One big difference I notice between sailors from the back/
middle of the fleet and those that are challenging for the race win is the
amount of concentration that is put in. Watch a good sailor, and there are very
few occasions around the course they will stop adjusting the sail, their weight
in the boat, and the direction it is travelling, they will always be searching
for that extra bit of speed/ beneficial direction. Whether it be on a beat run
or reach the boat and the sailor will rarely remain in a static state. It helps
that the more proficient sailor knows how to play the rudder/main sail and move
their weight to get the best advantage, but every sailor whatever their level
will be able to make some significant improvements by having a go.
Think how often the wind shifts and/or the water state
changes, if you don’t adjust your boat setup it is likely to be wrong a lot
more than correct.
A stopped clock is the most accurate in the world twice a
day, but is pretty useless the rest of the time.
Try playing the main on reaches, closely watching the luff,
adjust it regularly to check you have the perfect sail trim. Then on beats try
doing the same with the rudder, gently pinching up into the wind then away again to
check you are as close to the wind as possible. As you get more proficient
kicker, downhaul and outhaul can be included in the list of controls to adjust,
particularly in medium wind strengths.
You may not get everything exactly right all the time, but hopefully you can get close to the optimum more often.
Have fun
Andy
