Final_Expert_Article

Three, Two, One...Bang

Winning a Sailing Race: No Easy Task

Do you think racing sailboats is a relaxing pass time with no stress at all? Or, have you never heard of sailboats racing? If so, then you are a part of a large group of people who do not understand what goes into a sailboat race.

Most people I have talked to about sailing that do not sail, believe I row and try to talk to me about rowing. Except this is far from what racing sailboats is. Sailing has been a mode of transportation, in one way or another, for thousands of years. Over this time sailboats have become faster and with that competition has arisen. Racing sailboats has been around longer than some sports in the Olympics. An example of this is the America’s Cup, which is the oldest active trophy in international sports – started in 1851 (America’s Cup). Over time sailboats have evolved and continue to evolve. What's great about sailing is that there are different types of regattas (a group of sailing races) for different types of boats. Sailboats come in all different sizes and shapes, which have different size sails and other attachments for boats. There are also different types of racing in sailing: fleet racing (multiple boats sailing against each other), match racing (one on one), and team racing (three on three). I will be focusing on fleet racing and how to do everything in your power to win the race. Because in sailing there are different variables not in your control.

In a regatta there are multiple races sailed, I will be focusing on one race and the different components that make up a race:

• Pre-start
• Race

Sailing Terminology:

Bow – Front of the boat

Tack – The bow crossing the wind

Windward – The side that gets hit first by the wind

Leeward – The side opposite of the windward side

Mark/buoy – Floating ball, identifying the course

Pin – The mark that is opposite of the starting boat, that helps identify the starting line

Starting boat – Opposite of the pin on the right side

Upwind – The boat moving up the course

Downwind – The boat moving down the course

Lane – The optimal path your boat is going to sail

Starboard – The boat facing the left side of the course

Port – The boat facing the right side of the course

Pre-Start: A Race Before the Race:

In sailing it is almost impossible to stop your boat completely, so during the pre-start there is a 3-minute countdown were each boat must battle for a spot on the line. During this time is when we examine the course and see were the wind is – to determine the optimal route to the top mark. Also, we determine which side of the starting line is favored because by human error the line will not always be perpendicular to the wind. There are three goals to a start: to be on the line, full speed, and going up wind. Jon Emmett wrote a book for sailors called Be Your Own Sailing Coach, he believes that “a good start is one where you have clean wind, go in the direction you want and where you can hold your lane 30 seconds after the gun” (Winning the start). We both agree what it takes to have a good start and for most people the hardest part is applying what you have learned. I believe that the most important part of the race is the pre-start because it can make or break your race. I was racing at a regatta, during the first start of the day I figured out where to go on the course and I decided to start at the starting boat. During this start, I sailed around for the first 2 minutes – to waste time - sailed up to the spot I wanted and protected the space below me until the start. I needed the space below me because I needed room for my boat to get up to speed, so that I can have full speed at go. For me this is the most optimal start but the next race was not as successful. I came in late to the starting line with thirty seconds to go and suddenly someone took the space below me. I could’ve recovered except, my boat slid into theirs and we locked rails. After separating myself, I started behind most of the twenty-boat fleet. Even though I started in the back of the fleet, I passed boats during the actual race. Starts do not always decided how you finish in a race, but what you do during the race matters as well.

The Actual Race:

Off the starting line is an intense moment of decision making and concentration to have a good lane. The next part is to choose to either stick to your plan or change it because the wind changed directions, someone hit you with their boat, there is more wind on one side than the other, etc. When this happens I usually think to myself, what is the risk and what is the reward because if you are in first you do not want to risk that, but if you’re in last do whatever you can to pass boats. Even if that means staying in last.

The race course has two marks one upwind and one down-wind with a start below the course. Sometime the finish is the start line and other times the finish line is upwind of the top mark. During this race there are a ton of rules that each person must follow. Some of the major ones is: avoid hitting any marks or boats on the water, give way to right away boats (the starboard has power of the port boat), you must start and round all the marks in the correct order, etc. Besides worrying about the rules, a sailor must decide which side is the favored side. Also, my goal is to do barely any tacks because they are slow and you will lose boats if you do too many.

During most of my races, I prefer to go to the right side of the course because when I am heading to the top mark I will be on starboard and have right-away over anyone coming at me. Besides being on the favored side – I always want to have clear air which means that no one is blocking the wind. After rounding the top mark, I prefer to be the boat closest to the downwind mark because rule 18.2a states that “when boats are overlapped the outside boat shall give the inside boat mark-room” (Sailing). This means that the boat closest to the mark has priority to round the mark first (Fig.1). The biggest suggestion I have for when it comes to breaking a rule during the race is to go forward with the penalty. Sailing is a self-policing sport where a penalty is performed on the water by spinning your boat is circle twice. Even though this would slow anyone down, the penalty for not doing it is disqualification. Sailing is not just about winning, but being a good sport and most importantly having fun. Sailing is a hard sport to learn – like any other sport – but what is great about sailing is that it is a sport for life.

Fig.1

Also, don’t forget to finish.

“To be successful at sea we must keep things simple” – Pete Culler

Works Cite

“America's Cup.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Feb. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Cup.

“Sailing Quotes.” Island Sailing, www.islandsailing.org/sailor-resources/sailing-quotes/.

Sailing, Us. Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016: Including Us Sailing Prescription. United States Sailing Ass, 2012.

Sam Young, Home Performance Technical Advisor at Home InSight Follow. “Sailboat (Yacht) Racing: A Primer for Ship 378.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 3 Feb. 2014, www.slideshare.net/ShelockHomeSY/yacht-racing.

Walker, Stuart. “Get to the Advantaged Side of the Course.” Sailing World, 21 Aug. 2006, www.sailingworld.com/how-to/get-to-advantaged-side-course.

“Winning the Start – Essential Skills for Dinghy Sailing.” The Final Beat,

            Thefinalbeat.com/categories/starting/winning-start-essential-skills-dinghy-sailing.