Try the “No-Hike Hands Drill” for Better Puff Response
Here’s a drill to sharpen your puff response techniques. Most sailors know about “ease/hike/trim,” but many do not execute it
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Sailing School Activities
Sailing school activities, including lesson plans, videos, drills, enrichment materials, and more for youth sailing instruction. This tag search will get you access to over 130 resources. Includes individual sailing school activities, as well as comprehensive curriculum documents.
Light Air on Lakes: More Wind Near the Shore?
When I was starting out racing on our tiny lake, a mentor told me to look for more wind near
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The Three Dimensions of a Lake Breeze
Sailors commonly talk about the sea breeze. This leaves lake sailors feeling left out. So, we asked Chelsea Carlson, of
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Understand Leeway to Improve Upwind Performance
In this post, we’ll define leeway, show you how to become aware of your boat’s leeway, and share tips on
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Mechanical Advantage in Sailboats: Block and Tackle Systems
In this post we introduce the topic of mechanical advantage in sailboats. We’ll show how to determine the mechanical advantage
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Use Race Course Types to Set Strategy: Roble/Shea Sailing
In lake sailing, race strategy – using shifts, sailing in more wind, and course/fleet positioning – is often more important
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Starting Strategy and Tactics: Where to Start
This post covers the expert wisdom on where to start. We updated the post from the original version, incorporating some
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Windward Mark Approach: Six Traps to Avoid
How many times have you been burned at the windward mark, losing multiple places in less than a minute? It’s
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Sailing by the Lee: A Primer
We’ve had several newer sailors ask us about sailing by the lee. This is not a well-understood topic, especially for
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Pre-Race Routine: Get a Leg up on the Competition
Every battle is won before it is fought. Sun Tzu, Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and philosopher The above quote could
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Lane Management After the Start – Tips and Drills
After a decent front row start, what’s the next priority? Answer: holding your lane and going fast, so you can
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Tactical Intelligence: Manage Your Thought Process
Successful sailors know how to manage their thought process during the race. In The Sailing Cycle, we described Zack Clayton’s
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Bad Start? Four Recovery Options
Bad starts happen. As we showed in Starting Performance Observations, it’s common to see half or more of the fleet
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Heavy Air Gybes: Conquer Fear with Technique
Are you afraid of heavy air gybes (or jibe) due to either lack of experience or too many painful experiences?
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Using a Line Sight to Give you Confidence on the Starting Line
Always, always use a line sight. Dave Dellenbaugh, in Speed and Smarts (Issue 128) Are you skeptical about the value
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Cross, Tack, or Duck? Ask the Right Questions
Crossing situations force you to evaluate options, sometimes rather quickly. Asking the right questions will help you make a better
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