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A person leans out of a small sailboat, holding the mainsheet as the boat tilts on a sunny lake with trees in the background.

Boat Speed/Tuning/Sailtrim Articles

Sailing Combine at Oakcliff!

Sailing Combine at Oakcliff! The Greater Long Island Sound Sailing Programs are looking to hire coaches to run programs, especially big boat programs. They are partnering with Oakcliff in Oyster […]

Tom SitzmannApril 17, 2026

Several sailboats with transparent sails and red trim race closely together on the water, with sailors focusing intently. A bright red buoy floats in the foreground, and city buildings are visible in the background.

29er Videos

How to rig a 29er https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfHqnWEm80E How to rig the Spinnaker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vvaJYrxd7g 29er Rigging Tips & Upgrades https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSEjKUAaVxQ 29er crewing tips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdxhskGcOBI Light Air Crew Weight trim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEbNmdgRLrE 29er Tack […]

Tom SitzmannDecember 2, 2022

Three people sail a small boat through choppy waters, leaning to balance as ocean spray splashes high. The sunlight glistens on the water, and the sail is taut in the wind.

Strategy & Tactics in Waves

By Andrew Kerr Having recently sailed a 10 race series at Key West Race Week that featured a large part of the regatta with waves and cluster chop. Here is […]

Tom SitzmannFebruary 16, 2017

A sailor on a blue and white boat numbered 5 adjusts light blue sails on a windy day, with trees and buoys visible in the background on the water.

Windward Spinnaker Takedowns, Revisited

By Airwaves writer Andrew Kerr Ah, spinnaker takedowns; either they go really well, or really bad. Your team is approaching the leeward mark on port tack getting ready for a […]

Tom SitzmannFebruary 13, 2016

Two people sailing a small boat with 'DISASTER AREA' printed on its side, closely approaching a large yellow West Marine buoy on a lake with trees and hills in the background.

Light Air Leeward Mark Roundings

By Andrew Kerr Like so many elements of sailing , rounding the leeward mark in light with the dual goals of the team exiting the mark at top speed and […]

Tom SitzmannSeptember 8, 2015

A black sailboat with five people in life jackets sails across choppy water. The crew sits on the edge of the boat, leaning out. The sail has “USA 17” printed on it, and there’s a distant shoreline in the background.

3 Essential Tips for Improving Skipper / Crew Communication

By Jeff Doubek As a young sailor, literally wet behind the ears, my first lesson came the hard way: Learn your boat’s language. This happened one fateful day when my […]

Tom SitzmannJuly 13, 2015

A white sailboat with a large blue spinnaker sail glides on the water. Several people are on board, and hills are visible in the background under a cloudy sky.

Outside Asymmetric Jibes Revisited

By Andrew Kerr While racing in the Round Block Island Race with a J122 team recently, we saw the value of an outside Jibe when it was blowing 25 to […]

Tom SitzmannJuly 4, 2015

Three sailboats race around a yellow buoy on choppy blue water, their crews actively managing the sails as the boats lean into the wind under a clear sky.

Use of a Time and Distance Chart for Starting and Mark Roundings

By Andrew Kerr Recently when thinking about how racers utilize time and distance, I customized a chart to use as a reference for 1 minute of sailing from either a […]

Tom SitzmannMay 13, 2015

Three sailboats race closely around an orange buoy on choppy water under a cloudy sky, with crew members actively adjusting sails and steering. The sails display various numbers and logos.

Rounding the Windward and Offset Mark with a Symmetrical Spinnaker

By Andrew Kerr This article takes a look at the important elements of rounding the windward mark and offset mark with some key elements in mind for teams using a […]

Tom SitzmannNovember 3, 2014

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One Design Notebook: Developing a Team Position Chart

By Airwaves Writer Andrew Kerr One of the hardest things for a team to do is to field the same team at every race or regatta – inevitably someone cannot […]

Tom SitzmannSeptember 21, 2014

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Thinking Outside the Optimist Box: Speed Peaks & Sensitive Sailing

By Diego Ravecca We welcome Diego to the Sail1Design team. Diego is an experienced and exceptional coach, serving as National Optimist Team Coach for Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, and Peru, along […]

Tom SitzmannAugust 11, 2014

A white sailboat with the number 22 sails through choppy waters, creating splashes. Four crew members in jackets and hats are on board. Trees and a cloudy sky are visible in the background.

BREEZE ON: Heavy Air Downwind Symmetric Spinnaker Sailing

by Airwaves writer Andrew Kerr What is heavy air? For each team this can vary depending on the experience level aboard – but for most teams it is about 20 knots […]

Tom SitzmannJune 6, 2014

Several sailboats race closely together on choppy water, with crews wearing bright jackets and hats. The scene is dynamic, with angled sails and splashing waves under a cloudy sky.

Boat Handling: Rounding the Windward & Offset Marks

By Airwaves writer Andrew Kerr This article takes a look at the important elements of rounding the windward mark and offset mark, in this article we will look at the […]

Tom SitzmannMay 15, 2014

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sun on a light background, commonly used to represent a missing or unavailable image.

Sail Tuning with Andrew Kerr: Time to Power Up

By Andrew Kerr, North U. Coach, & guest writer for Airwaves Your team is sailing upwind and all is well , good speed and height on the boats around you , […]

Tom SitzmannMarch 21, 2014

Two people sail a small boat on choppy water while a large container ship, stacked with Evergreen shipping containers, passes in the background under a cloudy sky.

Downwind Boatspeed, by Clinton Hayes

Sail1Design would like to welcome the newest member to our Airwaves team, Clinton Hayes. In College, Clinton went north to attend the University of Vermont. While there, he lead the […]

Tom SitzmannFebruary 25, 2013

A group of people sit around tables in a classroom, listening to a person standing in front of a whiteboard with diagrams and notes. Some attendees have notebooks and water bottles.

FIRST ANNUAL NEILL ADVANCED SAILING CLINIC – Chicago, IL

By Airwaves Editor Martha Pitt Over the past six months, the Chicago Yacht Club has been working hard to put together what turned out to be a phenomenal event: the […]

Tom SitzmannJune 18, 2011

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sun on a light background, commonly used to represent a missing or unavailable image.

Sailing Program Lesson Plans: What to do?

By Aimee Poisson Lesson plans, the weapons of choice for organized teachers and professors, are also indispensable tools for coaches and instructors in all sports, but especially sailing. Having a […]

Tom SitzmannMay 20, 2011