Does your mainsheet get knotted up at the most inconvenient time? Do you find it difficult to keep your boom […]
Does your mainsheet get knotted up at the most inconvenient time? Do you find it difficult to keep your boom […]
Use these tips to avoid capsizing during your bear away in a Laser. Laser Sailboat Class Rules Update Compasses
Colin Gowland: Hi, Bill. Bill Symes: Hey, […]
Brett Beyer is joining us as a guest coach for three clinics between April 15 and May 6. The first two are aleady sold out! Here's the top 7 reasons to take part of this amazing opportunity.
Sailing a precise angle upwind is paramount for good boat speed. Angle is critical to ensure optimal VMG and air flow and water flow on the foils. Without the proper angle upwind your boat reduces in performance dramatically and suddenly, and without correct placement and use of your telltales it can be difficult to maintain a perfect angle.
These habits are seen around top sailors and will help you perform better and enjoy the sport more. Check these out to help align your priorities.
One rule of thumb is to ease your sheets when you're feeling slow, but the goal should be to never get slow. Here's how.
The most important factor to hiking is not necessarily how low you can put your shoulders to the water, however that can be a strong contributing factor. But rather how close you can get your knees to the gunwale edge.
We receive a lot of comments about our videos and Rule 42, specifically on the run. Sailors look at a piece of downwind footage and wonder aloud “Is that even LEGAL??”.
Closehauled. What is it and where is it anyway? Some sailors seem to be able to find it and stay in it, all the time. Others pass through it, but can’t seem to hang around for very long.
Having superb timing to the start line, great boat handling and effective defensive tactics are all part of the sequence leading up to the beginning of a race. Failure to execute any of the major components will result in a poor start. However even if perfectly done, it’s not guaranteed that your start will be successful.
It’s impressive how much one drill can reveal about a sailor's downwind technique, even at Olympic levels. This drill highlights rudder errors, sheeting mistakes and body position errors rapidly. It also provides a different, and great, sense of feel and connection with the boat. We recommend it for coaches as well.
Rarely, and for only short periods of time, can you experience a balanced helm during a 20+ knot downwind. Helm exists indefinitely; it’s just a matter of how much. As the wind increases, so does the factor of helm influenced by the center of effort vs the center of lateral resistance, heel angle and boat speeds.
Everything you need to know about VMG, course skew, wave skew, shifts and pressure for downwind sailing. Filmed at The Gorge.
This two part video looks at how to rig your vang in the most efficient way and how to mark it so that you can set it correctly at any time on the race course.
Mastering control of your boat while going backwards opens up many new opportunities on the start line, allowing you to reset or reposition yourself farther up the line.
Sailing downwind in Laser is an art. In big breeze, it’s survival. Some people make it look easy, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t working hard. The effort in balancing the boat is lessened if you understand what it wants to do.
Having proper marks on your outhaul will allow you to set your sail correctly in the heat of the moment. Here's how and why to mark it.
How and where to sit is key to being able to control your weight placement downwind. Here we look at various positions across all wind ranges.
Sailing is a sport where feel is very important. If you are doing something wrong, the boat feels bad. We come to recognize these feelings and associate them with corrections. Over time, our set of corrective activities can become so in tune, that you can sail the boat without ever getting a bad feeling.
