Practice Debrief 11/15-16 - Arthur Blodgett

This past weekend we focused on improving the biggest issues from Naples: consistent speed, and starting. We watched a couple video's on Saturday morning, and I asked sailors to push their technique through waves as well as their pumping downwind. 

Scott Norman's 2002 tacking video shows how comfortable sailors should be steering behind their backs out of tacks (for reasons dating back to learn-to-sail some of our sailors are not), then doing a 'hip check' forwards as you switch hands, which propels the boat into foot mode (you should foot before and after tacks). 

This second video of an Kiwi opti sailor shows great hiking technique, as well as the forward and aft movement needed to get on, and stay on a wave downwind. Move back as you are getting ready to pump, then slide forward as you are surfing. This keeps the hull trimmed properly so the bow and stern don't dig in as the wave rolls by. The video first shows the "pump then slide" technique from 0:28-0:30, then from 1:18-1:26 in slow motion. 

We went out and practiced this, and here's a compilation of some of the better technique exhibited, set to the New Orleans music of Dr. John to get us in the groove for Midwinters next week! 

Sailors should watch a couple times and evaluate themself and teammates on the following questions:

   * Is the bow staying in contact with the waves

   *Is the hull trim correct (bow neither 'poppin' a wheelie' nor digging in) 

   *Sail trim/pumping good? 

   * Is there too much rudder movement?

   *How does my technique look - feet/knees together (anchored to the boat), shoulders angled out and back, front elbow slightly up,  movement amount and timing matches up with waves? 

Technique + Willingness to work the boat all the way around the course = Speed! Repeat your best techniques until they become habit!