Speed Sessions :- 35 Second Sail Change

If you race boats with multiple sails to choose from it is critically important that you always have the right ones up to maximise your speed. A small advantage can be built into a commanding lead by ensuring your boat is always at top speed for the current wind angle and strength.

When racing offshore you often get time to prepare for and execute sail changes, this is not always the case when racing around the cans on insure courses. Tight manoeuvres often with other boats around put pressure on both the crew and your equipment, in many cases teams will take the easy way out avoiding changes and the risks that come with it. While mistake free sailing is always the goal, clear communication, practices and giving the crew time to prepare will allow you to execute lighting fast sail changes, even when the pressure is on !

Click the play button below to watch how Team GTR plan for and then execute a Code Zero to A3 change while rounding the gybe mark in under 35 seconds.

Top Tips

• Practise, practise practise. Getting 6 to 8 people to do anything together does not happen without practice. Whether it is a Formula 1 pit crews pushing for the 2 second pit stop or a west end dance troops striving for the prefect performance nothing is achieved without practise.
• It is best to practise outside the race environment allowing you to improve without time pressure and other boats getting in the way which can easily happen while racing.
• Have a clear step by step plan of what the perfect manoeuvre looks like.
• Ensure everyone understands their role in the manoeuvre through clear communication, both prior to and during the execution of the change.
• Give all crew members the time to prepare, pushing to go to quickly will only lead to mistakes and lost time in the long run.
• Regularly review how you are completing your manoeuvres, giving feedback to each other on things you could do to improve.
• Remember to tell people they have done a good job when things goes well. Positive re-enforcement is a wonderful weapon.

Top Tips "Code Zero Furl"

• Pull away from the breeze and ease the sheet to take the pressure out of the sail to allow the furl to start. 
• Continue to release the sheet as you furl the sail keeping just enough tension on it to ensure the back half of the sail full, this will produce a neat but not overly tight roll.         
• If rounding the mark as part of the manoeuvre take a wide arch to allow you to complete the turn as close to the mark as possible, this sets you up quickly on the next leg at your optimal angle to the breeze
• You can leave the furl to the last second to maintain top speed on approach to the mark, the sail can then be lowered once you are setup with the new sail on the next leg.

Top Tips "Gybe & A3 Deploy while rounding mark"

• Have the A3 connected prior to your arrival to the mark.
• Start the A3 hoist as the last 15% of the code zero is being furled.
• Steer the boat through a slow and even turn which allows you to maintain speed while creating a wind shadow behind the main sail, this allows the A3 to be hoisted quickly and easily.
• Have the A3 sheet on the winch, trimming it on as the head of the sail reaches it position at the top of the mast.
• Steer the boat up to the correct reaching angle as the sail reaches the head of the mast allowing it to come out from the wind shadow created by the main.
• Get the sail sheeted as quickly as possible to get back up to speed, adjustments can be made after the sail is full to obtain your top speed.

Thanks for stopping by and getting to the bottom of this blog post, hopefully you learned something along the way and are already think through the improvements you and your crew can make to your key manoeuvres.