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MORE BOAT HANDLING & ROUTINES
At Alton Water in Jan 2017 we held the third of our six UK Winter Training weekends. Three times Laser Radial UK Champion, Hannah Snellgrove, joined Paul Robson to pass on some of her experience and knowledge focusing on boat handling, routines, strategy and tactics.
Here are Hannah's review notes from the weekend, to help all RS Aero sailors prepare for the season ahead.
RS Aero Winter Training
Alton Water Sports Centre – 28/29 Jan 2017
Coaches: Paul Robson, Hannah Snellgrove
Weekend Focus: Boat handling, boat on boat tactics, strategy
Boat handling
- Importance of routines
- Routines will vary according to conditions
- First step with any manoeuvre is to identify conditions that you are in, and look around and identify the conditions that you will be in when you complete your manoeuvre
Tacking
- Strong winds
- Back foot across strap first
- Commit to throwing weight out on that foot (one leg) on new side
- Use sheet to control heel on new tack
- Make sure you don’t under or over steer
- Wait to get boat flat and settle yourself before changing hands
- Light winds
- A little bit of gentle leeward heel to head the boat up
- Smooth steering with minimum rudder
- Squeeze the sheet in
- DELAY putting shoulders out to get the roll on until the sail has backed (is starting to flap) as far back as the window (it will feel like you are leaving it too late!!!!)
- Quick crossing of the boat with a bit of sheet ease
- Into the straps to bring boat back to flat and squeeze sheet back to close hauled
Gybing
- Strong winds
- Get to by-the-lee angle
- A few handfuls of sheet in
- Very gentle steer (minimum rudder)
- Hold mainsheet from boom to have more control of sheet
- BEAT THE BOOM! Must be sat on new side as or just before the sail fills on new side
- Light winds
- Litlle bit of sheet in
- Grab mainsheet from boom
- Shoulders out to roll boat
- Cross boat to flatten and tug sheet at the same time to trim the sail
Penalty turns
- Try to gain distance in the direction you are going in
- If going downwind, gybe first to keep momentum up through tack
- Quick sheeting in to get through the tack
- Make sure you treat sort your hands out (switch hands) after each gybe and tack
Mark roundings - routines
Starting
Accelerations
- Bow down to below close hauled before pulling any sheet in
- Kicker on
- Leeward heel and gentle steering up to close hauled course, trim sail to telltales
- Flatten boat as you get to close-hauled and squeeze sail in to close-hauled
Pre-start routine
- Everyone should have one! The more time you have the more detailed it should be
- What is the type of day and what are your priorities?
- Where is the pressure?
- What is the shift?
- Transit
- Bias
- Tide/drift – where are the start laylines?
- Time and distance – how long does it take to accelerate? How long does it take to sail one/two/four boat lengths? How far back from the line do you need to line up?
When it goes from ‘I can do this’ to ‘I hope I can do this’, it’s time to do something about the situation you’re in!!!!
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02/05/2017 16:08:25
Peter Barton
Posts: 5107
