Time to restart the IOM campaign

Those of you following my results will have noticed poor performance in the IOM. There are many things wrong with the way I am sailing but perhaps the worst thing of all is the use of my mental processes. I am a good sailor but seem to have gone off piste to use a skiing expression. Immediately after the IOM Nationals I sat down and reviewed my performance and hunted round to get some help

The brain is an awesome thing and there is a saying, "What the mind can imagine the mind can achieve. But how to get that ball rolling.

The Plan

I have used the information written by the famed Napoleon Hill, who interviewed many of the top 500 businessmen in the US with view to identifying the processes by which these successful people operated. It took him 20 years to distill the facts and produce his books. Initially he was rejected by many publishers but was soon recognised as the authority on being successful initially in the US then across the world, I regard the man as the founder of personal development and if you listen to modern day podcasts on the subject of success, most of what is said is an embellished repeat of his work. He has a process to getting the mind to work towards a defined purpose which I have used before to great success. Why I stopped using it I will never know. Search his name on You Tube and all will be revealed. Keep an open mind and hear him out. You will be surprised at what you can achieve with his help.

So how will I use his teaching to to improve my sailing performance.

I am not a bad sailor but seem to be challenged in big fleets. I have a month off in Scotland coming up and need to do something to accelerate my development.

 What am I trying to solve?

1      Stop hitting boats.  If in doubt steer away from other boat. 

2      Smoother manoeuvring,  Practice tacks gybes and 360 turns.  Tack first then gybe

3      Rounding windward marks keep clear wind or gybe and sail to the left in a positive manor to get clear wind.

4      Mark judgement.  Practice mark rounding at distance.  Use boat wake, sun shadow, other boats

5      High mode and low fast mode use.  Need to evaluate how I drive fast towards new shift

6      Alert for wind-shifts on start line.  Look up the course.  It is not the wind on the start but what will happen just after

7      More assertive behaviour with boat positioning. Applies on starts, crossing behind boats to get to shifts

8      More looking for wind shifts.  Look at boat, look up for shift, look at boat, look at shift, boat ........

9      Greater awareness of surroundings, indication of wind direction, flags, reed-beds, flapping sails

10   How to crossing the finish line first or at least consistently at the front of the fleet.

 I am up against radio sailors who have lifetime of experiences with sailing and radio sailing boats and will never be able to replicate the sum of their experiences, so I will need to find a way to shortcut/make up for this deficiency. In addition I have lost a bit of focus.

Define my purpose

So the first thing I need to do is define precisely what I want to achieve. For the moment I will keep that to myself but be assured I have a very clear purpose and target to achieve. I then follow many of the steps laid out in his books.

One of the key steps is a clear visualisation program of what I want to achieve. I am also using visualisation to iron out some of the issues above by playing videos in my mind over and over again at quiet times. It is said that the mind does not differentiate between physical practice and mental practice. So this will be my main focus when we are cruising around Scotland.

Chat GTP was a great help in getting a visualisation process. Let me sign off by showing you what it came up with. It also produced a very good training program for on the water practice as well but that is for another day.

Got it — you’re asking about the visualisation process for a racing skipper (i.e., someone skippering a racing yacht). That’s a great topic, because visualisation is a critical part of mental preparation for high-level sailing.

Here’s a structured visualization process that a racing skipper might follow:

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1. Set the Scene

         •       Environment Setup: Find a quiet space with no interruptions.

         •       Posture: Sit or stand comfortably, perhaps with eyes closed.

         •       Breathing: Start with deep, steady breaths to calm the mind and focus attention.

2. Define the Objectives

         •       What exactly are you visualizing?

(e.g., starting sequence, boat handling in strong winds, rounding a mark, executing a tactical decision.)

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3. Pre-Race Visualization

         •       Pre-start routine:

Imagine the entire pre-start sequence — checking the wind, feeling the current, setting up the timing with the line, doing timed runs toward the start.

         •       Boat setup:

Picture walking through your checklist — sail trim, instruments calibrated, crew positions.

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4. Race Visualization

         •       Start Line:

Visualize approaching the start line at full speed, timing it perfectly.

         •       Upwind Sailing:

Picture trimming the sails, hiking hard, playing the shifts, tacking efficiently.

         •       Mark Roundings:

See yourself calling clean approaches

         •       Downwind:

Visualize surfing waves, keeping the boat fast, watching competitors.

         •       Tactical Situations:

Anticipate situations: crossing other boats, deciding when to tack/gybe, layline judgment.

         •       Communication:

Imagine giving clear, calm, assertive instructions to the crew.

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5. Dealing with Adversity

         •       Visualize unexpected problems: a poor start, a fouled line, a broken piece of gear.

         •       Mentally rehearse quick recovery and staying calm.

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6. Positive Outcome

         •       Always end the visualization with a successful race: strong finishes, good decisions, and satisfaction with execution.

         •       Feel the emotional response — confidence, happiness, control.

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7. Repetition & Daily Practice

         •       Short (10–15 minutes) visualization sessions daily during the regatta week or training periods.

         •       The more senses you engage (sight, sound, feeling of the boat), the more powerful it becomes.

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