Tacking Master, an analog revolution in racing tactics

It is called Tacking Master and has “bewitched” all the strongest sailors around the world, from derivationists to offshore and one-design specialists. It is used by the Star’s star performers; it was aboard EFG’s Swiss crew, Melges 24 world champion, and many other teams that have achieved fine results in international events. Its operation is completely analog (it is a kind of “clock” with two dials to be rotated according to changes in the wind, which is very intuitive) and this makes for a decidedly low price: 79 euros including VAT(CLICK HERE TO BUY IT). Also, forget about the batteries!

HOW IT WORKS (IN 5 MOVES)
The Tacking Master requires only a compass on board. You will need this to take the wind and buoy degrees (always indicated in the jury boat) in order to set the device. The overview on the dial helps the tactician or helmsman visualize all the most important directional data in order to be better prepared for any change in wind direction and to assess the “good” and “poor” in real time.

Step 1.
First you need to set the wind direction change (shift) crown to zero. It is the big one, central and black, with the wind arrow and navigation angles (in green for starboard tack and red for port tack) drawn in the various gaits. To do this, you will simply act on the crown protuberance near the “-” symbol.

Step 2.
The next step is to unscrew (the direction is counterclockwise) the red ferrule so as to release the pressure and allow the white ferrule that surrounds the central crown to settle. The advice is not to unscrew it too much so as not to make the white ferrule too “mobile.”

Step 3.
Now you will need to turn the white bezel and set the wind direction (10° wind ranges are shown in the bezel (each is interspersed with a dot for accuracy).

Step 4.
Now all you have to do is configure the direction of the buoy (or the point you want to reach) with the arrow mounted on the black bezel.

Step 5.
Reuse the red bezel and rotate it to “lock” the settings. Now it’s your turn, make the boat walk the best it can!

EXAMPLES OF USE

TACKING MASTER ON VIDEO