The biggest learning from the Vets championship was to stay out of trouble. Thankfully I learned my lesson when sailing at Emsworth on Thursday. Apart from a couple of accidental knocks when unsighted on the start line I avoided collisions all day and what a difference that made to the results. Fingers crossed I keep the good behaviour up.
So yesterday I talked about two critical behaviours to ensure good performance on the water racing. The first was always sail fast and the second was to look up the pond to see where the next shift was coming from and position your boat accordingly, ideally before any competitor. Remember if balanced properly your boat will sail itself to windward. Sometimes it is good to sit without sailing your boat and watch the pattern of the wind. Within a short time you will recognise the common patterns and be better positioned for when you go sailing again.
Whilst the above will help enormously it does not mean you can avoid the basics, i.e. get a good start, come out of a tack fast easing the sheets a little for good acceleration etc. The more you can practice, the more natural all the movements will be and the better your results.
Finally which are faster, blue boats or red boats?