Racing For Beginners

[Don Guillette]

Will racing help a beginner sailor become a better sailor? Today, I spoke with a Boston sailor. I felt sorry for him. His boat is buried in snow and he was watching a blizzard dump more snow on it!! As a new sailor, he wanted to know if I thought racing would improve his sail trim knowledge and make him a better sailor? I asked him if he was a golfer -- another sport he won't be participating in anytime soon - and he indicated he was. I then asked him if he felt participating in a golf tournament when he first started to learn the game, would make him a better golfer?

The first thing we have to define is "better' as in "better than what". How do we become a better sailor/golfer? Some would say by practice but in my opinion unless a person starts with an accurate conception of what to do they will never become "better" with practice than the level they started at. They have no idea what they are practicing.

I'm a classic example. Early on, with little conception of sail trim and no lessons, I decided racing would be the answer. The wining boats wouldn't take me due to my lack of experience and, in hindsight, I would not have known what they were talking about anyway. I found a spot on a pick up crew boat but didn't learn anything because no one knew what they were doing -- including the skipper!!

Next, I did what I should have done in the first place - I took lessons but that wasn't the complete answer because the instructors didn't explain stuff in plain English. I was confused so I hired the best instructor from the school to teach me on my boat. That was the best money I ever spent because he presented the info in a logical, step by step manner that was easy for me to understand.

My Boston friend thought that maybe he'd try to learn sail trim by mastering each sail trim control one at a time. Unfortunately, sail trim is best learned by ingesting the information all at once, as if "it was coming out of a fire hose" because all the controls interact with each other. The first thing a new sailor should learn is what all the sail trim for the main and jib are actually adjusting. Then the sailor knows what's happening when he pushes or pulls a sail trim control.

There's no difference between racing trim and cruising trim (Dennis Conner). There's only a right way or a wrong way to trim sails. Once a sailor has a conception of why/what is happening to the sails then I think racing is a good idea because the trim happen more often than while cruising and, most importantly, is repetitive.

So, what do you guys think? Do you think a beginner should jump into racing first? What was your learning process?

I told our Boston friend I get back to him shortly with other ideas but, due to the blizzard conditions in his area, I don't think he's going anywhere soon!!!

 

[shemandr]

None of us NE'sters are going anywhere very soon. Lord knows I need some entertainment - unless one considers constant weather porn entertainment.
So.... I think jumping too fast into racing will lead to discouragement and possible loss of interest. And being yelled at will just accelerate that.
People sail for different reasons and I don't think that all should race if that's not what drew them to sailing. Some like the peace and relaxation. Maybe they are content to ghost around with little wind and their sails poorly trimmed. That's fine with me. Others go to enjoy the great outdoors. As long as they don't get hit on the head with the boom, while trying to scope out a Heron - that's fine with me. Others like to anchor, swim, fish, read, Barbecue and socialize with friends - fine with me. Stay over night with the admiral - all good. Cruise to new destinations - love it! I like a spirited sail mixed with some of the above. And I do like racing which I do somewhat successfully. I really enjoy the game of moving a sailboat around a race course as fast as possible. It does sharpen all of my skills in sail trim, navigation, boat on boat tactics, weather and just makes me feel alive.
I encourage up and coming sailors to join our informal races, after they reach a certain skill level, to have that experience.
What makes a better sailor? Someone who can win a race? Or someone who can sail a boat around the world? Anchor a boat for an impending gale? Field rebuild a carburetor? Sailing offers us all of this. My last sail was 1/23/2015. 34 degrees, 12 knots, sunny and a beautiful day. Pic attached of us leaving the creek.

 

[Jackdaw]

This is actually simple.

Racing is best learned by crewing on a good racers boat.

You'll learn more from that in a single Wednesday night than you would getting crushed in your own boat for a year.

Good racers will teach you the pyramid for racing skills.

Tactics
Maneuvers
Boat Speed

Boat speed is the base and the most important, and every (even long term) cruiser will find out that they are not very good at it when put up against someone that races a lot. A racer not only will be better in 9/10s trimming, but will know that trimming is a FULL TIME JOB. On a good boat the two trimmers will have the sheet in hand, and never take their eyes off their tell tails. If you do, you're slower.

Then come maneuvers.

Then tactics.

the point is there is a lot more to racing than just thinking you're fast. And a lot to digest and integrate into a mindset. Sailing with someone that knows how to do this will take YEARS off your learning curve.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Good observations, S.

I put off racing for a while, too. I became a relaxed cruiser, however, I'd learned to sail many years ago and remembered most of what I'd learned. We also have somewhat "challenging" conditions here in San Francisco, so I HAD to do things pretty much right or we paid for it big time. A C22 & C25 (12 years) and our C34 since 1998.

Then I read Don's book. He has great stuff on sail trim, but the few pages of his Racing ideas are priceless and worth the price of the entire book in itself!

It's because he addresses the chief fear of most new racers: how do you get the boat to and thru the start without getting killed?

Really well presented for the entire course.

Put your sail trim to use in racing, don't go racing to only learn sail trim.

Actually, they work well together, but one can do either or, too.

 

[Kings Gambit]

I'm a classic example. Early on, with little conception of sail trim and no lessons, I decided racing would be the answer. The wining boats wouldn't take me due to my lack of experience and, in hindsight, I would not have known what they were talking about anyway. I found a spot on a pick up crew boat but didn't learn anything because no one knew what they were doing -- including the skipper!!

Next, I did what I should have done in the first place - I took lessons but that wasn't the complete answer because the instructors didn't explain stuff in plain English. I was confused so I hired the best instructor from the school to teach me on my boat.

Reading this reminded me of one of my most beloved passages from: Two Years Before the Mast. Upon weighing anchor and putting to sea for the first time Dana writes: "In a short time everyone was in motion, the sails loosed, the yards braced, and we began to heave up the anchor, which was our last hold on Yankee land. I could take but little part in all these preparations. My little knowledge of a vessel was all at fault. Unintelligible orders were so rapidly given and so immediately executed; there was such a hurrying about, and such an intermingling of strange cries and stranger actions, that I was completely bewildered. There is not so helpless and pititable an object in the world as a landsman beginning a sailor's life."

We've all been through it; but, it's worth it to learn the ways of the sea and of the vessels that sail upon her!

 

[UM2]

Interesting discussion. Racing is the way to learn how to handle a boat. We all learn best in the driver seat. We don't have to win to enjoy racing. We can admire the competition and try to match them. In time with practice, trials and errors a sailor will become proficient and be safer sailing in any conditions he/she may encounter. Many a time at first I took my courage off the others that went out racing. I thought even if I were scare that me too I could do it. I went out too and began enjoying the improvements. And you make a lot of friends when you commit to show up every week. Friends that will share their knowledge and will rescue you when the time comes. You will rescue them too and help each other with repairs.
Don, tell your friend to race his boat. Take the boat out in conditions he would otherwise not go out into. Let him know to be patient too. There is no course that will give him the knowledge and experience he will be getting with a variety of sailing conditions. If he realy wants to know what he and his sailboat can handle, go racing. The rest he can do the rest of the week.
Cheers

 

[Benny17441]

I think racing experience does impart some knowledge and abilities desirable for a well rounded sailor. Racing does have a drawback and that is that it teaches to stress the physical fixtures and components of a boat to their maximum for the utmost gain in speed. That complacency that allows a cruiser or a working sailor to relax the strain on his rig to gain an easier sea motion or extend durability is rather contrary to the racing mentality. Some have learned to use their racing skills when appropriate and lay off when necessary and have developed into great sailors while others are no so able to get their competitive juices in check.

 

[Joe]

Racing is cool.... and the best way to learn. Ask yourself why the yacht clubs all have junior racing programs.. yet no junior cruising programs.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Racing is cool.... and the best way to learn. Ask yourself why the yacht clubs all have junior racing programs.. yet no junior cruising programs.

So, the kids are going to sleep under the stars in their little Naples Sabots, eating PB&J, while anchored up behind a sand spit after having beat ?? nautical miles to get there? Might that be the reason?

 

[Jackdaw]

So, the kids are going to sleep under the stars in their little Naples Sabots, eating PB&J, while anchored up behind a sand spit after having beat ?? nautical miles to get there? Might that be the reason?

Sea Scouts!

 

[Don Guillette]

Remember, this sailor is a beginner and I've never forgotten what that was like. I had a C25 at the time having moved up from a Mac22. I knew what the traveler, outhaul fairleads and the rest of the controls were but had no idea of their function or how they worked together.

I didn't learn much on the first few race boats I crewed on -- I was like Dana!! My first jobs were tailing for the trimmers or lifting the jib over the safety lines. Like Dana, I didn't understand the commands -- "adjust the outhaul" (which way and how much), "eliminate some twist" (which sail and which trim control do I use), "adjust the fairlead" (why, which way and how much). Additionally, on most of the boats there was very little chit, chat talk during the race. On the C30 National team boats I raced on there was close to zero conversation. The skipper - Max Munger - called for the adjustment he wanted and we made it. A newbie would have learned zero on our boat.

One time I got lucky and hooked up with a skipper that was breaking in a new crew. His practice sails were great. He explained the WHY of each adjustment he requested and indicated which way to push or pull the control plus he indicated the amount of adjustment he needed. After a while, the sail trim lights in my head started to go on BUT I still did not know WHAT I was adjusting. Years later, I adapted this skipper method of explanation during "On The Water" seminars I conducted but I added an item. Before the seminar, the seminar folks understood, draft depth, draft position, twist and angle of attack and also knew which controls adjusted each element and which way to push or pull them. The first hour of the 4 hour session was a bit of a mess but at the end of the seminar, as we returned to the dock, I'd match their sail trim against any boat in the harbor. These folks could also handle any position on the boat including driver.

Years ago, when I was a member of the Shoreline YC in Long Beach, Ca. the race committee approached me to help them get more members into racing. My first suggestion was to redesign their rules explanation -- make it simple and don't intimidate the newbies with a bunch of technical crap right from the jump. Do you think they did that -- nope!! My next suggestion was put an experienced racer with the newbie's to show them the ropes around the course -- they didn't do that either. Newbies came to one meeting and never came back and I didn't blame them. I didn't like listening to them either.

I've rambled on and now have forgotten where I was going with this topic.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I've rambled on and now have forgotten where I was going with this topic.

Glad to hear it happens to other skippers, too!

 

[Joe]

Glad to hear it happens to other skippers, too!

Don.... don't forget to take your Namenda.

 

[shemandr]

Yeah, what was I saying?
But good point Don, NOR's and SI's need to be softened. I've read so many where the language is "...will subject entrant to disqualification ... Entrants must ... No exceptions ... Flogging will begin... And, I include the docs for my beloved Whitebread, which I wrote part of (Since many times modified) and our club races (Which I made an effort to make more accommodating). It's crazy. Why would a newbie even consider this fun?
But, what was I saying?

 

[Don Guillette]

Don.... don't forget to take your Namenda.

Joe: I'd have to take some other medication so I could remember to take the Namenda!! We live in a large adult community north of Tucson and when a bunch of us get together there's the common complaint of suffering from "CRS" -- which means "can't remember sh*t!".

 

[Sublime]

I think it's going to depend on the skipper and crew just like it depends on your sailing instructor for how much you get out of things.

If the skipper/crew doesn't want to teach a newbie on the boat, the newbie is going to have a hard time. If they do, the newbie may be able to pick up a lot of lessons. Of course, they could be bad lessons too. But you could get that with a sailing instructor.

I've got a friend who said he didn't learn much about sail trim until he started racing.
I think it's a "results may vary". There's bad sailing instructors too.

 

[Don Guillette]

Sublime: Absolutely, on the good/bad instructors -- I spent close to $1000 at a sailing school in Newport Beach, Ca (no longer in business) and 2 out of the 3 teachers were awful. The problem was I didn't know it at the time. I thought I was the only sail trim idiot in the class that didn't get what they were saying. Everyone's nodding their heads like they're getting it -the "A" wind force on one side of the sail and the "B" force on the other and on and on. Turned out the instructors were good sailors but poor at communication to beginners.

At my final check out, I could have picked any of the 3 instructors -- the first two would have passed me - instead I pick the toughest of the 3. After 10 minutes on the water he told me to motor back to the dock because I didn't have a clue about sailing the boat and was just guessing, which I was. That day I hired him for private lessons on my boat. He taught sail trim in plain English.

When folks ask me about sailing schools I advise them to interview the school and tell them they want to take a free intro lesson and speak to the instructor to see how he/she (I think gals are better at teaching newbies) communicates with them. If the company refuses, move on to the next one. Many of the schools I've run into are more into the charter business than the teaching business. One school (Marina Sailing Newport - Beach, Ca) is a charter company but into teaching. They teach a class using my stuff because it's all laid out and they just open the book and follow the pages. They have a selfish reason -- they don't want newbies beating up their boats.