By Airwaves Writer Zach Brown
There are many different opportunities to compete in the sport of sailing. One design dinghy sailing, keel boat buoy racing, and off-shore racing are just a few of the avenues to follow as a sailor. Traversing these channels of sailing is a surprisingly difficult task to accomplish. One of the toughest nuts to crack is making the switch from a flourishing dinghy sailor to a thriving professional keel boater.
For young successful dinghy sailors interested in pursuing sailing as a career there are two paths that are equally daunting: Olympic sailing and professional sailing. Breaking into the professional “big boat” scene is a serious challenge for dinghy sailors because the skill sets of dinghy racing vary from those of a keel boat.
Two-time Olympian Stu McNay sheds some light on the tricky transition from a dinghy sailor to a professional sailor in a Q&A format.
What are the new skills you are learning on keel boats that are different or more important than dinghy sailing skills?
On bigger teams verbal communication is the most important thing. On dinghies, a lot of the communication is non-verbal. You can see or feel your teammate moving in a certain way, so you are on the same page without talking. A lot of keel boat teams have not sailed with each other for as long as you and your college teammate or you and your Olympic class teammate. This makes it necessary to spell out every move before it happens. Also, there are more moving parts that are potentially dangerous, so everyone needs to know what is going to happen. It is not just about performance, but safety too.
What are the positions you perform on keel boats? How is it different from the role you play as a skipper on board a dinghy?
I mainly do tactics, but I also trim main, jib, or spinnaker. If I were given the opportunity, it would be great to helm, but right now I am building my experience in other rolls.
Tactical skills are very transferable between classes and size of boat. The main difference is in timing. You have to adjust the tempo of your calls to fit the maneuverability of the boat. Some boats have different modes, which allow for additional tactical options, but you can learn that pretty quickly.
Main trimming is fairly similar to a tunable dinghy. The trimming styles can vary depending on the roach of the main, the size or type of the keel, and the performance of the boat. Also, tuning can be specific to the boat being sailed, but you can learn it fairly quickly too.
How did you get into professional sailing and keel boat sailing? What are the avenues?
I am still working to get more involved. I think it is important to tell older, more established people that this is what you are trying to do and also, be prepared to say ‘yes’ when last minute opportunities come. I am very grateful to my peers and more established sailors in the professional community, who have passed work to me.
I think Sonar team racing and match racing events are great ways to get your feet wet on keel boats without owning one. Definitely, a big hurdle is being able to find tiller time, so these events will allow you to helm for a couple days at a modest cost. I will be doing more of these events in the future.
What are some of the challenges of being a professional sailor?
Right now, I am facing the challenge of building up my workload to where it needs to be. Opportunities can take a while to develop and sometimes ones that seem like they will work out fall through. I am making sure to stay flexible and opportunistic.
What are the most important dinghy skills to work on and develop for professional keel boat sailing?
If you are in a single-handed class, get as good as you can be. If you have a teammate, work on your communication while racing. Also, always make friends in the fleet and have a good network of people who you enjoy being around and who like being around you. I think this will help give you opportunities when you are ready to take them.
Also, it’s good to sail on big boats whenever you have the opportunity. Things operate a little differently on these boats. Every time I went big boat sailing, it also helped my dinghy racing.
What is your favorite keel boat ride so far?
My favorite ride has been on the Melges 32. It is a big enough boat that teamwork is essential, but it is still one-design racing and has all the challenges of fleet racing evenly matched boats.
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