STARTING
WHERE TO START
RACING IS FUN!
WHETHER YOU ARE RACING FOR GOLD OR RACING FOR FUN, RACING REQUIRES IMPORTANT & ESSENTIAL SAILING TECHNIQUES THAT EVERY SAILOR SHOULD KNOW!
RACING IS EASY, WHEN YOU GET TO THE POINT, ALL IT REQUIRES IS GETTING A GOOD START, SAILING FAST, & STAY OUT OF TROUBLE!
STARTS REQUIRE
WHERE TO START
FIRST LEG STRATEGY
GUSTS: A GUST IS A BRIEF INCREASE IN THE SPEED OF THE WIND��TO IDENTIFY GUSTS, LOOK FOR DARKER, RIPPLING PATCHES OF WATER OR AREAS OF WATER WHERE THE SUNLIGHT IS RIPPLING
In this picture, a couple of patches of ruffled water can be seen in the distance.
5 seconds later and the appearance has changed as the gust moves across the water.
4 seconds later
3 seconds after that
2 seconds later. By now the steeper viewing angle is starting to wash out the effect.
A closeup shows the small scale of the ripples induced by the gusts of wind. The larger waves are about 10 to 15cm high.
THE GOAL:
THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF GUSTS AND BREEZE WHICH IMPACT RACING, BUT WE WILL ADDRESS 3 FOR NOW���1. PERSISTENT SHIFTS��2. OSCILLATING SHIFTS��3. SEA BREEZE�
Persistent Shifts:
What:
A persistent wind shift is when the wind shifts one way and does not come back.
Why it’s important:
As the wind gradually shifts, one side of the course will gradually deteriorate, while the other improves. Knowing which side the wind is persistently shifting to will help you to determine which side of the course you can expect gusts and which direction they will travel.
If you are looking up course and you see that the wind is sifting to the left, as in the picture, you know that you can expect the gusts to come from the left side of the course as the day progresses.
By contrast, if it is shifting to the right, you can expect the the gust to come progressively from the right side of the course as the day progresses.
Oscillating Shifts
What:
An oscillating shift means that the wind turns to the left or right of the main wind direction, much like a fan.
Why it’s important
If the wind is shifting back and forth from left to right, it will be difficult to determine from which direction the gusts will come from.
Sea Breeze
What:
A sea breeze is a local wind, independent of global wind patterns. The sea breeze flows from the sea toward the land. Sea breezes affect the area along a coast and can extend as far as twenty miles offshore. Like all winds, a sea breeze is formed as a result of a change in temperature and air pressure.
A sea breeze is created when a low pressure forms over the coast. The sea has a greater heat capacity than land, meaning it requires more heat to change its temperature. Therefore, during the day, as the sun’s warm rays shine down on the earth, because of the difference in heat capacity, the land heats up faster than the sea. The air above the land also warms. Since warm air is less dense than cool air it begins to rise, leaving an area of low pressure just over the land. The sea breeze is created when the cool air over the sea rushes in to fill the low-pressure region making a favorable wind for making landfall.
In the above photo, the time is mid-morning and as the sun heats the land, the sea breeze begins to kick in, shown here by dark ripples spreading across the calm water. As the ripples reach the sailboat, the boat will experience an abrupt wind sift and a wind increase. At first, the sea breeze may be light and fluky, but it will often build in intensity as the day gets hotter and may become much stronger.
Why it’s important:
A sea breeze typically fills in first offshore, and then moves toward land as a mini-front with a clearly discernible breeze line. A sea breeze will develop faster and blow stronger when all (or most) of the following conditions are met:
Once the sea breeze is established, it will tend to shift to the right because of the Coriolis effect (don’t worry, you can learn about that later). A typical sea breeze may move roughly 5 degrees per hour. So, when the sea breeze is building, look for a persistent veering shift. That’s why you generally want to play the right side of the course. Late in the afternoon, however, as the sun begins to sink and the surface heating is reduced, the veering will stop.
HOW TO CHECK FOR BREEZE
CHOSSING THE SIDE OF THE COURSE
ON WATER DRILLS
Drill #1 – Warm Up
Select a mark and circle it
Using your watch, circle the mark for 5 minutes in one direction
After the 5 minutes, switch direction and circle for another 5 minutes
Focus: Work at matching your steering with your body weight and with your sheeting to achieve smooth fast circles. The goal isn’t tight roundings, but smooth and fast ones.
DRILL 2 – UPWIND SAIL TO A MARK
Pick an item upwind to use as an upwind mark
Sail an upwind, close hauled course, to the mark
Keep your eyes out of the boat and try to look for gusts
Try to determine the direction of the gusts
Try to determine if the gusts are persistent or oscillating, and whether there is a sea breeze at play
Focus: the focus is to identify the gusts and what side of the “course” they are coming from
DRILL 3 – UPWIND SAIL TO A MARK
Pick an item upwind to use as an upwind mark
Sail an upwind, close hauled course, to the mark
Keep your eyes out of the boat and try to look for gusts
Try to plan a course that links the gusts together. Ask yourself whether linking the gusts is more to the left, the right, or the middle of the course.
Focus: the focus is to identify which side of the course has the most gusts and to “link” the gusts as much as possible.
DRILL 4 – SPLIT TACKS
If you have a friend you can practice with, try some split tacks. Split tacks can be used before a race starts to help figure out which side of the course has more wind.
Line up next to each other on opposite tacks. Have your watch set for 3 minutes.
When you say go, each boat sails a close hauled course for 3 minutes. When three minutes is up, tack and see where each boat is when you meet and / or cross.
If one boat is further ahead then the other when you meet again, that side of the course has more breeze
Remember to stay 6 feet away from each other when you meet and discuss your findings!
SUMMARY OF DRILLS
Drill #1 – Warm-up Circles
Drill #2 – Upwind sail to a point – identify gusts
Drill #3 – Upwind sail to a point - linking gusts
Drill #4 – Split tacks
SAFETY