tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post2902835200443582222..comments2023-09-30T23:22:48.898-07:00Comments on Improper Course: When to Tack RevisitedDoug / Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161131921177367663noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-28545820858389240962015-04-10T14:53:56.781-07:002015-04-10T14:53:56.781-07:00Great update, thanks.
There was another example o...Great update, thanks.<br /><br />There was another example of this brilliance at the Oman Worlds. In race 5, Norwegian Olympic rep Kristian Ruth started the second beat in the mid-teens beside Robert. They had been sailing together for a while and were going the same speed. Then, Robert tacked away. They both tacked again about a minute later and Robert crossed 50 meters ahead. Robert went on to finish 2nd while Kristian held on to 15th.<br /><br />I asked Kristian what happened and he replied, "Robert saw something I did not." Robert went on to win the Oman Worlds.<br /><br />It's great to have you back in Lasers again.Doug / Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05161131921177367663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-76966554748009983152015-04-02T07:51:51.168-07:002015-04-02T07:51:51.168-07:00Great article. I sailed with Foerster as foredeck...Great article. I sailed with Foerster as foredeck in J22 WC (I had never crewed before, so the fact that our boat won is proof of Foerster's greatness!), and we had one bad start in a race. We were on port when there was an obvious big rightie. Foester asks me if we should tack, I yell "Tack!" Foerster asks pit if we should tack, and he yells "Tack!" Foester says "I don't want to tack right now." We go hard right, tack in a huge persistent shift, and win race by nearly a leg. I asked Foerster after the race what he saw, and his answer was "I don't know." He wasn't being a jerk, but it was obvious to him, so obvious he couldn't verbalize it.<br /><br />Getting back to Lasers after a medically enforced 13 year absence, I hope I can be more flexible as I race. I will keep referring to this article in the future. Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-55567166901414410202014-12-25T09:57:31.818-08:002014-12-25T09:57:31.818-08:00... and this is why this post was so hard to write...... and this is why this post was so hard to write. "It depends" is a constant balancing act, and I almost used this at the top: http://elitetrack.com/balancing-art-science-coaching/<br /><br />The graphics in this post were my way of (1) showing that there are many thing to consider, (2) they constantly change, and (3) there may be a way for a middle-of-the-fleet sailor to understand how to learn from the best of the best.Doug / Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05161131921177367663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-56514804806160186042014-12-25T08:52:10.402-08:002014-12-25T08:52:10.402-08:00Great post. Interesting with the graphing of the d...Great post. Interesting with the graphing of the decisionmaking. The thing is, those supersailors never use systematics. They just look at the course and instantly know where to go. I've had the pleasure of sailing with a few world champions and I've always tried to figure just what they do. When asked... they'd usually say it was obvious we needed to go left and catch that shift. Yeah, but how was it obvious? That's when they shrug and look the other way...Noodlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07829600344187451258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-85637379650644161352014-12-16T16:19:02.800-08:002014-12-16T16:19:02.800-08:00I had trouble writing this post because it's a...I had trouble writing this post because it's all about gut feelings, and reducing it to words and a possible teaching aid was a challenge. This may also explain why some of the best sailors have trouble explaining why they did something on the racecourse.Doug / Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05161131921177367663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-40834109555070517242014-12-16T14:54:22.301-08:002014-12-16T14:54:22.301-08:00Well said. I was coached by Brett Davis in Cabaret...Well said. I was coached by Brett Davis in Cabarete a few years ago and "it depends" was how most common answer to the questions we students were asking him. <br /><br />I think you are touching on the secret of excellence in so many fields - the virtuosos see and understand and know how to use all the shades of gray, whereas we dumb fat Laser sailors and six-fingered guitarists are still trying to see everything in black and white.<br />Tillermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00639738519386820997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-4811378237702135412014-12-16T12:09:05.182-08:002014-12-16T12:09:05.182-08:00Thanks.
For me, the trick is not so much thinking...Thanks.<br /><br />For me, the trick is not so much thinking as it is being more aware of what's going on. As I tried to explain to Pam, "it depends" and "yes, but..." are all about knowing that there are always options, and the best sailors have developed a feeling about the shades of gray rather than the black and white.<br /><br />Gray is less risky and, for me, a lot more fun.Doug / Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05161131921177367663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-72727134188968352272014-12-16T11:45:38.882-08:002014-12-16T11:45:38.882-08:00Great post.
Perhaps I should do more thinking!
Great post.<br /><br />Perhaps I should do more thinking!<br />Tillermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00639738519386820997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-59885153954572196242014-12-16T08:37:45.025-08:002014-12-16T08:37:45.025-08:00Thanks for your comment.
If my competition heads ...Thanks for your comment.<br /><br />If my <b>competition</b> heads towards a shore I'll probably go with them or at least protect that part of the course as I consider the <b>conditions</b> like steady winds (away from the shore), bending winds (closer to shore), and smaller waves (closest to shore).<br /><br />Perhaps I should do more reading!Doug / Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05161131921177367663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-743510240401399331.post-80735051347994298052014-12-16T07:31:21.065-08:002014-12-16T07:31:21.065-08:00Excellent post Doug. As a lake sailor, do you put...Excellent post Doug. As a lake sailor, do you put any priority on sailing toward the closest weather shore as is recommended in a lot of the sailing texts?MJnoreply@blogger.com