Having solid strength in the Laser is a must. Without fail athletes of all levels come off the water and will remark they were fast or slow because of their “fitness levels”.
In many conditions, we often see sailors with poor gust and/or lull response. In regards to hiking, particularly in gusts, there can be a tendency to “fight” the boat with hiking and often use too much steering to control power. We see heeling of the boat, pinching, corrective steers and other issues in gusts. These issues often lead to unnecessary strain on sailors and reduced speed and VMG.
