L2K
Asymmetric Training Day - Shustoke
S.C. 16 January 2010
There was yet more training organised for
the Laser 2000 Fleet, this being the third in the winter training series.We combined with the Shustoke Lark fleet with
a view to looking at how to set up our boats and what it all means.Shustoke's own sailing guru, Stuart Hydon was
volunteered to run the session and he was ably assisted by Chris Biglin to give
a technical insight.
Given the recent weather, our hopes were
not particularly high at being able to put boats to water.In fact, the day started very gloomy and
cold, even though several degrees warmer than the last month or so.The water could not be seen, hidden under a
complete blanket of ice several centimeters thick and so sailing was clearly
not even a remote possibility.So we
resigned ourselves instead to the relative comfort of the clubhouse for a chalk
and talk session.
Perhaps it was the weather prospects or
perhaps it was the excesses of Christmas but the fleet turn-out was on the
sparse side, although in the end, those that had turned up to sail only to be
disappointed or those who came for a chin-wag at the club, seemed to enjoy
joining in at the back to hear what was being explained.Pleasing to see was a group of our younger members
taking a keen interest.The Laser 200
Fleet was represented by John Wilkin,
Bob Heath, Tony Lloyd, Kevin and David Lynch, David Green and Lawrence Dooley who
were joined by Chris and Ann Biglin and Robin Webb, whose long experience benefitted
all with his valuable contributions to the discussions.
The assembled group chose to look at boat
set-up in detail, effects of sail and rig controls, race preparation, race
strategy, roll tacking and racing rules.If the weather improved enough we thought we might look at the boat
set-up and rig controls on a rigged up boat.
The first section of Stuart's talk was the
preparation for racing and this starts before even leaving for the race
venue.Physical fitness and stamina are
key assets and just a modest improvement on current personal levels of fitness
is likely to yield dividends in the boat.The next stage is to try to research the sailing water beforehand, both
before leaving home if the water is "away" or on arrival if a home venue.Trying to look for where the wind is coming
from on the water/race course and what the wind is forecast to do over the day
are important considerations to working out race strategy.
Working as a team was recommended for helm
and crew and the ability to develop a real association with a regular crew is
essential for top race performance, each knowing what the other is doing or wanting/needing
to do.It is seldom successful to simply
turn up and then look for a crew for the race that is to start in the next 30
minutes.
Preparing the boat includes making sure all
the gear and fittings are working and up to the job.Wear and tear does take place so it's a good
idea to make sure all is well before going out and then one can be confident of
the boat.The next stage is checking
that the boat is set up correctly and to start with, using the factory
recommended settings is best.Personal
variations from those settings can then be experimented with.
Chris Biglin gave a very interesting
insight into the rig and understanding how it works.Effects of rig controls were explained
supplemented by a very good DVD of a Solo sailing expertly under lively wind
conditions resulting in brisk sailing that also demonstrated very confident
tacking and gybing.
We learned that once sailing, the "slot
effect" between the leech of the jib and the luff of the mainsail is really
important to get right.Get it right and
the power of the main is enhanced to the benefit of boat speed.Various "wrinkles" were discussed to help to
judge this to good effect.Looking at
the trailing third of the jib relative to the mail sail helps to optimise the
slot and checking the trailing third of the main to ensure that all that power
in the exhaust is used effectively.
In the end, there were no volunteers for
braving the elements to look at boat set-up outside on a real boat, preferring
to wait for less inhospitable weather to try out what we had been taught.
In terms of the race itself, we should be
allowing enough time to evaluate the lie of the start line (bias), if possible
sailing a trial first beat against another boat on the opposite side of the
course, to check if the presumed starting strategy will work out.At the start, boats should aim to approach
the line up one minute before and be ready to hit the line at maximum speed as
the gun goes.All one has to do then is
sail fast to stay in front!
Keeping the boat flat, on the wind with
minimal use of the rudder, using the rig controls all the time and exploiting
headers on which to tack are all techniques to keep up with the leading
boats.Looking out for gusts and using
them to one's advantage is a secondary source of better boat speed so crew and
helm should be constantly on the look out for gusts coming in.
We rounded off the training session with an
excellent computer-based multiple choice quiz based around the racing
rules.This was done as a group exercise
and collectively, we all did rather well.I'm not so sure that I would have done quite so well without the
discussion and input from the other more experienced members!
So it's thanks to Stuart and Chris for
their time in teaching us a few of their trade secrets and to Robin for his
valuable input to the discussion and now we look forward to the ice melting
away to be able to put these tips into practice - in the Shustoke Laser 2000
Fleet Series!
