2 Best Tips to sail fast

Skipper Johnson

New Member
I thought it might be good to get everyone's top 2 tips to sailing fast.

I'll kick off

(1) Put the bung in the back of the transom. I found that leaving this out means the boat fills with water and your performance is effected.

(2) When rigging the outhaul, don't try and do a bowline, fail, give up and then tie your own special, made up knot. Special, made up knots will likely come undone meaning your sail is flapping wildly and not attached to the boom. This also effects performance

Any other ideas?
 
(1) Remember to tie a knot in the end of the mainsheet. Without a knot it works well to allow you to slip wind, but it affects your performance if you dump the sheet. :p


(2) When sailing a double-hander - remember to check that the spinnaker halyard is free BEFORE starting to pull it up. Otherwise you will end up on a screaming planing spinnaker reach and then realise you have a rip in the kite. ;)
 
1. If there has been an incident with the wind picking up the boat while it is still on the dock, make sure there's not a hole in the boat before launching it.

2. Make sure that there is at least some vang on when on a run to prevent the boom from popping off the gooseneck and if the the latter happens, don't re-attach with the lines all tangled so that you have to completely undo the main sheet stopper knot and re-thread, and you had been winning the race.
 
Skipper Johnson said:
I thought it might be good to get everyone's top 2 tips to sailing fast.

I'll kick off

(1) Put the bung in the back of the transom. I found that leaving this out means the boat fills with water and your performance is effected.

(2) When rigging the outhaul, don't try and do a bowline, fail, give up and then tie your own special, made up knot. Special, made up knots will likely come undone meaning your sail is flapping wildly and not attached to the boom. This also effects performance

Any other ideas?

2) A bowline will not come undone if properly tied, when tying it pull it tight.
 
I dont do this, but i always see new sailors with there travellers loose, this makes the boom go to centerline, which is not fast.


Ease Hike Trim
 
1. Put your rudder down. Sailing an entire race with it in the "up" position is not fast.

2. Round the marks in the direction that the sailing instructions say. For example, if they say "Starboard rounding", that means the mark should pass by the starboard side of the boat, which is easily identified because it is usually on the right hand side when you face towards the pointy part, which experts often call the "bow" or "front".
 
1) when its windy and your struggling to keep it flat. play the sheet to keep the boat flat as appose to killing yourself hiking 150%

2)on flat water use allot of downhaul (Ben Ainslies sydney olympic coach told me this)
 
1) If its windy, only try to gybe when the boat is maxed out, down a wave. It makes the loads a lot lower. Doing it when you're going slow usually ends up a lot wetter.

2) If you're lightweight and sail std rig, and keep getting into irons tacking in strong winds, lift the board about 6-8inches. It helps the boat bear away after the tack (down speed) and once you're going fast it wont cost you any height.
I've not tried this in a big seaway tho, and dont need to do it now i'm a fatty! :cool:
 
1. In light air foot 5 to 10 degrees off the wind until you get your boat speed up. I find most people pinch in light air and end up sliding sideways more than they realize. IMO it is better to have boatspeed than to be pointing a few degrees higher in light air.

2. Show up to the reggatta early and well prepared.
 
Chris123 said:
1. Put your rudder down. Sailing an entire race with it in the "up" position is not fast.

2. Round the marks in the direction that the sailing instructions say. For example, if they say "Starboard rounding", that means the mark should pass by the starboard side of the boat, which is easily identified because it is usually on the right hand side when you face towards the pointy part, which experts often call the "bow" or "front".

Good tip! I'm guessing you took a long time to get to the windward mark
 
1. steer with your weight. if it's breezy you'll never round the windward mark without your boat being flat or heeled to windward, the rudder cavitates. tacks and gybes are all about the weight as well.

2. remember that a laser coasts really well, so use it to your advantage if you're over-powered rounding the leward mark (by not trimming in until around the mark) or on the start line (coast through a hole with speed intead of trying to power up at the gun).
 
1. Don't forget that to thread the mainsheet through the loop half way along the boom - yes you know you rigged in a hurry, but decapitation is not pretty.

2. 'Eat spaghetti' rounding the leeward mark (i.e. sheet in like mad). You will start the next beat better if you make a good mark rounding.
 
1. Clear air, all the time- no lee-bowing, no sitting under someone, no sailing right behind someone, avoid places where the air is chopped up, e.g. left side of beat of a triangle of a multiclass regatta, etc.

2. starting- on the line, with speed, at the gun, near the favored end.

3. (had to add this too) IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO PINCH CORRECTLY, DON'T!


taken from one of Stuart Walker's three indespensible books
 
to quote one of my old sailing mentors Ralf Stiez "Just sail fast, and don't suck at life!"

but seriously;
1) know your boat, rig her how you like it
2) be familier with your boat, ie races should not be practice time!
 
I know this is more than two, but I just had to add them.

If someone wants to use sneaky match-racing tactics on you - give as good as you get!

If you aren't close hauled and get stuck below somone - try and widen the gap between the two boats (bear away if necessary). When you think you have room (and if you are wrong this could be very messy - so be aware of that) bear up hard, cut across their transom and bear away again. Dirty air problem solved. :)

Round a mark as close to it as you can get without touching it. If the boat in front of you doesn't go close to it - cut inside them and sheet everything on like mad. You might not get past them but you will at least be above them.

If you are on port tack and a boat is about to cross you on starboard and you know they won't make it (they should have called starboard on you by then) you don't necessarily have to tack. Bear away slightly and then bear up again and head straight for the boat. If done correctly you should cut very close just across their transom. That is how you duck a boat without changing course too much or losing much speed.
 
1) Keep the sail out of the water!!!

2) Keep the Hull in the water.

It seems to work for me!!!

:)

Ok serious my 2 tip for a guy who has only been sailing lasers for a year.

1) Close-Haul sheet in block to Block if you can. And Hike, hike hike.

2) Down Wind, center board up and surf the waves.

I think it works!!!

Cheers
Mark
 
Here are 3, I use;

(1)If you are fully hiking you should be 2 blocked

(2) on the run; up in the lulls, down in the puffs

(3) In light air get to the edges of the course
 
laser2_9804 said:
Round a mark as close to it as you can get without touching it. If the boat in front of you doesn't go close to it - cut inside them and sheet everything on like mad. You might not get past them but you will at least be above them.

Don't do that unless you are 100% sure you can establish inside overlap rights before you hit the 2BL circle -- if you don't, and the boat in front of you is paying attention, they will slam the door so hard on you it'll make your head spin.
 
Make it pretty
When in doubt, let it out.

if I had three:
tiller toward trouble


"Pretty" should be constantly redefined and modified accordingly.

Yes. Sailing really is that simple!!
 
Tips From A Light Air Sailor:

1. In real light air, keep the boat heeled slightly. It keeps shape in the sail, as well as the boom out of your face.
2. Steer as little as possible and just CHILL! I sail in light light air all the time and the boat will always move faster when you are calm. Still is fast.

P.S. Heavy air is a whole lot more funner, though!
 
1. Don't forget that to thread the mainsheet through the loop half way along the boom - yes you know you rigged in a hurry, but decapitation is not pretty.
I hate to say it... but I did exactly this on Saturday! D'oh! I was so embarrased! Oh well... live and learn :)
 
1. Remember laser center boards don't kick up.

2. When sailing on lake eire watch out for dead fish.

3. Screaming reaches in to a pontoon boat is not a good start
 
1) the sail is supossed to be facing te sky, not under water ;)

no, here are my 2
1)Use the vang upwind, as it depowers the rig when its to windy
2)the boat sails the fastest when flat, so don't sail block to block, cause when the boat is not flat, you hit the brakes.
 
OOOOOHHHHH OOOOOHHHH I got some!

1) do not capsize... being 85 lbs i try to be careful with stuff
2) go with the flow.... being one of the best sailors at my yacht club, I have seen too many people with a death grip. Sailing is fun, so we should just chill.
 
I only have one rule for new sailors:

Sitting indian-style is only appropriate for Willie Nelson or, well, Native Americans; Do not sail a race like this! It has been done and is not fast, despite superior comfort and style (all the cool college sailors are doing it).
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah B
1. Don't forget that to thread the mainsheet through the loop half way along the boom - yes you know you rigged in a hurry, but decapitation is not pretty.

>>[maljam] I hate to say it... but I did exactly this on Saturday!
>>D'oh! I was so embarrased! Oh well... live and learn :)

I did that at the weekend too.

Recommend fitting tiller over the front of traveller loop and under rear. I pushed off with it fitted snuggly under the front and over the rear instead and found that, with the traveller loop tail cleated, I was forced to sail round and round in circles.
 
1. Anyone can win a regatta. It takes a true sailor to win the regatta AND the party (ok so that one doesn't have to do with sailing fast, but having fun is just as important).

2. Find that downwind groove. Soooo important, harder than the upwind groove with a HUGE payoff if you can sustain it. (being light helps)
 
Actualy, they are not allowed to just turn streight into you like that.
When it's them turning up against you, they are obligated to give you room to get out of the way. If you can finish your turn you're fine.
They're not allowed to just strear up head to wind eather (and no smart sailor would try to eather as they'd lose more from that then they would by just staying under you =P

1. Don't forget that to thread the mainsheet through the loop half way along the boom - yes you know you rigged in a hurry, but decapitation is not pretty.


Happends sometimes =P
I never managed to do it during a race but I have during training, I have alot of weird elastic lines around my boat though so I just take one of those and pull it around the boom if I happend to forget the loop, works ok =P
 
general tips

1.a piece of chewing gum gets the taste of salt outta your mouth
2.wash and take care of your gear and boat after every sail (no matter how tired you are)


general sailing tips

1.never be on the outside of the leward mark rounding. stop your boat if you need to (after you get into the two boat lengths), but never be on the outside
2.never bang a corner


laser tips

1.on jibes in light wind, grab the main sheet right below the boom block and pull on that to make sure that it doesnt catch the transom
2.if you want to race, watch videos of Robert Scheidt
 
practice, practice, practice

hike, hike, hike

wash, rinse, and repeat as necessary
 

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