Why all the topics about ...

Originally posted by iGRF Just as a matter of personal interest, how are they broken down these days, what does get taught, do they do pre race prep, course observation, startline tactics, 1st beat strategy, 1st reach strategy according to position, what to do if your in front, what to do if your behind, stuff like that? How to tackle the run, when to soak when to sail high, how to spot downwind shifts, port starboard advance planning? Do they cover tidal situations? Windshift strategy when to tack when not to? Approach to the finish? There must be so many books on the subject around by now..but which get used or suggested as reference matter?

Fab100's book, of course! Are there others?

Originally posted by iGRF Originally posted by kneewrecker I think that's a gross over assessment - It could be, but when you see at Olympic level having spent tens of thousands on gear, our 'hopefuls' going out the back door of a start last, you do wonder. Or our nations best tacking too early into the dirty air of the down coming fleet and sucking it up rather than waiting another 30 secs and the air would have been cleaner. Or Lasers missing a bloody big dip in the line where with a help of a half decent transit there would have been no need to have been buried. I know it's easy to spot from the side lines, but, good tacticians really don't miss an opportunity - ever. Unless of course they've just done it so often, are so much more an automaton rather than a focussed hungry competitor desperate for success..

My lot get taught tactics as part of a whole. It can be a mistake to separate them out too far from boat handling, in a way - get the tacking right, and the (for example, as used above) the staying between the mark and the boat thing becomes much more easy. I would rarely have a long session on the land about it at start racing level - more suggestions on the water, and then discussion after. At higher levels where everyone is interested, then yes, more land based stuff.

Originally posted by kneewrecker I think that's a gross over assessment -

It could be, but when you see at Olympic level having spent tens of thousands on gear, our 'hopefuls' going out the back door of a start last, you do wonder.

Or our nations best tacking too early into the dirty air of the down coming fleet and sucking it up rather than waiting another 30 secs and the air would have been cleaner.

Or Lasers missing a bloody big dip in the line where with a help of a half decent transit there would have been no need to have been buried.

I know it's easy to spot from the side lines, but, good tacticians really don't miss an opportunity - ever.

Unless of course they've just done it so often, are so much more an automaton rather than a focussed hungry competitor desperate for success..

Edited by iGRF - 03 Oct 14 at 10:53am