Afraid of racing!

JuanCH

Member
Hi there! I ve been sailing my laser for the last 5 months. Last week I was invited to race in a local regatta but at the end I chickened out! I was afraid of coming out last! What can I do to overcome that feeling? Thanks for the advice!:)
 
Realize that you may very well come in last. We all have. Just get it over with.
 
Get out there!!!
If you've got 5 months time in the boat you have enough boat handling skills where you won't be a danger to anybody or yourself.

You won't be fighting just to keep the thing upright, so you'll have a chance to improve quickly. Ask the fast guys for advice.

Practice getting around the leeward mark cleanly. That will gain you boats every time.
 
The BEST way to learn to race and advance is by racing...you'll have a steep learning curve and make quick gains the more you are on the race course. Go for it, and have fun, too.
 
I was invited to a Local regatta and I had the luxury of bringing someone else with me that sucked more... It's like surviving a bear attack. You dont have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun your friends.

Seriously, it's a huge learning curve, and the only way to get better is to do it. I cant claim any great amount of experience, but I have done about a half dozen races, and I managed to have only one good leg, and no bad races... at the D18's championships a couple years ago, the staff boat would come out and tell me that they would finish me in place (last).
 
Don't be afraid! My sailing history was 40 foot cruising yachts until early this year. I now own a Laser (SLIGHTLY different from a 40 foot cruiser!), and race (well, follow the course) on Wednesday nights at the club. First few weeks I sat 100 yards behind the guys going for club championship points until I got a feel for the Laser (scared of getting in the way of someone who knew what he was doing and who was going for race points). Last week I got down to the club early, got the boat ready, got out on the water early, took close note of the start sequence, took a good position and crossed the start line in 2nd place. Doesn't matter how well you sail, before the start horn all is equal! As it turns out I finished last (been dinghy sailing for 3 months, some of the guys have been helming for 30 years!), but it felt SOOO good to beat better sailors across the line!
:):D:p

Al, (rubbish at sailing Lasers but getting better all the time!)
 
Initially don't worry so much about the race but watch what the "good" sailors are doing so you can try to do the same. Just getting out there is the quickest way to learn. Be conservative off the wind especially if it is windy, in other words don't let the vang off too much or let the mainsheet out too far. Otherwise you are headed for a "death roll." Talk to the other sailors on shore to learn how they set up their boats and any other hints they can give so you can improve quickly. I've been sailing Lasers since 1971 and am still learning all the time by going out and racing against good Laser sailors. It's pretty funny watching home movies of me Laser sailing in 1971 but nine years later I actually won a fairly big regatta. So hang in there and good luck!! --SP, Laser 170757
 
Just get out there and try your best! I am sure you will do good! I just got a laser like a week or 2 ago. So I don't even know how to sail yet!
 
so what if you come last. if you figure something new out in the process then your comming out of the event on top. just go out and have some fun. thats all that matters. and thats all that the best sailors are doing is just having fun and doing what they love
 
I have been sailing a Laser for about two years now and race perhaps four times a month. I race against some top notch Laser sailors at our Club and some not so good too. I have raced in Laser Master races at the club and at first I came consistently last in almost every race...bad starts...bad mark roundings...getting tied up in the mainsheet...capsizing...deathrolls...falling over on Gybes.

The disappointment is great and hard at first to deal, i'm a competitive guy... everything i do i like to excel in and along comes Laser sailing and giving my all doesn't seem to make any difference at all it seems at first....

Note I say at first because at first...because last position seemed to be all I could get. Now I thought to myself do I become fed up with the disappointment and try another hobby instead, or do I think I sail for myself, for the fun, for the excitement, for the relaxation of being outside in the countryside, in all weathers and not having the chance to think about my freelance work (i'm a workaholic) when its really blowing.

I decided I would make a joke to sailing friends, relations, fellow competitors, that coming last I was simply 'Working on my sailing consistency' and you know what, this took an awful lot of self-imposed pressure off me in an instant. Remember this is not the olympics, you won't lose a big sponsorship deal, you wont be out the team, you will still get paid at work the next week etc.

And you know what, with the pressure off and the chance just to race, try things at the start, look at what the good guys do at the club and on dvd, attending a few training sessions/ talks the results have begun to get better, slowly but surely i'm creeping up the results.. 11 out of 32 the other day (with some other type of boats on PN)

Infact the other day I was disqualified for being over the start line at the start (OCS) I was one of four Laser sailors over at the start, and the rest were all the 'Good guys'...WOW so near the line at the start... so i'm actually pushing the envelope at the start now.

So to sum up take your time and don't be so hard on yourself, result will come eventually, very slowly at first...I'm still not one of the 'good guys' but at least I can see them up front finishing...I now have to lose some weight and get fitter to move up further I reckon... but all in good time... still more Laser sailing to learn yet.
 
Go out and have fun racing. Don't take it seriously and try and watch what the boats around you are doing differently.

I remember when I first started racing I didn't dare get in amongst it at the start so I would hang back and watch instead. Meant although I didn't start well I learnt lots. Also, most laser sailors are quite happy to give advice and can be quite understanding on the water (unless its a crucial race for an event) if they know you are new to racing.

One idea my old club do to encourage new sailors into racing is to have a handicap race series where you were split into gold.silver.bronze fleets. Gold - experienced racers, Silver, competent racers, bronze - new racers. You moved up by winning your fleet or just going out and improving massively. Gold and silver started together, then bronze started afterwards (they get to watch a start to help learn and not have to competitive guys getting in their way). You also were not allowed to shout at anyone in the fleet below you and if you passed a boat in a lesser fleet than you the idea was to give tips if you could see something obviously wrong.
Seems to work really well, prizes for each fleet at the end of the serious so not just to usual suspects winning trophies and a good learning experience. Maybe worth seeing if any clubs around you do this sort of thing.
 
Back in my optimist dinghy days... I was a dead last kind of person. You learn from your mistakes, move on, and get better. Don't tell yourself you won't do well, you have to have the right attitude going into this. Good luck!!!

:)
 
Hi there! I ve been sailing my laser for the last 5 months. Last week I was invited to race in a local regatta but at the end I chickened out! I was afraid of coming out last! What can I do to overcome that feeling? Thanks for the advice!:)


You should EXPECT to come in last. You should expect to race quite a number of times before you finally beat anybody else.

Everybody in the fleet has more experience than you do.

Most of teh people in the fleet are successful in some other part of their lives. sailors are commonly doctors, lawyers, teachers, professors, business owners or etc and have been successful in some way since their first day in kinderegarten.

If you do manage to finish ahead of anybody in your first year, you are a protege.

Just go have fun and espect to learn from a bunch of nice people who are doing something you like to do and who know way more about having fun doing it than you.
 
Jaun;

The replys above are great and full of good advice. Don't be afraid, excersize caution and maybe a bit of restraint at a large starting line. Other than that, without racing, your just daysailing, ugh.

Get out there, take the next invitation to a regatta and come in last. So what? Think about all the others that are actually behind you because they won't even try.

Dave
 
I have lived on a 48' sailboat all my life, then when I was 11 I started sailing optis. After a couple months of lessons and sailing I was invited to a regatta. I was just as worried about coming in last. I really didn't want to go to the race, but my mom trapped me in to going. When I got to the yacht club where the race was set to happen I was ready to puke. I went out on the water and sure enough I was in last. It took me a few races that day to understand what I was doing wrong. I was just to worried about what other people thought of me. I wasd so worried about what people thought of me that I wasn't willing to go all out and try to win the races. I didn't understand that until I almost got knocked out by my boom.

After I understood that I started really trying in the races. I would hike out, be right at the start line, yell back at people about who had right of way. I ended up 5 out of 12 boats.

The point that I am trying to make is don't go out to race because of other people, go out to race for you. In the long run it doesn't matter if everybody else thinks that you are an idiot, it only matters what you think. Like many people said before me, you aren't going to win your first race, but you won't win any if you don't race at all. If you actively race you will get better. The only way to know if you are learning more is to race.
 
Don't worry about coming last! It doesn't matter because although you may come last in this regatta, you learnt from it and, in a few more races you will be inching your way up as you learn from the experienced sailors.
A good aim is to not lose by as much, if you are going to lose as you no doubt will in your first race/regatta, aim to keep closer to the boats in front.
I recently acquired a laser and have only been able to sail it 3 times but have enjoyed myself greatly, disapointingly i am the only laser sailor at my yacht club so i cant learn from those better than then me.
Take the chance and enjoy it, sailing is fun.
 
I know how you feel, but consider this. My first dinghy race since college (over 25 years ago) was in September. And even when I was in college, I didn't do much because of academic obligations.

It was light air, and my competitors were mostly high school kids. The result was pretty predictable - last every time. Nevertheless, I can't wait until the next opportunity becuase I learned so much from the experience.

Now if I can do it, I can assure you that you can as well. Take heed of what has been written by other members and get back out there.
 
I hadn't sailed competitively since college so at age 50 I bought a Laser and came in at the end of every race.

The biggest boost to my learning curve was a seminar with Kurt Taulbee in Clearwater, Fl. After the seminar I quickly went from the back to the middle of the fleet and even was close to the front a couple times. When I was there there were 4 folk headed for Worlds but there were also a couple newbies and it was very worthwhile and fun for all.

I could go on, but check out the website at www.sailfit.com.
 

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