In polling, we learned that many sailing schools need an up-to-date curriculum guide. As a result, the Inland Lake Yachting Association (ILYA) has developed a racing curriculum. This curriculum includes input from ILYA coaches, sailing schools, and external references. This…

Basic jib trim on a dinghy is not difficult, but beginning racers need to know a few things. In this post, we discuss the importance of the jib and a simple approach to setting the jib leads and sheeting. Why…

You probably don’t want to imitate the picture above, but you can raise your sailing game if you learn to hike harder and smarter. Hiking takes effort, but by being fit and using proper technique you can get better results…

Some experts say that strategy is more important than tactics. Good strategy gets you around the course faster, but it’s tempting to overthink strategy and forget that you are racing the boats around you. In this post we summarize five…

Until recently, we were convinced the holding the tiller extension with a “microphone” grip is always best. Then we talked to some very good sailors that often use the “frying pan” grip. We also read that Ben Anslie uses the…

We’ve written several posts about various aspects of upwind boat speed, but many readers like content summarized. In this post we present an upwind boat speed checklist, collected from previous SailZing.com content. These skills require practice to execute them more…

Can’t point without pinching and losing speed? For this article, we collected everything we could find on how to solve common pointing problems. The experts are quite consistent, and what they say matches our experience. Here are five tips, in…

We’ve written in detail about various aspects of downwind strategy, but many readers like content summarized. In this post we present a downwind strategy checklist, collected from previous SailZing.com content. These skills are not difficult, but all sailors can execute…

“Get your head out of the boat” and “Sail by Feel” are both great pieces of advice for racing sailors, especially in small boats with limited (or zero) crew resources. This comes harder for sailors that didn’t grow up with…

Ted Keller won the 45-boat MC Scow Train Wreck regatta held January 28-30, 2022, at Lake Eustis Sailing Club (LESC). Ted is also leading the Triple Crown series at LESC after two events. He graciously agreed to share some racecourse…

Top sailors tell us that angle of heel is everything. Are you having trouble maintaining constant angle of heel in breeze? A good sailor once told me that it’s simply a matter of choice – do what it takes to…

How do you approach hull care? As we saw in our post, Hull Smoothness – What Matters for Speed?, hull smoothness matters but only to a point. In this post, we’ll cover how to achieve a smooth hull and ways…

The skipper winning the most races inevitably is going to be the one with the best touch. I call touch the simultaneous coordination of steering and sail trim with wind and sea conditions. Sailing upwind is really a never-ending series…