MBL Coaching Clinic

1. MBL Coaching Clinic Fran Charles and Mike Kalin MIT Sailing March 2, 2006

2. Foundations for Speed • Sail the way all the fast people sail... • Tech Dinghy – • Sail set up- halyard, downhaul, outhaul, vang • Rake- Always needs to be checked. One or two fingers, centered, not too tight • Tanks- Quick check • Centerboard- Most important adjustment on boat. Upwind, Downwind, Prestart, Changing velocity conditions. • Weight centered around thwart at all times. • Practice- • Starting, acceleration, tacking, tacking, tacking. Crew helping trim at bottom mark.

3. FJ Speed Tips • FJs- • Halyard Tension- More breeze, more firmness • Jib Lead position- Usually 3 holes open behind car in light conditions moving aft with more breeze. • Jib Sheet- Critical for crews to adjust sheet to help steer the boat and keep it from heeling. • Centerboard- All the way down in all breezes upwind. Make certain that the bungee is doing its job. • Mainsheet- Always get it back in. Turn the boat up and feather in the puffs. If sail went out, relieve the helm by heading up and get the sheet back in. Constant angle of heel achieved by steering and trying to stay sheeted in. • Vang firmly but not too tightly. • Practice- • All crews must face aft upwind and forward in prestart and downwind. Make transitions by leading your body with the hand that holds the jib. Extra roll in tacking accomplished by trying to rip the ratchet from the leeward tank. Skippers must sit forward so their knees are pressed together along thwart at all times. Downwind drills need to focus on seamless changes from jib reaching to wing and wing to jib reaching with both sails always working effectively.

4. 420 Speed Tips • 420s- • Halyard Tension- More breeze, more firmness • Jib sheet should always be trimmed through the cleat until the foot begins to curl. Then, trim the windward sheet hard through the cleat until the jib clew lines up with the vertical wall of the leeward tank. In extremely strong breeze duct tape over the cam cleats and don’t worry about windward sheeting. • Crew weight needs to be kept forward dramatically in light breeze- crew on their toes or leaning over the jib cleat on the leeward tank while the skipper’s rear is forward of the traveler tube. As breeze velocity increases hiking power needs to be increased- change crews- and weight moved aft to center on traveler. All crews need to check their hiking straps and, if short legged, adjust the straps looser. Centerboard needs to be depowered between races and upwind in strong breeze. • Practice- • Starts and straight line speed accounts for 90% of a 420 race. Rabbit start and try to hold a lane. Skippers need to sail the boat with the jib full at all times and easing the mainsheet to keep the boat flat. More breeze immediately equates into much more vang tension. Starting on time is difficult because the tacking angles are so much wider and holding your lane for a long period of time is imperative. Remember that tacking a 420 is always expensive. More than one tack in the first 2 minutes of a 420 race almost guarantees a very poor finish. Likewise, a double tack near the windward mark because of a poor layline call can be disastrous. No more than 4 tacks/ beat should ever be employed.

5. Tools of the Trade • Skippers- Bookmark coastal waters forecast and sailflow.com Should be in tune with the forecast trend before arriving to sail. Polarized sunglasses, good snug hat, warm gloves, fleece as well as goretex socks. Appropriate spray or drysuit gear at hand. Small water bottle and sunscreen. • Crews- FJ bailer as well as tech/420 bailer with their names indelibly marked on them. Lock up do not leave hanging around anywhere. Extra bailer gets tied in on halyard tail and loose bailer gets used. Have spares available at home. Cassette tape and yarn tell tales precut to the right length and taped to the inside of lifejacket. Only tie on with a rolling hitch. Polarized sunglasses, good snug hat, warm gloves, fleece as well as goretex socks. Appropriate spray or drysuit gear at hand. Small water bottle and sunscreen. Know which boat you start in and where you will be rotating to before racing begins. That way you can keep an eye on your next boat for capsizes, swamping and rigging problems. • Coaches- Extra warm clothes. It is much colder to coach than it is to sail. Always wear water proof boots and have a larger than usual pair of spray pants to easily pull on/ off over footwear. Lifejacket, polarized sunglasses, sunscreen and little snacks for your players. A jug of water for those who don’t bring their own. Whistle and personal loud hailer are essential. Buy extra whistles and keep them in your glove box. • Staying active in the game in other ways besides coaching- Play the game. There are many opportunities to organize an older folks team race series. This is the one area of our sport which is exploding in new growth. Two on two is simple- last place loses. Four on four is a bit more complicated but, essentially don’t finish last or second to last. Race some class of boats. Frostbiting in keelboats or dinghies is easy and not even close to a full day’s commitment away. Know the rules, take a judging seminar and volunteer to help out with the local colleges from time to time. They always need help with race management and judging. You get the bonus of seeing techniques of sailing and coaching up close. • Set goals and measure up- Practice goals, racing and skill building goals, season long goals. Focus on acquiring and refining skills not necessarily finish positions.

6. Team racing Groundwork Team work and sportsmanship • In Team Racing, unlike other sailing, the result is either a W or an L; this can be harsh, unless approached with the right attitude. • Remember to respect your teammates, your opponents and to thank the myriad people who volunteered their time to put on the event. • Always thank the finish boat after each race, acknowledge your opponent then gather up with your team and tell them how you can improve – resist being too critical. Every race is a learning experience – even the ones you win!!! • Team confidence is crucial – try to “get over” mistakes and bad feelings – the next race is only minutes away.

7. Course Overview • The “N” course versus the Port Triangle – target time: 6-9 minutes Where to start? • Run some races to expose all facets, then break it down with drills. I don’t like to run many races – bad habits get compounded. • For practice, any course will do – WHishbone philosophy – square beats not necessary – repetition is crucial.

8. Fundamental Team Race Drills • The basics drills (two - four boats) – focus on crew’s role and keep them engaged! • Downwind stop/starts – learn how to stop boat most effectively (overtrim, windward heel, excessive steering); also, how to efficiently accelerate boat to full speed • One-on-one around a sausage (in various configurations) • leader controls laggard around the course and as slowly as possible • pig in the middle (around various courses) • match race around course

9. Starting • You can’t win the race at the start, but you sure can lose it. • No OCS • Don’t be a hero and put someone in 6th at risk of becoming 5th • Never fall asleep before the start and wake up in the danger zone. • NEVER attempt risky boathandling before start – no scooping water; no gybing, no spin-outs • Young, inexperienced sailors tend to be overly aggressive and miss the big picture. Teach how to manage another opponent and nail the start with the match race start.

10. The Match Race Start • Match race start concepts: pushing and pulling Starting drills (all rolling 3’s): • Match race start: one-on-one • Multiple match race starts with rotations

13. The Plays • Three “stable” combinations • Play one: 1-2-X • Play two – crucial – 2-3-4 • Play four: 1-4-5

20. Advanced Team Racing Drills • Once the basics of team racing boathandling are at a reasonable level, progress to drills that isolate common scenarios on each leg of the course. • Double team formation (see explanation in context) • Setting up the weave vs. ghost opponent • Compression mark trap drills (1,deep5,deep6 vs. 2,3,4 – only use four boats) • Double mark trap drill (2,3,6 vs. 1,4,5 – only use three boats) • Two-on-two team race

21. First Beat Rules • Know the combo off the line. Crews talk it up – who’s in last? Who’s in first? Who’s in trouble? Look for play 2 early. • Always tack on the first big shift – even if your opponent does not. • Know when to team race and when to sail fast. – First beat is a fleet race before it becomes a team race.

22. Downwind Tidbits • NEVER attempt a radical passback in gnarly conditions • A five boatlength cushion is fairly safe* • * - 6-8 BL in puffy conditions; 4 BL in steady conditions • more cushion is needed on runs; less on tight reaches • If you exceed the safe cushion, you are no help to your team when they need you. • Too small a cushion and you will taunt the wolves.

23. Last Leeward mark • Determine the phase of the wind (lefty, rightie) and the geometry of the last beat – long starboard tack or long port tack. Adjust your game plan accordingly for possible skewed beat geometry. • Do on to others before they do unto you • If a trap awaits you, ATTACK behind you!!! • Never round 1st if you have a deep 5,6 – give up the 1 and compress as much as possible

24. Final Beat and general points • If you are winning the race, make the race end quickly – all three boats sail through to the finish quickly. • If you are losing the race, stall and make the race chaotic – especially at marks – use compression mark traps. • Stable combos are nice, but if you are about to win the race, don’t worry about a stable combo, just finish!!! • Play 2 RULES!!! • In a 2,3,6 – if you are 3, NEVER chase the downwind pair. • In a 1,2,6 – 6 always covers 5. • When one boat is occupying two opponents, the one boat will probably lose the battle, but might win the war!!! – hang tough, don’t be a hero and do your job.