File - Canadian Wayfarer Association

Second Beat:
Forget about the rest of the fleet. You know where the wind will be. And you do not like to mix it
up anyway. It is always fun to watch the boats that were behind you ride up a lift on the other
side of the course while you hobby horse in the power boat swells. Keep a loose cover on your
competition. A win by four seconds counts just as much as one by four minutes. They cannot pass
you if you stay between them and the windward mark - unless they are better sailors in which
case they will pass you anyway!
The Run:
Break out a can of soda, sit on the transom and enjoy life. No race is ever won on a run anyway.
Watch the sharp boats ride down the streaks and pass you on both sides! Pay attention to the
wind streaks on the water. You will go much faster if you can find and stay in one. If it lightens
up, look for another streak and reach over to it. Then run down with it. Sail smart on the runs
and soon everyone will be telling you how fast your boat is down wind.
Final Beat:
1 Do not cover anyone since you are way ahead. You have the race won since no one has
been able to match your upwind speed all day. Think a lot about that fact as they are
handing out the hardware to the two boats that caught you because you did not
cover. It is even more important to cover on the last beat because you can make the
following boats do desperate things since there is no tomorrow
2 Do not figure out which end of the finish line is favoured. Who cares? As you zip
along the finish line on starboard, you make three port tackers bear off to go behind
you. Compared to a thrill such as that, what does it matter that they all finished
before you did because you were sailing along the line while they crossed it?! Decide
which end of the line is favoured early enough to go there by the shortest possible
route. Nothing else matters (as long as you do not foul anyone in the process).
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