Ducking: Decide and Execute
Ducking another boat is something you don’t want to do often. As Stuart Walker says, “Don’t let ’em cross.” But […]
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Keeping Your Lead, Part 2: Covering Tactics on the Beat
To continue our series on keeping your lead, we turn to covering tactics on the beat. We reviewed several books
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Ease the Bolt Rope to Keep Your Sail in Shape
Is your sail more than a year old? If so, you should ease the bolt rope to bring the sail
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MC Boards Sticking? Three Potential Causes
If you have an MC Scow numbered 2476 or earlier, you may have had the lee boards stick in the
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Wind Lanes: Accurate Wind Indicators?
Shiny streaks, or “wind lanes” appear between the darker areas. These indicate the direction of the approaching wind with absolute
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Capsize Causes and Solutions – Part 3: Waves and Avoiding Other Boats
Here’s Part 3 of our list of capsize causes and solutions for small boat sailors. In Part 1, we covered upwind
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Capsize Causes and Solutions – Part 2: Off-wind Balance
Here’s Part 2 of our list of capsize causes and solutions for small boat sailors. In Part 1, we covered
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Capsize Causes and Solutions – Part 1
As promised in our post on major mistakes, here’s our cut at a definitive list of capsize causes and solutions
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Finishing Strategy: Favored End and Laylines
As a race committee chairman, … I am surprised at how few [sailors] seem to attempt to finish at the
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Leeward Mark Rounding Paths – Strategic or Tactical Rounding
Racing sailors face a constant stream of strategic and tactical decisions. In the heat of a situation, it’s easier to
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Windward Mark Preparation Checklist
You can gain or lose boats quickly while approaching, rounding, and exiting the windward mark. There are plenty of things to worry
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Play the Shifts Downwind – Check Your Understanding
In winds up to 10 knots, the impact of shifts downwind is enormous… A boat working the shifts will gain
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The Spectrum of the Wind: Higher Performance Sailing
For a useful understanding of the inner workings of the wind, check out Frank Bethwaite’s Higher Performance Sailing. In Chapter
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Sail the Long Tack: Part of Your Strategy Mix
My favorite rule of thumb, and one that I have used with great success many times, is to ‘sail the
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Mainsail Telltales: A Better Approach
I grew up sailing lasers and love having at least four sets (of mainsail telltales). Most sailors think this is
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Continuous Control Lines Kit for MC Scow
SailZing now offers a continuous control lines kit for the MC Scow. This pre-cut set of lines lets you easily
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