Guidance on becoming the best sailor I can be

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Depends on the boat. In old-fashioned boats that is, in fact, how you steer, or at least keep them on a steady wind-course. Modern boats don't really permit it. The reasons for that are complex, and you needn't worry about them at this stage. You'll learn them as you gather experience in cruising boats.

TP

I doubt you'll learn much about racing on a cruising boat. I've never seen a cruiser hold his boat still at the starting line for a minute or so

Or decide the favored side of a starting line.

I haven't seen a cruiser with a set of light air battens and heavy air battens.

I haven't seen a cruising sailor adjusting his prebend for the conditions or his mast rake

Your sheeting and traveler position being off by an inch or two can also cause you to lose. Cruising doesn't teach you this either only racing against the toughest competition

This may seem trivial but when you lose a buoy race by 10-30 seconds it isn't or a 100 mile distance race by 30 minutes

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I would say forget the racing idea.. its valuable time wasted which could be better spent taking a keelboat sailing course and boat hunting and buying your 30-32ftr to go cruising.

I love racing my boat, but agree wholeheartedly with this advice. There's no better way IMO to learn to sail than to get a boat and, uh, sail it! I've met too many people with XX years of racing experience who have very little to no idea on the mechanics of handling a boat And for the record, I'm 54 and first stepped on a sailboat about 10 years ago.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by gamayun

I love racing my boat, but agree wholeheartedly with this advice. There's no better way IMO to learn to sail than to get a boat and, uh, sail it! I've met too many people with XX years of racing experience who have very little to no idea on the mechanics of handling a boat And for the record, I'm 54 and first stepped on a sailboat about 10 years ago.

So true. I was bringing my boat back from the Bahamas and had a friend who had been racing small and large sailboats his whole life come along. We got ready to anchor the first night and I asked him to go work the windless. That’s When he informed me he had never anchored a boat in his life. They either tied up to a dock, or sailed all night. He is 67.

[TrentePieds]

Round the buoys racing is terrific for learning to trim sails, and for getting the hell outta the way when some turkey barges. For learning seamanship - not so much :-)!

TP

[StuM]

Originally Posted by thomm225

I doubt you'll learn much about racing on a cruising boat. I've never seen a cruiser hold his boat still at the starting line for a minute or so

Or decide the favored side of a starting line.

I haven't seen a cruiser with a set of light air battens and heavy air battens.

I haven't seen a cruising sailor adjusting his prebend for the conditions or his mast rake

Your sheeting and traveler position being off by an inch or two can also cause you to lose. Cruising doesn't teach you this either only racing against the toughest competition

This may seem trivial but when you lose a buoy race by 10-30 seconds it isn't or a 100 mile distance race by 30 minutes

Why would a cruiser ever need to "hold his place still at the starting line"?


What's the relevance of deciding the favoured side fo a start line for a cruiser?



I've frequently adjusted mast pre-bend and rake on various boats when not racing.


And when you're cruising 10-20 seconds over a couple of hour or 30 minutes difference over 100 miles is indeed trivial.



I doubt that you'll learn much about cruising skills on a race boat (other than sailing techniques).


Anchoring? I've only ever seen one race boat drop an anchor in the last 20 years (I did it when becalmed in the early morning on an adverse tide a mile or so from the finish line at the end of a 70 mile race. Had to wait for a couple of hours for the wind to come back in and the tide to change, but we didn't get hit with the extra points for a DNF ).


Picking up a mooring in a crowded field?

Route planning and "rules of the road"?

Boat handling under power?

Engine maintenance?

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by StuM

Why would a cruiser ever need to "hold his place still at the starting line"?

He wouldn't so tell the OP that he can learn everything he needs to know about racing while cruising simply doesn't work.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by StuM

What's the relevance of deciding the favoured side fo a start line for a cruiser?

No relevance since the guy is racing learn while cruising doesn't work.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by StuM

And when you're cruising 10-20 seconds over a couple of hour or 30 minutes difference over 100 miles is indeed trivial.

Yep, you are right trivial but not if you are racing. It could mean the difference in a tee shirt, Silver plate, and bragging rights.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by StuM

Picking up a mooring in a crowded field?

Pretty simple after having to hold your boat still 4-6 times per regatta on the starting line with boats a foot or two away on both sides and you do this 20 plus time per year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swvtXAPIX4U&t=84s

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by thomm225

No relevance since the guy is racing learn while cruising doesn't work.

Thats funny.. it worked for me pretty well

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Thats funny.. it worked for me pretty well

Made you a better racer did it?

Maybe you are ready then to compete with these old guys.

This boat only has a mainsail. How hard can it be? Any cruiser should be able to handle a 165 lb/18' boat with just a mainsail and compete. Right?

Buttt then there's mast prebend to set for each wind condition, batten selection, sheeting, weight distribution, starting line strategy, mast rake, board position, rudder alignment, mainsail size selection for the weight of the skipper, rig tension, position on the trapeze, trapeze adjustment, traveler position, course side selection, position on the start/finish line at the start, downhaul tension, outhaul tension, proper mast rotation, etc.

And then if there are deep water channels on the race course, which way is the tide going? And are there buildings or mountains nearby that will affect the wind? This too comes into play

Then there's the hull selection. Which wave piercing bow do you go with, the plumb bow or swept back bow?

Looks like to me the ride to dinner was the best part.....and the food and wine looked good. ( I haven't raced since 2006, but started racing in 1992 a month after I bought a Hobie 16)

In the video, it's quite interesting to see the various mast prebends and sheet bends as the go upwind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XO3ENVSuSM

[boatman61]

Told you I never raced.. but I could hold my Tiki's steady head to wind alongside piers while friends climbed down to board, same for picking up a buoy.. and three point turns were great fun in a tight mooring field.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Told you I never raced.. but I could hold my Tiki's steady head to wind alongside piers while friends climbed down to board, same for picking up a buoy.. and three point turns were great fun in a tight mooring field.

Sounds like a much more relaxing way to learn than racing...…

I'll blame big Dennis for his loss in 1983 and his win a few years later for getting me into racing. I was working the shift 3-11 during the racing in Australia so I got to see it live at like 1-3am Central Time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2iyaE5FqLU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2iyaE5FqLU

[thomm225]

Race 2 though was also fun to watch as the winds were about 25 knots.

Watching these races really helped me. I actually still have the America's Cup series on tape from 1995 with Australia and New Zealand's Black Magic. Specifically the race Australia won. Then I have the 2007 Americas cup race two I think where the American tactician Terry Hutchinson pulled off a very nice pass on the upwind leg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bto7xn6Hum8

[edexter]

Note that organizations like the US Power Squadron/America's Boating Club offer on-line and in-class courses that can really help. I was looking for help learning to sail, and ran into members of the Annapolis chapter at the US Sailboat show, and have taken Basic Boating, Seamanship, Piloting, and Sailing which have really helped my boating skills. The teachers were all experienced captains, and the classes were fun - in the sailing class everyone had a different type of sailboat, and it was fun comparing notes on things like tactics that helped sailing downwind etc. Plus, the people are fun, so we joined up; we go to raft-outs and other fun events at other marinas and harbors around the Chesapeake, and have educational things like the celestial navigation demo we have with several chapters in Rock Hall in September. You don't have to join to take classes (tho it's cheaper, pays for itself if you take several classes) and therre are chapters all over the US, look them up! https://www.usps.org/