Saturday we did a number of practice starts inside the inlet, where the ebbing tide was just ripping sailors over the line. Sailors eventually learned to avoid the treacherous boat end where the current almost automatically puts you in a "barging" position, and to set up the right number of boatlengths below the line. A lot of Black Flags were handed out, sometimes needlessly (there is no excuse to get Black-Flagged more than 10 seconds before the start) but sailors who got the come-from-below the line timing right,and had good line-sights were eventually nailing the starts. It's really critical to get comfortable using line sights, and I like to tweak them as follows: If the current is running over, I get a "conservative" line sight - I set up with my bow ~2 boat lengths below the line at the boat end, then pick a distinctive feature on the land that lines up with the pin. This allows me to look at my line sight, watch/time, then accelorate and nail the start. If the current is pushing you below the line, get a line sight with your bow exactly on the line next to the boat.
My main concern for our sailors going into this weekends regattas is consistently getting good starts - you won't have 10 practice starts to get a feel for the line! In fact, you may only have 1 start with a particular strategic consideration to take advantage of (for example, the first race of day 4 at Opti Nationals you could safely start a boatlenght ahead of everyone due to the negative current - by the second race the fleet had adjusted). I am a huge proponent of doing a 30 second practice start on your own between 4-5 minutes before the start. Decide where you probably want to start, then give yourself a 30 second countdown, and aim to hit your spot on the line at full speed at the end of it. If you are too late/low or too early/high, make a note of where you really need to be at 30 sec. and practice it again. Obviously other boats will make the actual start more difficult, but having a feel for the angle, speed, and time on distance to the line will give you an advantage vs other boats.
The final 10 seconds of the start are all about having a great acceleration - how much speed can you build while not using all your distance to leeward? Here's some acceleration practice video from a couple Wednesdays ago:
When we did get out to the Ocean, we split into respective groups and did alot of speed-work. The Opti is basically a box - when you drag the corners of the box, you go slow. However, in flat water, the penalty for dragging the bow transom vs the stern transom is similar (Heavy sailors have both corners just skimming the water) - in Waves, the bow digging into the water is deathly slow. Thus, there was an adjustment of moving back in the boat that many silver fleetors had to make. Watching the sail and keeping good flow on the telltales is also critically important.
The final element is the kinetic movement required to keep the boat in contact with the waves, and the rig punching you through them. When the unmatched wave would lift/heel the boat, the driver must move their shoulders and torso out and back compensate. This has the added benefits of flicking the leech of the sail, and driving the bow down into the trough of the wave (avoiding the bow "pounding"). Here Miles does a great job working the waves, and really takes off:
In this last clip, Michael, who had a breakthrough practice Saturday, begins to correctly copy what Miles is doing - pressing his back out into the rail when he feels the boat about to lift. Really excellent focus as well:
Obviously there is still a lot to improve - the sail flaps like a Ford dealership flag on every tack for example - but great to see the straight line speed improvement.
Every time I get to go sailing, I always have to try something new, or work on something until it feels faster - this is what its all about!!
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