Tuesday 20 October 2015

What is my aim when coaching junior sailors?

Ahead of winter coaching this year I have been thinking, what is it that I really want to achieve when I run a series of training sessions? What I would really like to see is that in 40 years the kids I am coaching are still sailing and loving it.  Ultimately it would be great to see the kids carrying on to one day in the future, become some of the best sailors in the country, however to be the best in anything takes a rare mix of ingredients. From reading autobiographies and articles about some of the worlds best sailors what seems to separate them from the rest, certainly at a young age is....

          1. A lot of time of the water combined with a desire to improve. All cite they just loved being afloat and this was very self motivated.

          2. In their early days of racing there is always a group of likeminded kids worked hard to beat each other which they are part of . Great friends off the water and desperate rivals on.

          3. When the above two factors come together it seems a melting pot of talent is created, which can lead to some very skilful kids in a sailing club, however to get to the very top a third factor is needed. Namely some very committed individuals that are prepared to spend a lot of time and money on the young prodigy taking them around the country to sailing events and buying the right kit for them. This role is usually fulfilled by the parents.

The need for coaches to teach the fundamentals of racing, certainly at the early stages is questionable. It appears that many of the countries best had relatively little skilled coaching until they were already fairly advanced in their racing careers. So what is the point of me?

Certainly I think there is a big benefit in having help learning the complexities of racing, speeding up the learning process is always a good thing in itself, and improving is motivating to continue sailing.

In addition to this I see my role as a coach, who is coming in fairly early in the young sailors development, is to increase the frequency with which the above 3 factors come together. I want the kids to develop a passion for sailing and learning, with the aim of making their improvement self motivated. I want all sailors to spend as much time on the water as possible and when not on the water be watching YouTube videos trying to work out how to get better, and filling their school work books with sketches of boats..

My role could also be to help develop friendly competition whereby the sailors are learning from each other and trying like mad to beat each other.

While I can't directly influence point 3, maybe I can help parents to support their kids by giving advice on what to buy and where and how to help their children get to the next level.

This all seems a bit more complicated than running a bit of tacking on the whistle and follow the leader, I had better get planning.

Andy





Wednesday 9 September 2015

The hidden complexities to getting to the start line.

 Why is getting on the start line so difficult? Even without the distraction of other boats and the pressure a man in a boat scrutinising your position and the ever present threat of OCS on your score card presents, a lot of perfectly decent sailors really struggle to get to where they want to be on a start line when the gun goes. One area that I have been coaching a lot on over the summer is that no two start lines are the same. Minor changes in the angle of the line to the wind can have major repercussions on how the line should be approached, however a lot of racers seem to perform the same start for all occasions and the first time they try their approach to the line is when the start gun is about to go.
I had quite a bit of fun while coaching starting over the summer. Playing with start line bias had a big and predictable effect on how a fleet managed to get to the line. A square line generally meant one or two boats were over, and most of the boats crossed the line within 15 seconds of the start signal. Dropping the start boat back a bit to induce a slight port end bias led to generally all boats being behind the line and about a quarter of the fleet struggling to cross the line within 20 seconds. A moderate port bias would normally mean the first boats crossed the line 5-10 seconds after the go and it would take about 30 seconds for over 50% of the fleet to get on course side. Change this to a slight starboard bias and no such issues with getting to the start line existed, quite the opposite. When setting a line with moderate starboard bias I frequently had to turn away and cringe as boats would pile into the back of my rib while other sailors reached down the line completely unable to slow down. Inevitably lots of boats would be over when the gun went and few managed to stay even remotely near the favoured end of the line.
Why was this happening? The kids I was coaching had developed one procedure for starting that sort of worked when the line was very slightly port biased but not for anything else. It seems obvious when you look at it, but changing bias of a start line means the sailor needs to change their approach to the line, not just to get to the favoured end but merely to get to/ not be over the line.
The first thing to consider is how to control your speed and direction. At a very basic level, to sail slowly the sail needs to be able to completely flap. This will only happen when sailing on a close reach or higher. The closer to the wind a boat turns, the less the boat will move forwards, however as the boat turns closer to the wind the ability to control direction diminishes and the boat will tend to drift sideways and if the sailor isn’t vigilant, backwards.
To put it in crude terms a sailor must approach the position they intend to start at on a start line on a close reach to close hauled course in order to control their speed, while still being able to control where the boat goes.
Now if I put this ideal route on a few different diagrams of a start line it becomes obvious why the same approach to all lines can’t work.

Fig 1: Shows a boat approaching a square line. It is fairly easy for the boat to reach the line on starboard tack. However if the sailor gets to the line a little early it can be difficult to slow down sufficiently to avoid being OCS 

Fig 2: Shows a boat approaching a port biased line. Now it is far harder for the boat to cross the line and in order to be on the line at go the sailor must position the boat a lot closer to the line in the pre start than in Fig 1. Dirty wind from other boats on the start line will have the effect of reducing how high the boat can sail meaning if you are in the second row it can take a frustratingly long time to cross the line. On the plus side it will be a lot easier to slow down if you are on the line early. 
Fig 3: Shows a boat approaching a line with starboard bias.  Now the boat will have little difficulty covering the distance to the line. However if they get there too early bearing away along the line will give the sailor no way of slowing down leading to being away from the favoured end or being pushed over the line early.
While line bias may influence the end of the start line you choose to start at, these diagrams also show that it has a fundamental effect on how you need to plan your run in to the line, and where you need to position your boat pre-start.
While other boats will strongly effect how you perform your start, in order to have a fighting chance of pulling off the start you would like to, I very strongly recommend working out the ideal line of approach to where you want be on the line, when the gun goes. This ideal line of approach will be slightly class and wind dependent but will ultimately be as described above, somewhere around a close reach. If it is as high as a close hauled course you are likely to drift sideways away from where you want to start, while if it is broader than a close reach slowing down will be tricky and you will be susceptible to boats to leeward luffing you and preventing you from getting to where you want to be.
Find this line into the start and try sailing into the start line a few times, controlling your speed on each run in. Work out how far away from the line you want to be at 1min and 30 seconds then be prepared to adjust this depending on boats around you.

Fig 4: For example to be at X on go find the red line in to start, then have an idea where on the line you want to be at set times before go, then work on being confident you can adjust your speed to adapt to other boats. 


Last year I was lucky enough to be helping out at an event at Queen Mary SC where a handful of Olympic squad sailors came to offer coaching advice to the club sailors. After videoing the Sunday racing a few of the squad did a video debrief, one of whom was Alexandra Rickman the Paralympic bronze medal Skud sailor. After watching the Laser start on video she turned to the club sailors and said incredulously, ‘why don’t any of you guys do run in’s before the start?’ (Or at least that is what I remember her saying…..) She couldn’t understand why none of the sailors practised their approach to the line, preferring instead to haphazardly approach the line for the first time as the gun went. Needless to say most of the starts in the video were far from Olympic standard.

Add working out your approach to the line part of your pre-start routine. It doesn’t take long and is a massive step into pulling off consistently good starts. It’s what Olympic sailors do and they are quite good at it. While there is a lot more to getting the perfect start by ticking this box you will be on the right path. 










Monday 9 March 2015

Upwind sailing in medium winds


I have deliberately left medium wind upwind sailing to last, as it tends to have a little overlap with strong and/or light wind technique depending on the day in question. By medium winds I mean wind strengths from starting to hike, using full power in the sail, to depowering using controls, but not having to persistently spill wind.

In these conditions a lot of sailors tend to be quite fast, and there is often a smaller difference in boat speed between the front and middle, or middle and back of the fleet. To do well in these conditions speed is important but making the most of every fluctuation in wind direction will, especially in inland locations, make the difference between you and the competition.

Firstly a look at boat setup; keep your sail as powered up as you can, then depower progressively if you are having to spill wind. As in strong winds, there will likely be a fluctuation in wind strength by about 20% either side of the mean (Frank Bethwaites Higher Performance Sailing has a good deal on this and the causes) so be prepared to depower and power up the rig as the wind strength changes.

Outhaul: Leave it fairly deep, about a hand span at the deepest point should do the job. Unless there is a big change in wind strength I tend to leave it like this.

Downhaul: Just use enough to remove big creases unless you are having to spill wind, then pull it on progressively.

Kicker: No need to use it until you are starting to get overpowered. Just take the slack up and use the mainsheet as the principle control to control the leech. In flat water start depowering with the kicker, then use the downhaul, in waves use more downhaul than kicker to control the power. Having said this, just remember it is important to use both to balance the sail.

On to sailing the boat fast, revisit the basics, make sure you have good trim, and are keeping the boat close to flat. Beyond that power the rig up and be prepared to adapt the way you are sailing and the rig to suit the changing wind.

In medium winds I work hard to make the most of any change in wind direction, milking as much height as I can from the boat.

Most boats will naturally have a small amount of weather helm, hold the tiller extension lightly and use the boats natural tendency to head up to help find the wind direction and make the most of the fluctuations. If you are marginally overpowered, pinch to depower to gain more height. My rudder is rarely completely still in these conditions, lots of small movements to adjust the boats course to the wind.

Doug Peckover in his blog Improper Course, has some interesting thoughts on squeezing every last bit of speed from your boat. Definitely worth a read.

http://www.impropercourse.com/2012/11/laser-cheat-sheet-sailing-fast-pressing.html

In conclusion, if you can sail fast in light and strong winds then medium winds you should be able to get pretty close to maximum speed at any one time, to keep the speed and squeeze that last few drops from the boat, work hard at changing gears as the wind does, and make work of every tiny fluctuation in the wind, each small gain will add up to big gains.


This Video of me sailing a Radial at QMSC shows a lot of what I have written about. Notice how the heel of the boat remains flat or very close to flat. As the wind drops I release the Downhaul and ease the Kicker. I am constantly gently changing course to keep the boat on the wind. If you watch the boats in the back ground the sailors remain static, it is visible that their boats are rarely flat. In critique of myself, I was occasionally using too much rudder as I move my weight out of the boat, and have a slightly compromised hiking style. Both I can try to blame on the short tiller extension. To illustrate the difference all of this made, and as a little brag, I was comfortably second  to the windward mark from about 25 Lasers. I was sailing a Radial while most of the others were using a standard rig. 

To practise, get to know the weather helm in your boat, feel the boat, how the boat responds to the wind through the tiller and your legs/ backside. Try a few training upwind runs with the rudder slightly raised, this will amplify the feedback the boat gives through the rudder, try to keep a slight and constant leeward heel, this should help you feel how the boat wants to turn towards the wind, don’t fight it hold the tiller extension lightly (possibly holding the extension in a frying pan grip behind you will help) allow the boat to turn. Hopefully you should find that in any gusts or lifts the boat heads up slightly then as it depowers comes flat and may heel slightly to windward, at which point a slight pull on the tiller will power the boat up again. Once you are starting to feel how your boat responds pop the rudder down, and try it with your eyes closed. If you can do it blind you can then free your eyes up to look around the race course.

Happy sailing

Andy

Monday 26 January 2015

Changing Gears


Changing gears.

A commonly heard phrase referring to changing the way you sail a boat and set the sail to suit changes in wind strength. ‘Changing gears’ is something that has cropped up a lot in my recent coaching and as a consequence I have been pondering over the best way to explain it. This blog post is the result of my current thoughts.

 

What is it all about?

Essentially, at different wind strengths, to optimise your boat speed, it is important to alter the sail shape (or adjust controls to maintain the sail shape) and alter the way you sail the boat.

Keeping with the changing gears analogy I have come up with a few of the main gears and the difference between them. This is just a rough guide to help illustrate what I mean and may differ between sailors and classes of boat. This guide is with a Laser or Topper in mind, sailed inland. Some minor adjustments would be needed for coastal sailing to take account of the prevailing sea state.

Gear
Wind strength
How to sail the boat
1st
Drifting, not enough wind to fill the sail. Few ripples and glassy patches on the water.
 
·        Weight well forward. Trim transom out of the water
·        weight induced leeward heel to allow gravity to fill the sail
·        Prioritising speed
·        Sail set relatively flat, Kicker used to hold boom down
2nd
Enough wind to fill the sail, can sit on the side deck of a Laser. Constant ripples on the water.
·        Similar to above, leeward heel less.
·        Slight wind induced leeward heel to help give feel to the rudder.
·        Weight forward, trim transom just skimming the water.
·        Speed still the priority, but watch tell tales closely to try to gain height in any slight wind shift.
3rd
Sitting on the edge of the deck, starting to hike.
·        Boat flat or very slight leeward heel. Squeezing extra power from any gusts.
·        Transom just in contact with the water.
·        Sail set with more shape to give more power
·        Mainsheet increasingly used to keep leech tension.
·        Speed and pointing equally important.
4th
Hiking most of the time, occasionally having to spill wind
·        Boat flat or slight leeward heel. Squeezing extra height and power (if needed) from the gusts.
·        Transom in the water, wake should always be smooth.
·        Prioritising pointing
·        Increased kicker and some downhaul used to control excess power.
·        Mainsheet block to block as much as possible.
·        Pinch to control excess power.
5th
Slightly overpowered most of the time
·        Hike hard, boat likely to have some leeward heel. Try to keep this constant by power control. Pinch and ease the sail to do this.
·        Controls used to depower and keep the sail controllable
·        Pointing important, but the sailor must work hard to keep speed up to prevent the boat stalling.
6th
Windy
·        Read my post on windy upwind sailing.

1st and 2nd gears are for light winds, 3rd and 4th represent medium winds, while 5th and 6th are when the wind is strong. (See my previous post on upwind sailing for a definition of wind strengths)

For me I think I probably have about 6/7 gears and while they are different, when the wind is around the changeover point from one to another there will be a blend of the two.

 

 When to change up or down?

As a car has an optimum rev range, so does a boat have an optimum wind speed, or power range to change gear. As you get to 3rd gear and beyond this will vary depending on the weight of the sailor, but the change from 1st to 2nd to 3rd and back again should be at pretty much the same wind strength for a given class of boat regardless of sailor weight. Simply put when you could be sailing more efficiently in another gear, it is time to change. To start with you can look at other boats around you to see what they are doing, if there is a range of gears being used look to see who is sailing fastest. As you get more proficient it is possible (and desirable) to develop a feel of when to change gears.

How often to change gears?

As often as you need, which is more often that most sailors do…….

Unless it is strong winds, I often find I will be changing through 3 gears or more during a race. On any one beat, especially in light to medium winds, 10+ gear changes is not uncommon.

 

What happens if you are in the wrong gear?

I often see sailors sailing in 1st gear when there is sufficient wind to shift into 2nd, which would give them greater speed and stop the boat slipping sideways by bringing it flatter.

Another common mistake is getting into 3rd gear, sheeting block to block, but then as the wind drops not shifting back into second. Although the boat points well as a consequence the speed is rubbish flow over the foils is reduced and the boat slips sideways. Ease the mainsheet slip into second and keep the speed up.

 

In summary. The best sailors will be continually adjusting their sails and what they do to suit the changing wind and water conditions. If the wind has changed and boats around you are moving faster do you need to change up or down?

Happy sailing

Andy

Thursday 22 January 2015

Squeezing a bit of extra speed from your boat.


Squeezing

In medium winds have you ever noticed how some sailors seem to manage to get more speed out of the boat, and gradually seem to be able to point higher? I certainly have, it has been something I have been working on for the past few years, and while I am definitely not a master at it, I think I can claim a level of competence.

This is something quite specific I am going to write about and is really a technique to look at once you have upwind sailing pretty well sorted and you are searching for that extra bit of speed.

Over the past weekend I was coaching a keen group of young Laser sailors, the focus was predominantly upwind speed, on Saturday constant heel was a phrase that often cropped up, and I talked about how you could feel the increase in pressure associated with more wind, through your legs and bum. By reacting to this it is possible to resist the push with your weight and squeeze the boat forward, and possibly slightly closer to the wind. On the Sunday I was in a Laser Radial doing some 2 boat tuning runs with one of the sailors. It was this that gave me a greater understanding of what is happening and the advantage it gave.

                                                         Two Boat tuning run.
To set the scene, we had both boats sailing upwind parallel to each other, both of us were sat on the edge of the gunwale but not hiking. Initially both boats were about the same speed, then we sailed into a small band of increased pressure, while the other Laser heeled slightly and was then brought flat, I felt the increase in pressure, in response rocked my shoulders outboard and resisted the push of the deck, this squeeze gave me a real sense of acceleration and I almost instantly gained about a third of a boat length. The other sailor had let his boat heel which wasted the winds energy and pushed the boat sideways ever so slightly. While he got up to speed by pumping his boat flat again that was distance he couldn’t make back up. 30 seconds later the same thing happened, and within a few minutes I had gained over a boat length of distance forwards. Additionally I had managed to point slightly higher in each wind band, so had gained about a boat width advantage directly upwind as well.

The technique

Essentially it is just keeping the boat flat (or at a constant angle of heel) however it is not quite as simple as that.

As you feel an increase in wind pressure, this is usually felt through whatever you have in contact with the side deck, resist the push and press the deck down using your weight. I like to think of squeezing the juice from Oranges, or squeezing a bar of soap between both hands. The net result is the soap shoots forwards. Often the increased flow over the foils allows you to steer ever so slightly closer to the wind as well.

A few Tips

Hiking pads can dull the feel so in lighter winds think, do you need to wear them, or could you get by without?

It is quite a subtle feel and movement, and will take practise to get your response exactly right to a certain amount of pressure. Try sailing along concentrating on the feel through the backs of your legs, you can even close your eyes.
Sit upright with a straight back, this will allow you to gain the most effective leverage when you lean back.
As the wind increases you may be squeezing the mainsheet in at the same time, and easing it again when the pressure has passed.

This is a technique for Medium winds, (See my earlier post for a definition of this.) and relatively flat water states. The technique will change as the wind does. In my earlier description from my coaching, I have described the light end of the medium wind spectrum. In slightly stronger winds when you are mostly hiking you may find that you don’t have enough weight to give to resist the push in the gusts. When this happens squeeze as much as you can with your weight and also use the rudder slightly to squeeze the boat closer to the wind to gain height.

Try lining up with one or more other boats and have a drag race upwind. Afterwards be open and chat where gains and losses were made, by sharing you will all get better.

Once you are starting to depower and having to spill wind regularly you need to change gears and adopt your strong wind sailing style.
 
Hopefully this should help you get a bit of extra speed sailing upwind, but the same principles can be applied on a reach as well.
 
Happy sailing
Andy