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Sailing Techniques

Body Position

Your hiking position in the boat is important. Try to keep the boat level both fore and aft, as body weight too far forward causes the bow to nosedive and too far back creates turbulence off the stern, which slows you down. This applies up and down wind. In light winds it pays to sit as far forward in the boat as you can (i.e. on the deck), this reduces wetted area and thus less water surface friction is obtained.

Steering Over Waves

Push your tiller away from you as you go up and over the wave and pull your tiller towards you when going down the other side. This can gain you a lot of ground over a full race.

Steering Downwind

Downwind steering is just as important as upwind steering. As you surf down the wave face, steer towards the lowest part of the wave ahead.

Working the Boat

You should never stop working the boat from the time the starting gun goes until the end of the race. You should keep working the mainsheet, steering over waves and moving your body to keep the boat flat. Also looking for wind shifts, tide movements and other boats around you. If you can do all that together and be efficient at it, you will become a winner, and that is what yacht racing is all about.


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