Up to Speed & Smarts with Dells

By David Dellenbaugh Strategy is your plan for how to get around the race course as quickly as you can. One problem is that strategy does not consider the presence of other boats. Since your competitors are all trying to win the race, too, they make it harder for you to follow your own gameplan. To overcome this you need good tactics. Tactics are the boat-on-boat moves you make that help you stay in control of your…

By David Dellenbaugh Unless you need to slow down for tactical maneuvering, one of the most important things at any mark rounding is maintaining speed while you turn. Steering a curved course means you have to angle the rudder off centerline. This creates drag and slows the boat. So in most cases, turn the boat as little as possible. When you do have to make big turns, like when rounding marks, you need good technique to keep…

By David Dellenbaugh It’s blowing about 15 knots and you’re racing up the first beat of the first race at the J/24 Nationals. The wind has been oscillating all day, and you are now sailing a lift on port tack, crossing almost all the boats that were to your right. Your crew is focused on the wind and waves ahead, and everyone is hiking to keep the boat flat. “Puff coming in 10 seconds,” says your bow…

Another important factor in any pre-start strategic plan is the current. First you must observe and get an accurate picture of how the current is flowing across the course area. Then you have to figure out how this affects your strategic plan. Collecting current information Just as you must gather wind data before the start, you have to collect information about the set (direction) and drift (speed) of the current. • Before you leave the dock, look…

  It’s critical to have a good strategic plan for the windward leg because that is usually where the fleet gets farthest apart. When boats are on opposite sides of the beat, their separation can be huge, and even a small change in wind direction, pressure or current can have a huge impact on the fleet standings. Of course, if the conditions never change you don’t have to worry about strategy. In that case, the race will…

By David Dellenbaugh “Why didn’t you cover?” is often the first question you hear when you were doing well in a race but got passed by one or more boats from behind. This is a great question, but it doesn’t always have a straightforward answer. “Covering” usually means staying between the next mark and one or more boats that are behind you. The goal of this tactic is simply to reduce your risk if the wind shifts…

By David Dellenbaugh There are certain scenarios that always seem to play out when you get near a layline. Somebody tacks on you, or you have the chance to tack on somebody. The wind shifts so you are no longer on the layline. You have to make a choice about whether to do two more tacks or sail straight, but slowly, toward the mark. In each of these situations, the decision you make usually has a significant…

By David Dellenbaugh If you want your mark roundings to be quick and safe, there are certain strategies that work almost every time. For example, you should round each mark close enough that you could reach out and touch it. You should locate the next mark visually before you round this one. And you should definitely develop a strategic plan for the next leg before you round any mark. One reason why it’s important to follow rules…

By David Dellenbaugh A number of sailors have asked me to share more ideas about racing in handicap fleets. Here are some thoughts on how to approach a start and the first part of a beat when you are one of the smaller boats in your class: Get a copy of the “scratch sheet” for your class. Look to see how many of your competitors are faster than you, and how much faster they’re supposed to be….

By David Dellenbaugh A successful leeward mark rounding begins well before you get to the two-length zone. In fact, there are many things you can do before you reach the mark to prepare for your rounding and the next leg. The more you can work on these before the leeward-mark fire drill, the better off you’ll be. Strategize for the next beat You can (and probably should) start thinking about your strategy for the next beat soon…