Can Racing Improve Your Sail Trim Skills?

[pateco]

Last nights BeerCan Race. We are the boat to the right. Had a great start (first across the line and on the favored end.) still three boats behind us by the windward mark, and two behind us by the reach mark. It was very light air, and on the last leg we got some bad wind shifts (puffs) and ended up on un-favored tacks, so still finished last. Fun anyway, and my sons are getting better with each race.

Not often you see the Atlantic Ocean that smooth.

 

[thinwater]

I find I can learn just as much by reading, thinking, and then falling in beside another similar boat and tweaking stuff until I start pulling away. Repeat for the rest of your life.

A trial horse is key, because even if you learn what is "best," its going to change when the weather changes, the load changes (cruising gear), the bottom gets a little foul, and when you are on a different boat. I've darn near had to relearn sail trim when I've bought a new boat or made significant changes. And that is the fun of it!

 

[Jackdaw]

Training crew during an actual race can be difficult for sure. The trick is to stay ahead of what is going on during the race, and make sure that they have enough basic knowledge and skills to do 80% of the job. Then the comments can be fine-tunes and not fire drills. For training, we always go out 90 minutes before our start and practice, mostly maneuvers. Lots of sets, gibes, douses, tacks. We try and get in a twice-monthly fun sail (family members too) where we casually work on skills while having fun.

This year BlueJ has a brand new main trimmer (first year sailing) and a 2nd-year pit to go with me and my headsail/foredecker. We're having a blast and have been off the podium only one once this year. By next year Bria could trim main on ANY boat on the lake.