Thoughts from a Female Sailor at the Laser Master Worlds

Intro and Comments by Pam

We received an email from a sailor we met through the blog and then at the Worlds in France and again in Split, and she wanted to share her thoughts. The email made Doug a bit emotional because he's seen me deal with some of the same issues when I've sailed with the local Laser sailors. Not all of them, but enough that it isn't fun and it brings out a protective side of Doug where he drops the gloves and says 'it's on!,' and proceeds to school the offending party on just how not fun he can make sailing for them. Not the most mature response ... so I am adding my comments below instead of Doug.

by Ute

Some thoughts from a female sailor of the last third of the fleet...

What I describe below sounds very negative and this clearly is not my intention. First of all I want to emphasize that I enjoy going to big regattas, sailing with nice sailors from all over the world, and making friends. So the negative I describe, fortunately, is only a small part of what happens during regattas.

Sailing in the last third of the fleet is a completely different experience of racing than what Doug usually describes. And being a woman often increases the differences experienced. [I've often felt that sailing in the middle to back of the fleet is the most frustrating.]

1.

I think, and I know that many women agree, that we sail against different "groups" of co-sailors: [Ain't that the truth.]

1.1.

Other women: usually very competitive and at the same time nice, decent, knowing the Racing Rules of Sailing, and sailing accordingly. [So very civilized and fun.]

1.2.

Sailors I call "men": fortunately the vast majority of the fleet, just as the "women" nice, decent sailors, competitive, knowing the Racing Rules, and sailing accordingly. When racing, they do not make a distinction as to whether they compete against a male or a female sailor. [Always such a pleasure to sail with them.]

1.3.

Sailors I call "macho men": they act differently when facing a competitive situation with a female sailor in contrast to a male sailor. Whether you are in front or way back doesn’t matter. Just being in the situation where a woman sails as good (or bad) as this "macho man" makes him act unreasonably and forget the rules he usually knows more or less well. This group of sailors is often hard - or impossible - to distinguish from the following group, the

1.4.

"stupid sailors": surprisingly many sailors that go to the World Championships fall into this group and are typically found in the second half of the fleet. These are sailors who don’t even know the very basics of the Racing Rules. They just think about their fastest and easiest way to the finish line. In 2014 in Hyères, and also this year in Split, I filed protests that I easily won. This year the sailor I protested really thought that - being the windward boat on the same tack - he could bear away and not give me my right of way just because he had a bad tack and could not build up speed afterwards. 'What could I do? If I had gone higher, I would have not been able to move upwind….' (His statement to the jury.) And this is just one example of many. Doug, I am perfectly sure that you do not have the pleasure of experiencing this kind of situation at the top of the fleet. It’s amazing to watch the jury more or less successfully trying to suppress too obvious smiles… [It is indeed a challenge to distinguish between the overly aggressive and the challenged sailor. I can identify with the challenged one because I've been there, sometimes still am, but I really dislike the overly aggressive one.]

2.

Why is it that so many sailors just stop thinking after they get what they want. Firstly, this holds true at the starting line. With 60 to 70 sailors in each fleet and three to four fleets in one racing area, I think it would be nice that you don’t linger on the starting line. Everybody tries to get a line sight or to determine which end is favored. So why don’t we all leave the line after we have gotten what we want? And, secondly, why can’t the sailors who have completed the last race of the day go a little bit further upwind to not completely block the air for those sailors still in the race. In the last race of my fleet in Split, the boat end was favored. I had tacked accordingly on the starboard lay line - and finished about 3/5 towards the pin-end, just because of those sailors who blocked the wind and created wake after finishing and directly heading home to the harbor. [Being on the finish line boat, I am always amazed at how many sailors at the front of the fleet turn and sail right into those finishing. I've seen the finish line boat repeatedly holler at them to go around and it always catches them by surprise and seems to have really never crossed their minds because they are so tired. Only the very, very top sailors seem to have the muscle memory to turn the opposite direction from home to avoid the finishing fleet. Brett Beyer comes to mind. He never turns into or interferes with the finishing fleet.]

3.

Why is it that so many sailors just push their way through to get in the water in the morning or back on land after the races? In Split we had only four small ramps. So, coming back from the races was always a challenge. And you could count on the fact that, when several sailors came in at the same time and had worked out in what order to use the ramp, another sailor would aggressively come in, passing everybody else and being on land and dry within a flicker of an eye. This was, frustratingly, the case the one day the Bora came in at the end of the racing day. The harbor was packed with boats, what was described as the first motor boat blockade ever was set up so that not all boats jammed the ramps at once, boats where ramming each other or capsizing, one woman basically hung in the mooring lines of big boats secured in the harbor. And some young, strong standard sailors just passed them…. [Watching this dynamic of getting in and out is truly fascinating. So many different personalities at play. What I have observed is that the more people you know, the more considerate they are or the more willing they are to apologize and tell you why they need to jump in front. Doug spent more time patiently waiting than I would have, mainly because he observed a lot of inexperience and he didn't want to get tangled up and tipped by one of them but a few times someone he knew saw him waiting and knew he had broken ribs and would holler at him to go ahead of them.] 

If everybody thought a little bit ahead, if people knew the Racing Rules better (my American husband insisted that I learn the Rules when I started competitive sailing and we still learn by discussing different situations after regattas and checking carefully word by word what the Rules say), if people talked more to each other on the water, the races would be so much nicer! [I couldn't agree more. The longer you attend these things, the more you learn and the more people you get to know. Doug has introduced me to many a person that he has met on the water or in the protest room in less than desirable circumstances and went on to become good friends with them. Another thing I find fascinating and encouraging.] 

Some thoughts recently shared by Lyndall Patterson, multiple Laser World Champion, and top female sailor in the Radial Grand Master fleet in Split...

"I have found over the years a lot of respect and camaraderie amongst most sailors. I do find as a female sailor that the diamond is a disadvantage in a fleet especially in the latter part of a race as basically many competitors will choose to be ahead of a diamond if they can be. I have become aware of this and best way is to be clear ahead if possible and certainly not take it personally. Leave it on water and share support on land."

Holly Crap! I'm In Front... Now What?

By Doug

Apologies for the delay - had the flu.

I wrote a post about how really good sailors can take the lead at the end of a windward leg by playing a persistent shift. And sometimes a middle or back-of-the-fleet sailor will just happen to get it right, and take the accidental lead.

Several readers asked an interesting question - how does this person hold on when they're not used to leading the fleet - when they're being chased by really good sailors.

Here's what happened to me once: I found myself on the top reach just in front of a fellow who later won the North American's. He screamed and yelled at me, I got rattled, and he passed me.

That's the bad news. The good news is that in all of my years of sailing, this has only happened to me the one time. The people at the front of the fleet are smart, friendly, helpful, and understanding that you might be way out of your league.

Experienced sailors in the front row know that it's better to cooperate to get away from the pack than to start messing with each other. It's not in any rule book, but you'll find it on most race courses.

So, you'll hear things like "nice going" and "let's get ahead of the pack."

As an inexperienced sailor, you actually have two advantages:

• Many middle-of-the-fleet sailors have good speed but get bad starts. They end up sailing the first leg in bad air and they never recover. But put this person in the lead on a reach with clear air and they are often really quick. It's not unusual to see them continue to do well and even win some races.
• You get to watch and copy the best sailors. You cannot read their minds or tactics, but you can see where they're sitting, how their controls are set up, how they play the pressure, etc. I learned how not to do this in race 3 at the Capetown Worlds and how to do this properly next year at the Chilean Worlds.

So when you're in the lead, watch, learn, and enjoy. As Pam likes to say, weather conditions are always better at the front of the fleet.

Sailing the the Middle of the Fleet - Dirty Air

By Doug

Another question from Pam: how can I tell if I'm in dirty air? It's a simple question with a simple answer - the wind creates waves, so look at the direction of the waves to see where the wind is coming from.

The waves are coming straight towards us, so we must be looking directly into the wind. So white is creating dirty air for green, right?

Actually, the answer is no. In fact, green is in clear air and can easily hold this position. The reason is because both boats are moving, so what we call the apparent wind actually shifts forward. The faster the boats go, the more the wind shifts.

Here's the position of a boat sailing in dirty air.

And looking at the wind shadow, you want to be in green and not red.

So, what we see can be very misleading.

Here's a trick to accurately know where the apparent wind is and if you're in dirty air:

• Look at the breeze and feel it on your face.
• Now, close your eyes and move your head back and forth slowly. The sensation of pressure on your face will move slightly from side to side.
• If the wind is light and you don't feel any difference, splash some water on both of your cheeks and move your head back and forth again to feel a slight change in the temperature.
• When the pressure or temperature you feel on both sides of your face is the same, open your eyes. You're now looking directly upwind.
• If you're looking directly at a boat, then you're in its dirty air. The closer it is, the more it will affect you. To get into clean air, tack or bear off.

When you get good at this, you'll also be able to feel when you're in dirty air because your boat will feel different, sort of like when a car is misfiring and not running smoothly. Sailing is similar because you'll feel the turbulence of the dirty air from the boat to windward of you.

So there you have it - rely on what you feel and not not what you see.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Sailing Downwind Part 4

By Doug

There are even more reasons for a middle-of-the-fleet sailor to try sailing by the lee downwind.

We're allowed one wind indicator on a Laser, and most put theirs in front of the boom. I don't like this for two reasons.

• It gives false readings because of the wind flowing around the sail and the position of my body being in the way.
• A reading at the top of the mast is more accurate and it helps sail by the lee. Looking up on a run, I start with the wind coming from behind. Bearing off, the wind shifts to being over my left shoulder and I pull in the main to try sailing by the lee. Life is good! If the wind shifts to over my right shoulder, I jibe the boom and bear off to try sailing by the lee again to get the wind flowing the other way across the main:

From behind                       By the lee                       Ah, a shift                            By the lee again

This has the advantage of making me much more aware of where the wind is coming from and helps me play the shifts going downwind.

And there's one more reason. But below a certain wind strength, none of sailing by the lee works and it's best to let the boom out and just head for the bottom mark. But above a certain wind strength, sailing by the lee has the additional benefit of being more stable. You see, when the boom is out and a gust hits, the extra twist at the top of the sail pushes to windward which is why when boats on a run tip in a gust, it’s almost always to windward. Sailing by the lee in a breeze is much safer and reduces the chance of an unscheduled swim.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Sailing Downwind Part 3

By Doug

Why can sailing by the lee sometimes be fast? It's counter-intuitive that pulling your boom in to catch less wind on a run can actually make you go faster. While this post is to help middle-of-the-fleet sailors, others might benefit from the following.

From a design perspective, the Laser's mast was revolutionary. But from an efficiency perspective, a Laser mast is located, like all other masts, exactly where you do not want it to be.

On the left we see a boat with a jib when going upwind. The drag is in red and is hardly visible because the forestay holding the jib creates hardly any turbulence. Jibs are efficient because they have very little drag and they have a whole lot of lift. On the right is a Laser and there is much more turbulence because of the mast. So much so that the front of a main does not work properly which is why telltales cannot be placed too close to the mast: 

There's something else that is important - having the wind flow across the sail is fast. This is why sailing on a reach is faster than sailing on a run. And why asymmetrical spinnakers are faster than traditional spinnakers. And why a house roof that is low is more at risk in a hurricane than a higher roof with steeper angles. The reason is that the wind creates a lot more lift when it goes across an object than when it’s just trapped by an object.

In a perfect world sailing downwind, masts would not create turbulence and the wind would always flow across sails. But this is not how we sail. As shown below, the boat on the left has its sail all the way out and is trapping lots of wind, creating lots of turbulent drag, and generating no lift. The drag is in the correct direction so the boat is literally being dragged downwind. The boat on the right has the boom pulled in and the main looks a lot like a jib going upwind - but there is no mast at the leading edge to create turbulence and the wind is flowing across the sail:

  

So the sail on the left is catching more wind while the sail on the right is more efficient. Sometimes more is better and sometimes efficient is better. Sailing by the lee is knowing when to shift from one to the other. Here are some tips:

• I try to steer with my weight, so bearing off is leaning out to heel to windward. As a result, the end of my boom actually torques back and up at the same time. It feels like I’m “scooping” more pressure and, when timed properly, it feels very fast.
• With the boom in, the pressure on the main sheet goes from hardly any pressure and wanting to jibe to really powered up and driving forward. Timing this power properly can be a great way to catch even small waves. Again, this can be fast.
• I like to set the vang so that the leach stretches and “breathes” back and forth about 8 inches. This is a completely natural and legal pumping motion, and a gift from the laws of physics.
• In addition, you can bear off or use your main sheet to pump the main once per wave. This is significant because you’re pumping the leading edge of the sail which is super effective because that’s where all of the lift comes from. This is the only time in sailing when you can pump the part of a sail that has all of the lift.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Sailing Downwind Part 2

By Doug

More comments and questions from Pam. 'The sailing by the lee explanation finally clicked with me - but how far do you trim the sail in or out to make this work?'

It's a great question because sailing normally, when the wind flows from the luff to the leach, you trim and steer by looking at the telltales and the front of the sail. Does this mean that we need telltales at the leach for sailing by the lee?

The answer is no because people sailing by the lee rarely look at the sail. You sail by trying to feel the maximum pressure on the mainsheet. With the ratchet turned off this pressure will sometimes double, but it does not last long. Your goal is to hold this extra pressure for as long as you can - 5 seconds if you're lucky. You then let your sheet out a little before pulling it in again.

This action is very gentle and is not pumping but this extra pressure is not always easy to find. The lighter the breeze, the harder the extra pressure is to find and below 10 knots, it might not be possible for a beginner to find at all. When it does work your sail is actually generating lift instead of just catching the wind by stalling, which is what it's doing when your boom is out.

As a rule, you'll feel the strongest pressure just before the sail wants to jibe. Here's Tom Slingsby from the Perth Worlds video (at 21:02) where his leach is folding and the sail wants to jibe: 

Tom heads up to prevent jibing, but only slightly because his trim is fast.

So remember, sailing by the lee without the extra pressure can be slow. If you cannot find it within a few seconds, it's best to let the boom out to its regular "stalled" position and then try again in 10 seconds. It's a constant search for extra speed, which is another reason why it's so good for middle-of-the-fleet sailors. 

Sailing on a run downwind the with the boom out is like taking a break. Sailing by the lee makes you more aware of what your boat is doing and gives you things to try when other sailors are taking a break.

This post is about how to make it work. Our next post will be why it works and will include gifts from laws of physics: perfectly legal pumping.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Sailing Downwind Part 1

By Doug

Many of these blog posts start with questions from Pam. Her latest ones were "How do you play shifts downwind" and "Why didn't you do more sailing-in-the middle-of-the-fleet for downwind?" So, here goes.

Going upwind, when everything is even neither green nor red has the advantage:

But this seldom lasts for long. When the wind shifts to the right, green is on a lift and red is on a knock (or a header) and should tack:

And then the wind shifts to the left, green is now on a knock and red is on a lift. Green should tack:

So a rule when sailing upwind is:

·         if the wind helps you to head up on a lift, that's good because you're heading closer to the mark.

·      if the wind forces you to bear away on a knock, that's bad because you're heading away from the mark and you should tack.

There's nothing new here because this is something that most middle-of-the-fleet sailors know. But when you're going downwind, the shifts are harder to feel because you're going with the wind and your sail will not stall, so it's not as sensitive to these changes. Knowing how to play the shifts represents a great opportunity for middle-of-the-fleet sailors to make gains. (A word of caution: the following is how I sail a Laser or a similar boat with just one sail - other boats will do things differently).

Going downwind when it's steady, neither green nor red has the advantage:

When the wind shifts to the right, green might trim the sail in a little and red might trim out a little:

And then the wind shifts to the left, green might trim the sail out a little and red might trim in a little:

This is one correct way to play the shifts downwind, but most middle-of-the-fleet sailors will not notice these shifts and will not make the correct adjustments. If you do, then you'll gain a little.

But when there's a bit of wind, there's a much better way to play the shifts going downwind. Let's start by looking at the fastest point of sailing - being on a reach:

Anytime that you can set your boat up for a reach you'll gain speed. Let's look at this a little more closely:

The wind flows from the leach to the luff of the sail and pushes the boat forward. But here's a really interesting fact - the same force would be generated even if the wind was coming from the the opposite direction:

So why is this important? Because if you rotate this diagram 90 degrees, red is on a run, but the force on the sail is the same as though it's on a reach:

This is called sailing 'by the lee' (leach to luff vs luff to leach) and there are so many reasons why this is really fast that we'll have to cover this in another post. But for now, just remember that that sailing on a reach is really fast.

So when the wind goes right, instead of red trimming the sail out as we have seen above, it can be much faster to trim the sail in:

The wind goes right, one red trims out....                the other trims in.

When sailing downwind, I'm always looking for a way to trim the sail in relative to the wind. Red on the right is the fastest, and green is the slowest and should jibe and sail by the lee ASAP.

And the opposite is true - when the wind goes left, instead of green trimming the sail out, it's much faster to trim the sail in:

The wind goes left, one green trims out...                  the other trims in.

So when the wind is above 10 knots, the rule when sailing downwind is:

·       sail the course that helps you keep trying to trim the sail in.

It's simple! I look for this all the time - I try to sail by the lee as much as possible because it's an easy way to look for speed. It does not always work and I probably jibe more than anyone else in the fleet, but there's always something to try to get extra boatspeed.

It's fast! Using this simple trick, a middle-of-the-fleet sailor can actually start to have the speed of a really fast sailor. How fast? Like Tom Slingsby on his way to winning the Laser Worlds in Perth:

World-class speed sailing on a run... with the sail trimmed in.

Check out this video starting at 20:00. When Tom is on a run, he does everything he can to trim the sail in to sail by the lee. Here's how the wind is moving across Tom's sail at this moment:

There are lots of other ways for middle-of-the-fleet sailors to improve when sailing downwind. We'll look at these in detail next.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Putting It All Together

By Doug

I tried putting all of my sailing-in-the-middle-of-the-fleet tips into an actual event at the final Texas circuit event of the year, which was the Wurstfest Regatta at Lake Canyon Yacht Club. It was a good turnout with 23 boats that included Olympic Coach Luther Carpenter, who I had not had the pleasure of sailing with before, and Hank Saurage, former runner-up at the Sunfish Worlds. It was a good fleet with lots of speed.

Do your circles. I checked the wind direction several times before the start of each race and had good compass readings. Surprisingly, I was the only person in the top five sailing with a compass.

Using the unfavored end. The line was short so the bias didn't really matter. I started at the committee boat end most of the time to be able to tack away to stay in clean air if needed.

Clean air right after the start. Starting beside the committee boat worked except for race 6 where a junior got in the way (I refuse to yell at kids). I ended up in the third row, tacked away, and missed the first shift. Being out of phase, my position at the first mark was about 15 ... such is the luck in sailing. It was by far my worst race.

When is someone ahead or behind? This was really important in the last few races because Luther was within a few points and there were lots of shifts. Knowing when to tack was important because it was a balance between staying in the pressure and keeping track of where Luther was. Several times he got away and had the speed to stay in front.

What to do with clean air. You could see the wind velocity on the water and the fleet that started ahead gave us good clues about the direction, so sailing with your head out of the boat was really important.

Staying in clean air. The fleet tended to stay together so it was really important making sure to stay in a lane with good pressure. With so many good sailors in this fleet, lack of pressure could cost you many places very quickly.

Windward mark strategies. The courses were windward-leeward and some of the mark roundings were crowded. The trick was not getting to the starboard tack layline too early and then getting away from the crowd ASAP after the rounding.

Finding clean air downwind. This was really important. It was balancing the need to stay in the pressure while staying out of others' wind shadows. At one point I thought I was OK until I looked at a flag at the top of the boat behind me and realized that what I felt and what I saw were different. I often changed sides to stay in the pressure and this worked well.

These factors worked and the results can be seen here. OK, I admit that my boatspeed was better than your average middle-of-the-fleet-sailor because of my training for the Oman Worlds that start later this month. But without these sailing-in-the-middle-of-the-fleet tips there would have been no way to stay with Luther, Hank, and several of the other great sailors in these tricky lake conditions.

Next stop... Oman.

From Pam:  Oh now he's just screwing with us. Yeah, right! Just get a good start, stay in clean air, go the right way and avoid the crowds and you too can win the regatta. Sure you might have one bad race but you can always throw that out. Not real helpful for those of us whose best laid plans just don't work out quite like we expect them to. So, what I'm hearing is that even the top sailors are following some of the same basic rules of thumb as the rest of us but they are just doing it better. 

I get the opportunity to debrief Doug after racing. He loves the close racing and loves it when he's able to do something that others can see happening but can't quite figure out how to copy. So, here's a shift, while Doug writes about how easy it is for middle of the fleet sailors to do well. I'll write about how easy it is for top of the fleet sailors to do better.

This past weekend was light and gusty. Doug is surprisingly consistent in that stuff and I've figured out one of his secrets. He doesn't rely on tell-tales and feels the wind and anticipates better than most. That makes his gear shifting super smooth and he doesn't lose momentum which pays bigger dividends in the light stuff. Middle of the fleet sailors aren't good at shifting gears period. Top of the fleet sailors have an easier time shifting gears when the wind picks up than when the wind lightens up. 

When Doug see a puff coming, he hikes out and heels the boat to windward and traps the puff so that when it hits, it brings him vertical instead of knocks him down and spills the puff. He gains. When Doug feels the puff lighten up (the boat begins to go slow), he eases everything and powers up so that he keeps moving. He can gain two boat lengths this way. Yeah, I mean that's so simple, don't know why all the top guys can't do that. 

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Finding Clean Air Downwind

By Doug

So you've rounded the windward mark and are heading downwind. Unlike the windward leg, a run is different because the fastest way to get to the bottom mark is to head straight for it. Or is it?

If you were sailing on your own, then this might be true. But middle-of-the-fleet sailors usually have lots of other boats around them, and finding clean air can be a problem. So, let me tell you something about an Aussie sailor at the Cancun Worlds who taught us all an interesting lesson.

At the Laser World Championships, the course is a trapezoid with an inner or outer loop that is used to keep the various fleets separate. At the first windward mark, you turn onto a run if you're on the inner loop and onto a reach for the outer loop. Occasionally, the lead boat will get this wrong.

At Cancun, the lead boat thought it was the outer loop and went off on a reach without looking back. The rest of the fleet rounded and headed straight downwind on a run. The Aussie sailor did not look back for about a minute, said (I'm guessing) "bloody hell," jibed, and came back to join the rest of the fleet on the run. So, how many places did this fellow lose? The answer is zero. In fact, he came back with the same lead he had at the windward mark.

This is a big lesson for middle-of-the-fleet sailors. If you're in a run and you're in dirty air, you can sail a different course and not lose any boatspeed. Heading up onto a broad reach or bearing off to sail by the lee both  work, so you have lots of choices.

                

And as shown on the right, you apparent wind will exaggerate the wind direction so you may not have to alter course much to get clean air. Here are other things to consider:

• The fleet will tend to sail to the right of the rhumb line (looking downwind), so bearing off will often get you clear air. But you have less rights when you bear off because if there are boats beside you, you're the windward boat. And jibing only puts you on port tack.
• Look for clues from the boats behind you that might be taking your wind. If there is a wind indicator at the bottom of a mast it will not be very accurate, but ones at the top of the sail will be. If it's pointing at you, then you're in dirty air.
• You can also feel another boat's wind shadow by closing your eyes and feeling the difference in the pressure on your face. This takes practice and is your best way to judge clean or dirty air.
• While you're looking backwards, also look at the water for clues about changes in the wind pressure. On a run, pressure is king.
• Don't be afraid to change your mind. Remember, you can sail wide angles without losing any speed. This is perhaps the most forgiving part of the race course. I have no problem changing which side of the course I'd like to be on. I'm always asking myself, "is it time to change dance partners?"
• If there is only one bottom mark, try to get over to the left so that you'll have room at the mark. In a close fleet, you can gain or lose 10 places by not planning ahead.

When I was a kid, sailing downwind was like a timeout when everyone took a break until racing resumed at the bottom of the course. Before Lasers came out, I sailed an OK Dinghy which is like a Laser made out of plywood. And I remember reading about a really young sailor from Sweden who won the World Championships because of his amazing speed downwind. And I remember thinking, huh?

Today, the downwind part of the course is really important. I saw an extreme example at the 2012 Laser Nationals where we all saw 2011 Youth World Champion Erika Reineke not worry about her position at the windward mark because of her remarkable speed downwind. She always stayed in clean air. And the distance she gained downwind was too much for people to make back upwind.

So for middle-of-the-fleet sailors, use your options and do everything you can to stay in clean air. Sailing in a straight line is rarely your best option. Even skippers of really big ships get this wrong.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Windward Mark Strategies

By Doug

So you've had a good start, stayed in clean air as much as you can, and have tried to stay with the leaders. And you may notice that if the first leg is one mile long, then half way up the leg it's also one mile wide. So the fleet often spreads out to give you more room to find clean air. But then something terrible happens - in the second half of the leg the fleet comes together to round the windward mark. And then all hell can break out.

Think about it - the starting line might be several hundred feet wide, but all of those boats have to squeeze through a space only 10-20 feet wide. From up to a mile wide to just 10-20 feet! And some of the leaders will make things even worse because they'll round the mark and then head downwind straight at you screaming.

Here's what a middle-of-the-fleet sailor has to consider. And as an example, we'll take the worst-case scenario of rounding onto a run with no offset mark (rounding with an offset or onto a reach are easier).

Firstly, recognize that a plan is needed, and this graphic may help:

There are 4 boats in 4 positions:

1. is on starboard tack approaching the mark.
2. is on starboard tack and has rounded the mark.
3. is on port tack approaching the mark.
4. is on port tack and has rounded the mark and jibed.

Secondly, know that each boat has well-defined rights:

1. always has rights and can head straight for the mark.
2. has rights over 3 and 4 because they're on port, but if 2 jibes like 4 then it has no rights.
3. only has rights over 4 because 4 is to windward.
4. has no rights at all and must keep clear from everyone.

Thirdly, understand the rules of thumb:

• The ideal path to take is shown in green - starboard into the mark area and starboard out of the mark area.
• Avoid port-tack approaches to the mark. A boat rounding the mark is permitted to cut right in front of you because that's its proper course, so you have to anticipate this and stay clear.
• When you round the mark and would want to jibe, sail by the lee instead to stay on starboard. This way, you'll at least have right of way over the boats approaching the mark on port.
• If you round the mark and must jibe onto port, realize that you have no rights.

Don't forget to verbalize what you're doing. Saying things like "I have room coming up" or "I'm bearing off" or "hold your course" avoids confusion and is appreciated by those around you.

I've sailed against people who are very aggressive at marks and do things like bear off to head straight downwind knowing that there are boats on port tack going upwind that have no chance of avoiding them. This is quite selfish because they really would not lose any distance by sailing on a broad reach until there's a place to bear off. It's much more fun sailing with people who try to cooperate. The managed chaos can actually be really fun.

With a good mark rounding, middle-of-the-fleet sailors now prepare for the part of racing where the big gains (and losses) occur - downwind.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Staying Clean Air

By Doug

Even with a good start, middle-of-the-fleet sailors have to deal with boats in front of them. It's really important to stay in clean air, especially on the first windward leg when the boats are more bunched up. There are two ways to do this. The first is visual.

If you're green and red is between you and where the wind is coming from, then you might think that you're sailing in bad air. This would be true if you're not moving (in which case you have other problems!) But when you're moving, the apparent wind shifts forward so you're probably OK for now.

You'll get the best reading if red has a wind indicator at the top of its mast.

You'll be surprised by how long you can hold this position. This is especially important when sailing in a group, and being able to do this is called "holding your lane."

It's like a get-out-of-jail-free card because holding your lane as long as possible helps you stay with the leaders as the rest of the fleet thins out behind you.

As mentioned, there's a second way to tell when you're sailing in bad air and that's by feeling. You'll feel your boat hesitate and slow down. You can also feel a slight turbulence on your face. When this happens, it's time to look at your options: bear off to get a little speed and clear air or tack if you can. If you want to stay with the group, putting in 2 tacks to get clean air is better than sailing in bad air.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - What to do With Clean Air

By Doug

So, you've got clean air off the starting line... what's next? We'll look to see if there are clues about which side of the course is favored. This will depend on where you are sailing, and there is good news.

The top sailors tend to sail in open water where the top events are held. Most events for middle-of-the-fleet sailors are on lakes where there are lots of clues because the wind is not as steady. And the less wind you have, the more clues you'll see because the wind has less momentum and changes direction and strength more often.

In the last post, we looked how the good sailors starting at the favored end of the line can get trapped going the wrong way. But middle-of-the-fleet sailors who get clean air are more likely to be able to tack when they want. Consider a pin-favored start but where there is better wind in the middle or on the right.

Pin favored, but wind on the right... many good sailors will miss this.

In this example, middle-of-the-fleet sailors have a great opportunity to have the line bias clear the unfavored end of the line. This permits them to get a good start at the committee boat, get clean air right away by tacking, and head for the dark patches. Many boats at the pin will be unable to do this and will go the wrong way for enough time to negate their pin-favored start.

In these conditions, the golden rule is to stay in the pressure where there is more wind. I'd rather be conservative, go for clean air, and then head for the pressure knowing that sailing in pressure in light air is more important than on being a lift. It's pretty simple: dark patches = more wind = more speed. For me in these conditions, wind strength is more important than wind direction or line bias.

Here's a more interesting example where the patterns show exactly where the pressure is. If it's pin favored, this wind pattern might be wasted because very few in that group will be able to tack. 

I'd much rather start where I'm able to tack. Here's why. Look at the wind as an obstacle course - where do I need to go to avoid the dead patches and stay in the wind?

Planning the route is simply connecting the dots, and the first dot is off to the right so I'll need to tack ASAP.

In this extreme example, four tacks keeps me continuously in the pressure. I'd much rather have the chance to do this at the committee boat end of the line than risk being trapped going the wrong way at the more favored pin end of the line. Only clean air and a more conservative start will give you the chance to do this. Advantage to middle-of-the-fleet sailors!

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Using the Unfavored End

By Doug

Getting back to thoughts about sailing in the middle of the fleet, we looked at getting clean air at the start, doing circles before the start, and judging whether the pin or a person is behind or ahead. In doing this, we can see which end of the starting line is favored and which end is not.

If the line is square, there is usually a crowd near the committee boat. If it's boat favored, there will definitely be a crowd there. If it's pin favored, then the pin will be crowded. Rarely will the boats be evenly spread along this line. In most cases, boats will be drawn towards the favored end of the line as though pulled there by a magnet.

Most sailors put too much emphasis on which end is favored. For example, if it's pin favored, they start there and often end up going left in a group. Tacking on a shift or into better pressure is often a group decision, and many good sailors get trapped going the wrong way. The closer they are to the pin, the more dependent they are on others tacking before they can. The sailor who wins at the pin can sometimes tack and cross the fleet, but this is risky and rarely will more than one be able to do this. Definitely a low percentage option.

I personally do not like starting at the pin because there are lots of sailors who are more skilled there than me, and there are few options unless I get a really good start. Why waste a good race with a bad start? I'd much rather be more conservative, go for clean air, play the shifts, and use boatspeed. For me, this is a much higher percentage option.

And this is where middle-of-the-fleet sailors actually have an advantage. If they start at the unfavored end of the line and get clear air, they do not have the problem of getting trapped. So, if it's pin favored, start near the committee boat or in the middle of the line.

The same is true if it looks like the crowd will be at the committee boat end - there will be places further down the line where there will be clear air. But remember that your tacking options are not as good there because the boats starting at the committee boat will block your chances of tacking onto port tack.

So next time you see a line that's really favored at one end, be grateful because it will pull the good sailors off to one side and clear the way for you to have good start and clean air.

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - When is Someone Behind or Ahead?

By Doug

A good question from Tillerman: My problem is that I never know whether a boat in a position like that on the same tack would be behind or ahead of me (unless it's very extreme like I can see him through my window.) What's the trick to judging that?

A Laser/Torch tacks through 90 degrees in almost all conditions. So, put some tape along the deck that's at a 45 degree angle to the center of the boat. Start near the CB and have the tape go up to the gunnel beside the mast.

I'm at the committee boat close-hauled. The pin is behind the red line. Boat favored.

In this example, the boat end of the line is favored. If I was racing and a boat was where the pin is, that boat would be behind me. If it's on the line then we're equal.  If it's ahead, then it's ahead - how much ahead will help you prepare for a port-starboard possibility. These angles will change when you get lifted and knocked. For many people, this is much easier to understand than a compass.

After a while, remove all but the last 3" of tape at the gunnel for a quick reference. Pretty soon, you'll have a good feeling from the angles alone and won't need the tape.

Pam: When Doug recently told me about the tape thing, I wasn't sure it was right so I told him to take a picture and show me.  When he put up this post, I didn't know he'd done it and thought the middle of the fleet title wasn't appropriate because probably lots of middle of the fleet people can tell if they're ahead or behind.  When I saw the picture I thought that pin was favored and Doug said the boat was favored by about 4 boat lengths.  Then he blew up the picture to full screen and covered the red line portion and asked me if it was easy to tell if the pin was favored ... then I realized he was right ... again. 

Sailing in the Middle of the Fleet - Do Your Circles

By Doug and Pam

Lots of them... before the start.

I see lots of sailors doing something really strange. They sail up to the starting line, go head-to-wind, and then take a look along their boom at where the wind is coming from. Sure, it's accurate to see how the wind is shifting in relation to the weather mark. But I've never understood this because (1) any head-to-wind reading is useless unless you're in the middle of the course and (2) you cannot use this type of wind reading when you most need it - when racing!

I much prefer a compass reading and looking at the angles of the boats around me. But that takes years of practice.

So, what's a really simple way to get a feeling for the wind direction before the start if you don't have a compass? It's something that I thought pretty much everyone did until Pam told me that I'm the only one. Here's how it works.

Pam:  Maybe everyone does it, but Doug is the only one who ever explained what he was doing so he's the only one I see doing it.  It is Doug's basic starting routine ... and now mine.  

When I first met Doug we were at a regatta and he was on a Laser and I was on a Sunfish. He saw me struggling before the start and sailed past me going the opposite direction and said the wind had just changed and to follow him. I tried to turn around and promptly when into irons. He looked back and thought I had ignored his generous tip and decided that was a wasted effort. I eventually sculled my way around and followed him to the other end of the line and all the way around the course as far as I could and it was my best race of the day with a 2nd or 3rd.  

I had never been able to detect a wind change while in a starting sequence and wondered how he did that. He, of course, can feel it, but his starting routine also constantly tests the wind and even someone like me can use it to detect a wind shift before the race. 

Begin by coming up beside the committee boat and pull your sail in to close hauled as though you are racing.  As you cross the start line, look down the line at the pin and imagine another boat starting with you on the same tack at the far end of the line. Would this boat be ahead of you, equal to you, or behind you? This tells you which end of the line is favored. Now tack, sail around the committee boat, and kill some time. Then repeat again every 2 minutes and keep asking if the other boat would now be ahead, the same or behind? Any change means a change in the wind direction. For example, if the boat was ahead and now would be even, then the breeze has gone right.

Repeat this until the final 2 minutes and you'll have a good idea of (1) what the breeze is doing, (2) which end of the line is favored, (3) where you want to start, and (4) a line-site of where the line is if you're not beside the committee boat. If you're aggressive, then you'll head to the favored end of the line. If you're more conservative then you'll probably head for the other end or the middle of the line.

Pam:  It is also a great way to get warmed up and get a feel for things and practice a few starts before the real deal.

Of course, if you foul someone, you need to do the other type of circles.