Four tricks to improve your racing position

Whether you are cruising and taking on a boat of friends or racing with a larger fleet, here are some small tips that can get you ahead of your opponent.

Four tricks for getting better at racing

Consider, however, that unfortunately in boating there can never be a certain rule for every situation. You must, of course, take into account a thousand variables: other boats, wind shifts(here we tell you how to “read” them in advance), your racing position in the race course, and so on…

1. The “sly” crossing in the regatta.

You are starboard tack (boat A) and your direct opponent (boat B) is going up the left leeward tack. You have the right of way, and 99% he will practically tack you in the bow to annoy you and put you in his waste.

What to do? A couple of lengths from the crossing, lean a few degrees to give the impression that your true upwind is lower and to bring the moment of crossing with boat B closer. In this way as soon as boat B veers into the bow or slightly under giving you discomfort you can pick up speed again by passing upwind of boat B as in figure 2.

If, on the other hand, boat A fails to pass in front in the crossing, and boat B veers upwind read tip 2.

Upwind between boats, watch out for trash

It often happens that you have to sail upwind amidst boat traffic, especially after the start or after a turnaround.

Whether racing or beating a friend of yours, you must never find yourself like the boat in figure 1, that is, behind and slightly downwind.

If you have the opportunity, tack as soon as possible to get out of the way of boat B’s waste, essentially the dirty air that does not allow you to maintain the optimal upwind angle (Figure 2).

If, on the other hand, you find yourself as in Figure 3 with boat A downwind of boat B, the solutions here are highly variable. The position is not always favorable, if you can’t get away at speed try not to lose angle to the wind, in fact in this position you should stay as close as possible to the upwind boat to take advantage of a kind of “suction” effect. If you cannot hold to position without losing angle to the wind, you will begin to expire. Wait for the first useful moment to tack and escape.

Race start. How and where

A situation that happens often, namely with a change in wind direction along the starting line. Before the start make “stops” in the wind to see the real direction in the boat and at the buoy and midline.

The situation in the figure sees the starting starboard tack in favorable jury boat (A) with respect to the buoy (B). If you have the skill you can try a left tack start at the buoy, but be careful at intersections, you do not have the right of way.

Racing – How to cover the stern opponent

Aft the tactics for “marking” the opponent change completely. Let’s say it is the chasing boat that leads the game by trying to cover the opponent in front, in this case boat B. Be careful that what matters is not so much the actual wind but the apparent wind, which, depending on the speed of the boat, always turns toward the bow.

In Figure 1, A covers boat B well, which will not be able to try to heel to bring itself upwind of A (beware that in some cases people think of the direct duel forgetting about the fleet). Alternatively, boat B can gybe and free itself from A until it is free.