2010 Classic Snipe Rally Know Your Trophies Strategies for the ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Strategies For The Last Upwind Leg By Rick Arneson The last leg of a long race can seem like an eternity when you’re ahead, and not nearly long enough when you’re behind. With the finish line just minutes away, the final leg often requires some new tactical considerations. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for the home stretch. Which way to go? As you approach the last leeward mark, consider what you’ve been seeing on this leg and what it will mean for the next one (since most races in the Snipe class finish on a beat, the topics discussed here will address finishing into the wind). • Where are the puffs? When not maneuvering, the crew has an opportunity to look upwind and scan for puffs up the racecourse. (A tip for crew communication: When discussing puffs while on a run, “left” and “right” can take on different meanings, so it can be helpful to say “left (or right) looking upwind.”) • How is the current running? If you are sailing in an area with significant current, its direction and variations in strength will be factors to take into account. With some familiarity of the topography of the racing area, you can get an idea of how current will factor into your tactics. A shipping lane, for instance, can be an area of much greater current strength; whether it’s a good place to be depends on which direction your next mark is and which way the current is flowing. In areas with very strong current, such as San Francisco Bay, the fleet may flock to shallower waters at times to reduce its adverse effects. • How have the shifts been trending? You’ll generally want to keep sailing towards the next shift you expect. If sailing in an oscillating breeze, you will want to get onto the lifted tack early after your rounding to get in phase with the shifts. If the breeze has been persistently going in one direction, you may be sailing a header at first in order to position yourself on the inside of the coming shifts. Positioning with other boats As the fleet becomes more spread out throughout the race, it’s easy to narrow your focus too much, watching only the boats closest to you and losing sight of the big picture. Big changes can happen quickly, however, so it’s important to keep the big picture in mind when making tactical decisions up the last leg. • Covering from ahead: Early in the series, covering means maintaining a lead to have the best finish possible. Often the fleet splits and you’ll need to decide which boats to stay in touch with. This is a big-picture decision; consider the wind and current, and stay with the pack that is going towards the better course conditions. Close crossings require some balance between a tighter or looser cover. Keep in mind what a covering tack will encourage the other boat to do; if you are sailing a lift but feel you need to cover an opponent crossing your stern, tacking right on their wind only gets you out of phase and puts them onto your lift when they are forced to tack away for clear air – instead of covering them, you’re giving them the opportunity to catch up. A looser cover will keep you in phase with the wind longer in this case, giving you better odds of keeping, and even increasing, your lead. IIllustration by Rick Arneson As the regatta progresses, point spreads begin to make more of a difference, particularly once a throwout is factored in. By the last leg of the last race, many teams are doing mental math all the way to the finish. Consider the position of your closest competitors on the scoreboard, and evaluate their present positions in the race. What is the deepest finish you can tolerate? (If you have an OCS to your score, for instance, your top priority is likely going to be to have the highest finish possible). If you can afford to use your last race as a drop, you can cover your nearest overall opponent wherever they may wander on the course (this is how the Laser gold medal in the 2000 Olympics was won). In most cases, however, covering is a balancing act of risk management, playing the shifts www.snipeus.org
intelligently while staying in check with your competition. • Gaining from behind: The lighter the wind, the more important clear air becomes. Since that’s not always easy to get when fighting your way through the pack, staying in phase while minimizing the damage of dirty air becomes a more sensible approach. We’ve all seen the “Hail-Mary” pay off at some time or another, when one boat heads far off to a corner, tacks once, and miraculously passes the fleet. Hoping for a miracle isn’t much of a strategy though, so keep your options open by avoiding the laylines until the end of the beat. This doesn’t mean that tacking up the middle is necessarily the way to go; in light air, particularly in a big fleet, the middle of the course tends to have less pressure and more unstable shifts due to the presence of all the other boats. Determine which side you like, work the shifts as they come, and keep your air as clear as possible. Approaching the Finish Line As you get into the last 1/3 of the final leg, look around for clues as to the shifts to be expected near the line, especially if they happen to be near or just to windward of the finish line. Flagpoles, smokestacks, and other sailboats may all demonstrate signs of a coming shift up the course. Finish lines, like start lines, often have one end that is more favored than the other. Unlike the start line, the end that is further downwind is the favored end. It’s always best to finish at the favored end, since anywhere else along the line The Women’s International Match Racing Association (WIMRA) was formed in 1996 for the purpose of promoting, coordinating and supervising women’s international match-race sailing, and to campaign for the inclusion of women’s match racing in the Olympics. US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010 would be wasted distance sailed. Look at the flags on the committee boat for a first clue; the leeward (free flying) edge of a flag will point towards the favored end. If the flags don’t tell you much, plan your final approach to the finish from the “crossroads”—the intersection point between the laylines for either end of the finish line. If you get to this point and one end is clearly closer than the other, head for that end. If it looks about even, it’s a judgment call. If it’s going to be a crowded finish, it’s tactically beneficial to be on starboard tack with the right-of-way. Keep up plenty of speed as you approach the line, particularly in any chop. If you find that the finish is going to be close with another boat and you need to shoot head-towind, momentum will be key. Give a little bit of leeward heel while keeping the main in tight and easing the jib to make your luff as smooth as possible; if you dig the weather chine or have the jib in too tight while trying to head up, you’ll just stall the foils. You shouldn’t shoot the line until the last halfboatlength or so; Snipes are relatively light, so they can lose their momentum quickly. Whether you cross the line near the top or the bottom of the fleet, the moments following the finish provide a good opportunity to look back on the race, review what went well and what could be improved, and then look forward again. After all, the finish of one race is just the first step towards the start of the next one. Show your support. Become an official member of the organization that was successful in helping to get Women’s Match Racing into the 2012 Olympic Games and enjoy all the benefits and privileges exclusive to our members. Join at wimra.org.
Page 1 and 2: Fall 2010 US SNIPE SAILOR The Offi
Page 3 and 4: US SNIPE SAILOR Volume 5, Number 3
Page 5: Family Sailing By Lanny Coon My dad
Page 9 and 10: owner of that Michigan-based boat,
Page 11 and 12: When they yearned for a sailboat, a
Page 13 and 14: Russ Stamets Laura (r), age 7, with
Page 15 and 16: acing were a different story altoge
Page 17 and 18: US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010 1
Page 20: Snipe Class International Racing As

2010 Classic Snipe Rally Know Your Trophies Strategies for the ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?