Practice Focus: UPWIND

-likely do legs of races today along with a few start-to-finish races to allow you to put finishing touches on your teamwork and communication.

• Staying in phase while aggressively seeking clear air. Everyone says its great to “be in phase”. What on earth does that actually mean? Well, be on the lifted/long tack toward pressure. That’s too easy an answer.
• HS/College sailing rewards sailors who can
  • be in phase, while
  • having clear air
• Given the fact that we sail 420/FJ on courses that are generally small, those sailors MOST rewarded are those that can do the above in narrow lanes. That is, you must be comfortable and fast near other good boats. Wait for others to make mistakes. You don’t have to be brilliant, you have to minimize mistakes. Our boats go a certain speed, I’d say medium/slow, and our courses are generally short.
• Communicate with your partner, execute your goals while constantly re-evaluating them
• What is being in phase really mean? A lot of it is avoidance, and it’s following this: From the start today, WORK HARD to avoid
  • long tacks for no good reason (dont miss shifts)
  • missing shifts
  • sailing toward a mirage (a puff or windshift that you can’t realistically get to…)
  • being (or thinking you are) unable to tack because of someone else
  • Finding yourself out on a corner early
  • Being on the short tack early (this is a killer)
  • separating too much from the leaders. Why would you? Is the gain worth the risk?