tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34404269665560131462024-03-12T23:31:04.302-04:00Zim Sailing BlogOfficial Sponsor of US SailingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-45222587210986031032013-05-29T14:26:00.002-04:002013-05-29T14:27:57.815-04:00Mastering the Spinnaker: Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whether you are new to Club 420 sailing or you have enjoyed the boats for a few years, learning to sail with a spinnaker is an art form that you can always improve on. Sailing with a spinnaker adds new dimensions to sailing downwind that you don’t typically see in singlehanded dinghy sailing. There are a lot of little adjustments that many sailors miss, that can make you a superstar off wind. <br />
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<b>Basic Setup and Trim:</b><br />
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The basic setup for your spinnaker is to trim the guy until the pole is perpendicular to your apparent wind, and ease the sheet until the outer edge of the spinnaker’s luff start to fold over about two inches. Trim in the sheet from there, and ease to this point again. Continue to do this the entire downwind leg. <br />
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Remember, when your boat is moving fast, the sails see a different wind direction than where the wind is actually coming from. This is known as apparent wind, and all of your sails need to adjust to that wind direction. To match your pole to the apparent wind, it is helpful to put a tell-tale on the side stays, or on the pole itself. The faster you go, the further forward you will have to set your pole to compensate for the apparent wind. This will happen in both puffs and waves. Apparent wind is always changing, so the crew should have both the sheet and the guy in his or her hands at all times downwind.<br />
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<b>Setting Up the Other Sails:</b><br />
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Getting your other two sails in the proper position is often the most overlooked detail downwind amongst Club 420 sailors. It is important that the flow off of all three sails does not interfere with the other sails, or you will move slowly. The biggest mistake that most sailors make is letting the mainsail out too far. Whenever the spinnaker is raised, a good general rule of thumb is to trim it to the point that the boom is parallel to the spinnaker pole. In other words, the two should continuously make a straight line. Once your main is trimmed to this point, control the leech of the sail with the vang, so that that top batten is parallel to the boom and spin pole (tell tale disappears 50% of the time, and flies 50% of the time). To sum up the main’s trim downwind, the mainsheet controls the position of the sail to the wind, while the vang controls the tension on the leech.<br />
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The jib is often more difficult to figure out downwind. When you sail most sloops or keelboats, the sailors will take down the jib when hoisting a spinnaker. This is done to create more space between the main and spinnaker, so that the flow off of each does not interfere with another sail. In a Club 420, this is not possible, as the tension on the jib keeps your mast from falling aft. Since there is nothing else that you can do about this, it is important to get the spinnaker and mainsail into the perfect position, and then move the jib to where it is as far away as possible from interfering with either of the other sails. <br />
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<b>Pole Height:</b><br />
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The pole height controls the shape of the spinnaker, and how much wind it is capable of allowing into it at once. The higher you lift the pole, the deeper and fuller you are able to make the sail. However, it takes more wind to fill the sail completely. The lower your pole angle, the flatter you make the sail. With a lower pole, it takes less wind to fill the sail. In light air, you will want a lower pole height, making it easier to fill the spinnaker. On the other hand, in heavy air, you will want a higher pole to increase the amount of breeze you can get into the sail. A good way to ensure that your pole is at the correct height is to make sure that the two lower corners are even, when the sail is trimmed properly off wind. If the tack is higher than the clew, you should lower the pole to even them out. If the clew is higher than the tack, you need to raise the height of the pole.<br />
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Using a spinnaker is not an easy thing to do, and takes years to perfect. Sailing downwind with a spinnaker adds depth, technique, teamwork, strategy, and tactics that are different than that seen in one-sail boats. However, everything discussed above is always under your control, no matter what your sailing experience is. Making sure all of these things are perfect is the first step to going fast downwind!<br />
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See you on the water,<br />
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<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-38629083318954267412013-05-17T13:28:00.001-04:002013-05-17T13:28:24.090-04:00@jimmybeast - Syncing Your Sail Trim and Bridle Height <br />
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One of the most overlooked adjustments in Club 420 sailing is the bridle. Admittedly, it is not as important, especially over short distance races, as your basic tuning adjustments (mast rake, vang, cunningham, etc.). College sailing teams don’t even have the adjustment on the boat, in an attempt to simplify the boat for short distance racing. However, knowing how to properly adjust the bridle on the Club 420 will not only give you a tuning advantage on longer courses, but will better prepare you for understanding sail shapes when you transition into other high performance classes down the road.<br />
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<b>Overview:</b><br />
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Above all else, you must have the bridle set up so that it is center lined at all times. Having it set even a few centimeters off, in one direction or another, will seriously jeopardize your ability to sail fast upwind. Before you hoist your sails, pull the bridle forward along the centerboard. Make sure, when pulled taught, that the block on the bridle is perfectly centered in the boat.<br />
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The purpose of the bridle is to enable sailors to obtain the ideal mainsail shape, while keeping the boom in the center of the boat, as you sail upwind. As you pull in the mainsail, you not only move the boom towards the center of the boat, but you also pull downward on the boom. The further down you pull the boom, the more tension and power you put into the leech of the sail. Thus, the higher your bridle is, the earlier the blocks all come together, the less you pull down on the boom, and the less tension you are able to apply to the leech. In other words, a higher bridle will yield a center lined boom with less leech tension (more twist) on the main, and a lower traveler will yield a center lined boom with more leech tension (less twist) on the main.<br />
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<b>Light Air:</b><br />
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In light air, you want the ability to center line the boom, keeping the flow off of the jib from interfering with the mainsail. At the same time, you want to avoid putting tension on the leech that will stall the main and slow you down. Thus, you want to raise your bridle to the point where, when the boom is center lined, your leech tell tail is streaming back 50% of the time and disappearing 50% of the time. Leave about two inches of trim between the blocks on the bridle and boom so that you can add a bit more leech tension in puffs around the course.<br />
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<b>Medium Air:</b><br />
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Tuning the bridle in medium air is dependent on how you define medium air. In a Club 420, you have the ability to trapeze, which considerably increases the wind ranges that you are able to sail in. For the purposes of this article, medium air is defined as any wind speed, other than light air speeds, where you do not have to dump the main, or you seldom have to dump the main, in order to keep the boat flat. This range can cover anywhere from 8-15+ knots, depending on the size of the sailors in the boat.<br />
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The point is, as the wind increases, up to the point where you start to get overpowered, you will want to increase the power and pointing ability in your boat. This is accomplished by trimming the main in harder, which will apply more tension to the leech of the main, the bend in the mast, and the luff of the jib. If your bridle is set too high, you will end up block to block too early, and won’t have the ability to get the desired amount of leech tension when your boom is center lined.<br />
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Ultimately, the same concept applies in both medium and light air. Your goal is to get the boom as close to center lined as possible, while applying the desired amount of tension on the leech of the main (50/50 rule on the top batten tell tale). Always leave a couple of extra inches, just in case you need a touch more trim in puffs. There is the widest range of adjustments to the bridal in this wind range. <br />
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<b>Heavy air:</b><br />
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As you start to get to the point where you are overpowered, you will want to start raising the bridle again. As you start getting overpowered, you will need to apply more vang, and dump the main to keep the boat flat. The more you dump the main, the more it will affect the slot (the gap between the main and jib). While easing is necessary, you want to ease while having as small an impact as possible on the flow over the jib. Thus, by raising the bridle, when the sail is trimmed to centerline, you will not have the ability to apply much tension to the leech. In other words, your sail will reach the centerline with more twist in it, spilling excess breeze out of it, allowing you to depower more with the boom in the ideal position. With the right amount of vang on, the boom will just go outboard from there when you ease.<br />
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<b>Summary:</b><br />
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How you use the bridle will depend significantly on your weight range, and the conditions. The important thing to understand is that you ideally want your boom in the center of the boat at all times, when sailing upwind. Depending on where you set the bridle, when the boom is center lined, the main will have more or less tension on the leach. The more you want the leech to twist off (i.e. windy or light winds), the higher you will need your bridle. Likewise, the more you want to take the twist out of your sail (i.e. medium winds), the lower you will want to set your bridle.<br />
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See you on the water,<br />
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<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-19297261199798468392013-05-15T10:32:00.000-04:002013-05-15T10:33:18.229-04:00Building Better Sailors: Races With a Twist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When you’re coaching, running races is always part of the agenda at some point during your program. Unfortunately, unless you consistently have at least ten or fifteen boats at your practices, it is hard to keep races interesting and tactical. Races with small groups of boats tend to get spread out, and the final result is almost completely determined by boat speed. Starts, tactics, and boat handling are all still part of the deal, but none are pronounced in ways that will challenge sailors enough to take these skills to the next level. Young sailors in particular are more reticent to do things that are comfortable in traditional races, as the outcome of a race is not determined by a bad tack, a poor mark rounding, or starting at the favored end. To make races more exciting, interesting, and effective, present simple and unique twists in races that force sailors to utilize more diverse skills in order to win the race. Speed will still play a large role in races, but you will have started on the road to building a stronger and more technically diverse group of sailors.</div>
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There are many fun scenarios that will make races more fun, interesting, and effective in your race program. For example, the most common twist coaches add to races is putting a small gate in the middle of the upwind leg. This gets sailors, who will typically sail hard and fast to a corner, to engage other boats in a way that they typically would not. It also gets sailors to make tactical decisions much more early, making them more comfortable sailing near other boats, as opposed to separating from the group before making any real tactical decisions. While this is one way to add an interesting twist to a race, there are an unlimited range of setups you can use to get the desired skill set across to your sailors.</div>
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<b>Boat vs. Boat</b></div>
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Set up a mark that is upwind, and relatively close to the line. Force sailors to leave it to port before sailing upwind. This will get port end starters to pinch off others early to tack, and will force starboard end starters to hold their lane, using starboard tack to their advantage. You can further twist this setup by using the short mark as a first windward mark, and sail a short windward leeward before doing a long windward leeward.</div>
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<b>Quick Hitch:</b></div>
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Set up a mark that sailors must leave to port before going to the upwind mark. Set it up so that sailors must tack off to port within a boat length or two of the start line, if not immediately. Sailors will learn to use starboard advantage, and will compete to win the boat end of the line. This will also teach sailors strong boat handling skills in tough, competitive situations.</div>
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<b>Early Lanes:</b></div>
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Set up a mark much further off the line, and have it set up so that a sailor starting at the boat end is laying it right off the line. Sailors must leave this mark to starboard before sailing to the windward mark. This way, sailors will not have the ability to tack out early, and are forced to hold their lane, or eat the bad air early on in a race. This will put an emphasis on holding lanes, winning the pin end, etc.</div>
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<b>Winning Sides:</b></div>
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As opposed to the traditional gate, where sailors sail through a small line in the middle of the course before proceeding upwind, make a much larger gate that sailors are not allowed to sail through on the upwind leg. This forces sailors to choose a side early, win it, and approach the windward mark from a side of the course. This will keep sailors from sailing across the middle of the course, and to think a few steps ahead of their competitors.</div>
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<b>Risky Business (Editor's Choice): </b></div>
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Set up two marks in carefully selected places upwind. Make sure they are separate, and that one mark is considerably more favored than the other. When you start a race, have your sailors round one of these marks to port, and then round the pin end of the line to port, before sailing around the regular windward leeward. To make this interesting, you put a rounding cap around each of the two short marks. For example, with four boats on the course, I will usually say that only one boat is allowed to round the favored mark, and three boats have to round the other mark. This is done on a first come, first serve basis, and any boat that fouls to get around first must go to the other mark.</div>
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This is really interesting because it forces sailors to choose between sailing aggressively or consistently. It puts a lot of pressure on great starts, and will teach others to cut their losses early if they realize they won’t be the first to round the favored mark. I will typically only allow ONE boat to round the favored mark, in order to implement a more extreme risk/reward structure to the drill.</div>
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There are an infinite amount of ways that you can modify and tweak this drill. As long as you are creative, you can set it up to stress whatever skill set you want your sailors to get a better understanding of. Either way, this drill is guaranteed to pique the curiosity and creativity of your sailors. Get out on the water and start practicing!</div>
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See you on the water,</div>
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<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-48121814734214084322013-05-09T12:50:00.001-04:002013-05-09T12:50:18.228-04:00Regatta Dieting<br />
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Sailing is a physically demanding sport, where you will expend a lot of energy throughout a day of racing. Not only do you have to have the strength to do basic physical movements such as hiking, trimming, rolling, etc, but you must also have the energy to think tactically and make decisions during a race. The instant your body starts to run low on fuel, you will start to break down mentally, prior to losing your physical strength.<br />
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Every person’s dietary needs are different, but one thing is true for every person: You need more food, when you are sailing, than you typically eat in a single day! This is true in all wind conditions, but especially true if it is windy. Furthermore, how you eat when you are on the water at a regatta is different than how you eat when you are off the water at a regatta. <br />
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When you are on the water, you should eat many smaller meals every 2-3 hours, or in between races. These meals should primarily consist of dietary products, such as energy bars, gels, shakes, as well as other small high energy snacks such as fruits and nuts. The main reason for this is digestion. It is well documented that your body uses about 10% of its energy simply digesting the food you eat. Dietary products, like energy bars, shakes, gels, etc. digest much more quickly than normal food, using up less of your energy on the water. Also, by spreading out the meals 2-3 hours apart, or between races, not only will your food digest faster, but you will sustain your energy levels throughout the day. In other words, you won't run out of energy in the middle of a race.<br />
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It is extremely important to drink a great deal of water when you are sailing as well. This is true no matter how you eat on the water, but is especially true when eating sport supplements or dietetic products. The reason for this is that they tend to contain a great deal of sugar, which will soak up a lot of the water you have in your system. Sugar isn't necessarily a bad thing when you are racing, as it will get into your system to provide energy much faster than normal food. However, you need to compensate for the negative effects it has with much more water than you typically drink.<br />
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Off the water, you should eat much larger meals that consist of “real food” packed with lots of nutrients. Dietary products and sport supplements are missing a lot of the important nutrients that your body needs during the day, so it is important to make up for what you are missing during a day of sailing. Usually, you will have one large meal before you start the day, and one or two larger meals at the end of the day.<br />
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<b>Carbohydrates:</b><br />
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Carbohydrates are essential for energy, focus, and protecting your energy stores. When exercising, carbohydrates are the first energy source your body burns off. Thus, you need A LOT of them. Your larger meals should consist of complex carbohydrates with lots of nutrients and fiber. This includes whole wheat pastas, grainy breads (bagels tend to have the most energy), some cereals, brown rice, beans etc. Your smaller meals will include more simple carbohydrates that break down quickly. This will include energy bars, gels, sport drinks, bananas, orange juice, etc. <br />
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<b>Proteins:</b><br />
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Proteins help muscles recover, improve muscle function, and sustain the release of energy to your muscles. Protein should be consumed throughout the day, not just at night. Your body will only take in about 40-50 grams of protein in a single meal, and you need MUCH more than that to recover during a regatta. Thus, you should have plenty throughout the day. I personally like to include a lot of protein in every meal. The best proteins come from fish, chicken, flank steak, protein shakes, Greek Yogurt, nuts, etc.<br />
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<b>Fats:</b><br />
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Many people have huge misconceptions about fats throughout the fitness world. They are the greatest source of energy, and not including them in your diet will leave you far short of what you need to maximize your performance on the water. For example one gram of carbohydrates or proteins has four calories. One gram of fat has nine calories. Thus, not having them will likely leave you well short of your needed caloric intake, and you will break down much more quickly on the water.<br />
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Instead of avoiding fats, eat plenty of the healthy fats that your body can use. Thus, you want to eat a lot of unsaturated fats (Polyunsaturated Fat and Monounsaturated Fat), and not eat a lot of Saturated or Trans Saturated Fat. Unsaturated fats are much easier for your body to break down to use for energy. The saturated and trans saturated fats are much stronger and harder to break down for energy use. Thus, it is harder for your body to actually use them. The best sources of the good fats are nuts, seeds, oils, and fish. The bad fats are found in most red meat, ANYTHING with chocolate or candy coating (seen on some energy bars), butter, and peanut butter that uses hydrogenated oil (solid at room temperature).<br />
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Sample diet for four hour long races with short breaks:<br />
<br />
<b>Breakfast </b><br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>12-16 oz. of Greek Yogurt (Protein)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Whole wheat bagel (Carb) smothered in NATURAL peanut butter (Fat/Protein)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Grapefruit or Orange Juice (Carb)<br />
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<b>Meal 2 (Prior to Race 1)</b><br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Energy Bar or Protein Bar (Carb/Protein & Carb)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>16 oz. Water<br />
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<b>Meal 3 (Prior to Race 2)</b><br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Energy Bar or Protein Bar (Carb/Protein & Carb)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Energy Gel (Carb)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>16 oz. Water<br />
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<b>Meal 4 (Prior to Race 3)</b><br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Nuts or Banana (Fat & Protein/Carb)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ready to Drink Protein Shake (Protein)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sport Drink (Carb)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>16 oz. Water<br />
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<b>Meal 5 (Prior to Race 4)</b><br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Two Energy Bars (Carb)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>16 oz. Water<br />
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<b>Meal 6 (Just off the water)</b><br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Protein Shake<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>16 oz. Water<br />
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<b>Dinner</b><br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Salmon (Protein/Fat)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Broccoli (Carb)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Black Beans (Carb/Protein)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Whole Wheat Pasta with Pesto (Carb/Fat)<br />
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EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! What works for one person may not work for another person. The important thing to take away from this article is to eat plenty and often when you are sailing! The amount of races you sail in a day, the length of each race, the wind strength, etc. is always changing. There are also many substitutes for any of the foods on this list. Experiment with different things, and find out what works best for you!<br />
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See you on the water,<br />
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<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-14491262876371217782013-05-06T21:00:00.000-04:002013-05-06T21:00:00.754-04:00Play 2 vs. Play 45<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the most challenging and complicated matchups in team racing occurs when Play 2 faces off against Play 45 (also known as Play 4, etc.). Play 2 is any combination, where your team’s top boat has the 2nd and 3rd spots, and any other position behind that, with the end goal being to finish in a 2-3-4, even though a 2-3-5 will still win a race. Play 45 is any situation where your team has the 1 spot, and the remaining boats are in 4th and/or worse positions. The end goal is to finish in a 1-4-5. In other words, your team has a 1st place, and is not in a play 1.<br />
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<b>Play 2:</b><br />
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<b>2-3-4</b>, 2-3-5, 2-3-6<br />
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<b>Play 45:</b><br />
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<b>1-4-5</b>, 1-4-6, 1-5-6<br />
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<b>Play 2 Overview:</b><br />
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As mentioned previously, the goal of Play 2 is to finish in a 2-3-4. 2-3-5 will still win, but mostly occurs as a fluke in high level team racing. The reason for this, is that if the other team is in a 1-4-6, the 4th place boat in a will never finish before trying to boost the 6th place boat past the 5th place boat. In other words, a 2-3-5 is a very unstable combination. Thus, in a Play 2, you should never stop executing pass backs until you are in a 2-3-4.<br />
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A 2-3-4 is one of the strongest combinations in team racing, assuming that your team can stay balanced with the 5th and 6th place boats on the other team. Play 2 is vulnerable, both upwind and downwind, when the other team is able to move towards two sides of the course, and the pairs are not able to come back together while remaining balanced. <br />
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Generally speaking, in a 2-3-4, two boats will gain control of the 5th and 6th place boats on the opposing team, with the third member of the team helping to maintain balance between the pairs, or rescuing a teammate if they lose control of an opposing boat.<br />
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<b>Play 45 Overview</b><br />
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Play 45 is less stable than Play 2, but is much less intricate in terms of balance. The biggest mistake made by most teams in Play 45 is the 1st boat running away with the 1, leaving 3 boats vs. 2 boats behind them. It is important that boat 1 retains 1st place. However, they should remain close enough to keep one boat occupied, and should also remain poised to spring a Play 1, if the opportunity arises.<br />
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There exception to this is initially around the first offset leg, and early in the downwind leg. If the 1st place boat lingers too close to the competition on those legs, that leaves the opportunity for the 2-3 to swallow him or her up downwind, and lose the 1 spot in the process. Instead, on off wind legs, boat 1 should stay in a spot where she is just far enough to protect the 1, relying on her teammates to do their jobs. She should set a mark trap at the leeward mark to bring the race together or to prevent 3 boats from ganging up on 2 boats behind her. Her job moves back to normal following the leeward mark trap.<br />
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While the 1st place boat’s role is crucial, the most important dynamic of Play 45 occurs between the other two boats. While the exact roles will change slightly depending on the precise combination, the ultimate goal is to put one boat on the other team in last. Once this happens, have one boat (Boat 5) gap this boat separating her as far as possible from the rest of the race, while the other boat (Boat 4) pushes boats 2 and 3 up the course.<br />
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<b>1-4-5 vs. 2-3-6</b><br />
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These are far and away the most interesting combinations to pair against each other in team racing. In each of these combinations, each boat has a specific role, and the winner of the race is determined by which team executes their roles most efficiently.<br />
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<b>Boat 1:</b><br />
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Hold onto the 1 spot, but stay close and connected, keeping boat 2 as uninvolved as possible from the play behind them. Wait to spring a Play 1 if the situation presents itself. On upwind legs, look for opportunities to pin boat 2, to keep them from helping the team balancing.<br />
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<b>Boat 4:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Push boats 2 and 3 up the course. Your job is to get as far ahead of boats 5 and 6 as possible, making it more difficult for boats 2 and 3 to boost boat 6 without leaving open a Play 1 opportunity. If you are far enough separated, and boats 2 and 3 split to free up boat 6, move immediately to Play 1.<br />
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<b>Boat 5:</b> Your job is simple. Gap boat 6, taking them as far away from the rest of the fleet as possible. There are several reasons to do this. The biggest reason is to keep boats 2 and 3 from having the ability to rescue boat 6. If one of them goes back to help, they will leave a 1-3 in the front of the fleet, which is easy to convert to a 1-2. Another reason you do this, is to act as an insurance policy if your team loses the 1 spot. If this happens, you will automatically have an opportunity to move into a Play 2.<br />
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<b>4-5 Wins:</b><br />
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<b>Boat 2: </b><br />
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You need to work with boat 3 to significantly slow boat 4 moving her as close to boats 5 and 6 as possible. If the boats are all about even with each other, boat 2 and boat 3 will each be able to gain control of boats 4 and 5 without giving up their respective positions. From here you will run the necessary pass backs to move into a 2-3-4. Typically, you will want to move boat 6 into 2nd place.<br />
<br />
As boat 5 will typically attempt to gap boat 6, boats 2 and 3 will need to double team boat 4, making her go much slower than boat 5 is capable of slowing boat 6. Upwind, this will consist mostly of one boat ragging, while the other is pinning. Downwind, this will consist of a lot of teamwork, hooking boat 4 whenever possible. If she breaks overlap with one of the boats and forces her downwind, the other boat should take over while the other reestablishes overlap with a couple of jibes, etc.<br />
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<b>Boat 3: </b><br />
<br />
See Boat 2; the jobs are identical, as the two boats work as a unit.<br />
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<b>Boat 6: </b><br />
<br />
You need to get to your help. Boat 5 will try to gap you, and your job is to make this as difficult as possible. Break overlap quickly downwind and force the gapping boat to sail forward. Do not get hooked if you can help it, and do not let them take you out as a starboard boat. When sailing upwind, avoid getting pinned, unless you are sailing toward your help. Avoid a significant amount of tacking. In desperate situations, you may have to jibe out of a pin to keep moving the race forward, but you should avoid this as much as possible. Rely on your teammates to do their jobs, and they will spring you if you are able to keep pushing up the course.<br />
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<b>2-3 Wins:</b><br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>2-3-4 vs. 1-5-6</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
When these two combinations square off, there is a constant struggle between 2-3-4 remaining balanced, and boats 5 and 6 unbalancing the 2-3-4, gaining control of one opposing boat, and putting them in last. <br />
<br />
<b>Boat 2: </b><br />
<br />
For the majority of the race, you are in a position where you are helping maintain balance between the pairs behind you, breaking ties whenever your teammates lose control of a boat, etc.<br />
<br />
If you are in the 2 spot immediately around the mark, your role will change slightly. In order to keep the race moving forward, you are in charge of protecting boat 4 from the trailing boats. <br />
<br />
<b>Boat 3: </b><br />
<br />
For the majority of the race, your job is to gain control of and balance boat 5. Bring boat 5 towards boat 6 as often as possible by ragging on boat 5 whenever they sail away from boat 6, and pinning her at full speed when you sail towards boat 6.<br />
<br />
If you are in the 3 spot immediately around the mark, your role will change slightly. In order to keep the race moving forward, you are in charge of protecting boat 4 from the trailing boats. <br />
<br />
<b>Boat 4:</b><br />
<br />
For the majority of the race, your job is to gain control of and balance boat 6. Bring boat 6 towards boat 5 as often as possible by ragging on boat 6 whenever they sail away from boat 5, and pinning her at full speed when you sail towards boat 5.<br />
<br />
If you are in the 4 spot immediately around the mark, your role will change slightly. You will sail dead downwind, pushing the race forward much more quickly, forcing boats 5 and 6 into the control of your teammates. When you eventually move into the 2 spot, you will assume that role.<br />
<br />
<b>2-3-4 Sailing Downwind</b><br />
<br />
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--<br />
<b>Boat 1:</b> <br />
<br />
You mostly have to remain patient, staying relatively close on upwind legs, preventing boat 2 from helping her teammates whenever possible. Set leeward mark traps to bring the group together, and possibly break up the 2-3-4. If you try to do too much, particularly downwind, you will risk losing the 1st, and will leave an opportunity for the other team to move to an easy Play 1.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, your largest priority is holding onto the 1st, while staying close enough to occupy boat 2, and keep them from doing their job whenever possible.<br />
<br />
<b>Boat 5:</b><br />
<br />
You are working with boat 6 to catch one boat from the other team, quickly putting them in last. Look for any and all opportunities to get the other team unbalanced. Split with your teammate whenever possible, forcing them to work to stay in a 2-3-4. On downwind legs, you will sail high to force an opponent to sail a lot of distance to control you. This will give your teammate an opportunity to go low and pass one of the boats on the other team. <br />
<br />
<b>Boat 6:</b><br />
<br />
Your job is similar to boat 5’s. You will be the low boat in a high/low downwind. Upwind, when you split up, force the boat that covers you to do a bunch of tacks, or anything else you can do to slow them down. This will give your teammate an opportunity to pass the boat covering you, and you will have a chance to run a pass back from there.<br />
<br />
See you on the water,<br />
<br />
<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-20891888108556037152013-04-24T21:00:00.000-04:002013-04-24T21:00:00.691-04:00Tracking Upwind in Waves<br />
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Have you ever gone over the top of a giant wave, and felt the boat slam down violently as you crossed over it? It happens all the time in boats of all sizes, and is called hobby-horsing. No matter how big or small the wave is, not having the ability to prevent your boat from doing this is will slow you down significantly. The opposite of hobby-horsing is called tracking. Tracking is the act of keeping your fully in touch with the water at all times, with no bow slamming or vibrations moving through your hull. The smaller, lighter, and less stable a boat is, the more important tracking through the water is, as these boats will slow down much more quickly than large, heavy, and stable boats. By keeping your speed up, helm neutral, and using precise steering and/or trimming movements, you can increase your ability to track through the water, and put miles of boat speed on your competition.<br />
<br />
<b>Steering & The Boat’s Ideal Path Through a Wave:</b><br />
<br />
Waves are your best friend downwind, and your worst enemy upwind. Upwind, not only does a wave serve as a roadblock, but is also a strong natural force that pushes your boat sideways. The more the wave moves toward your boat from the side, the more susceptible your boat is to a sideways slide. This makes you generally slower, and crushes your ability to point or hold your lane. However, with the proper technique, this is something you can use the waves as an asset when sailing upwind.<br />
<br />
When trying to track effectively through the water, each wave you sail through has an entry phase and an exit phase. The goal in the entry phase is to minimalize the amount the wave can push you sideways. The goal in the exit phase is to keep the boat from hobby-horsing, and to power up again for the next wave.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Entry Phase</i></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
As you are about to enter the face of a wave, you need to steer up, and into the face of the wave. The amount you steer depends on the size of the wave. The smaller the wave, the less you turn the boat. The larger the wave, the more you will turn the boat. This will align your bow more directly and head-on with the wave in order to punch through it, effectively reducing the amount the wave can push you sideways. Ultimately, you want to give each wave less direct surface to push sideways.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Exit Phase</i></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
When you turn into the face of a wave, you will reduce your speed at the top of it, making you much more susceptible to hobby-horsing. To correct this, you must turn hard and quickly down the back side of the wave to keep the boat in touch with the water, and to increase your speed before the next wave. Depending on the wind and waves, you may even want to exaggerate the turn over the wave, steering slightly past a close hauled course. You should only do this for the most brief instant, and then return to a close hauled course to get ready for the next wave.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>Steering:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
One of the first racing principles sailors are taught, is that using the rudder is slow. While this is true, hobby-horsing is much slower than using some tiller to steer through waves. An alternative to using tiller is changing sail trim during the entry and exit phases. Some sailors will trim during the entry phase to steer up, and ease during the exit phase to steer down. In all boats, you will see some combination of steering and trimming to effectively steer through waves. The exact ratios will depend on the conditions, your relative weight range for those conditions, and the type of boat you are sailing. As a general rule, steering with the sails is more effective in doublehanded boats, while steering with your tiller is more effective in singlehanded boats. Again, usually there is a mixture of both.<br />
<br />
<b>Neutralizing Your Helm:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Having a neutral helm will make your boat much more receptive to changes in steering or trimming. Let’s consider a boat’s ideal path through a wave. There is actually a relatively large amount of steering that is necessary to keep the boat tracking through the water, regardless of your speed and power. If your boat is heeled to leeward at the top of a wave, giving you weather helm, then you must use a good deal of rudder, or ease the sail significantly, to turn the boat down the backside of a wave. Thus, keeping a boat flat with a neutral helm, at the top of a wave, is critical to keeping the boat tracking through the water.<br />
<br />
<b>Maintaining Your Speed/Power:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Speed and power are essential to tracking through the water. When you encounter a wave, slowing down, or entering the face of that wave with little speed or power will make it difficult to get over the top without getting pushed sideways, causing your bow to slam down on the other side. When you move from wave to wave, the goal is to maximize your speed before the wave, use that speed to reach the top of the wave, and then quickly build it up again as you descend and move on to the next wave. This takes a lot of intense focus and practice to perfect, so go out and start practicing!<br />
<br />
See you on the water,<br />
<br />
<b><i>Zim Coach </i></b><br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-56925454286697294922013-04-18T20:53:00.001-04:002013-04-18T20:53:21.242-04:00Comparing Roll Tacks in the FJ and 420<br />
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In the last Zim Coach article, we looked at the basic do’s
and don’ts of roll tacking FJ’s and 420’s.
While all the basic principles of great roll tacks remain the same,
there are subtle adjustments that the best sailors make, when switching between
the two boats, which make a substantial difference. In both high school and college sailing, you
will switch back and forth often between each boat, and it is important to know
what adjustments you need to make, as you will not always have time to prepare
in each boat before an event.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To understand why the tacks in each boat will differ, it is
important to note the differences in the two boats. The 420 is built relatively wide, and is flat
toward the stern. Both the rudder and
centerboard are large and powerful blades that exert a significant amount of
force when moving in the water during a roll or flatten. These factors all lend to greater stability,
and demand a great amount of force to effectively roll the boat over. Tacks take longer in 420’s because there is
more boat and blade to roll through the water.
Combining the width of the boat with the size of the blades also gives
you a much wider margin of error for rolling and flattening the boat. In other words, it is much more difficult to
over roll, or over flatten.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In contrast, the FJ is relatively narrow, and has a completely
rounded on the bottom. The centerboard
is much less relevant, as is the rudder, making the boat much less stable, and
much more prone to sliding. Rolls take
much less effort, and occur much faster than rolls in a 420.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What this means for the two boats, is that FJ’s need more
finesse during tacks, while 420’s require more force. This is not to say that timing is not
important in the 420, but that you should put more force into it your rolls, as
you have a much larger margin of error, and much more to get to the other side
and nail your flatten. Furthermore, it
takes more effort, working against the centerboard of the 420, to roll the boat
over. Thus, both timing and force are
critical in the roll.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In the FJ, everything is much more subtle. Putting a significant amount of power behind
a roll will roll the boat over too quickly, ending in a lot of poorly executed
flattens. Remember, the flatten is what
makes a roll tack fast. No matter how
big the roll is, if the flatten is not executed well, a flat tack would be more
effective. Thus, rolling hard in FJ’s
leads to a lot of slow tacks. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>This is not to say
that the goal in an FJ tack is not to roll the boat way over.</b> In fact, it is quite the opposite. The best sailors will typically get the
rudder to just pop out of the water for an instant during the peak roll. However, reaching that point is more about
timing than effort. Except in light air
conditions, FJ tacks are typically executed with the skipper and crew both
sitting on the rail with shoulders slightly outboard, waiting for the right
time to cross. In the 420, usually
skippers in crews get off of their butts, and slam their hips hard into the
rail to initiate the roll. The FJ is so
narrow and round, that by using the right technique during your turn (see previous
article), the boat and wind will actually do all of the rolling for you. Remember, if you do not nail your flatten in
the FJ, it will actually slow your boat down.
Neither the boards, nor the boat are particularly wide. Thus, at the peak of the roll, when the boat
stalls, the boat will quickly slide sideways if the flatten is not properly
executed. By using less effort to roll
the boat, and focusing on timing, you get the same amount of roll out of the
boat, but have a much easier time to properly execute a perfect flatten.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Lastly, how the crew crosses the boat differs in the 420 and
FJ. In the 420, the crew crosses facing
forward, and the skipper will look to them to coordinate the timing of the
roll. In the FJ, the crew actually sits
backwards, watching the skipper to coordinate the roll. This is done because of the way the crew’s
feet cross in the different boats. In
the FJ, by tacking backwards, the crew’s feet fall in the perfect place to lock
right into the strap and hike or flatten without hesitation. This is not true if they tack facing forwards
in the FJ. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
This transition is often mental, and hard to figure out at first. To make the switch, crews should hold the
primary jib sheet in their forward hand in FJ’s, and in their aft hand in 420’s. All rolling and flattening movements are
identical once this adjustment is made.
You are just doing it while facing in another direction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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See you on the water,<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-20080583479410944002013-04-17T21:00:00.000-04:002013-04-17T21:00:00.186-04:00Do's and Don'ts for Roll Tacking 420's and FJ's<br />
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This time of year, in both college and high school sailing, there is a lot of racing going on. Sailors will often go through three straight weeks of team racing, only to sail an important fleet race regatta right at the end of it. There are a lot of things that you won’t have control over, and you will have to make many adjustments on the fly. You may also do a lot of switching between multiple kinds of boats, such as 420’s and FJ’s, and there is not usually a lot of time to prepare in both types before each event. Throughout all of the chaos, there is no excuse not to have your basic boat handling skills up to snuff prior to each event. Having this under control will give you a lot of confidence, one less thing to worry about, and the ability to get out of tough situations that occur on the water. Today, we will focus on the most basic and important piece of your boat handling: roll tacking.<br />
<br />
<b>General:</b><br />
<br />
Perfecting a roll tack is not easy, and has many parts to it. It requires an understanding of the boat you are sailing, advanced sailing principles, quick footwork/handwork, and precise coordination between the skipper and crew. However, when perfected, your advantage over other boats is significant.<br />
<br />
<b>Rolling at the Right Time:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
One of the biggest differences between a good roll tack and a great roll tack is the timing of the roll. The vast majority of sailors tend to roll a 420 or FJ too early. Unless it is very windy, rolling the second the jib backwinds is not ideal for effective tacks. Many sailors get in a crunch, or get really excited, and roll before the boat is ready. It’s natural to think that the faster you start your roll, the faster the tack is. However, by rolling too early, you will get less help from the sails to turn the boat, and will actually steer the boat down with your weight while turning up with the tiller. This creates a lot of friction with the rudder and the water, and you will have to steer much more to turn through the wind, slowing your boat down. Additionally, backwinding the jib helps the boat turn during a tack significantly. Thus, the longer you allow the jib to backwind, the less rudder you will have to use to steer through a tack.<br />
<br />
As a general rule of thumb, you want to wait till the boat is at or just past head to wind before rolling the boat. Waiting until this point will allow you to use less rudder, and will also allow you to use the wind to help roll over the boat. If you go earlier, you will roll the boat against the face of the wind, forcing you to use much more effort to roll the boat over.<br />
<br />
There is no exact time to wait before rolling the boat over, and it will change depending on the wind. For example, in light air, you want to wait a relatively long time before rolling over the boat, as it will take longer for the sails to help you steer through the wind. If it is really windy, you may want to cross sides quickly, as soon as the jib backwinds. As soon as both sailors are hiking, you should not roll at all, especially in the FJ. Instead, you should still use the sails to keep power in the boat the entire time, and simply switch sides and start hiking, when the jib backwinds. <br />
<br />
<b>Initiating the Turn:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Another common error by sailors is heeling the boat to leeward to initiate the turn before a roll tack. This is more effective in a hard chine boat (e.g. Optimist), because the corner will dig into the water, and keep the boat from sliding. In a soft chine boat (rounded bottom), like a 420 or FJ, the centerboard kicks to windward as the mast heels to leeward, causing the boat to slide sideways and slow down. Thus, steering the boat by smoothly trimming in the main, as you turn into the wind, is a more effective way to initiate the turn.<br />
<br />
<b>Coordinating the Role/Hitting the Rail at the Same Time:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A simple thing you can do to improve your roll tacks is having both the skipper and crew roll and flatten at the same time. Anyone would agree that the more weight you apply to the windward rail, the easier it is to roll the boat over. As an example, let’s say both the skipper and crew each weigh 130 lbs. If the skipper stands on a scale alone, that’s the weight it will read. Likewise, if the crew gets on the scale after the skipper, it will also say 130 lbs. However, when both are on the scale at the same time, the scale will read 260 lbs. The same principles in this example are directly applicable to rolling and flattening a boat. If you roll or flatten at different times, the rail will feel 130 lbs. on it twice, instead of 260 lbs. at once. <br />
<br />
Furthermore, you will increase the weight the rail experiences by getting your butt off the rail, and landing hard on the rail during the roll (both skipper and crew). If you weigh 130 lbs. on a scale, and you jump up and down on it, the scale will say that you weigh quite a bit more than you do in actuality. Thus, by having both the skipper and crew roll using this method, AND at the same time, that 260 lb. number can increase exponentially for two 130 lb. sailors. <br />
<br />
<b>The Jib:</b><br />
<br />
Keeping the jib full the entire way through the tack is imperative for maintaining speed and power through a tack. So often you see a crew release the jib sheet too early, leaving a gap between the backwind and the fill on the other side, where the jib luffs. This disrupts the flow over the sail, and it will take a few additional moments to refill. This will cause the boat to slow down and slide sideways.<br />
<br />
To correct this, at the last moment prior to the jib starting to luff, pull hard on the primary sheet. This will cause the jib to backwind much faster, and help start turning the boat earlier. Hold the jib in a backwinded position until you start moving to the other side of the boat. As you cross, snap the jib in on the other side with the new primary sheet. If you execute this with a quick motion and correct timing, the jib will pop full without luffing for even the slightest instant. The trick to this is waiting longer, and maintaining pressure on the clew of the jib with the jib sheets the entire way through the tack. Thus, when you let go of the primary sheet, all of the slack needs to be out of the new sheet to continue to place tension on the clew.<br />
<br />
<b>The Main and the Flatten:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The final piece of a great roll tack (and the most difficult), is the movement of the mainsail following the roll, and through the flatten. At the moment of the roll, you should have the mainsheet trimmed in as hard as possible. As you cross sides (at the peak of the roll), you should have your main eased to a beam reach. You do this to more effectively control the flatten of your boat, and because your apparent wind has shifted back, facing the side of the boat. If you try to flatten the boat with the sail all the way in, it is extremely difficult and ineffective, as you are flattening against a sail that is full of wind. By dumping the main, you can generate a much faster and more powerful flatten of the boat. Also, at the peak of a roll, your boat actually comes to a complete stop for an instant before accelerating. At this point, your apparent wind moves back, pointing directly at the side of your boat. If your sail is in all the way at this point, your boat will slide sideways instead of moving forward.<br />
<br />
Now, it is not enough to simply ease the sail. If that is all you do, the boat would flatten really fast, but would not generate much power from the sails movement from a heeled to vertical angle. A roll tack is fast because of power generated from both the centerboard’s and mainsail’s movement against one another through the water and wind respectively. Thus, once the boat starts to transition back downward from a peak roll, the mainsail needs to start coming in. The main should come back to its normal upwind trim at the exact point where the boat is flat again. This part takes a lot of practice, but is worth it in the end! <br />
<br />
<b>Quick reference guide of the Do’s and Don’ts of great roll tacks:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Do:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Steer with your sails (trim main/backwind jib)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Keep the boat flat during the turn before the roll<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Roll later (after the jib starts to turn the boat)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Roll at the same time<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Keep the jib full the entire time<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ease the sails during the peak of the tack<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Trim the main in again as you flatten<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Straighten the rudder before you flatten<br />
<br />
<b>Don’t:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Steer by healing the boat to leeward before the tack<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Roll too early<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Have the skipper and crew roll at different times<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Let the jib luff at all<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Keep the sails (especially the main) trimmed in while you flatten.<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Flatten with the rudder at an angle<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
See you on the water,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-38090364202559312922013-04-15T21:00:00.000-04:002013-04-16T09:06:02.529-04:00Meet David Pritchard, President of Gill North America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbivR8T6JFF4kJx8PUW3RtOj_ANpezXfUoBPlS8GxfsRJd4hp3e9GxpklXvXvMKJeVj102kbGuCJC8NLmZNqZB3J3BpHXAottum-UWl5G8Vv4rj2-aCKbSNtSoISKR3Bn69OEFfls7dw/s1600/DP+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbivR8T6JFF4kJx8PUW3RtOj_ANpezXfUoBPlS8GxfsRJd4hp3e9GxpklXvXvMKJeVj102kbGuCJC8NLmZNqZB3J3BpHXAottum-UWl5G8Vv4rj2-aCKbSNtSoISKR3Bn69OEFfls7dw/s400/DP+Pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Gill North America Website: </b><a href="http://bit.ly/GillNA">http://bit.ly/GillNA</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Gill North America on Facebook: </b><a href="http://bit.ly/GillNAFB">http://bit.ly/GillNAFB</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Zim Sailing/Gill North America Sweepstakes: </b><a href="http://bit.ly/ZimGillSweepstakes">http://bit.ly/ZimGillSweepstakes</a><b> </b><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Could you tell us a little bit about your background and career?</b><br />
<br />
I have spent most of my life around sailboats. Our family lived in England until I was 10 years old, and I did a lot of racing with my father as a crew during that time. Most of the racing we did was in a boat called an Albacore. My fondest childhood memory was Cowes Race Week. Eventually, my father’s business moved to the USA, and we settled in Glen Cove on Long Island. We joined the Sea Cliff Yacht Club. I raced Snipes and Stars with my Dad on weekends, and I joined the junior sailing program over the summers. I just fell into the sport from that point forward. <br />
<br />
When I was 14, I won my first Nationals in the Blue Jay, which caught some people’s attention. Over the next couple of years, I first won the Neff, and then the Bell Trophy, awarded to the top junior sailor on Long Island. I had a tremendous crew, Joey Yacho, and a lot of club and family support. By the time I turned 17, I started racing Fireballs and 470’s, and was gathering an interest in Olympic Racing. I raced as a 470 crew with Dave Kellogg, and we did the Pre Trials in 1975. We made the US Sailing Team just before I went off to college at UC Irvine.<br />
<br />
UCI had a really good sailing team at the time, and I sailed for them while studying Biomedical Science. Whenever I wasn’t in school studying or sailing for the school, I was racing with others on the west coast, learning everything that I could. That was my passion. I raced a lot of Lidos, won a National’s in the C 15 with Tom Lindsky, and raced J24’s. I also worked part time for Dave Ullman. After work, we would go out to Long Beach, train, and look at sail shapes. This was an excellent opportunity for me to learn from a truly amazing sailor.<br />
<br />
At the end of my junior year, I left UCI, and made a push towards the 1980 Olympics with Dave Kellogg in the 470. We made the US Sailing Team, and trained hard for the trials. Eventually the plug was pulled on the games, making the trials essentially a non-event. We finished 4th.<br />
<br />
That summer, I went to work as a sales engineer for Lombardi on the west coast. I covered the 13 western states for the company, and kept racing on weekends. Deep down inside, I missed the 470 Olympic opportunity in 1980. It left me with what I felt was unfinished business. So, after three years with a great company, I quit my job, and decided to start campaigning for the 1984 games in Los Angeles. <br />
<br />
This is how the business really got started. I came home in the summer of 1983, from California, to live with my parents on Lake Lanier, near Atlanta, Georgia. I started a small marine service business “Weathermark “, with my 470 Crew Kenny Watts. We worked out of my parents’ home. We sold Ullmans Sails, ISP Sailing Products, and BIC Sailboards. When we were not away racing the 470, we worked the business. After sailing for years, I already knew many people in the sailing industry, making it relatively easy to get into the business side of the sport. <br />
<br />
Weathermark became a very successful sailboat dealership. We sold it in the spring of 1999, after a great 15 year run, but that’s another story!<br />
<br />
This story is about the genesis of Gill NA. In the summer 1984, at one of the local yacht clubs, I noticed someone wearing a Douglas Gill one piece product. In all my years of sailing, I had never seen the brand before. My father wrote a note to Douglas Gill, based in the UK, to find out more about their business, and to inquire about selling their products. Gill was very small at the time, just like Weathermark. Weathermark was centered and focused on the Southeast of the United States, whereas Gill was potentially a national opportunity. I had a vision, even back then, for the line. After a trial run in 1985, Nick Gill gave us the national distributor rights in 1986. So, that’s how it all started with Gill. Just a chance meeting with someone wearing a Gill product on a boat ramp at a local sailing club! <br />
<br />
<b>Why did you elect to sell Weathermark and focus on Gill?</b><br />
<br />
As I mentioned, Weathermark was doing very well. Weathermark was a thriving business that required a lot of attention, and was also exposed when the lake level dropped too low. This happened in both 1986 and 1987, and I knew we needed something else to help offset and compensate for low lake level years. Gill was the answer. In the early 1990’s, Gill really started to take off. Nick was spending a lot of time in the US, and we were making a lot of new products to meet the growing needs of the market. Gill started to double in size every year. <br />
<br />
I saw a lot of potential for further growth on the Gill side. I felt, at the time, that Weathermark had reached its market cap, and that our team had done an excellent job getting there. However, when the wind shifts, you should tack. In the retail business, you have to work a lot of weekends. Transitioning over to Gill NA full time gave me more time to spend with my family, and an opportunity to focus on a growing national brand. At that time, I had a young family, and while the sale of Weathermark was a great source of capital to fuel the Gill NA side of our business, the ultimate decision was more about family. <br />
<br />
Every day, I wake up thankful for that decision and the job that I get to do every day. I get to follow my heart and passion for the sailing lifestyle. Ever since 1999, we have never looked back. Gill NA’s annual compound growth rate has been very strong. The mantra was “striving to do less better!”<br />
<br />
<b>What do you enjoy about working on the apparel side of the sailing industry?</b><br />
<br />
The sailing apparel industry, I find, is a very personal sale. It’s all about the sailor and the marine customer. Their passion is life on the water. They are not sailing in an inanimate piece of equipment. The clothing speaks to who they are. Our technical clothing takes on a life of its own, when it is on the customer. When customers are purchasing technical clothing gear, we are getting into that person’s comfort zone, asking about use and fit, and we get to hear all of their stories in the process. They invite us in. Our team at Gill is devoted to helping people, by making their life on the water better! We are fortunate at Gill NA to have excellent and experienced staff team to help the customer. Our sales manager Jerry Richards, for example, has raced in two Olympics, an America’s Cup, and many offshore races. He understands technical clothing, and the value of dressing properly on the water. We are all about helping the customer make an informed purchase decision.<br />
<br />
<b>What will the sailing apparel industry look like in 10 years?</b><br />
<br />
Fabric has changed a lot over the past 10-15 years. Fabrics are now mostly breathable, and are getting more so every day. Fabric technology has moved considerably, and I think it is fair to say that it will continue to do so. Durability will continue to increase, moisture vapor will become more efficient, and I would expect changes in how garments are assembled. As an example, we may get to the point where seams are glued and no sewing is required.<br />
<br />
Product sourcing will, most likely, move closer to home in the United States. The cost of manufacturing in China is going up, shipping costs are going up, and there is an urgency to cut down on delivery time. We will possibly see a Dell like manufacturing model for custom clothing.<br />
<br />
Fashion trends and colors will remain contemporary and appealing to the time period. We look at trends and colors as far as 24 months out from a product’s release.<br />
<br />
Gill International invests continually in these product development areas ….what I call value creation. Innovation fuels sales. <br />
<br />
<b>Gill just became the Official Technical Apparel Sponsor of US Sailing. What is most exciting to Gill about this relationship with US Sailing?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Our US Sailing sponsor relationship allows Gill NA to connect directly with our ideal customer target audience - a US Sailing member. It also provides a way to stay connected and give back to the sport. There are a host of amazing programs and events that Gill is excited to take part in, including certified race instruction, the road tour, US Sailing Championships and an educational component. Gill has given back and stayed involved with US Sailing from 1996 to 2008 as a Sailing Team sponsor. After that, we decided to focus on the association side. That’s where we are today. <br />
<br />
<b>Who is your sailing idol?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I’m not big on having idols. I have a lot of admiration for many different sailors that I have met throughout my career. Dave Ullman is someone I have a lot of admiration and respect for. He has continued to keep Ullman Sails thriving for so many years, and he has such a natural ability as a sailor. He would always give back, and help you get to the next level. He never seemed secretive, and was always open to helping you get up to speed in a class. Dave had such a huge impact on my life at an early stage. Getting to see firsthand, by watching him, what an entrepreneurial business looked like, helped me see that I could work for myself one day. Passion turned into profession. <br />
<br />
Another huge influence on my life was Nick Gill, our chairman. He gave me the benefit of the doubt way back in the day, at age 26, and helped me connect a few very good decisions to get my career jumpstarted. He is a very humble, servant-leader type. You would never know he was the chairman unless someone told you that he was. We’ve known each other for 30 years. <br />
<br />
My job allows me to connect with many people in the industry. Many of the owners and employees of the dealerships we serve are excellent sailors. I have strived stayed connected with so many other talented racers, cruisers, and pro fishing anglers whom I have great respect for. I have a lot of respect for all of these individuals.<br />
<br />
<b>What kinds of things should a customer look for and consider when purchasing sailing gear?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The most focused time we have with customers is at a boat show. We like to encourage the customer to try on the product, because it is important to see how the garment fits. We encourage customers to try other brands on as well, because we think that our fit is a strong selling point. Gill has a garment technologist who does nothing but work on fit, and refine our patterns to ensure that our fit is consistent across all styles.<br />
The level of features you want is also important. Gill makes products that go all the way to ocean level criteria. You will need to look at safety considerations, reflectors, drainage, and pockets. Look at how a garment is taped. There is a specific technique for proper taping. Turn the product inside out, and then compare with the competition. Look at how the garment is sewn together, and check for exposed stitching. If the stitching is exposed, it will significantly diminish the life of a garment.<br />
<br />
Fabric is important. Does the fabric breathe? Are the key wear areas reinforced? Buyer beware -this is the area were garment design can really be compromised. Fabric is as much as 50% of the cost of the garment, and it’s an easy place for factory’s to cut cost and greatly reduce the life and performance of the garment.<br />
Lastly, look at a product’s guarantee. The Gill guarantee offers real peace of mind to our customers.<br />
<br />
<b>Tell us about the Zim Sailing/Gill Sweepstakes. Why did you elect to work with Zim, and how do the two companies fit together?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Zim is an excellent upcoming boat brand, and we have seen the great work you all have done to support junior, high school, and collegiate sailing. Gill has partnered and offered a number of different giveaways with several companies on the social media platform. We have given away yacht charters, free gear, boats, boat show tickets, and all sorts of other things. This contest is about building awareness of the brand by offering a chance for someone to win a brand new Zim Optimist and $1,000 retail value of Gill sailing gear. <br />
<br />
<b>What products are you most excited about in this year’s program?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Gill has had a very busy year working on innovation and value. The market place wants innovation, improved product, and stable costs if possible. Our new spring 2013 offer includes a fully updated OS2 style that is foundational to our offshore foul weather gear line up. We have an entire new luggage range and Inshore Lite Foul Weather Gear range. The newest addition to the color pallet is “bright lime” in dinghy, which is very popular. Our new coast guard PFD and sunglasses round out the spring 2013 offering. We have a very broad product line that dealer’s love. <br />
<br />
<b>How does Gill go about new product development and research?</b><br />
<br />
On the Gill North America side of the business, we work as an importer and distributor. We focus on “value delivery”: marketing, sales, customer service, etc. On the research and development side in the UK they focus on “value creation”. We are invited by Gill International, based in the UK, a few times a year, to participate and speak to the development process. This process starts two years in advance of final production products hitting the market. During this time, the products will go through many design changes to achieve the design brief. Samples are then made and field tested. No product is released until it is tested on sailors, and they have a chance to destroy what they are wearing. If it does not meet the criteria of the original brief, and offer unique and distinct value that make the lives of our customers better, the product is not released.<br />
<br />
After a product is out in the market place, we obtain notes and feedback from the people that use it, and incorporate that research into the next generation of products. <br />
<br />
In the end, Gill makes a great range of products with an excellent value proposition for consumers in the sailing and boating community. We are also one of the few brands that offer a comprehensive selection of junior and women’s gear. I am very proud of the job we do, of our team of dedicated professionals, and what we sell, and we look forward to doing it for many years to come.<br />
<br />
<b><i>David Pritchard</i></b><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-50831216812989526742013-03-25T21:15:00.001-04:002013-03-25T21:24:22.810-04:00The Byte CII Tuning Parabola<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBPhCFW4i7y6f2YZH0GV_A201ui9Hw3M0txPf8VokHAEXS9Qd18YvodNoWjDD-UVG8qK2QLHgUHlsH5rWUMb_vGKTS8dzB_9jeuicekwx6SzA_6Jc3h5HSYC87HCz1OTckPnpstNsnwU/s1600/byte+cii+upwind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBPhCFW4i7y6f2YZH0GV_A201ui9Hw3M0txPf8VokHAEXS9Qd18YvodNoWjDD-UVG8qK2QLHgUHlsH5rWUMb_vGKTS8dzB_9jeuicekwx6SzA_6Jc3h5HSYC87HCz1OTckPnpstNsnwU/s640/byte+cii+upwind.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
The Byte CII World Championship is coming to Newport, Rhode
Island this summer, with a host of clinics and regattas leading up to the
event. While many of the traditional
dinghy classes rely on the vang to induce and maintain mast bend and a flat
sail, the Byte CII does not. This makes
the boat unique in terms of tuning and sail trim compared to the traditional
dinghy classes. To help you train for
the Worlds this summer, here is a basic overview of trimming the Byte CII’s
sail across different wind ranges.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Byte CII was specifically designed by Ian Bruce to fit a
weight range, as opposed to an age group or gender. Furthermore, the design is conducive to a
large weight range (110 lbs. – 160 lbs.).
The sail is made of Mylar, instead of Dacron, and is fully
battened. When coupled with a tapered,
carbon fiber mast, the cunningham carries the load effortlessly to the top of
the sail, allowing you to bend the mast and flatten the sail. What this means to sailors coming from other traditional
dinghy classes, is that you never use the vang upwind, because doing so will add
unnecessary tension to the leech. Other
traditional dinghies require this tension, as the vang is the only control that
allows you to bend the mast and flatten the sail effectively. This is not the case with the Byte CII. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The golden rule, for tuning a Byte CII upwind, is to achieve
the desired sail shape while keeping the boom over the back corner of the
boat. When applying cunningham, the mast
will bend, and the boom will move outboard.
When easing cunningham, the mast will stiffen, and the boom will move inboard. To counter the boom’s movement from the back
corner of the boat, you may use either the mainsheet or the traveler, depending
on the wind conditions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The traveler is the second large game changer from the
traditional dinghies. The traveler’s
role in the Byte CII is to allow you to effectively position the boom over the
back corner of the boat with the ideal sail shape for the conditions. In other words, it allows you to effectively control
your leech tension for different conditions, via the mainsheet, while keeping
your boom in the ideal place for speed and pointing (the leeward rear corner of
the boat). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thus, in the extreme conditions (light and heavy air), where
you generally ease the sheet out, you will pull the traveler to windward, pulling
the boom back over the corner to maintain your pointing. Thus, the sheet is allowing you to control
your leech tension, while the traveler controls the sail’s angle to the
wind. In medium air, when you need more
power in the sail, and generally would pull tighter on the sail, the traveler
drops as far as the centerline of the boat, allowing you to apply just enough
tension on the sail to prevent you from spilling much wanted power out of the
top. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because the Byte CII is designed for such a broad weight
range, it is important to look at the suggestions below as general guidelines
for your level of control upwind. What a
110 lb. sailor does in 15 knots will vary significantly from what a 160 lb.
person will do in 15 knots.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Light Air<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You will sail with no cunningham (or just enough to pull the
horizontal creases out of the sail), will pull the cunningham far to windward,
and will ease the sheet to the corner of the boat. Your sail will look relatively full, and
pulling the traveler to windward will give you more room to ease the sheet to
the corner and open the leech. The tell
tale on your top batten should look like it is trying to go forward 50% of the
time, and should fly straight back the other 50% of the time (50/50 rule).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Medium Air<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you are fully powered up and under control (butt over the
rail or light hiking), you should set the traveler more towards the center of
the boat. You will pull the Cunningham
just to the point where you have no creases in the sail. This will move the boom outboard, and you
will compensate by trimming the sail to the corner of the boat. The 50/50 rule applies here as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Medium Heavy Air<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the Byte CII is a small and physical boat, there is a
wind range, where if you hike hard enough, you may want to continue to keep
some power in the sail. For the stronger
and heavier sailors, I find this may go as high 15 knots or so. In this wind range, you will have the
cunningham maxed out, the traveler center lined, and the main trimmed to the
corner. If the boat is flat, and you
have no helm, this setup will give you tremendous height and power. This will ONLY work if you are hiking hard, and
have no helm. The instant you are no
longer able to maintain a neutral helm, you should start moving to the heavy
air setup. This will happen much earlier
if you are sailing in waves and later in flat water.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Heavy Air<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you get to the point where hiking is no longer enough,
the Byte CII gives you another setup to keep the lightweights in the game. Once the cunningham is maxed out, and you start
dumping the sail to keep the boat flat, start to move the traveler back up to
windward. This allows you to dump the
sail to the point where you are under control, while keeping the sail in the
corner of the boat to maintain your pointing.
Without having to use the vang, you are able to do this without applying
any tension to your leech, making depowering easy and effective.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>The Parabola<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Light – Traveler up;
sail out; cunningham off or variable<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Medium – Traveler
down; sail in; cunningham variable<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Medium Heavy –
Traveler down; sail in; cunningham strapped<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Heavy – Traveler up;
sail out; cunningham strapped<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><a href="http://bit.ly/ByteCIIWorlds" target="_blank">Byte CII Worlds NOR</a></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><a href="http://bit.ly/ByteCIIS1D" target="_blank">Meet the Byte CII, the Next Great Singlehanded Class</a></b></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-67561042522441638282013-03-20T20:55:00.001-04:002013-03-20T20:56:31.170-04:00Brad Adam on Club 420 Racing<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq00tnE443BAuFQzbP1aQoksxHmPs8x5-nCqQ5EIUqyDitoabSgrtysfaUeYG7ce7WKlZxlzDLwF2KEEnHUZwTiP5Kj6juUklXjq9I05PspsgRzxFvN2mFiX-DZahXrf8gfqm8YhID_ro/s1600/Brad+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq00tnE443BAuFQzbP1aQoksxHmPs8x5-nCqQ5EIUqyDitoabSgrtysfaUeYG7ce7WKlZxlzDLwF2KEEnHUZwTiP5Kj6juUklXjq9I05PspsgRzxFvN2mFiX-DZahXrf8gfqm8YhID_ro/s400/Brad+Photo.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Grace Adam Photography</td></tr>
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<b>Name:</b> Brad Adam<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Sailing Accomplishments:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>2011</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
1<sup>st</sup> 420 Falmouth Regatta<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
1<sup>st</sup> 420 New Bedford Regatta<o:p></o:p></div>
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6<sup>th</sup> 420 US Sailing Youth Champs<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>2012</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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1<sup>st</sup> 420 Brooke Gonzalez Clinic Regatta<o:p></o:p></div>
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4<sup>th</sup> 420 New Bedford Regatta<o:p></o:p></div>
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1<sup>st</sup> 420 North Americans<o:p></o:p></div>
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5<sup>th</sup> 420 Chubb Double Handed Championships<o:p></o:p></div>
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4<sup>th</sup> 420 Orange Bowl<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>What is the
biggest adjustment you have to make moving from an Opti to a Club 420?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The biggest adjustment is definitely working with another
person. You have to get into the habit
of not doing everything yourself. If you
are going to be successful in the Club 420, responsibility, for everything that
happens, has to go to both sailors equally.
As much as you think you are capable of doing everything on the boat,
you can’t do it as well as two separate people doing their individual jobs on
the same boat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I struggled with this a lot early on. I sailed with the same
person for three years, but we had issues from time to time in our first year. When we were in our second year together, we
started working as a team. Knowing what
the other person needed to do was really helpful, and we improved a lot. In our final year, we knew how to help each
other out when the other was down, and did very well in some big regattas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What are the biggest mistakes you see a lot of young sailors
make when sailing the Club 420?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Honestly, when they first get into the Club 420, many of the
younger sailors coming out of Optis are too serious. They spend a lot of their time yelling and
screaming around the course, when they should just calm down and sail. Later on down the road, the good ones realize
that this doesn’t get you anywhere. They
end up calming down and sailing, which helps them see the big picture.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What do you like about the boats? The class?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Initially, my size was a big factor for getting into the
boats. I was too small for many of the
other boats available to me at the time.
Also, getting to use a spinnaker is really cool, and it prepares you for
downwind sailing in a lot of other boats.
Most important of all, the Club 420 is the most competitive class in the
country, especially at the top regattas like Youth Champs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What is your training program like?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just going out and getting in a lot of sailing is really
important. We did not have a coach this
past year, so we would try to sail for at least half an hour after school. We used a Go Pro® to get footage, and analyze
it after sailing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the most part, there is not much structure to the training
sessions. We do a lot of long upwinds
and long downwinds to improve on speed and boat handling.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What are your top 3 drills to improve upwind and downwind
speed?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best drills for this are tacking and jibing on the
whistle, rabbit starts with grinds, and just going in a straight line for 15
minutes at a time. These are all really
simple, but they get the job done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Do you have a fitness program? What do you recommend for a
young 420 sailor?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I try to go to the gym for 30 minutes or so every week night,
regardless of what I have done that day.
When I go to the gym, I like to do everything in one session. For example, I will do cardio, legs, arms,
and abs while I’m there. I try to switch
between exercises with as little rest as possible. This way, when I switch between machines, I
get a cardio workout as well. I aim to
do sets of ten, and pick a weight where I have to work hard to get that tenth
rep.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>If you could redo your youth sailing career, what would you
do differently?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I would have gotten more involved in my actual high school,
and encouraged more kids to join the sailing team. I wish I had learned more about things like
team racing, and it’s just not possible without more sailors getting involved in
my school’s program.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>You have done a bit of crewing as well. What is enjoyable about crewing for you?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s nice to get the perspective, and see firsthand what the
crew can and cannot do. This way, you
don’t expect more than is possible from the person you sail with. It’s important to experience the learning
process firsthand, and you will learn how to teach it more effectively.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>To develop fast in the 420 class, what are the best regattas
to do each year?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First of all, the most important things to evaluate for any
regatta are size and location. You want
to sail at regattas with a lot of boats, and the location will often dictate
that. Make sure the event is a place
that is easily accessible to a lot of groups of people. East coast regattas will typically draw a
larger number than west coast regattas.
West coast sailors are much more likely to come to a regatta out east
than vice versa. In the northeast, it’s
not uncommon to get 100+ boat fleets in the summer time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Year in and year out, the best regattas are Youth Champs,
Midwinters, Orange Bowl, North Americans, Buzzards Bay, Hyannis, Nationals, and
Bemis. Youth’s, Midwinters, and Orange
Bowl are the most competitive. How
competitive regattas like Nationals are, will depend more on location. Bemis is a great event to do, but because of
the ladder structure, many of the qualifying events are more competitive than
the final regatta. Finishers outside the
top five at Bemis would have struggled to finish in the top fifteen or twenty
in our district’s first round qualifier.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are a lot of clinics that are really helpful as
well. Brooke Gonzalez is where I learned
how to sail the 420 correctly, the Neal Clinic is great, and the CISA Clinic is
where I learned how to sail in breeze.
Brooke Gonzalez is also really great for college recruitment, as a lot
of coaches come to the event to teach, and look at up and coming sailors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Brad Adam</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-1601830932375462072013-03-19T21:00:00.000-04:002013-03-19T21:09:53.581-04:00Mitch Hall on Coaching Team Racing<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvx6ajp5P8TImtNrEylROum_Jxuj_o5QK0xOn1Nw0_VvlStUuD9vBlC0LXiweGy-1PJ-kNL7Hk65FP23YFRXpd5G6ulxoGUEwScYw0vx28I_OG_gUZCTWEFG4HUOP3KAkocH2nPgjojjw/s1600/Mitch+Hall+final+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvx6ajp5P8TImtNrEylROum_Jxuj_o5QK0xOn1Nw0_VvlStUuD9vBlC0LXiweGy-1PJ-kNL7Hk65FP23YFRXpd5G6ulxoGUEwScYw0vx28I_OG_gUZCTWEFG4HUOP3KAkocH2nPgjojjw/s320/Mitch+Hall+final+photo.JPG" width="217" /></a></div>
<b>Name:</b> Mitch Hall<br />
<br />
<b>School/Title:</b> College of Charleston/Assistant Coach<br />
<br />
<b>College of Charleston Sailing Team:</b> <a href="http://bit.ly/CofCSailing">http://bit.ly/CofCSailing</a><br />
<br />
<b>College of Charleston Sailing Team on Facebook: </b><a href="http://bit.ly/CofCSailingFB">http://bit.ly/CofCSailingFB</a><br />
<br />
<b>Can you speak to what spring semester is like for college sailors? How does it differ from the fall?</b><br />
<br />
Spring semester is more team racing oriented, where you work towards team racing nationals in May. The fall is all about fleet racing. At College of Charleston, we like to focus on the fundamentals of team racing. We won’t run any starts, or sail any races, until we feel comfortable in every play and every position on the course. <br />
<br />
<b>What does team racing do for you as a sailor moving forward from college sailing?</b><br />
<br />
The most exciting aspects of team racing are how it implements the rules, boat speed, and boat handling at the same time. To be successful, you have to be good at all three. Team racing also emphasizes team work. You can be the fastest boat on the entire race course, but your team won’t win unless you work together, and execute plays. <br />
<br />
In today’s sailing world, there are actually a lot of ways to stay involved in team racing after college. There are a lot of large regattas like the Hinman, Charles River Team Race, Morgan Cup, and a few more in the New England area that a lot of college sailors and ex-college sailors take advantage of, and compete in every year.<br />
<br />
<b>What qualities and skills make a good team racer?</b><br />
<br />
Aside from the actual sailing skills, having the ability to identify and analyze certain situations quickly is critical. Situations unfold in the blink of an eye, and you have to adapt without hesitation. Confidence in your abilities is another important attribute. If you are confident, you will know what to do in any situation without hesitation. The person, who has this confidence and does not hesitate, can usually take advantage of a situation. Lastly, it’s good to have the mindset and understanding that situations are always changing, and a race is never over until you cross the finish line.<br />
<br />
<b>What separates a good team racing team from a phenomenal team racing team?</b><br />
<br />
Last year’s Team Racing National Championship was very competitive. To give you an idea, I think we won the regatta with three or four losses. Georgetown, who we struggled against all year, didn’t make the final four. It’s always anyone’s championship. Basically, any team that steps up, starts well, manages races, and can stay in control from start to finish is going to take it.<br />
<br />
<b>What do you feel are the most effective team racing drills?</b><br />
<br />
Having a complete understanding of the rules is essential before you get into on the water drills. One of the most effective drills we use, after we understand the rules, is the box drill. Essentially, you set up four marks like a box, and continuously practice pass backs on each leg. We always do this with simple three boat pass backs to get people in the mindset of team racing, before you get into any combinations or plays.<br />
<br />
<b>What are the biggest mistakes made by less experienced team racing teams?</b><br />
<br />
I see a lot of people get overly aggressive at the start, and lose track of time in the process. This obviously leads to a lot of poor starts, which really hurts teams during short races. We really focus on making sure we have all 3 boats on the line at go. It substantially increases your odds of winning races.<br />
<br />
<b>How do you balance all of the different personalities you see on a team race team?</b><br />
<br />
We have a great group of sailors here, who are all working towards a common goal. Having that goal helps a lot. At the end of the day, though we all have different methods, we are working towards the same outcome. We all end up falling on common ground.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you mix and match teams at practice, or do you always keep your top group together? Why?</b><br />
<br />
Our teams all stay together as much as possible. We do this because communication is so important. You have to communicate all the time, and sometimes without saying anything. The more you sail with each other, the easier that is to accomplish.<br />
<br />
<b>When you have multiple boats competing for the third spot on the team, what stands out to you about a sailor that helps make that decision for you?</b><br />
<br />
Fortunately, we have not seen many of those situations since I started working here. Seniority is a big factor in that decision. Having someone with more experience is crucial to making all the right decisions, and we would want that person in the open spot. At the same time, you want to continue to grow and develop your younger sailors, as they are the future of your program. You don’t want to spend too much time and effort in developing someone who won’t be at the school next semester.<br />
<br />
<b>What things are not coached enough in team racing?</b><br />
<br />
College sailing goes by really quickly. So much time and effort are put into results. You need to enjoy the experience, and keep a positive attitude. If you don’t like what you are doing, you will not do well at it. We like to stress a positive attitude for team racing at College of Charleston. This is definitely not coached enough.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Mitch Hall</i></b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-56275053203327506092013-03-18T20:54:00.000-04:002013-03-19T09:35:14.981-04:00A Drill to Change Perspective<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqkplKTr0C3rq72UFFwrdWpGTo8RAui3RMVCJ3FgIEkn2MEhA3YY5bhEp89QQwQeLFOM4rFYgMkmv_aiGp4jsdsMC4yaDlOeH21Dzi03MZp8toIzFZXtOWyQa5En4y5RXCn8FOCbsrpY/s1600/Zim+Opti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqkplKTr0C3rq72UFFwrdWpGTo8RAui3RMVCJ3FgIEkn2MEhA3YY5bhEp89QQwQeLFOM4rFYgMkmv_aiGp4jsdsMC4yaDlOeH21Dzi03MZp8toIzFZXtOWyQa5En4y5RXCn8FOCbsrpY/s640/Zim+Opti.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
While coaching this weekend, I noticed during the races that
each sailor ended up in about the same spot in the fleet every race. There were some minor back and forth changes
in position, but one sailor typically jumped out into the lead, two sailors
lightly pushed behind him for the next spots, and everyone else fell into neat
little packs made just for them. There is a tendency for sailors to get
accustomed to sailing in a certain area of the fleet, which stifles sailors of
all skill levels. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
This is problematic for sailors who do not see the front of
the fleet often. All sailors usually
take a few years to initially develop some semblance of top-level boat
speed. This learning curve keeps them far
away from that top group for a long time.
When they are finally able to hang with the top sailors in terms of
speed, they then have to take the next steps to learn how to use that speed,
and maintain their position in the top groups.
This weekend, I saw two young sailors, who had every bit as much speed
as the top three kids in the group. Early
on, they were often hanging with the top sailors. However, it didn’t take long for the three
strongest sailors to pick them apart tactically, and squeeze them out of the
picture.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
This is problematic for the stronger sailors as well. In nearly every regatta, there is AT LEAST
one race (probably more), where a few of the best sailors get into trouble
early in a race, and have to work there way out of the middle or back of the
fleet. At every single regatta, having a
race or two like this usually costs at least one person from winning. Sailors, who so easily skip to the front of
the fleet, rarely have to sail in tight lanes, fight for room with 50 boats at
a leeward mark, duck a pack of boats to get out to the favored side, etc. These are important skills that grow dull
over hours and hours of time spent at the front of a pack.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
In the afternoon, I decided to add as twist to the
races. As the sailors went upwind, I
would blow a whistle, and, from there, all had to race to the leeward mark, up
to the windward mark, and then finish downwind.
Everyone has experienced this drill.
It is not groundbreaking in any way.
However, when this drill is typically run, it is done on a very short
course, and the focus is on creating a tight leeward mark rounding. This was different. The course we sailed on was 20+ minutes long,
and the whistle was never blown until the top sailor was within five boat
lengths of the windward mark. This gave
everyone time to sail in his or her new positions. As I suspected, the top kids ended up in the
middle of the group by the leeward mark, and many struggled with mark
roundings. They pushed themselves much harder throughout the whole race, and
usually ended up back in the front. The
rest of the sailors got new perspective as well, and usually lost hold of their
leads, even if they were as fast as the trailing boats. However, it gave them an initial look at what
to expect at the front of a fleet, and a first hand experience of what the top
sailors do in that position. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Ultimately, this drill will not get anyone results in a
day. Over time, it is meant to make the
top kids work much harder than they are used to, and teach the middle and
bottom kids how to control a fleet from ahead.
This way, your top sailors get better at dealing with tough situations,
and the bottom sailors learn front of the fleet tactics long before they reach that
point in their sailing careers. Make
sure to stretch the course, and let your sailors reach the top before reversing
the race. With steady use in practice,
you should see results on the racecourse much faster than with traditional
races.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
See you on the water,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<b><i>Zim Coach<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-12915540936212601312013-03-15T14:39:00.001-04:002013-03-15T14:39:52.298-04:00The SB2 Hiking Workout<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMHtzlr-8RJ0c4UIR6KQUj8jxBV-GHAWcYzVs8z8JGOjwEj-Hgyd9kZ1bVeVi82UCHwrGIkR_V9m1nxhWsgpT3aMkacc088oXWcbpOI4vw8nFPXBAFQ0sydZ8y7AoNzKVx4JsknXL7HM/s1600/Great+hiking+workout+pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMHtzlr-8RJ0c4UIR6KQUj8jxBV-GHAWcYzVs8z8JGOjwEj-Hgyd9kZ1bVeVi82UCHwrGIkR_V9m1nxhWsgpT3aMkacc088oXWcbpOI4vw8nFPXBAFQ0sydZ8y7AoNzKVx4JsknXL7HM/s640/Great+hiking+workout+pic.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
As discussed in previous posts, <i><a href="http://zimsailing.blogspot.com/search/label/Hiking%20Technique" target="_blank">Improving Your Hiking Technique</a></i> and <i><a href="http://zimsailing.blogspot.com/2013/02/developing-personal-sailing-fitness.html" target="_blank">Developing a Personal Sailing Fitness Program</a></i>, the two most important muscle groups in sailing are your quadriceps and abdominals. When hiking, quads are used in mostly static movements, while abdominals are used for both static and non-static movements. The non-static movements, that involve your core, help you adjust for all of the tiny movements you make with your upper body as you sail through waves (e.g. torquing). Developing your core in this way is extremely important, particularly in small and light dinghies, like the Optimist or Byte CII, which stall quickly if you are not able to work them through every wave upwind.<br />
<br />
Here is a great workout for developing this type of functionality in your hiking:<br />
<br />
Find a comfortable spot, and lay on your back. Next, perform exercises 1-4 with no rest (1-4 are all one set with no rest). Rest for one minute. Incorporate additional sets as needed.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Russian Twists – 15 each side (30 total)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Leg lifts – 15</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Full Sit-ups (NOT CRUNCHES) – 15 </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Reverse Sit-ups – 15</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rest 1 min.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
6.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Repeat as needed</div>
<br />
How many reps and sets you do is easy to adjust. I always recommend starting at 15 reps and three sets if this is your first time. Using this will get you 75 reps in one set, and 225 for the workout. As you get stronger, you should start by adding reps, and then start adding sets. To give you an example, I reached my strong-point as a hiker when I was doing ten sets of 35 reps each. This is 1,750 reps in a workout.<br />
This workout is effective in hitting all areas of your core, just like you do when you are hiking. You can integrate it as a piece of your workout routine, or simply use it as a standalone workout. If you struggle getting through it initially, don’t get discouraged. Lower the reps, then the sets, and you will see improvements in your core strength immediately. Then, move them up from there. Get ready to go fast in breeze!<br />
<br />
See you on the water,<br />
<br />
<b><i>Zim Coach </i></b> <br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-17300962106168734202013-03-14T16:50:00.002-04:002013-03-14T16:50:25.251-04:00Perfecting the Pin in Team Racing<br />
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There are many ways to slow another boat in team racing, but none is as disruptive to an opposing team as pinning. Pinning is the act of putting your boat in a position that prevents another boat from tacking upwind. With both boats constantly changing speeds during a pin, it is very difficult to maintain a pin on someone for a significant length of time. To do so, you must have superior boat speed, boat handling, acceleration, and deceleration abilities over the boat you are attempting to pin. <br />
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<b>When is Pinning Most Effective?</b><br />
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Pinning is most effective in any situation where you want to prevent another boat from tacking. The first level of pinning is performed around lay lines or near the finish line. In these situations, you can “kill” another boat. “Killing” another boat refers to preventing a boat from tacking at all costs. In most situations, the boat you are pinning has run out of room, and only needs to cross through your boat to get to the starting line or windward mark. This type of pinning is exclusively about keeping the other boat from tacking. Since they have run out of room to go forward, ragging on them to slow them down adds nothing to what you are trying to do. <br />
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The second level of pinning happens in the first 95% of a windward leg of team racing. During this time period, you want the ability to prevent another boat from tacking, while simultaneously slowing them down. Thus, you need to put your boat in a position where you can rag your jib on them in addition to preventing them from tacking. This will allow you to keep another boat in one place and slow them down for the duration of the windward leg. Furthermore, it will prevent that boat from tacking to get to their help, and a teammate will have to come back to spring them. This causes considerable disruption to an opposing team during a race. The ideal position to maintain, when executing this type of pin, is lining up your boat’s stern with the other boat’s windward side stay. If you are forward of this, you risk letting them slip behind you with a tack in open water or during a back door pass back. If you are aft of this point, you will have trouble ragging on them, and are more vulnerable to a front door pass back from the other team. <br />
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The third level of pinning is the most advanced in terms of strategy. It is similar in execution to the second level, but is done for a different reason. The goal of this type of pinning is to force someone to sail towards an unfavorable wind shift or current line. With all of the things you have to think about in team racing, this is very difficult to process in the middle of a race. However, the reward is substantial if the wind shift or current differential is large. Typically, this is much more likely to happen by pure happenstance, rather than performed with purposeful execution. In this type of pin, it is additionally ideal to slow the other boat via ragging. However, if you get in a crunch, it is more important that they sail towards the non-favored side of the course than they just go slow. <br />
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<b><u>Quick Tips</u></b><br />
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<b>Adjusting your Position in a Pin:</b><br />
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Most of the time, you want your boat in the position where you can both rag on and pin another boat. The margin for error in maintaining this position is very narrow. Thus, it is somewhat vulnerable to the other boat slipping away with a tack on its own, or via a back door pass back. As you get closer to a lay line, it is prudent to move your position back on the other boat, where you have a much wider margin for error. This way, it will take much more work for the other boat to get free of you and tack. There is no perfect place to line up for this, but, as you get closer to the lay line, you want to encourage the boat to try to sail in front of you and tack rather than try to go behind you. It is sometimes ok to let their bow move even with yours once you get to the lay line. This way you force them to sail forward for a longer period of time, and you can tack away if they start to pinch you off. Also, if they get really desperate and attempt to jibe away, you will have a better shot at preventing this, if you are further back on their boat.<br />
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<b>The Dive:</b><br />
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When you turn your boat down in order to pin another boat, it is important not to dive too quickly. Many sailors will turn hard and either miscalculate the angle of approach, or lose enough speed when they head up again, that they will prolong the amount of time it takes to get into a ragging position, or they will get pinched off by the other boat. If possible, take a more subtle approach when diving down to pin another boat.<br />
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<b>Slowing Down in a Hurry:</b><br />
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If you start to move too far forward of the boat you are pinning, you risk letting them tack out of the pin and sail free from you. As you are already ragging, pull harder on the main and move the tiller back and forth to slow the boat down. If you point too far to windward to slow your boat, you will actually open up the gap for the pinned boat to tack out.<br />
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<b>Prolonging a Front Door Pass Back:</b><br />
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Most times when you are pinning a boat, one of that boat’s teammates will come to help. This is when positioning is most critical. No matter who you race against, if the other person starts to rag on you while you are pinning one of his or her teammates, you will ALWAYS lose the other boat. Maintaining control on that boat is no longer the goal for you. The new goal is to make that pass back take as long as possible. Thus, ideal position remains where your stern lines up with the other boat’s side stay. While this remains the ideal position, you want to avoid the back door pass back at all costs, and force the other boat to sail ahead of you and cross. This will take longer and cause much more disruption to the other team.<br />
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<b>Speeding up the Process:</b><br />
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If you are either the pinned boat, or the boat coming to spring the pinned boat, you need to act quickly. If the back door pass back is immediately there, go for it (DO NOT WASTE TIME IF IT IS NOT THERE IMMEDIATELY!!!). If it’s not, you both have to work together to get the pass back done quickly. The rescue boat should go well forward and on top of the pinning boat while ragging hard and cranking on the main. The boat that is pinned should sail as fast as they can, as if there were no one on top of them. DO NOTHING TO SLOW YOUR BOAT DOWN! Do not pinch, feather the other boat, etc. If you go fast, your teammate will spring you in no time at all. The opposing boat will tack away once you are sprung, your teammate will cover, and the race continues.<br />
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<b>Perfect vs. Perfect:</b><br />
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In good team racing, everyone knows what is going to happen in a given situation. Succeeding in team racing is about performing your job, in that situation, better than the other boats perform their jobs.<br />
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See you on the water,<br />
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<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-84919938374893435812013-03-13T11:13:00.000-04:002013-03-13T11:13:40.145-04:00Derek Packard on Washington College <div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Name: </span>Derek Packard</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">College: </span>Washington College</div>
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<b>Washington College Sailing Team: </b><a href="http://washingtoncollegesports.com/sports/sailing/index">WACSailingTeam</a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Washington College Sailing Team on Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-College-Sailing/121551757945974?fref=ts">WACSailingFB</a></div>
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About Derek:</div>
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Derek Packard started as a crew at Washington College. After four years of hard work and persistence, he moved up the team ladder to a starting skipper position. Through his efforts, he was able to take Washington College to its only ICSA Coed Nationals in the school’s history (2009). Derek continues to race a variety of boats in Minnesota.</div>
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<b>Why did you choose Washington College? What other schools were you looking at?</b></div>
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I went to a small private high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where most people ended up going to small liberal arts colleges and Ivy League schools. During that time, I played hockey, sailing, and golf. When I was 16, I decided that sailing was something that I wanted to pursue in college. From there, I did some research, and looked at Hobart, St. Mary’s, Washington College, Roger Williams, and Boston University. I applied to all of them, and, when I got the acceptance letters, I took a closer look at the programs. The final decision came down to Hobart, St. Mary’s, and Washington College. It seemed that all of the schools were on par with each other academically. Thus, my final decision was based around the sailing programs. </div>
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Hobart had just won a National Championship my senior year of high school, and St. Mary’s was right up there with them. After thinking about it, I knew I would probably make their teams, but I wouldn’t really be a factor on them at all. Washington College was ranked, but wasn’t so massive that I would not have a chance to play a role on the team. </div>
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<b>If you were looking again today, what would you look for in a collegiate program? Why?</b></div>
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The most important thing for me is location. Maryland was a place you could feasibly sail year round, and the weather was pleasant for the most part. </div>
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Another factor is team size. I have had a lot of friends set their sights on a top program, with a 50 person team, and they would end up becoming irrelevant in college sailing.</div>
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Team organization is another huge deal. You definitely want to sail for a team that has varsity status. If you sail for a varsity program, you won’t have travel costs, no financial responsibility for the equipment, and no logistical issues to deal with or pay for. It really takes a big headache out of it for you. I have known a lot of sailors who go to schools with club teams, and end up not sailing because of all the challenges their teams face on a daily basis. </div>
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Lastly, your coach is an important factor to consider. You want to sail for someone you feel that you connect with, can impart knowledge, and will take the time to help you improve. It helps if they are knowledgeable and respectable within the game, as well as outside of college sailing.</div>
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<b>What has the college sailing experience done for your sailing career?</b></div>
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Everything. It’s an incredible opportunity to polish your skills and get to an advanced level. I probably sailed upwards of 80 regattas in four years at Washington College. You can’t get that many starts and finishes anywhere else, or during any other time in your life. The repetition you get in everything that you do, while someone is there critiquing your sailing, is extremely helpful. You won’t get that amount of reps or detailed instruction ever again, unless you do an Olympic Campaign, or you shell out a lot of money for it. </div>
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You also get to sail against, and occasionally beat, people who will go off to represent the US someday in the Olympics. That does a lot for your confidence as you move forward into other fleets, after college sailing is over.</div>
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<b>What did you enjoy most about college sailing? What did you enjoy least?</b></div>
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I loved the amount of travel that you do. Growing up in Minnesota, I had not done much traveling by the time I left high school. You get the opportunity to sail in a lot of beautiful places, and see a lot of great schools on the eastern seaboard. The structure of your day is also good. You have time to do your school work, but you have to learn how to balance it early on. </div>
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Sometimes, when you are spending all of your time with a small group of people, this can lead to some friction. This usually gets worked out, but it’s something you deal with.</div>
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<b>If you were back in college sailing, what kinds of things would you do differently? The same?</b></div>
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Consistency was the biggest thing that I did well. You have to make yourself available to sail and race all the time. Things happen on every team. People get burned out, drop out of school, and leave the team for a lot of different reasons. You will get a shot to move up on a team, and, when you do, you need to be ready to grab the bull by the horns and take over. </div>
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I wish I had come at college sailing with more precision and dedication for the whole four years. When you are sailing as much as you do in college, there is a tendency to get burned out, and not give your best effort at practices, workouts, etc. There are a lot of opportunities to make gains by doing the small stuff. Give an honest effort all of the time, even when it gets tough, and make the most of every minute. You will miss it once you are behind a desk.</div>
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<b>Did crewing at first help you or hurt you? How were you able to make the transition from crew to skipper?</b></div>
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Getting the chance to crew will only help you. I was a skipper in high school. I only sailed a few regattas, and I didn’t get a lot of experience. When I came to Washington College, I crewed a lot for the A Division skipper. I realized pretty quickly, ‘Wow, I’m not at his level’. Sailing with the A skipper gave me the chance to compete at the highest levels of college sailing right away. We went to all of the big intersectional regattas, and I learned a lot about boat handling that I would not have learned just by skippering. We mostly practiced FJ’s, where the crew is always facing backwards. This gives you a chance to watch the person driving, and gave me a feel for skippering that I didn't have coming into college.</div>
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I mostly drove at Open Regattas (Regional Regattas) my first year, which were nothing compared to the talent level you see at the intersecionals. Getting to steer a bit, and then applying what I had learned from watching a better skipper, helped me catch up much more quickly. When my junior year rolled around, we had enough people that were good at crewing, and I was able to step in and skipper at the big regattas. At this point, you are already a step ahead because you have experienced an intersectional before, and the look is familiar to you. Now that you are more confident and knowledgeable, you are on your way up from there.</div>
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<b>What do you like about sailing in MAISA? Dislike?</b></div>
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I didn’t like the long van trips from the eastern shore of Maryland to Hobart or Cornell. Other than that, I think it’s the best conference to sail in. Every venue is so different. You sail at a lot of tiny and tricky venues like Washington College, St. Mary’s, and Georgetown. You also get to sail in a few more open water venues with gnarly waves, like Old Dominion and King’s Point. </div>
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The regatta organization is always top notch, even at the smaller regional events, and you can always expect good racing and dedicated people. In some conferences, you will see students running everything. In these regions, not everything is necessarily done with much care, and the depth at regattas is not as strong.</div>
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<b>How often do you get to race these days?</b></div>
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I moved back to Minnesota, so lakes are frozen from sometime in November until early April. Some people do ice boating during that time, but it’s pretty fickle. The sailing season goes pretty hard between early May and the end of September. I probably do about eight big regattas during that time, and sail three or four times a week. People in the Midwest really take advantage of the summer months, and we get a high volume of racing in a short period of time.</div>
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<b>Is there anything else you would like to add?</b></div>
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College sailing is the best decision I have ever made. I now have a hobby that I can continue to do at a high level of intensity for the rest of my life. There are not a lot of sports you can say that about after a certain point, and I credit my ability to continue to take part in the upper levels of the sport to my college sailing experience. If you are teetering on whether or not you should take part in it, it is definitely worth it.</div>
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<b><i>Derek Packard </i></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-84902568823533783022013-03-12T14:13:00.000-04:002013-03-12T14:39:55.277-04:00Effective Ragging Technique<br />
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One of the important technical skills in team racing is the ability to slow down and control an opponent’s speed via your own sails. The most effective technique used to do this is known as “Ragging”. For those who do not know what ragging is, it is not the same as pinning another boat, though ragging can play a role in effective pinning techniques. More precisely, ragging is the act of blocking an opponent’s wind as you sail upwind, by letting the jib luff fully and keeping the main trimmed in. While most team racers know what ragging is, there are a few techniques to ragging that separate the most effective team racers from everyone else. <br />
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<b>Why is Ragging Effective?</b><br />
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The main and the jib play two separate roles when you are ragging. The main, as it is the larger sail, does the most in terms of blocking or disrupting an opponent’s sail flow. This is important to keep in mind, as the main’s importance is often overlooked while ragging. The jib’s role is twofold. By luffing the jib, you are able to create much more distortion to the wind going to your opponent’s sails. This distortion will prevent the wind that reaches the boat you are ragging on from coming in at a steady flow or angle. Luffing your jib in this manner is also important for slowing your boat down. This is important because, if you are ragging effectively, the person you are ragging on will slow down as much as you do. Thus, the slower you are able to go, the slower the other boat will go, and the more effective you are at balancing and controlling any upwind situation in a race. <br />
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Now that you have an idea of why ragging is effective as a team racing technique, here are a few things to keep in mind for effective execution:<br />
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<b>Position:</b><br />
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Position is a very simple adjustment that you can make to go from moderately slowing another boat, to stopping them dead in the water. Unless you need to pin someone, the biggest mistake you can make while ragging is not getting forward enough on your target. As a general rule, the further forward you are on an opposing boat, the more effective you are when ragging. For example, many sailors will start ragging as soon as their bow or jib is fully ahead of the boat they are attempting to rag on. This will mostly just slow your boat down, and won’t slow the other boat enough to keep them from sailing out from beneath you. That may help in pinning a boat, but not ragging on them to slow them down. To correct this, it is important get to the point where both of your sails are in a position to affect your opponent’s sails. As a general rule of thumb, you should get the boat AT LEAST to where your stern lines up with the other boat’s windward side stay before releasing the jib. This an effective position if you want to slow them down, and do not want them to tack. If the goal is just to slow them down or force them to tack, getting to the point where your stern is just forward of their bow is even more effective.<br />
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<b>The Main:</b><br />
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As mentioned earlier, the main serves as the largest barrier between the wind and the boat you are ragging on. Remember, the wind does not get to the other boat until it flows over your leech, where it will start to bend back toward its natural direction. Thus, your leech shape and tension will have a dramatic impact on the wind that your opponent’s boat sees. So, if you ease the main out, the wind will flow more quickly and with less disruption over your sail before reaching your opponent’s sails. As you would like to cause more disruption and slower wind flow to that boat’s sails, pulling in the main harder will close off the leech, shutting off that wind flow and causing significant disruption to your opponent’s sails. Therefore, while ragging, it is important to pull on the main hard in order to increase your effectiveness in slowing another boat.<br />
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<br />
<b>The Void Technique:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Sometimes you will see a sailor forgo pulling hard on the mainsheet, and simply pull the boom far to windward. This is an extremely effective way to get another boat to stop dead in the water. Pulling the boom to windward in this manner can create a large void where there is little to no wind getting to another boat’s sails. <br />
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This technique is not without its shortcomings. First of all, in heavy air, you will struggle to do this without heeling to leeward. When you heel to leeward, not only will you slide sideways, but you will spill most of that wind you are attempting to disrupt, and it won’t affect your opponent as much as you could by hiking hard and trimming in on the mainsheet.<br />
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Furthermore, when executing this technique, you do risk completely stopping your own boat, and will at least lose the ability to tack or accelerate quickly. Thus, if you anticipate your opponent tacking away, do not hold the boom to windward for too long at one time. You may have to do a series of shorter holds instead. <br />
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If you are in a pinning position, you have less to worry about in terms of keeping up with a boat that tacks away, but, unless it is very light air, you do have to remain cautious of sliding down into that boat. Thus, only use this technique in a pinning position when it is light air, and when your opponent cannot legally take you head to wind.<br />
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The ideal time to use the void technique is on lay lines, where it does not make sense for the other boat to tack away (If they do you can simply tack and pin them), and where you do not have to sail overlapped and risk fouling.<br />
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<b>Heel and Angle:</b><br />
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By heeling the boat to windward, you will create an even larger hole or void for your opponent while ragging. Heeling to leeward will spill more breeze to your opponent, decreasing the size of the hole they have to sail through. Thus, in heavy air, it is important to hike very hard while ragging, or you will struggle to effectively slow your opponent down. Furthermore, it is important to remain at a close hauled angle while ragging. Pointing your boat further into the wind allows more wind to pass around your sails and reach the boat in your shadow.<br />
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See you on the water,<br />
<br />
<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-9980850177728759002013-03-11T12:04:00.000-04:002013-03-12T11:29:42.220-04:00Two Golden Rules of Team Racing<br />
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As many high school and collegiate programs hit the water to start the Spring Sailing Season, the focus turns to team racing. Practices this time of year are often precluded and concluded by long chalk talks on executing plays, such as a 1-4-5 versus a 2-3-6, and sailors will spend plenty of time outside practice getting to know all of the proper calls, lingo, and the role of each boat in a given play. All of this is essential to better understanding team racing, and why each boat does what they do during a specific play. However, studying all of these plays off the water usually does not immediately translate to proper execution. This will take hours of repetition in every possible scenario to engrain a situation into a sailor’s team racing knowledge. At this time of year, sailors’ heads are filled to the brim with having to know each boat’s role in every play, brushing up on the team racing rules, and learning their specific role on their team racing team. This is often a lot to chew on in a very brief period of time. When situations and positions change frequently on the water, most of the time, AT LEAST one boat loses track of their position and role in a play. When this happens, the race can go from tightly contested to completely over in a matter of seconds. When looking back in retrospect the race is won or lost because one or two of the two most important team racing rules are violated.<br />
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<b>Rule #1: The Play is Always Behind You*</b><br />
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This is probably the biggest mistake in team racing. Unlike fleet racing, which is about how fast you can go, team racing is about how good you are at controlling that speed. Team racing is not won by going past other boats, but about slowing down to get control of the boat behind you before the boat in front of you takes control of you. For example, in a 1-3 versus a 2-4, the 2 boat needs to get control of the 3 boat before the 1 boat gains control of the 2 boat. Whoever does that first will have control of the race.<br />
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Often times you see sailors get away with sailing right past boats instead of taking control of the boats behind them. This is only possible with a massive disparity in talent, or because someone wasn’t paying attention. This will never work at the top levels of high school or college team racing. Even if you don’t know the play, abiding by this rule will keep you from making a serious mistake almost 100% of the time. <b>When in doubt, the play is behind you!</b><br />
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<b>*Exceptions to the Rule</b><br />
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The only times that you actively chase a boat in team racing are when you are losing to a 1-2, a 1-2-3, you are in the 6, or you and a teammate are both 5-6. Essentially, whenever you are in last, or need to break up a 1-2 or 1-2-3, you are supposed to chase boats. The last quasi-exception is in a 1-4-5, where the 5 boat is gapping the 6. In this situation, the 4 is not looking to make a play behind them, and should push the opposing team forward. However, the goal here is not necessarily to pass boats, but to help push the race forward to the finish line with the help of the 1 boat. Furthermore, if the 5 loses control of the 6, the 4 needs the ability to get to the new 5 as quickly as possible. <br />
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The common retort to this rule is that you should actively pass a boat when your teammate is boosting you in a play. While this is correct, the important thing to take away is that you should not actively try to pass that boat until your teammate has control of them, and is executing a pass back. If you are trying to sail by this boat before your teammate has control, this boat will gain control of you first, and prevent your teammate from boosting you forward, making it easier for the other team to gain control of the race.<br />
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<b>Rule #2: The Sailor Ahead does the Work*</b><br />
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This rule is often confusing to new team racers, but is important for execution and maintaining control of a race. The basic rule is that the boat that is further ahead in a situation is supposed to take control of the closest trailing opposing boat. For example, in a 1-2-6 versus a 3-4-5, the 1 boat is in charge of controlling the 3 boat, and the 2 boat is in charge of controlling the 4 boat. The reason for this is that a boat further ahead will have an easier time maintaining control and of a trailing boat, it makes it easier for a team to stay balanced, and this will prevent the trailing boats from slowing down or gaining control of the race. This is easiest to understand if you consider four boats going downwind in a 1-2 vs. a 3-4. In this situation, the 3 boat will attempt to slow down the 2 boat and make 2 sail far out of the way to keep its air clear, and the 2 will have expend as much effort protecting itself as it will gaining control of that boat. During this time, the 1 boat is doing nothing, and the 4 will have little to no trouble moving into the 2 spot. Now, the team that was in a 1-2 is susceptible to moving into a 1-4, and losing control of the race.<br />
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Now consider the same situation, where the 1 boat takes the 3 boat and the 2 boat takes the 4 boat. In this situation, each boat will have control of a boat, and it is simply a matter of balancing to maintain the 1-2 before the upwind leg. Thus, there is never a time where the two opposing boats are going up against just one of the leading boats. It is important to remember that you do not have to overlap a boat to have control of them. You must simply put yourself in a position where you are able to dictate that boat’s speed or direction. Thus, the trick for the 1 boat is to slow down just enough so that the 2 boat can sail away from the 3 boat without the 3 chasing after the 2. If the 3 decides to continue to cover, the 1 is able to jibe to starboard, and 3 forfeits control and is taken completely out of the downwind leg. Ultimately, boat 1 forces boat 3 to chase after a boat that is further away, or is taken completely out of the race. <br />
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<b>*Exceptions to the Rule</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
In a 1-4-5, the 5 boat’s job is to gap the 6. Initially, depending on how “in control” the 5 boat is of the 6 boat, the 4 boat may have to step in early, take control of the 5 spot, and then gap from this point forward.<br />
The other exception is in a 1-2-3, where the 3 boat is in charge of taking the rest of next trailing boat(s), either slowing them down at marks, or sailing one of them (preferably boat 4) into last place.<br />
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While these two rules are not substitutes for knowing the plays, adhering to both will keep you from making the two biggest mistakes made by teams on the water. At the very least, using these rules will buy you some time in a tough situation, until you can determine exactly what your boat’s role is in a given play.<br />
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See you on the water,<br />
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<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-1820821982944391452013-03-08T10:14:00.002-05:002013-03-08T10:14:58.130-05:00Rachel Perry on Roger Williams and Taking Part in a Growing Women's Sailing Team
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-DZ0slQ97VQaLRM8I6lW2vCn3TF9hthmqUa4kWNrgItMonZOfX9nOL3KWQO_Yhb4gA5hUaC6GdnE6Bq_YIQ5Y_8X_1RE3ld2W43WxWZk1unyGRwoc3X5JDd9dFH1lJxU0jekVUVzdO4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-07+at+8.33.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-DZ0slQ97VQaLRM8I6lW2vCn3TF9hthmqUa4kWNrgItMonZOfX9nOL3KWQO_Yhb4gA5hUaC6GdnE6Bq_YIQ5Y_8X_1RE3ld2W43WxWZk1unyGRwoc3X5JDd9dFH1lJxU0jekVUVzdO4/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-07+at+8.33.03+PM.png" width="269" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Name: </b>Rachel Perry</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>School: </b>Roger Williams University</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Class: </b>Sophomore</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Roger Williams Sailing Team: </b></span><a href="http://bit.ly/RWUSailing">http://bit.ly/RWUSailing</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Why did you choose Roger
Williams? What other programs did you
look at?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One of the schools I was looking
at seriously was the Naval Academy. The
girl I sailed with in high school ended up going there. So, the Navy coach thought it would be great
if we both went together, and continued sailing in the same boat. I also looked at USF, but being from Tampa, I
decided it was too close to home. Prior
to making the decision I looked up all of the results from the season. Roger Williams looked like it was really
developing as a program, and NEISA in general was just more competitive across
the board. I also liked that you didn’t
really have to fly to regattas, and there are a lot of shorter drives to Boston
for events. It was also nice to see that
Roger Williams’ women’s team was just starting to grow, and I wanted to be a
part of building that part of the program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>What are you studying?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I am getting my major in
Journalism, and am getting minors in Marketing and Design. The minors are subject to change at this
point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>How do you balance school
work?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You just have to stay
organized by keeping a schedule. We
usually have workouts before class, practice right after classes, and then you
will have some time after that. This
means you may have to cut out a good deal of your social life once sailing
season starts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>What do you like about
College Sailing? Dislike?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The team is really focused
on team racing, especially in the spring.
I enjoy this a lot because it really brings our team together. The whole group works in unison as we move
toward the end of the season championships, and you don’t see a lot of huge
rivalries between the sailors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I don’t like the really long
drives that we have to do from time to time.
It’s a little tiring and boring after a while, but you’re surrounded by
all of your friends to help you get through it.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>What are practices like?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We usually warm up for 30
minutes with some boat handling drills.
In the spring, these are all geared toward team racing. Then we continue with a lot of drills based
on wherever we are in the season. During
fleet racing, that will include a lot more speed testing drills. During team racing season, we do a lot more
pig in the middle type drills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A side note about our
practices is that it is very windy most of the time. So you have to get prepared to do a lot of
heavy air sailing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>What is the biggest sailing
challenge? Non-sailing challenge?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It is really tough is
sailing in the cold. When you’re
originally from Florida, you really don’t own, or have to wear, much gear. That was a bit of an adjustment, and still is
not something I am not totally used to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Mentally, the sailing is
also a lot more intense than it was in high school. There is sort of a GO, GO, GO attitude at
regattas where you don’t get a lot of rest or pause between races. You really have to prepare yourself to race
all the time, in all the elements, from 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and then prepare
to do it again the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The toughest non-sailing
challenge is not necessarily balancing the work, but learning when you will or
won’t have time to balance the work. For
example, a lot of people try to do work in the van rides, but I’ve never had
the ability to get much work done there.
That just never worked for me, so I found out that I had to get my work
done prior to hopping in the van on Friday afternoons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>What are your personal and
team goals for this year? By the time
you graduate?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This year the goal is to
qualify the women’s team for nationals.
If we get it this year, it will be the first time they have ever
qualified! As a team goal, we want to
qualify all three teams for nationals (Coed, Team Racing, Women’s).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">More personally, I would
like to make an All-NEISA Team this year, and make the All-American Team before
I graduate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>Rachel Perry</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-30202924575692137642013-03-07T09:41:00.002-05:002013-03-07T11:06:21.289-05:00Nick Valente on Freshman Year at SUNY Maritime<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCo3hSNjqU6nNQzp_GXtR9yI_-FW2s6iBwWg82u8B6kHZ1u1Le1zJyIz6RCAAvG1VLSkJWaGG0YA7ejUdeyuPgtPIY6O-BEqAr-8lot0I0L4L8FMdwRzaIfIxj4kP8af299MtCLlqbMM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+8.35.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCo3hSNjqU6nNQzp_GXtR9yI_-FW2s6iBwWg82u8B6kHZ1u1Le1zJyIz6RCAAvG1VLSkJWaGG0YA7ejUdeyuPgtPIY6O-BEqAr-8lot0I0L4L8FMdwRzaIfIxj4kP8af299MtCLlqbMM/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+8.35.25+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Name: </b>Nick Valente</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>School: </b>SUNY Maritime College</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Hometown: </b>Charleston, South Carolina</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><b>SUNY Maritime Sailing Team: </b></span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/SUNYSailingTeam">http://bit.ly/SUNYSailingTeam</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Why did you choose SUNY Maritime? What other programs did you look
at?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I chose SUNY because a maritime school really fits with all of my
interests. I have always enjoyed my time
on the water, whether it’s on a surfboard, sailboat, motorboat, kayak or
whatever. SUNY has a 565 foot training
ship which departs every year to Europe. Getting hands on experience on a ship
and travelling to new countries is really interesting to me. In terms of my career, SUNY looked like a
good choice because there are so many job opportunities in the maritime
industry. The other programs I looked at
were College of Charleston and the Coast Guard Academy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>What’s it like at a military academy?</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Attending a military school has been a big change for me. There
are a lot more things that I need to put effort into at SUNY Maritime outside
of my school work. Freshman year is a big challenge for me because of all the
rules. Having sailing, as part of this experience, keeps me working hard, and
helps get me through the tough challenges I face every day. SUNY makes me realize
how much I actually enjoy sailing.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>What are you studying?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">My major is Marine Transportation with a 3rd Mates license. This
is a Coast Guard issued license that allows me to work on all kinds of ships, including
cargo ships, cruise lines, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>How is college sailing different than high school sailing?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I feel like College sailing is just another step up in the ranks. It’s a lot more competitive and serious. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>What do you like about College Sailing/Dislike?</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">So far, I am in love with college sailing. I love how it is
competitive, intense, and that there are so many events during the season. You
get the opportunity to sail each weekend, and you learn so much from the team,
the coach, and other sailors. There is nothing I dislike about college sailing at
this point. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>What are practices like?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">We start practice at 4 p.m. and sail until dark. Right now, since
it is our team race season, we mostly focus on team racing. We usually practice
and race with Fordham during the week.
This is really great for us. By
making mistakes, having our coach give us feedback on those mistakes, and showing
us how we can improve, we are put in an excellent position to learn quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>How do you balance school work?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Balancing school work is not too hard. We have mandatory study hours from 7 p.m. to 9
p.m. everyday, which help me stay on top of my school work and allows me to
focus on sailing during the weekends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>What’s been the biggest sailing challenge? Non-sailing challenge?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I feel like the biggest sailing challenge for me is getting used
to sailing with new crews, and getting used to the shifty, short course kind of
sailing that you do in college. Before
college, I mostly sailed singlehanded boats on both longer courses and open
water type venues. Another challenge is
getting used to all of the different college sailing venues, and how unique
each one is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">My biggest non-sailing challenge is getting used to the regimented
lifestyle at SUNY, and learning how to live with other people. Luckily, I have two
good roommates and we get along pretty well. Another challenge is adapting to
how little sleep we get. Every morning
we have get up at 6:30 a.m., and we aren't allowed to go to bed until 11 p.m.
This is definitely one of the toughest things for me to get used to. I have to take advantage of every opportunity
to take a nap. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>What are your goals for yourself and your team this year? Four years? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">My goal this year is just to improve and learn something new after
every regatta. I also want to get a lot
stronger as a team racer. As a team, for
this year, we would like to get stronger at team racing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">One of my big goals for next year is to qualify for Singlehanded Nationals.
This year I was one spot out, which I
was pretty bummed about. I really wanted
to go to California and sail the Nationals! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Over four years, I just hope to always take something away from sailing
each weekend and at every practice to make me a better sailor as a whole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Nick Valente</i></b></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-88967128771373569602013-03-06T14:02:00.001-05:002013-03-06T14:02:42.708-05:00When to Avoid the Starboard Lee Bow<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPkSjggureENF-pMFav8w7VgQFm5Ra1ju3Yoh8U0LU2vsqbCAvy-E0rcNpI8cRgmfz0cARSrYhrllt6LSxA1XY-6o6aa_HyZE5NR771pbE1V6OlVZh7kIWUK2IsH0N2HK1gdM_dqSWFU/s1600/420+Lee+Bow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPkSjggureENF-pMFav8w7VgQFm5Ra1ju3Yoh8U0LU2vsqbCAvy-E0rcNpI8cRgmfz0cARSrYhrllt6LSxA1XY-6o6aa_HyZE5NR771pbE1V6OlVZh7kIWUK2IsH0N2HK1gdM_dqSWFU/s400/420+Lee+Bow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
After some on the water coaching this weekend, one thing I noticed pretty quickly was how reluctant sailors are to duck beneath an oncoming starboard boat. Every time a port boat came across the course and intersected with a starboard boat, the port boat would lee bow, and attempt to sail out from underneath the starboard boat. Most of the time, the lee bowing boat pinched off the starboard boat, or forced them to tack away, and then the lee bowing boat would tack back and follow the other boat out to the right hand side of the course. The entire scenario would usually occur in a matter of seconds, making it obvious to me that the lee bowing boat had always intended to continue out to the right hand side of the course. By adding in these two extra tacks, not only were the sailors not guaranteed to pass the oncoming starboard boat, but they added two tacks to the upwind leg, costing them two to four boat lengths on <b>EVERYONE ELSE</b> in the fleet. While lee bowing another boat is sometimes the correct tactical and strategic decision on the race course, making it the default tactical maneuver is a bad habit that sailors should make an effort to correct.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>When is lee bowing a starboard boat a good move?</b><br />
<br />
Lee bowing a starboard boat is a good move when you are on the lower and middle parts of a race course, where there is time to jet out to the left side to take advantage of a wind shift, more pressure, current, etc. Often times, sailors will come from the left side to check back in with their competition, but ultimately want to protect the left side. These sailors will sail back toward the right hand side until they come in contact with a starboard boat. At this point, they will lee bow and force the other sailor back off to the non-favored side of the course. Sailors who intentionally do this are properly executing the lee bow from a tactical and strategic standpoint. Not only is this sailor getting to the favored side of the course, but he or she is also putting the boat in a position where they stay in close quarters with the rest of the fleet, while forcing an opposing boat to the non-favored side of the course.<br />
<br />
<b>When is ducking a starboard boat preferable to lee bowing?</b><br />
<br />
Ducking a starboard boat is particularly advantageous when the right hand side of the course is favored, but even more so when you reach the latter stages of a windward leg. While the first statement seems relatively obvious, many sailors are unwilling to give up the boat length (MAXIMUM) to duck the oncoming boat. The added tacks alone result in a loss of at least twice the distance you would lose ducking the starboard boat. Now, add on the lost boat lengths in leverage and time sailing away from a favorable windshift, pressure, etc., and that distance lost from lee bowing grows exponentially.<br />
<br />
As you move up the latter stages of a windward leg, lee bowing a starboard boat will put you in serious risk of getting pinned by a starboard boat. It will also prevent you from taking a more powerful position on the course. As you get closer to a windward mark, the odds of a wind shift, or some other factor, affecting a boat’s position decreases. If you duck a starboard boat instead of lee bowing, you guarantee yourself starboard advantage when you tack back toward the mark. While this may not matter so much early on in a windward leg, the closer you get to a mark, the less time a boat will have to pinch another boat off and tack across. Thus, as you get very close to the weather mark, ducking a boat, and then immediately tacking on her hip can put you in a powerful pinning position. Even if the boat will pinch you off in 15 boat lengths, if you are only 10 boat lengths away from the lay line, you have just guaranteed yourself one more boat prior to rounding the windward mark.<br />
<br />
<b>How do you execute the perfect duck?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The two most important pieces of a proper duck are what I call the entry and exit. The entry is the part of the duck where you are turning down to go beneath the other boat’s stern. Other than maybe tacking, this maneuver will use more rudder than anything else you do on a windward leg. Because the duck seems like a time for pause or rest, there is a tendency to ease up a bit at this point if it is windy. In fact, this is one of the most important times to put the most effort into keeping the boat flat or slightly heeled to windward. <b>YOU DO NOT WANT TO SLOW DOWN HERE!</b> While the duck does cost you distance, this is a great opportunity to build up speed to protect your vulnerability as a ducking boat and to minimize your loss. The faster you are going, the more you will gain back on the starboard boat, and the easier it will be to overtake this boat when you tack back to starboard.<br />
<br />
Anticipation and timing are extremely important to executing a perfect duck. If you duck too early, you will cost yourself valuable leverage and distance on the course, and give the other boat a longer time to react to what you are doing. If you duck too late, you will use too much rudder on both the entry and exit, not to mention risking a collision. The distance you are from the other boat when you start to duck, will depend on the boat you are sailing, where the point of contact between the boats is, how fast you are going, and the conditions. However, the goal is to start the duck at the closest distance possible, where you are still able to maintain a smooth and minimal turn in both the entry and exit. <br />
<br />
The exit of the duck starts when your bow crosses the plane of the other boat’s stern, and ends as your boat emerges almost completely on the other side. During the exit, it is imperative that you do not have to turn sharply to windward as you round up past the boat’s stern. The success of the exit’s rounding is actually completely dependent on your angle of entry. If you enter at a sharp angle, you are automatically forced into a bigger turn in the exit. The principles are similar to a wide and tight mark rounding. If you sharply turn around the object, the boat will slide to leeward and further away from the point of entry. Furthermore, you will lose all of the speed that you built up during the entry phase. Entering at a more subtle angle will position you for an exit with a subtle turn and minimal rudder movement. This will keep you moving at full speed, and prevent you from sliding to leeward.<br />
<br />
A second factor that is imperative to the exit is taking advantage of the momentary wind shift created by the other boat’s sail(s). As your sail(s) start to emerge on the other side of the starboard boat, there is a brief lift created by flow off of the other boat’s sails. While this lift is short lived, heading up for that instant, and then turning back down (ideally without ever having the sail(s) luff) will give you a few inches back on the boat you just ducked. This is important because, if all things remain equal, when you both tack back, that boat will no longer be able to cross you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFzSdV3jKTC1R5q_DQeOmPjF4nhosidhsrVqF9qe0kCDMiRx6QvNte578BlBpJpon5KMTiVe6wam_ynw3wAiE6s34LCejSR2D9nGOKapuvs0b53sgZKnu5rwsAlWAYWT_iCrh4NfDokk/s1600/Zim+Coach+Lee+Bow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFzSdV3jKTC1R5q_DQeOmPjF4nhosidhsrVqF9qe0kCDMiRx6QvNte578BlBpJpon5KMTiVe6wam_ynw3wAiE6s34LCejSR2D9nGOKapuvs0b53sgZKnu5rwsAlWAYWT_iCrh4NfDokk/s640/Zim+Coach+Lee+Bow.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<b>Rules Note: </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Remember, the other boat cannot alter her course once you start to duck them. That means that until you duck is completed, that boat cannot tack. Thus, keeping your speed up and executing smooth turns will make it next to impossible for another boat to have control of you for any sustained period of time following the duck. If you come in slow and sliding, a boat will not have any problem tacking on top of you and holding their lane comfortably.<br />
<br />
See you on the water,<br />
<br />
<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-12415303885188686162013-03-05T09:44:00.000-05:002013-03-05T09:44:54.137-05:00Beka Schiff on Sailing for College of Charleston<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3beSZkN6C_TQM1nzHiAPkyR9Txb1FYdojvjmY5kNlK0x0TNpVd-DTlEhGmkow1Uq2FkB9Ew3rvaSVdzRFqxmRMVYtrNsAR-A3Wk8CQ5q3_l60ISBOdyfTpSjCM0K2Zf2pfG3gknI70Go/s1600/Becks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3beSZkN6C_TQM1nzHiAPkyR9Txb1FYdojvjmY5kNlK0x0TNpVd-DTlEhGmkow1Uq2FkB9Ew3rvaSVdzRFqxmRMVYtrNsAR-A3Wk8CQ5q3_l60ISBOdyfTpSjCM0K2Zf2pfG3gknI70Go/s1600/Becks.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Name: </b>Beka Schiff<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>School: </b>College of Charleston<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Year: </b>Freshman<br />
<br />
<b>Hometown</b>: Tampa, FL<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>College of Charleston Sailing Team: </b><a href="http://bit.ly/CofCSailing">http://bit.ly/CofCSailing</a><br />
<br />
<b>College of Charleston Sailing Team on Facebook:</b> <a href="http://bit.ly/CofCSailingFB">http://bit.ly/CofCSailingFB</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Why did you choose Charleston? What other programs did you look at?</b><br />
<br />
I knew I wanted to sail in college, so I mostly looked at schools with good sailing programs. University of Vermont, Brown, and Boston University were some of the other schools that I looked hard at. I ended up picking College of Charleston because it’s in the middle of everything geographically, we really have phenomenal facilities, and it’s a lot warmer than most of the other top programs. <br />
<br />
<b>What do you like about sailing in College? What do you dislike?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Not everyone knows this going in, but there are a lot of different levels of college sailing that give everyone opportunities to sail. There are lower key regional events, women’s events, and then the major intersectionals. I like how, even at a really strong program like Charleston, everyone has an opportunity to get involved and sail.<br />
<br />
I really don’t have any major dislikes with the college sailing experience at this point.<br />
<br />
<b>What has been the biggest sailing challenge? Non-sailing challenge?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Having good roommates is a really big deal, and is definitely a big non-sailing challenge. Your living situation is really important to your overall happiness, and who you lived with can be a very mixed bag. Also, coming into a team that had 50 new people on it was definitely overwhelming at first. When I came to Charleston, I only knew one other person that was in my freshman class. However, everyone on our team is so tightly knit together and friendly, it was so easy to get to know a lot of different people pretty quickly, and make friends.<br />
<br />
From a sailing standpoint, the biggest challenge is that everyone is just REALLY good. This isn’t necessarily the case in high school. Also, I transition a lot between skippering and crewing. It’s tough to do that well all of the time. You have to learn quickly about sailing with a lot of different people, and learning how they sail the boat compared to others. In high school, you usually sail more often with the same people, so this is a pretty large adjustment.<br />
<br />
<b>What are practices like?</b><br />
<br />
Overall, practices are really fast paced with not much sitting around. You get pushed so much harder than you are in high school. We practice Tuesday through Thursday. Most practices are sailed in FJ’s, and all 18 will get sailed at once. We typically start out with drills in two or three different groups, based on skill levels. Towards the end, everyone comes together and we do a lot of races. Every once in a while, we will have a race day where all we do is race. These race day practices are really intense because our team is so deep. We usually do those later in the week to prepare for the weekend regattas.<br />
<br />
<b>What are you studying in school?</b><br />
<br />
Right now I’m mostly getting my general education requirements out of the way, and mixing in a few biology and health courses. At Charleston, you have to get your general education requirements done so that you can declare a major. When I get those other courses out of the way, I will either declare Biology or Public Health as my major.<br />
<br />
<b>How do you balance school work?</b><br />
<br />
As a varsity sport at Charleston, we have mandatory study hall hours. As a freshman you have to put in a minimum of six hours a week in a specific study hall area that you have to swipe in and out of with a card. The card is on a timer. This is required of every varsity team at Charleston. Assuming that you have a great GPA, that required number may go down. As a sophomore, you won’t have required study hall hours. The thought is that you will eventually know how to manage your time while participating in both school and athletics.<br />
<br />
Additionally, we are all set up with academic advisors in charge of tracking each person’s progress and varsity status. There is always someone in place to help you if you are struggling, and if you need help balancing everything.<br />
<br />
<b>What are your goals for this year? By the time you graduate?</b><br />
<br />
Improving as a crew is first on the list, and then getting better as a skipper. Eventually I want to help out the women’s team as much as possible by taking on a major role in that area of the team. The goal is to make it to Women’s Nationals all four years, and, of course, to do well there.<br />
<br />
As I move up, I also want to help newcomers make the transition from high school, and integrate them into the team. That’s something that is really important to me.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Beka Schiff</i></b><br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-20672483020183685022013-03-04T11:48:00.002-05:002013-03-04T11:48:56.331-05:00The Blood Bath Drill<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRcMbkbYu7_vqOvLGQzpxWEYL04pkg6GUjFN7f7YlC_DIf3ioHKwj5sPjDCghIMmeuDWUUc_EvaH7N4s61gyiQnB5Ih5zOWhX8y8uOBbloT22w0zRZlpIOJvFvQqsoelwZfMpDc1ehcM/s1600/Blood+Bath+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRcMbkbYu7_vqOvLGQzpxWEYL04pkg6GUjFN7f7YlC_DIf3ioHKwj5sPjDCghIMmeuDWUUc_EvaH7N4s61gyiQnB5Ih5zOWhX8y8uOBbloT22w0zRZlpIOJvFvQqsoelwZfMpDc1ehcM/s640/Blood+Bath+Photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Blood Bath drill probably has a lot of different names,
and I am certain that I am not its inventor.
However, it was never taught to me by another person. I came up with it on my own as a way to run
races that would make boat speed negligible, in order to keep a group of mixed
talent together, and challenge my best sailors.
In every sailing program across the globe, there is always at least one
sailor who is simply faster than everyone else on the team. Even coaching at an Opti program this weekend,
which boasted three or four of the top ten finishers at Nationals, I saw a
sailor that could just motor past the others.
Boat speed is a premium skill in the sailing world, but sometimes (NOT
ALWAYS) it can actually stunt the most talented sailors from continuing to
improve and reach the highest levels of the sport. For example, most of the sailors that possess
this level of speed never have to truly rely on any other skills such as boat
handling, starting, tactics, etc. to win races.
Most races these days are between 45 and 60 minutes. Some are even longer. In these scenarios, faster sailors often
merely line up next to other boats, let competition drop out behind them, and
then cover when they tack away. While
this is not always the case, it is very typical, and is known as “sailing
around your competition”. The Blood Bath
drill makes boat speed and wind shifts negligible, and places an emphasis on
starting, tactics, and boat handling. If
the fastest sailor in your program struggles with any of these skills, he or
she will struggle initially with this drill, but gain a lot of valuable skills with
practice. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Set Up: </b></div>
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The Blood Bath drill is essentially a windward leeward race that
is one to four times around with a leeward mark just below the start finish
line. The only catch is that the course
is as tiny as you can stand to make it.
As a general rule of thumb, the straight line distance from the middle
of the starting line to the upwind mark, is set as many boat lengths apart as
there are boats on the starting line.
For example, if you have five boats racing, the straight line between
the center of your starting line and your windward mark is five boat lengths. The leeward mark is set up half of that
distance below the starting line. In
this example, it is two and a half boat lengths directly downwind of the middle
of the starting line. If this is too
much for the group to handle, you can double these distances. However, the longer the course is set, the
more you will give back to the sailors who have great boat speed. You will have to find that magic distance
that works for the group, the conditions, etc.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Additionally, you need to set up the line so that it is just
large enough for the amount of boats you have.
Too large of a line will give sailors too much space to perform a weaker
start, and will not get the point of the drill across. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Execution: </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The drill is run just like traditional races with a two or
three minute starting sequence, but with a lot more races. The purpose of the drill goes further when
the coach is keeping score as if it were a traditional regatta, but with no
throw out races. This forces sailors to
understand the importance of consistency in a competition. The amount of laps you make the course will
vary from group to group. Two or three
laps are usually ideal. If you go with
less, you will place more emphasis on the start, and less emphasis on great
boat handling, tactics, good mark roundings, etc. If you go with more laps, you give the
fastest sailors a larger window to try to sail past slower or less experienced
team mates. This will defeat the purpose
of the drill, which is to eliminate boat speed, and to discourage large
mistakes (fouls, over early starts, poor starts, poor mark roundings, etc.). </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As an additional note, this drill will lose part of its
message if it is not policed and judged strictly. Boats WILL foul each other, usually more
often when you are first introducing the drill.
If the sailors argue and won’t spin, they will miss the overall point of
the drill. Coaches should make the calls
on fouls, or make both boats spin if it is not obvious who is at fault. Eventually, the sailors will get more
disciplined, and learn how to use the rules to their advantage instead of
trying to circumvent them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Frequency:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This depends on the type of sailing you do. If your focus is always on longer races where
boat speed rules supreme, the Blood Bath is best as a supplemental drill to
speed testing, tacking/jibing on the whistle, etc. However, you should not avoid it
altogether. Even in these programs, I
would recommend the drill at least four times a month for one to two hours at a
time.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For high school or collegiate programs, the drill has much
more immediate value, and you should run it much more often. In these programs, it is most effectively
used as a staple, where it is run AT LEAST for a short period at every
practice.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why the Blood Bath?:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At some point in one’s sailing career, they will run into
someone, or many people, that are just as fast as them, if not faster. At the highest levels of nearly any major
fleet, there are usually at least a few boats where the boat speed is negligible
between them. In these scenarios, races
are won by the sailors who start well, sail consistently, employ flawless and aggressive
boat on boat tactics, etc. A sailor who
almost solely relies on his or her boat speed will struggle to move forward against
these types of sailors. Furthermore,
when sailor progresses to high school sailing or collegiate sailing, where the
courses are short, the boats are slow, and everyone else is fast, he or she
will find themselves perpetually going up against sailors with equal boat speed. Eventually in the sport as a whole, margins
get smaller and sailors need to find other ways to reach the top of the group. This drill can play a role in helping everyone
reach the next level of their sailing career.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>The Name:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The drill was given its name for several reasons, all of
which are obvious immediately upon running it (if they aren’t already).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
See you on the water,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-8360659916499292512013-03-01T15:27:00.000-05:002013-03-01T15:27:31.173-05:00Depowering the Byte CII Upwind<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnIKQMtYw1-iTSUfdeYmA2N6NK4_TuSJ-L3uGfUDW2MLjTsgreLhJpjemtFmtdrqwl7plNw5gM3-rVFL56i22VvDct4_-3YZM6Vy_lF1JqirF5BsVmmU5Q4c56Cw0OqOVN5W_5-tMlNk/s1600/Byte+CII_upwind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnIKQMtYw1-iTSUfdeYmA2N6NK4_TuSJ-L3uGfUDW2MLjTsgreLhJpjemtFmtdrqwl7plNw5gM3-rVFL56i22VvDct4_-3YZM6Vy_lF1JqirF5BsVmmU5Q4c56Cw0OqOVN5W_5-tMlNk/s320/Byte+CII_upwind.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The Byte CII is a boat that is growing in popularity both nationally and internationally. This is the second year in a row that it will have a fleet in two US Sailing National Championships, the US Women’s Singlehanded Championship and the Chubb US Junior Championships. It will also have a fleet at CORK OCR in Canada, followed by the Byte CII World Championship in Newport, Rhode Island at the end of August. While the boat resembles a typical singlehanded dinghy in many ways, because of its high performance sail and mast design, it is much different in terms of how the boat is tuned than any other typical dinghy found on today’s market. This will leave a lot of opportunity, for those who learn how to tune the boat effectively, to overwhelm the fleet with superior speed.<br />
<br />
One of the most unique tuning differences between the Byte CII and any other typical dinghy is how you depower the boat upwind in breeze. To understand why you depower this boat so differently, you first need to understand the boat’s sail and mast designs. The mast is tapered and made of carbon fiber. This makes it extraordinarily light, allowing increased and progressive flexibility in the mast.<br />
<br />
Additionally, the sail is fully battened and made of Mylar as opposed to the traditional Dacron found on virtually every other dinghy. Mylar does not stretch like Dacron, and is both stronger and more durable. The battens stretch across the entire sail as opposed to simply supporting the leech, as seen on most traditional dinghies. When you combine these factors you are capable of inducing significant mast bend without stressing the leech. This is not possible on any of the traditional one person dinghies in the world, which need significant stress on the leech, via the vang and mainsheet, in order to bend and depower the mast. The end result is a highly tunable sail plan that more accurately simulates the tuning adjustments of the most high performance boats around the world.<br />
<br />
When you sail a Byte CII in heavy air going upwind, instead of using the vang to flatten and depower the sail, your first line of defense is the cunningham. Because of the design, as discussed earlier, pulling on more cunningham will allow you to bend the mast progressively backward and to leeward, facilitating twist. Thus, putting on vang or trimming hard on the mainsheet will only take that twist out of the sail, and will power you up when you are attempting to depower. Thus, by using only the cunningham, you are capable of inducing full mast bend with no tension along the leech. As you do sail upwind, you should simply snug up the vang so that it has no slack dangling when you are trimmed in. This will allow you to ease the main out without having the boom move upward, which would alter the sails shape. <br />
<br />
The second major adjustment for upwind sailing is the traveler. The traveler on the Byte CII is set up on two cars, so that it is easily adjustable on each tack. To understand the traveler’s importance, you need to know that the boat is fastest when the sail is trimmed over the aft leeward corner, just like traditional singlehanded boats. As you depower using the cunningham, the boom will move further out and away from the corner. What this means for the Byte CII is that you must pull the boom back over the corner when you put on cunningham, but no longer need to pull in the main sheet hard to do so. Remember, when you are trying to depower upwind, the tighter you pull your mainsheet, the more you apply stress to the leech, and power the boat up. While mainsheet is necessary to have on every boat, the Byte CII is set up, so that you can trim the mainsheet to the proper place without bending the mast or tightening the leech. Thus, in heavy air, by pulling the windward traveler car to windward, you can get the boom to the corner while using less mainsheet. The boat is as depowered as it will get when the cunningham is fully on, the traveler is fully to windward, and the boom is over the corner of the stern. When you drop the traveler car to leeward in breeze, you will have to compensate with the mainsheet to get the sail over the back corner and maintain your pointing. If it is windy enough that you need to depower the sail, this is not ideal.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9B4mOtWQuTcdL7UxHNpjQwQ8DQ-E-ve9yxWDdXk6mKfSYcq45rP8rtHEk4Wx5eVpqRgpWgBzLW-RRo5K45gS1srZ5Zrly4IoTpAbzRtEP7M3siUUi8lcypNhOBLPgAZeIEfh-o3JcmQ/s1600/Byte+Sail+Shape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9B4mOtWQuTcdL7UxHNpjQwQ8DQ-E-ve9yxWDdXk6mKfSYcq45rP8rtHEk4Wx5eVpqRgpWgBzLW-RRo5K45gS1srZ5Zrly4IoTpAbzRtEP7M3siUUi8lcypNhOBLPgAZeIEfh-o3JcmQ/s400/Byte+Sail+Shape.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo Courtesy of Sailing Scuttlebutt</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you are still overpowered after using all of these adjustments and the outhall, which is a much more straight forward adjustment, the last step you can take to depower the boat is to start raising the daggerboard. For lighter sailors, this can happen as early as 15 knots. Start by raising the board an inch, but as the wind continues to increase, raising the board as much as three inches will help depower the boat and reduce the helm.<br />
<br />
Properly adjusting these settings is critical for achieving a neutral helm in the Byte CII. Having a neutral helm at all times will make it exponentially less difficult to steer the boat through waves. While this is important in all boats, it is even more so in the Byte CII. Weighing only 100 lbs., it accelerates quite rapidly with this advanced rig. However, like all boats that accelerate quickly, it decelerates quickly too, which will occur often if you stick the bow through a wave or slam the bow down after you cross over a wave’s crest. Thus, if you do not neutralize your helm, you will have a particularly difficult time steering down waves upwind, and you are going to struggle to have success upwind in the Byte CII. <br />
<br />
This is the first of many articles that I will release on tuning and sailing the Byte CII, as we progress towards the World Championship. If you have questions about sailing the Byte CII or anything else, tweet me @zimsailing using the #zimcoach! I will be happy to answer them!<br />
<br />
See you on the water,<br />
<br />
<b><i>Zim Coach</i></b><br />
<br />
More Info on the ByteCII and the Byte CII Worlds:<br />
<br />
Byte CII Worlds NOR: <a href="http://bit.ly/ByteCIIWorlds">http://bit.ly/ByteCIIWorlds</a><br />
<br />
Meet the Byte CII, the Next Great Singlehanded Class: <a href="http://bit.ly/ByteCIIS1D">http://bit.ly/ByteCIIS1D</a><br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06518430274835963699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440426966556013146.post-35113137042568408472013-03-01T10:45:00.000-05:002013-03-01T22:55:04.757-05:00Zack Marks on the College Sailing Experience and Eckerd College<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTPJym8PO5YjwERPaVBecF4RpZCogwhVrSlNzJTsr_TCXshueUkryT37xdCA0zfQYSK6Vr8rpDVbultRoLtJX4sT0vmKk1GDqYUBE4cV1ywahFKuHeKL_vl352vM8iUR8uAtipdzqzmo/s1600/Zack+Marks_Eckerd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTPJym8PO5YjwERPaVBecF4RpZCogwhVrSlNzJTsr_TCXshueUkryT37xdCA0zfQYSK6Vr8rpDVbultRoLtJX4sT0vmKk1GDqYUBE4cV1ywahFKuHeKL_vl352vM8iUR8uAtipdzqzmo/s1600/Zack+Marks_Eckerd.jpg" /></a></div>
Name: Zack Marks<br />
<br />
School: Eckerd College<br />
<br />
Position: Assistant and Women’s Sailing Coach<br />
<br />
Career Highlights:<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Honorable Mention All-American (2011)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Academic All-American – 2nd Team (2010)<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Competing in Singlehanded Nationals in hometown St. Pete, FL.<br />
-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sailing my final nationals in the Gorge!<br />
<br />
Learn More About Eckerd's College Sailing Team: <a href="http://bit.ly/EckerdSailing">http://bit.ly/EckerdSailing</a><br />
<br />
Eckerd's College Sailing Team on Facebook: <a href="http://bit.ly/EckerdSailingFB">http://bit.ly/EckerdSailingFB</a><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Tell me what was most exciting about the recruiting process for you personally as a student and as a coach?</b><br />
<br />
As a student, this time of year is so exciting because you get to explore a lot of different options and possibilities in evaluating what the next four years of your life will look like. It’s also an opportunity to position yourself for life after those four years are up, which adds another dimension of excitement to the process. It is kind of like window shopping.<br />
<br />
As a coach, it is really exciting to meet so many other athletes that are passionate about sailing, and who are looking to make it a part of their time in college. I have always enjoyed passing off my own knowledge and experience to the younger generations, and getting a look at the selection process that college coaches go through.<br />
<br />
<b>What did you enjoy most about the College Sailing Experience? What did you enjoy least?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The most enjoyable part is that you will sail a lot! When you think about how many starts, mark roundings, and unique situations you encounter every day, it is really astounding how much sailing you actually do in a single week. When you add that up over four years, it is no surprise how much you improve by the time you graduate. Also, you get to sail with your friends all the time. When you do something like an Olympic Campaign, you are usually on the water with maybe one or two other boats. It makes the practices and hard work that much more enjoyable when you are surrounded by your best friends.<br />
<br />
The part I enjoyed the least is the conflict that is sometimes generated by having to earn your spot. In high school, whenever I wanted to sail a singlehanded event somewhere, I could just go and sail. Not having that option anymore was initially difficult to accept. When two or more people are competing to get a starting spot for a big event, this often leads to conflict rather than everyone focusing on the big picture, which is to make everyone better as a group. While this was upsetting at first, you eventually start to see an event as the team going to a regatta instead of individual sailors. I eventually came around to that side of it, and enjoyed this aspect of college sailing that much more.<br />
<br />
<b>What’s the toughest part about adjusting to the college sailing lifestyle in and out of the classroom?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A lot of people struggle with this. In high school, there is a lot of structure to your day. You are forced to go to classes for a certain period of time, and then you do your extracurricular activities right afterward. In college, there is some structure in the form of practice times and team workouts, but there is almost an infinite amount of free time that you have never had before. You have to learn how to manage that time to do all of your other school work as well as sailing practices and workouts. Based on Eckerd’s location, we fly to a lot of places for competition, so the sailors usually take advantage of that time and do their school work.<br />
<br />
<b>Why should a sailor come to Eckerd College next year?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The school is in an interesting position this year. We almost always get into one of the spring national championships, but we have never really contended for the championship. As of July 1, 2012, the sailing program at Eckerd was upgraded to a varsity program under the guidance of the athletic department. This gives us access to a great deal of resources such as tutors, trainers, etc., and allows us to go to more intersectionals throughout the year than we ever have. We have two full fleets of FJ’s and 420’s (20 FJ's/12 420's), and two full time coaches. The head coach is Kevin Reali, a two-time ICSA All-American. <br />
<br />
As an additional note, the temperature averages about 75 degrees all year which means a lot more sailing. Even if you don’t initially get to go to a lot of regattas for the team, there are tons of local fleets that are really strong and competitive outside of college sailing. This will allow you to keep improving outside the system, and reach your goals much more quickly.<br />
<br />
<b>What are you looking for most in a recruit?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A lot of kids that look at our program are also looking at similarly small schools all over the country. While a lot of these schools are similar in size and what they offer in terms of education, they are all very different sailing programs. I essentially want to see someone who is passionate about sailing and willing to put in the hours. Attitude is everything if you are going to succeed at the college level. I can make a less experienced sailor much better quickly, if he or she has a great attitude. I won’t have the ability to make much progress at all with someone who has talent, but won’t commit their time to the team. Typically, the ideal person is selecting the college because they want to sail, and wants to be at the school for all four years. This goes for both skippers and crews. We get a lot of walk-ons at the crew position, which I think undervalues how important the position is. We always want to look at talented high school crews and make them part of our team.<br />
<br />
<b>What are your team’s goals for this season? What about over the next four years?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
We would like to qualify for all three spring championships. Our women’s team is doing really well, and we have four solid women’s skippers. We are really close with the competition in team racing, and we are returning all of our starting fleet race skippers from last year, when we missed nationals by one spot. We graduated a few of their crews, but we should have a very strong shot of bursting through the bubble this year.<br />
<br />
Four years down the road we would like to be a more established team, and get to the point where we are consistently ranked in the top 10. Essentially this will mean we transition from going to nationals to competing to win the national titles. It will take some time and a lot of persistence to get there, but it’s something that we view as a very real possibility down the line.<br />
<br />
<b>What does it take to be an All-American in College Sailing?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Above all else: Persistence. This was a frustrating process to me, where it felt like I kept doing the same things over and over again at practice and regattas, and it did not feel like I was getting any better. In actuality, you are getting better, so the trick is to try to keep a positive attitude the whole time. The season is so long, and there are so many variables in play at each regatta, that you really need to worry a lot less about results and focus a lot more on the process. Eventually it will all work out if you put the time in, and go about the process the right way.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Zack Marks</i></b><br />
<div>
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