Menu

Top
Close Mobile Navigation

Sail1Design

Signup to Receive the latest news, events and Sailing jobs Via your inbox
You are here: Home / Blog

Blog

Tactics With Mike: Sail1Design Start Roles And Communication

by Leave a Comment

By Airwaves Writer Mike Ingham

I am coaching in Japan right now and today’s discussion centered on roles at the start.  It seems every team agrees with most of the roles, but there is also a surprising amount of gray area and overlap of who does what and even more inconsistencies on how people communicate.  The following is how we do it with 5 people, then at the end we discuss how that changes with boats with different #’s of people.

Making a race plan (strategy)

  • Tactician takes the lead
  • But everyone can have a say
  • Open discussion based on forecasts, local knowledge, observations
  • There should be an in depth discussion just before the warning signal, but more casual conversations should lead up to that, such as on the way to the race course and during the pr-race routine
  • But once the warning signal sounds, there should be almost no discussion, with defined roles and concise communication. 

Tactician Role

  • Discussion with driver on area of line to start
  • Help driver pick a hole for that final approach
  • Pre final approach, help driver with roughly how long it will take to get to start line, and “time to kill”.   For example, if there are 2 minutes left and it will take about 1 minute to get back to the line, then there is 1 minute to kill
  • Pre final approach, help driver with laylines to the committee boat, pin, and where plan to start
  • Once on final approach (usually between 30 sec and 1 min depending on the boat/ fleet), should say little as long things are going well
  • During final approach, aggressively jumps in if something changes or things are off track.  For example, if there is a big shift or lull and there is a need to change strategy, way early/ late, very exposed/ hidden.  The tactician needs to be able to override if something is not going to plan.

Bow Role

  • Before final approach, verbally calls traffic
  • Before final approach communicates distance from line (as if on starboard close hauled) with fingers
  • On final approach is totally focused on distance to the line and the speed of approach
  • Distance is defined by boat lengths to the line close hauled on starboard (independent how far it is perpendicular to the line or on port)
  • I like distance communicated by fingers.  Each finger represents a boat length. A closed fist indicates 0 boat lengths
  • Additional hand signals controls the speed of the approach. The bow person calls for slowing the approach by palms down and speeding the approach by waving forward.  Communicate drastic moves like bow down by pointing to leeward or stopping with an open palm straight back.
  • I don’t like verbal signals.  They are too easy to get lost when the driver is talking with someone else, or if there is too much wind and luffing noise
  • This is perhaps the most critical role on the boat for the start.  Good command of knowing where the line is along with concise hand signals can easily make or break a start

Timer Role

  • Simply call time every 10 seconds from warning until 30 seconds and then every 5 seconds after that
  • Should not be involved or say anything else
  • Speak loud and clear so both bow and driver can hear

Trimmer Role

  • Before final approach, helps bow person call traffic
  • Trimmer listens to driver on speed (“luff”,”1/4 speed”, “1/2 speed”, “3/4 speed”, “full speed”)               
  • On final approach, looks behind for boats taking hole.  Looks behind and to windward for those boats reaching down the line below looking to swoop in.  Looks behind and to leeward for those port tackers
  • Communication from the trimmer is limited to talk about the boats from behind.  The trimmer may have to get the driver’s attention with a tap on the shoulder because the driver is likely focused on the bow person and the immediate boats around

Drivers Role

  • Takes input from everyone and translates it to action.  In the end, the driver controls the start
  • Before final approach, talking to tactician about where to start and setting up for the final approach (when and where to make the final tack)
  • Before final approach, taking input from bow and trimmer on traffic and avoiding collisions
  • On final approach looking at input from the bow
  • Listening to trimmer for people trying to steal hole
  • Listening for tactician input when tactician chimes in because things are not going to plan
  • Looking at boats around to make sure not too poked or too far behind
  • Taking everything in to decide how fast to go and when to “pull the trigger”
  • Communicate to trimmer on speed
  • Filters out all other distractions to stay focused on what is important at that time

# of Team Members

  • With 5, the roles are bow, timer, tactician, trimmer and driver as described above
  • With 6 or more, only the 5 above should be in the commun ication path.  Everyone else should stay quiet
  • If there are instruments helping call the line, the tactician should assist the bow with time/ distance to the line or if there are more than 5 members, assign it to someone
  • With 4 the tactician doubles as the timekeeper
  • With 3 the tactician, timekeeper and trimmer roles are combined
  • With 2 the tactician, timekeeper, trimmer and bow are combined, but the driver is in charge of looking behind for boats sneaking in
  • 1 person of course does everything, but communication is no longer a probl
    em!

I find that there is so much going on that there needs to be minimum chatter. To keep talk down, everyone needs to stick to roles and only talk about what is import at the time.  If it is important enough to say, it should be said clear and loud. Hand signals should be concise and where they can be easily seen.  I find I soon recognize who’s voice is talking getting me on task right away, and I recognize the level of urgency in their tone or hand motions. An efficient team is a team gets used to their own roles, the other teammates roles, and how to communicate that information without overwhelming everyone with details.

Go get ’em!

Sail1Design Brokerage Newsletter

by Leave a Comment

Sail1Design Brokerage Newsletter                                                                

Greetings from Sail1Design! We hope this newsletter finds you well. It has been a busy fall here at Sail1Design, and our partnership with Cruising Yachts/Sail California gives us a great, experienced team to work with on the west coast. We offer some of the finest performance sailing yachts in the world, and our team has decades of cruising, racing, and blue water experience to help our clients make all the right choices.  https://www.sail1design.com/marketplace/

Meet the brokerage team: http://www.sailcal.com/our-team/

Below is a short list of just some of our offerings. As always, I am more than happy to research and help with your individual yachting interests, so please do not hesitate to call or email with questions! We always appreciate referrals, so if you know someone interested in selling or buying, please send them our way!

Selected Brokerage Yachts

Owen Clark OPEN 60   O Canada was originally designed and built 2005 to compete in the short handed events globally. She had a total upgrade/refit in 2009, was used as a training boat for the Canadian Sailing team culminating with the Transpac in 2011. Since then she has been out of the water in storage and has just been put back together and sailing again.   US $749,000

SANTA CRUZ 53 C  New Listing.   Known for their successful ultra-light racers, Santa Cruz Yachts built the Santa Cruz 53C as a fully dedicated performance cruiser.  The Santa Cruz 53C has the same hull form as the racy 52 but incorporates a multitude of features that have simplified it for shorthanded sailing and has made it a much more offshore cruising oriented boat. Conceptualized for couples doing long-distance cruising, the main can be reefed singlehandedly from the cockpit with all control lines for everything aft as well.  US $649,000

Santa Cruz 52   The Santa Cruz 52, no question one of the finest racer/cruisers ever built. Renegade was built as the ultimate racer/cruiser with the standard keel and a carbon rig with swept back spreaders for both ease of handling while cruising and great performance while racing. Easily handled by a couple, the 52’s interior finish and accommodations rival that of the finest yachts in the world. Finished in teak and beautiful fiddleback maple veneers, Renegade’s spacious two stateroom layout and well-appointed main salon and galley will comfortably accommodate owners and guests for an extended cruise or a complete crew for an extended ocean race in complete comfort and style. Renegade is on the East Coast, ready to go.  US $495,000

Transpac (TP) 52 Braveheart      Transpac 52 in full optimized IRC trim, excellent ocean boat. US $395,000

Custom Bakewell-White 50’ Offshore Cruiser     If you are looking for the ultimate short-handed 50 footer to see the world in this is it. Brisa is a modern, custom performance blue water cruiser with a large enclosed hard dodger. Hull and deck are vacuum bagged epoxy sandwich construction using closed cell foam core with carbon and Kevlar in high stress areas. The design includes 2- 265 gallon fresh water ballast tanks which increase stability and comfort on up wind passages without adding any additional weight. US $549,000    call 443-220-2089

Owen Clarke Open 50     Truth is an Open 50 designed by Owen Clarke and built by McConaghy in Australia. Construction is prepreg carbon with Nomex core., canting keel and dual dagger boards. Originally launched as Artforms in the Spring of 2003. After an extensive refit at Eric Goetz’s yard in Newport RI, Philippe Kahn raced her as Pegasus to victory in the double–handed Pac Cup. Truth is dry stored at the KKMI boat yard in Richmond Ca.  US $295,000

Schooner Creek Fox 44     Is racing in the Pacific Cup or, TransPac on your bucket list? Do you want to go on a fun, fast, ride? Then Ocelot is the boat for you. She is totally tricked out and ready for ocean racing. Ocelot, a Fox 44 carbon fiber racing sloop, with Wylie hull from the Wildcat mold, and Kernan designed sloop and deck layout, built by Schooner Creek Boat Works. She has a proven race record:  2012 PV race 3rd place overall finisher; 2010 OYRA offshore series champion; Podium finish in 3 windjammer races; and 3 coastal cup races; Winner of the 2007 windjammers race.  US $253,000

J/130, Offshore Ready     The J/130 Ram is a perfect example of a performance cruiser: plenty of space for crew, and gear without sacrificing speed or sail control. This fully loaded J/130, has been cruised all over the Pacific by her current owner. She is set-up for ease and comfort while underway with three (3) reef points in the mainsail and custom carbon dodger for protection in all weather conditions. The shallow draft enables you to select safe, protected, anchorages at your favorite cruising destinations.  US $195,000

https://www.sail1design.com/marketplace/

brokerage@sail1design.com 

J/24 East Coast Championship Results and Report

by Leave a Comment

By Airwaves writer Mike Ingham

Hillman Focused Advantage Fund J/24 East Coast Championship

Day 2 saw another decent forecast skunked.  No wind, no races.  The thermal tried to fill in but it was too little too late.  Fortunately there was warm sunshine, oysters, crab soup, and an awesome variety of beer waiting for us on shore so the day was not a loss.

Day 3: At this point we were a bit skeptical of the forecasts, but waking up to the leaves rustling in the NW cool brisk wind was encouraging and it did not let us down.   We sailed out with it blowing about 20kts but with big puffs, lulls, and shifts off that shore between the antennas and the bay bridge. Will Welles had a great day with a 1, 1, 3.  But it was Tony Parker’s Bangor Packet with a daily score of 2, 2, 1 that won the regatta.  Tony has sailed all the J24 East Coasts –a consecutive streak of 35! Spread out over that time, this is his 3rd win.

Race 3 (race 1 of day 3): It was tricky for the RC to set a course and a line because the shifts were 20 degrees or more.  By the start, the committee end was favored considerably, but we were thinking the left would work because it took us closer to land.  We figured there would be a left shift over there and flatter water.  It was windy so we all had our blade up.  We started near the boat and had to do a short clearing tack but were soon headed left with the fleet below us.  We looked pretty good, but late in the leg, the left payed off big and those that started down the line and tacked over late crossed the fleet easily.  Will Welles and Tony Parker were a good deal ahead of the fleet from wire to wire.

Race 4: Still shifty, but the wind had dropped.  Just 3 of us, Travis Odenbach, Tony Parker, and us switched to genny.  Having lost to the left the first race, we had a great start mid line and booked to the left.  Our genny choice was certainly faster in the lulls, but a little slower in the puffs.  Unfortunately we looked great at first but we slowly lifted and never got that lefty to get us out of the left corner.  Tony rounded 2nd behind Will so the Genny/ jib trade off was about equal.

Race 5: Saw the wind drop to maybe 15 and about half the fleet switched to Genny.  The wind had gone right a little more, and through that leg, shifted probably 30 degrees right.  There was no recovery from the left!  Big shifts and holes made for huge gains and losses!

After a cook out and awards, we were on our way.  Tony won with 17 points followed by Will with 24.  Travis was in 3rd with 39 points and we slipped to 4th after a starting and foul penalty took us out of contention.  Ron Medlin in Bash sailed a nice event to round out the top 5.

Thanks to SSA and Mark Rivera for hosting a fun event!

Tip of the event:  Annapolis is an interesting place to sail because I find that one side or the other seems to work big time, but it is not clear which.  So I think we need to do 2 things to sail in a place like that

$11.       Make best guess on which way to go.  For example, I think in light wind, always head for pressure over shift and current.  If it is steady medium wind, prioritize current (relief or help).  If it is medium or heavy and shifty, play the shifts.

$12.       But once decide, realize that you are not going to get it right, so start heading that way, but don’t get locked in.  For example, if you think left is favored, start maybe 1/3 up from the pin and head that way.  Then once racing re-evaluate and if left was incorrect, then tack out of there and take your losses and get to the right.  By not starting near the pin, you will hopefully have that option.  And the quicker you recognize that is happening, the quicker you can bail out and get going the right way.


J24 East Cost 2013

All the forecasts said it was to blow up to 40Kts. Not race-able.  But we tuned our rig tight, got the little jib ready, and got mentally prepared for a full on wet and wild day.

I am not sure how it went from that to two light air, current, die-and-fill races, but that is what happened.  We woke up to whistling wind and driving rain –so far it seemed to be living up to expectations.  PRO Juliet Thompson wisely postponed for a few hours as a few squalls ripped through with hard rain and big shifts.  

But then the rain slowed and 31 boats headed out to the 35thannual J24 East Coast championships.  The current tables showed a tide flooding up the bay in the same direction as the wind.  The wind was predicted to taper a little but still be a brisk 25kts but when we got out there it was 10Kts or so.  Thinking it was supposed to be windy, we hesitated in going down on the rig settings, but by the start we were not even hiking full.

Not sure whether to go right for some current relief or head left toward what looked like more pressure, the fleet split.  It was pressure on the left out toward the middle of the bay that won out as the right even though in some current relief. Downwind with the current was tough on the trimmer as the wind died even more. Tricky to be sure, but John Wilsey working the left on both beats came out on top for race one.  

Race two the wind died more.  Crazy for a day that was supposed to blow in the 30’s!  We started in 5kts, and the current had built to at least 1kt against us.  Another tricky first beat where we were all afraid of the left because getting out into the bay and adverse current.  Soon after the start there was a big left shift and we spend most of the time on port, so there were not too many options.  But by the end of the first run, the wind had died to just a few knots and once rounding the crowded gate, we could all barely make progress against the tide.  Aaarg.  But sailing fast and consistent through all that was Al Constance in Blitz taking the win.

Thanks to our main sponsor, Hillman Focused Advantage Fund the beer has been flowing and there is no shortage of food!  Tonight is Oyster chucking and crab soup.

Al with a 6, 1 lea
ds the regatta with us and Shawn Murray’s Roo2 points behind.  Tony Parker in Bangor Packet and Frank McNamara in Zot 3 points behind him to round out the top five.  But the regatta just started and there are still two days to go and the forecast looks spectacular –if you believe that.

 

 

< td>Stone, Christopher

Pos Bow/Sail Boat Skipper 1 2 3 4 5 Total
Points		 Pos
1 23/ 58 Bangor Packet Parker, Tony 4 8 2 2 1 17.00 1
2 35/ 5362 Cougar Welles, William 9 10 1 1 3 24.00 2
3 36/ 5432 Honey Badger Travis 8 12 4 7 8 39.00 3
4 38/ USA 5443 USA 5443 Ingham, Mike 2 7 6 5 23/40% 43.00 4
5 32/ 1829 BASH Medlin, Jr., Ron 13 17 12 3 2 47.00 5
6 26/ 3293 Wildcard Seynhaeve, Guillaume 19 5 8 13 7 52.00 6
7 31/ USA 799   Brown, Robby 17 14 9 4 9 53.00 7
8 21/ 2532 ROO Shawn Murray, Shawn 5 4 17 22 6 54.00 8
9 37/ 3775 Blitz Constants, Al 6 1 22 8 20 57.00 9
10 19/ 5350 Millennium Falcon van Ravensway, Paul 14 11 11 10 16 62.00 10
11 34/ 5472 Panceta Doble Wilsey, John 1 20 14 23 5 63.00 11
12 25/ 5257 Mental Floss Glackin, aidan 20 8/20% 3 18 21 70.00 12
13 16/ USA 4006   Rich, Peter 3 19/20% 23 14 12 71.00 13
14 27/ USA 4202 ZOT McNamara, Frank 12 3 25 11 25 76.00 14
15 22/ BER 3942 No Skirt Required Boyce, Trevor 28 26 7 6 13 80.00 15
16 12/ 3479 Rush Hour FitzGerald, Pat 7 21 21 12 23 84.00 16
17 14/ 3223   Felder, William 23 9 5 26 22 85.00 17
18 11/ USA 4550 STEVE Dambrie, Nicolas 10 24 13 25 14 86.00 18
19 20/ 5476 Velocidad 26 18 16 9 19 88.00 19
20 13/ USA 556 Sane Asylum   27 25 10 16 15 93.00 20
21 29/ 3342 Trinity Swanton, Philip 16 23 19 20 17 95.00 21
22 33/ USA 5351 Murder Inc. Poulson, John 18 16 32/DNC 32/DNC 4 102.00 22
23 39/ 1580 PT BLISTER Skylar 22 6 18 28 32/DSQ 106.00 23
24 18/ 3275 spizzerinctum   15 29 27 27 10 108.00 24
25 28/ 4161 Angry Squirrel Cathcart, Bruce 11 28 28 17 26 110.00 25
26 24/ USA 2575 Spaceman Spiff Kassal, Peter 25 32/20% 15 21 18 111.00 26
27 17/ USA 840 Rocket J Ford, Neil 29 22 24 15 24 114.00 27
28 40/ 78 Buschwhacker Busch, Dan 21 15 20 32/DNF 32/NoFin 120.00 28
29 30/ USA 3750 J-Team Hope-Ross, Denis 30 25/20% 26 19 27 127.00 29
30 15/ 3951   Rivera, Mark 24 27 29 29 28 137.00 30
31 10/ USA 462 SWAG James McGinnis, James 31 31 30 24 32/DNF 148.00 31

2013 J/105 North Americans Daily Report and Results

by Leave a Comment

2013 J-105 North Americans – By Geoff Becker     

Skipper: Jack Biddle, Main Trim/Tactician: Geoff Becker, Jib Trimmer: Brent Allen, Spinnaker Trimmer: Anthony Pulgram, Mast: Roger Kagen, Bow: Caroline Kir

Day 4 – Final Day

3 races (2 races 4 legs/downwind finish, 1 race 5 legs/upwind finish) Wind 14-20+ knots @ 350°-015°

Since Day 3 at the J-105 North Americans had no racing due to the complete lack of wind, the RC decided to start us an hour earlier on the final day. Fortunately, daylight savings ended the night before, so getting up early was less noticeable to the timing of our morning routine and the earlier start time. Something that was different on this final day was the weather! Cold temperatures, about 50°, and great winds, 14-20 knots out of the north, greeted the fleet on the way out to the Chesapeake Bay for the 10am first start.

The strong northerly winds created a puffy and shifty racecourse creating some exciting racing with lots of passing. On the other days of racing we had been able to be consistently near the front of the fleet, which had kept our overall place slowing creeping up. Even with the shifty conditions, our team continued our race consistency and ended the day with finishes of 7th, 6th and 6th, moving us into 5th place overall in the championship!

Staying consistent always sounds so easy when it is discussed as a goal for any regatta. The reality of being consistent is that it has to be included in nearly all the decisions made during each race of the entire regatta. Smaller gains are traded for the possibility of bigger ones and passing a boat or two during the entire race is the ultimate goal and usually achievable. Again, that sounds easy to say, but the reality can be much different especially when bad things happen.

On the final race of the regatta, we tacked to port shortly off the starting line, ducked a couple of boats and found ourselves on the right side of the course. Soon after, we tacked back to starboard and found a 20° right shift vaulting us up into second place around the weather mark. Sweet! We carried our position to the leeward gate and started the second upwind leg still holding our second place.

What happened next was our luck finding its equilibrium. Almost immediately after rounding the left gate mark on port tack, a large right shift hit the leader and then us forcing both boats to auto tack onto starboard. This didn’t seem so bad at the time because after our tack we were sailing on a lifted starboard heading. So, we figured to just wait for the next shift to the left and work our way up the course. Unfortunately, the pack of boats that rounded behind us were able to sail through the first blast right shift and found a bigger right shift with more wind further to the right side of the course.

What happened for the rest of the leg was simple, we sailed out of phase. After missing the larger right hand shift after the leeward gate, and in the puffy conditions, getting in the same wind as the NEW leaders was more than challenging. By the second windward mark we had fallen back into 9th place and needless to say were frustrated. This situation represents a challenging scenario when you are trying to remain consistent in a bigger picture. It would be easy to look for big gains right away, taking big risks, immediately after taking a large loss on the course.

After a deep breath, we started to look for smaller manageable gains and pick off the boats one by one. On the run we caught one boat

(Yay!) and started up the final beat to the finish. We stayed in the best breeze we could see and tried to stay on the lifted tack making small gains when we could. By the finish, we had worked up into 6th place in the race, another good keeper race. That said, after being in second place earlier in the race, it felt a little disappointing at the time.

Looking back on the whole event, our consistent approach worked well for entire regatta and even in the final race. Sometimes it can be harder when the bad things happen in a race to remain committed to small gains. Seeing the whole of a regatta at the end and how a couple of points each race can make a large impact on an overall score, it is certainly worth looking for small gains over the course and not trying for larger gains and risk larger losses, or even worse, the opportunity for passing one boat!

Our takeaways from Day 4 are…

1. Consistency pays off for the whole of a regatta or series.

2. Consistency is a mindset that should be used no matter the situation.

3. Look for a point or two a race, over 5 points in one leg!

FINAL RESULTS

18

Pos Bow/Sail Boat Skipper 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total
Points		 Pos
1 30/ CAN 110 Hey Jude Rathbun, James 6 3 1 1 1 4 5 2 23.00 1
2 13/ 50 eclipse Emery, Damian 3 1 15 3 13 2 1 1 39.00 2
3 22/ 328 Mirage Lewis, Cedric 2 5 7 4 4 3 12 8 45.00 3
4 35/ 334 LouLou Stone, Bruce 4 4 3 18 12 10 2 3 56.00 4
5 11/ 321 Rum Puppy Biddle, Jack 11 9 8 5 6 7 6 6 58.00 5
6 12/ 600 GHOST Colburn, Ken 1 6 6 6 5 6 13 18 61.00 6
7 28/ 113 Le Renard Phillips, Stephen 8 2 2 9 3 5 17 17 63.00 7
8 10/ USA 43 Jester Bethell, Hugh 7 7 16 10 2 13 4 9 68.00 8
9 27/ 267 Live Edge Mountford, Michael 15 14 11 11 11 9 9 16 96.00 9
10 19/ US 351 inigo konigsberg, jim 16 15 4 19 21 1 19 7 102.00 10
11 24/ BER 490 Distant Passion Macdonald, James 10 13 20 17 16 8 7 12 103.00 11
12 20/ 649 Radiance Lakenmacher, Bill 9 8 28/DSQ 12 8 19 16 4 104.00 12
13 14/ 501 Tenacious Gitchell, Carl 12 12 14 13 10 11 14 19 105.00 13
14 15/ USA 674 Java Groobey, Chris 14 21 18/ARP,30% 15 9 14 3 13 107.00 14
15 32/ 523 Santas Reign, Dear Santa, Donald 5 23 12 23 17 12 15 5 112.00 15
16 33/ 90 Max Power Schulze, Gerrit 18 10 5 22 19 17 20 14 125.00 16
17 29/ 98 Better Mousetrap Putnam, Robert 21 11 19 16 7 20 11 20 125.00 17
18 23/ 202 Dog House Libby, Arthur 13 19 17 8 20 22 8 21 128.00
19 21/ 619 Froya Lawrence, Chuck 23 20 9 2 27 27 24 10 142.00 19
20 18/ 220 Bat IV Kennedy, Andrew 19 16 13 20 23 18 18 15 142.00 20
21 26/ 52000 Unbridled Mock, Robert 17 18 24 7 14 15 26 22 143.00 21
22 36/ 50259 Trio Uhlir, Jim 24 22 25 21 15 16 27 11 161.00 22
23 31/ 313 A Train Reeves, Robert 27 17 18 24 18 24 21 24 173.00 23
24 34/ 83082 Singularity Shortz, Stanley 22 24 22 26 24 21 10 27 176.00 24
25 25/ USA 330 At-Tack McCloud, Dennis 25 25 21 14 25 26 22 23 181.00 25
26 17/ 251 Breakaway Hinds, Richard 20 26 23 27 26 23 25 26 196.00 26
27 16/ USA 159 Crescendo Guarino, Angelo 26 27 26 25 22 25 23 25 199.00 27

 

 

 

___________________________________________________

Day 2

2 races (all races 4 legs with downwind finish) Wind 3-10 knots @ 190°-210°

Day 2 at the J-105 North Americans started out stormy and windy! The RC needed to postpone the start of the first race (race 4) until 2:00pm because of high winds and a large squall line passing through the area during the morning hours. The rain eventually cleared out and Race 3 was started in 6-8 knots of wind that was slowly dying. Halfway up the first upwind leg the breeze evaporated to 3 knots in the puffs and less in the lulls! It looked like the race might have to be abandoned as the time limit to reach mark #1 was in serious jeopardy.

Just as the leaders reached the top of the beat the breeze filled back in and the first boat rounded mark #1 with only seconds to spare inside the first leg time limit. Race #4 was completed in much steadier winds than it started. So much so that the RC was able to get in Race #5 as well. The breeze for most of Race #4 and all of Race #5 was a fairly consistent 7-10 knots from just west of south. Our team was more than pleased by our performance in the two races today finishing 6th and 5th, moving us into 6th place overall with five races left for the remaining two days.

Sailing in the lighter breezes today, our ability to shift gears and make appropriate sail adjustments became a big asset. With wind speeds ranging from near drifting in the first race, building to everyone hiked out on the rail for much of the second race, adjustments to the boat and sails were critical for us in keeping our boat sailing at full speed. The J-105 has a very underpowered sail plan in winds under

10 knots and keeping both the main and jib powered up was for us, a primary focus. We used three sail adjustments together to keep the jib trim appropriate for the changing conditions. The jib sheet, the jib halyard and the jib lead position were all used in sync to help us keep the sail powerful in both the puffs and lulls on the day.

It is important to keep in mind that the halyard tension on a headsail, especially on a smaller jib like the J-105, makes a big difference to both the shape of the sail and the sheeting angle as the sail is hoisted and lowered. As the halyard is eased, it will effectively move the sheeting angle aft since the sail is closer to the deck. Because of that, when the halyard is eased, the jib lead position will normally need to be moved forward, or the sail will need to be sheeted tighter, in order to maintain the proper leech tension on the sail. The opposite is also true; as the halyard is raised, the jib lead position will likely need to be moved back, or the sheet tension will need to be ease
d since the leech tension increases as the entire sail goes up with the halyard.

Knowing your boat, and how complementary adjustments interact and affect performance, is fundamental to making the correct changes during a race. When learning a boat, consider making sail control adjustments in small increments to more easily identify how each adjustment will affect the boat’s performance. Once a change in speed or performance is evident, good or bad, more small adjustments can be made and so on. Just as the sheet, halyard and lead position all work together in concert, many other sail controls interact together and adjusting one sail control will immediately require another complementary adjustment. Learning how sail controls are used together on the boat is critical element to proper sail trim and boat setup and well worth the time and effort to get correct for all conditions.

Our takeaways from Day 2 are…

1. Be diligent with shifting gears in changing conditions.

2. Know what sail controls need to be changed as the conditions change.

3. Understand how sail controls interact and make complementary adjustments together.

 

Results after day 2:

 (27 boats) (top)

Pos Bow/Sail Boat Skipper 1 2 3 4 5 Total
Points		 Pos
1 30/ CAN 110 Hey Jude Rathbun, James 6 3 1 1 1 12.00 1
2 22/ 328 Mirage Lewis, Cedric 2 5 7 4 4 22.00 2
3 12/ 600 GHOST Colburn, Ken 1 6 6 6 5 24.00 3
4 28/ 113 Le Renard Phillips, Stephen 8 2 2 9 3 24.00 4
5 13/ 50 eclipse Emery, Damian 3 1 15 3 13 35.00 5
6 11/ 321 Rum Puppy Biddle, Jack 11 9 8 5 6 39.00 6
7 35/ 334 LouLou Stone, Bruce 4 4 3 18 12 41.00 7
8 10/ USA 43 Jester Bethell, Hugh 7 7 16 10 2 42.00 8
9 14/ 501 Tenacious Gitchell, Carl 12 12 14 13 10 61.00 9
10 27/ 267 Live Edge Mountford, Michael 15 14 11 11 11 62.00 10
11 20/ 649 Radiance Lakenmacher, Bill 9 8 28/DSQ 12 8 65.00 11
12 33/ 90 Max Power Schulze, Gerrit 18 10 5 22 19 74.00 12
13 29/ 98 Better Mousetrap Putnam, Robert 21 11 19 16 7 74.00 13
14 19/ US
351		 inigo konigsberg, jim 16 15 4 19 21 75.00 14
15 24/ BER 490 Distant Passion Macdonald, James 10 13 20 17 16 76.00 15
16 23/ 202 Dog House Libby, Arthur 13 19 17 8 20 77.00 16
17 15/ USA 674 Java Groobey, Chris 14 21 18/ARP,30% 15 9 77.00 17
18 32/ 523 Santas Reign, Dear Santa, Donald 5 23 12 23 17 80.00 18
19 26/ 52000 Unbridled Mock, Robert 17 18 24 7 14 80.00 19
20 21/ 619 Froya Lawrence, Chuck 23 20 9 2 27 81.00 20
21 18/ 220 Bat IV Kennedy, Andrew 19 16 13 20 23 91.00 21
22 31/ 313 A Train Reeves, Robert 27 17 18 24 18 104.00 22
23 36/ 50259 Trio Uhlir, Jim 24 22 25 21 15 107.00 23
24 25/ USA 330 At-Tack McCloud, Dennis 25 25 21 14 25 110.00 24
25 34/ 83082 Singularity Shortz, Stanley 22 24 22 26 24 118.00 25
26 17/ 251 Breakaway Hinds, Richard 20 26 23 27 26 122.00 26
27 16/ USA 159 Crescendo Guarino, Angelo 26 27 26 25 22 126.00 27

____________________________________________

Day 1   Click HERE for Day 1 Results

3 races (all races 4 legs with downwind finish) Wind 11-15 knots @ 175°-190°

Today was day one at the J-105 North American Championship, hosted by Annapolis Yacht Clun and being sailed in the Chesapeake Bay. The weather offered overcast skies, chilly temperatures and believe it or not, some better than expected sailing conditions. The winds were blowing consistently between 11-14 knots from the south and an incoming tide keeping the water relatively flat, which allowed the 27 boat fleet to enjoy close racing the entire day. By the end of the day, our team had consistent finishes of 11th, 9th and an 8th, earning us 7th place with 7 more races scheduled to be sailed over the remaining three days.

Our team did struggle some today on the upwind legs, since one of our crew was unable to sail day one due to a work commitment. Sailing one body short left us a little light on the rail when we were trimmed in and hiking upwind. That forced us to work a little harder to stay with the lead pack, all of who were all sailing at weight and at their best for this big event. The moderate breezes and our lighter crew weight put us into our depowering mode sooner than we would have preferred and also sooner than many of the other boats. Unfortunately we could really only manage to break even, at best, with the top boats when sailing to windward today. This meant our team had to find somewhere else to find an advantage and be able to attack the course and make our gains.

Our advantage ended up becoming the downwind legs, where we were able to catch u
p to some of the leaders and often make passes. With the solid breeze, our skipper and spinnaker trimmer worked well together keeping the boat moving fast and working lower lanes anytime we had the opportunity. It was critical for the trimmer to keep the skipper informed of the pressure in the sail and when the boat had enough power to sail a lower course. The communication between the two had to be constant and consistent, which created a rhythm allowing the boat to accelerate first in the puffs and then using that apparent wind pressure to work the boat down to the mark. Then as the pressure in the sail decreased, our trimmer had the skipper sail back up to recover the speed and apparent wind before there is any substantial loss. If the recovery and rebuilding of apparent wind is delayed, it can be much more difficult and time consuming, costing the boat distance and position.

Lane selection is another factor aiding in our downwind performance on day one and our tactician is always looking behind for the next puff and keeping our sailing lane clear of disturbed air and trailing boats. It is important, especially in boats with asymmetrical spinnakers, to keep your lane clear since building apparent wind is key to using asymmetrical sails most effectively. Without a clear lane, and maybe some bad air, the boat is unable to maintain the speed and apparent wind necessary for the asymmetrical spinnaker to work efficiently and sailing a lower course on the downwind legs becomes almost impossible.

Along with the lane selection on the downwind legs, the approach into the leeward mark gate was often crowded and selecting our approach was critical. Normally that meant coming into the preferred gate mark from the side and not the middle of the course. If the gate is approached from the middle, the boat will have to sail a lower course at the end of the leg, or even gybe to get to the gate mark to be rounded. In either case, the boat will be sailing at a much slower speed at the end of the leg limiting our options and making it much more difficult to exit the rounding with any momentum. By approaching the gate from the outside, while there might be some disturbed air from other boats, a higher course can be sailed allowing the boat to maintain its apparent wind and speed longer into the mark, which normally translates into a better rounding, and more speed out of the mark.

Our takeaways from Day 1 are…

1. Sailing at maximum crew weight cannot be underestimated.

2. Find your strengths and attack the course with them.

3. With asymmetrical spinnakers, keep your downwind lanes clear and it is often best to approach the leeward gate from the sides with more speed.

 

 Results after Day 1

Pos Bow/Sail Boat Skipper 1 2 3 Total
Points		 Pos
1 30/ CAN 110 Hey Jude Rathbun, James 6 3 1 10.00 1
2 35/ 334 LouLou Stone, Bruce 4 4 3 11.00 2
3 28/ 113 Le Renard Phillips, Stephen 8 2 2 12.00 3
4 12/ 600 GHOST Colburn, Ken 1 6 6 13.00 4
5 22/ 328 Mirage Lewis, Cedric 2 5 7 14.00 5
6 13/ 50 eclipse Emery, Damian 3 1 15 19.00 6
7 11/ 321 Rum Puppy Biddle, Jack 11 9 8 28.00 7
8 10/ USA 43 Jester Bethell, Hugh 7 7 17 31.00 8
9 33/ 90 Max Power Schulze, Gerrit 18 10 5 33.00 9
10 20/ 649 Radiance Lakenmacher, Bill 9 8 16 33.00 10
11 19/ US 351 inigo konigsberg, jim 16 15 4 35.00 11
12 14/ 501 Tenacious Gitchell, Carl 12 12 14 38.00 12
13 32/ 523 Santas Reign, Dear Santa, Donald 5 23

12 40.00 13
14 27/ 267 Live Edge Mountford, Michael 15 14 11 40.00 14
15 24/ BER 490 Distant Passion Macdonald, James 10 13 21 44.00 15
16 15/ USA 674 Java Groobey, Chris 14 21 10 45.00 16
17 18/ 220 Bat IV Kennedy, Andrew 19 16 13 48.00 17
18 23/ 202 Dog House Libby, Arthur 13 19 18 50.00 18
19 21/ 619 Froya Lawrence, Chuck 23 20 9 52.00 19
20 29/ 98 Better Mousetrap Putnam, Robert 21 11 20 52.00 20
21 26/ 52000 Unbridled Mock, Robert 17 18 25 60.00 21
22 31/ 313 A Train Reeves, Robert 27 17 19 63.00 22
23 34/ 83082 Singularity Shortz, Stanley 22 24 23 69.00 23
24 17/ 251 Breakaway Hinds, Richard 20 26 24 70.00 24
25 36/ 50259 Trio Uhlir, Jim 24 22 26 72.00 25
26 25/ USA 330 At-Tack McCloud, Dennis 25 25 22 72.00 26
27 16/ USA 159 Crescendo Guarino, Angelo 26 27 27 80.00 27

Notes

(1) Scoring System is ISAF Low Point 2009-2012
(2) Time limit expired (TLE) penalty is: Finishers plus 2

Information is provisional and subject to modification

Principal Race Officer: Chip Thayer

Lightning Boat Grant Program

by Leave a Comment

Lightning Boat Grant Program
2014 – Call for Applications

TARPON SPRINGS, FLORIDA – October 31, 2013 –The International Lightning Class Association is now accepting applications for the 2014 ILCA Boat Grant Program. 

The ILCA owns two competitive Lightnings that are awarded to promising young sailors for the summer sailing season.  The grantees are selected by a panel of experienced Lightning sailors based on the proposal that each team submits and through an interview process. The grant covers all regatta entry fees, boat insurance, and some travel money. It includes a nearly new boat, good sails and a mentor.

Billy Martin and Team at the 2013 North American Championships

This is a unique opportunity for sailors over the age of 19 to experience Lightning sailing at its best. To date 76 young adults have experienced the Lightning Class through the Boat Grant Program. 8 are now boat owners and nearly half are still active in the Class. Boat Grant alumni include Bobby Martin ’07, Will Brown ’08, Clinton Hayes ’08, Caroline Patten ’11, Colin Smith ’13, and Mitch Hall ’13.


“After the first day of racing at the 2013 Lightning World Championship in Italy, 3 of the top 10 were all Boat Grant Alumni! It is incredible to see these young people learning the boat so quickly. They are all sailing really well,” boasted Class President John Faus.

Applications and proposals are due on December 31. Each applicant is required to provide sailing resumes, three references with letters of recommendation and include a cover letter explaining why they are the best candidates for the grant. Complete details on how to apply for this grant is found on the ILCA website: http://lightningclass.org/racing/boatGrant/index.asp 

For specific questions or more information about the ILCA grant – contact:

ILCA Executive Secretary Laura Jeffers – 727-942-7969 or office@lightningclass.org

William Brown, Co-Chair – 201-264-7251or wgbrowniv@gmail.com

Justin Coplan, Co-Chair – jocoplan@gmail.com

###
 

About the International Lightning Class Association:

Today there have been over 15530 Lightnings built. The rig is simple, but offers sophisticated sail shape controls for a crew of three. The hull features a unique hard chine design that combines the stability that provides sail-carrying power, with flat bottom sections that promote planing. Optimum crew weight is 450 to 500 lbs. The boat weighs 700 pounds and sitting on the trailer with covers, sails and gear the all up weight is about 1100 lbs so it can be safely towed with almost any vehicle.

Many top sailors spent a lot of time racing Lightnings: Betsy Alison, Andy Horton, Jay and Jody Lutz, Greg and Matt Fisher, Tim Healy, Jeff Linton, Cory Sertl, Ken and Brad Read, Jody Swanson Starck, Dave Dellenbaugh, Terry Hutchinson and Ted Turner to name a few. Formore information visit: www.lightningclass.org

# # #

Tactics With Mike: Sail1Design Goal Setting

by Leave a Comment

By Airwaves writer Mike Ingham

I was just coaching a guy and I suspected his goals were out of whack, so after the regatta I asked him to answer some self-evaluating questions including one on his attitude.  It became clear he was that he is focused on results not process. Here are some quotes from that email conversation to illustrate:

·         My question: “Evaluate yourself on your ability to focus on one move at a time.”

·         His answer: “I did not have full confidence in my team, and found myself distracted by boathandling.  Usually I beat Bill, but this weekend….”

·         Me: “That is not what I meant.  I don’t mean specifics about any one move, nor if you beat Bill or not.  It’s the ability to focus hard on what is important one move at a time independent of all that other stuff…”

·         Him: “Ok, some of the issues I have had were because it took me too long to commit to a move and caused an issue where it shouldn’t have been.  I did focus hard but I was really disappointed that I did not finish in the top 5, I was so close last regatta…”

·         Me:  “I think you are missing my point completely, I am asking about the PROCESS of making the decision…” 

We went back and forth, each time I would steer the question to the process of making decisions, and he would try his best to answer but could not help but bring it back to results.

He is obsessed not only in his finish results but comparing himself to individual.  I think this introduces way too much emotion which clouds decision making while away energy from focusing on whatever is important at that time.

We are all guilty of misplaced goals to some degree.  Let me explain by showing 2 scenarios: 

1.      Suppose at the first mark you are in 15th place.   You have a great run and pass a few boats then the next beat you pass a handful more, then at the last bottom mark you get a last second overlap and round 7th.  The whole team has positive energy and works hard but perhaps is a bit overconfident and takes some chances because the comeback has gone so well.

2.        Next race you round the top mark first with a nice lead.  You boggle the set and the fleet closes in, someone sneaks in an inside overlap at the leeward mark and your whole second beat unravels and before you know it you are in 7th at the last bottom mark.  Everyone is disappointed, perhaps even starting lay blame.  The tactician takes some unnecessary risk in frustration and the boat is not quite up to speed because everyone has all this baggage in their head.

The right approach is nice balance somewhere in between those two extremes.  A good way to look at it is this 3rd option:

3.      Suppose instead you were rappelled into that 7th place boat in either of the races.  Well in one instance, you would have come from behind and the other from ahead but either way, you would not know it.  In each case you would make the best of it by making good rational decisions.  Everyone would have a great attitude to make progress from the leeward mark to the finish.   You would likely have more positive attitude than if you had been plopped into the boat that had lost all those places, and you would not be overconfident as if you had just made great gains.

I think it is impossible to completely separate ourselves from the emotion of the sport, but I think the quicker we put behind us the good or the bad, the better we will do. It all comes down to goals.  Avoid goals that are results oriented.  The goals, long or short term, should be PROCESS oriented and specific.  For example, We recently raced a regatta where we identified two areas we could improve on: we did not start very well, and we missed some shifts in the lighter air.  For our next regatta, here are our short term goals:

·         Come up with a more robust pre-start routine.  Instead of just our bow person looking at line sights, I would like all our team to talk about, agree on, and keep track of how far off the line we are.

·         In light air we need to shift our focus and look more for pressure.  When it gets light, I would like someone besides the tactician to stand up in light air at least every minute and take a good look around and find pressure.

Our mid time frame season goals are:

·         Get off the start line in the front row more consistently than last season.

·         Improve our very light air speed air speed.

·         Improve our decision making process on risk.  We are excellent at sailing a conservative race, but there are times when we need to take a calculated risk when we feel strongly we have a good chance of success

·         Clear communication on what the next move is: Our goal is to not miss a tack or any other move because communication is not clear.

Whether it is specific goals for the regatta, or a season, or more universal goals, they should all be things we can focus on to do well, but NOT RESULTS.  There are just too many variables in sailing from what others may do to you, randomness in the wind or whatever to focus on your results.

I like goals based on process.  I make them specific enough that we can evaluate them one by one.  I feel results based goals only introduce more emotion that clouds our vision because there are too many external factors outside of our control.  By making your goals process oriented on things within our control we can keep focused and improving, results will surely follow.

One Design Classes

Browse our extensive list of one design classes.
View Profiles