Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot
Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot
5 Star Rated by Sailors
Trusted For 13 Years
Over 55,000+ Orders Shipped
90 Day Risk Free Returns
Price Match Promise
⛵️ Site Wide Bank Holiday Savings ⛵️
Fast Dispatch and 5 Star Customer Rated
October 03, 2018 3 min read
George Cousins is a freelance sailing/race coach and a Sailing Chandlery sponsored sailor. In this series of articles he is covering his Sailing Rules of Thumb walking us through the race course and what you should be trying to do.
In the previous two articles we outlined how to develop a pre race routine and how to achieve a good start, now we will focus on the first beat. Hopefully you will have some idea of which side will pay and this will have influenced which end of the line to start. However it may be unclear which side will pay during the first beat only becoming apparent on the subsequent laps, therefore sail a conservative first beat avoiding the laylines.
If you lose your lane off the start you must tack off immediately. Distance lost just after the start will have a compounded effect later up the beat so you must get clear, ducking starboard boats can work well especially if the right side of the beat looks to be favoured.
Unless you are very sure of a side try to stay well within the laylines. Remember laylines can shift with a progressive wind shift as well as tide/current making the laylines skewed. E.g. in a wind-over tide situation the laylines become narrower making an over stand more likely and vice versa. A second example, in a Northerly wind with current going from East to West the laylines become skewed making it more likely to over stand on the Port layline but harder to lay the mark on Starboard tack. Top sailors are mindful of this and use this knowledge to inform their strategy and tactics.
By staying beneath the laylines you can use every windshift to your advantage, often called playing the percentages. Conversely if you are on the layline and get headed you have no choice but to continue on which is bad.
If you have a good start and are sailing in clear air try to sail your own race, being confident in your boat speed and the numbers on your digital sailing compass, but always stay in touch with the fleet. A good rule of thumb is to be on the same tack as the majority of the fleet. Avoid sailing away from the fleet. If you are sure the left will pay but the fleet has gone right you must follow the fleet but position yourself to the left of the fleet.
If you are in the lead or in a strong position stay between the windward mark and those boats behind you. This makes it very hard for other boats to pass you and will consolidate your position. By doing this and staying between the laylines you consolidate you position while being able to capitalise on any wind shift.
Big gains and losses can be made at the final approach to the mark. In large fleets there will be a raft of starboard tack boats on the Starboard layline, so there is opportunity to come in late on port but this is risky. Avoid tacking within the 3 boat lengths of the mark as the rules (Rule 18) will not be on your side.
Before you round the mark ensure you mainsheet is not tangled and apply the information you learnt up the beat first beat to the down wind. E.g. favourable tide upwind will become unfavourable down wind. If the left of the beat payed because of more pressure then it is likely that same side will pay downwind as well.
Read the previous article in the series - Sailing Rules of Thumb: Rule #2 The Start
Read the next article in the series - Sailing Rules of Thumb: Rules #4 The Reach
Read the other articles in the series, Sailing Rules of Thumb.
Sign up for more great articles like this and receive a unique first order discount code. Share your birthday too and we'll send you a gift for your special day.
Just what we needed, bought a second hand Topper, needed new ropes, sorted..Fitting instructions could be clearer for novices.
Very speedy delivery, and the special short length is just what I ordered. Ordering couldn’t have been simpler. Excellent service.
Harken block
Bought when I changed the wheels - arrived well wrapped with the wheels and on time. Easy to fit quality product. Good service
Easy to fit and seem to be robust as a replacement for my Trolley wheels. Arrived as promised very well wrapped. Worth checking if you need new washers and clips to add to your order.
Though not cheap this control line swivel block is just the job. Well worth the money imho.
Always can rely on sailing chandlery leading up to a busy event season ! Great service, great products all round !
Excellent, fair pricing, fast delivery! Would recommend
Slides easily through the blocks whilst providing firm grip
Item has brilliant bounce back ability, thanks
Simple to fit and makes launching and recovery simple. Well worth the investment
Quality material and design enables my lug sail to be stowed securely on it's spars
Great wide and grippy tyres for a shingle/sharp launching area and compound for an RS400.
Receive fantastic service couldn’t help any more if they tried. Arranged for me to collect my order at a time that suited even when it was outside of working hours. Much appreciated, thank you sailing Chandlery.
Excellent gloves, perhaps the best I have used. The fingers are long enough to provide protection from sheets/halyards and fit nicely so that ropes cannot get between the glove and finger. If the winter gloves are any guide they should also be very durable.
Save up to 40%on your next order.