. Same applied on the downwind where there was big gains and losses to be made based on which side the pressure was coming down. General rules of thumb for those that found it hard – stay on the tack that is taking you closest to the mark/ and head towards the darker/ rougher water… pretty simple but harder in practice.
Rule 42
Unfortunately at the event we had a few sailors that received double yellow flag penalties meaning that they had to retire from the race to avoid carrying a last place.
I think the jury was especially tough on their interpretation of rule 42 which is the rule that prevents propulsion. Saying that it is important to avoid the same thing happening at future events by better understanding what we can and can’t do.
Attached is a link to a opti rule 42 guide. Please read when you get a chance.
http://www.optiworld.org/uploaded_files/Rule42Optimist2013-%5B15691%5D.pdf_2016_en.pdfWhat Next:
Our next big event is the club marine coaching clinic at Royal Brighton. This should be an awesome three days of training with Australian Sailing South Australia coach Alex Zimmerman attending. The following weekend is the Victorian Youth Champs before a big group of Victorians head over to Napier, New Zealand for their nationals.
Big thanks from all the coaches,
Alison, Rhett, Jack and Sam.
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