Fleet Race Practice

• Practice Starts. We will run several practice starts with Coach Beckman anchored; please work timing/acceleration on the starts, all the while working to be ON TIME and NOT over early. If you are set up poorly, or something happens, BAIL OUT EARLY. The best starts give you a clear air lane and ideally the ability to tack when YOU want.
•  Practice starts will morph into First Beats. We work so much on boathandling/speed so that you have the ability to do other things  (like tactics and strategy) when on a leg of the course. If you are not fast, your tactics/strategy, no matter how well thought out, will not matter. On this beat you must fight for 2 things:
  • clear lane. Do NOT follow unless you are consciously doing it to improve your position.
  • the ability to execute your plan (which presupposes that you have a plan)
• After the first beat, we will line up in ascending sail number order beginning with 7; FTL around weather offset and race downwind to a leeward gate rounding. Given your position in the fleet, work to improve or hold your position on the next two legs. Important considerations are
  • lane management downwind
  • gate choice and making a fast rounding
  • final beat tactics.
• Please do NOT lag behind the person you are following, as you thereby put everyone behind you in a worse position. Round gate and race back to windward mark/offset.
• Repeat drill back at starting line.