Getting Better

   So i was sailing at an open recently and having a good race with other boats.  I was doing ok but not winning (probably at least 1/3-1/2 lap behind the leader by the end).  Whilst sailing around i decided that i want to challenge the leaders (or at least get as high as my abilities allow) and to do this obviously going to take some training/practice/coaching and me putting in the time.

I then hit upon the thought of how to do this.  If i was playing rugby again i'd get as fit as possible, practice my passing, kicking and tackling, attend training twice a week and hopefully build up my abilities but its not the same with sailing:
I can go sailing every day on my own but without other boats around i won't necessarily be able to see whether i am improving or not.  Equally there isn't the same reason to push myself to the edge without other boats around me.
I sail in a handicap fleet at the club twice a week but again being in a faster boat (phantom) i leave the other boats behind and end up sailing against the clock from when i round the windward mark.
There are training sessions for the class but only being held once or twice a year aren't going to be very often and won't help on a weekly basis (this isn't mean to be putting this training down at all - its good stuff just not regular enough in this context).
I need to be doing exercise to get physically fitter (probably cycling or running) this is the bit i can do - if i'm not feeling tired then i should be able to concentrate on getting the boat around the course.
I know that this has been mentioned before that as a sport we don't generally practice much but is there a way i can spend an hour or two to a week to improve my sailing?  I know i can't be the only one who wants to improve and is after inspiration.
Cheers 

Author	Message Share Topic Printable Version Delicious Digg Facebook Furl Google MySpace Newsvine reddit StumbleUpon Translate Twitter Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic
fish n ships Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Groupie Joined: 11 Jul 14 Online Status: Offline Posts: 71	Post Options Post Reply Quote fish n ships Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Getting Better Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 3:23pm
	So i was sailing at an open recently and having a good race with other boats. I was doing ok but not winning (probably at least 1/3-1/2 lap behind the leader by the end). Whilst sailing around i decided that i want to challenge the leaders (or at least get as high as my abilities allow) and to do this obviously going to take some training/practice/coaching and me putting in the time. I then hit upon the thought of how to do this. If i was playing rugby again i'd get as fit as possible, practice my passing, kicking and tackling, attend training twice a week and hopefully build up my abilities but its not the same with sailing: I can go sailing every day on my own but without other boats around i won't necessarily be able to see whether i am improving or not. Equally there isn't the same reason to push myself to the edge without other boats around me. I sail in a handicap fleet at the club twice a week but again being in a faster boat (phantom) i leave the other boats behind and end up sailing against the clock from when i round the windward mark. There are training sessions for the class but only being held once or twice a year aren't going to be very often and won't help on a weekly basis (this isn't mean to be putting this training down at all - its good stuff just not regular enough in this context). I need to be doing exercise to get physically fitter (probably cycling or running) this is the bit i can do - if i'm not feeling tired then i should be able to concentrate on getting the boat around the course. I know that this has been mentioned before that as a sport we don't generally practice much but is there a way i can spend an hour or two to a week to improve my sailing? I know i can't be the only one who wants to improve and is after inspiration. Cheers

kneewrecker Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 09 Apr 14 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1586	Post Options Post Reply Quote kneewrecker Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 3:34pm
	change clubs?

Rupert Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rupert Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 3:54pm
	Changing clubs might solve one of the problems, if there is one with Phantoms around, but there are usually reasons to be a one particular club. Persuade someone a bit better than you to start sailing the boats, and then do 2 boat tuning sessions together. Borrow a boat where there are similar ones racing at the club (Lasers, maybe?) and get the boat on boat practice there. The skills are transferable. Join in their coaching system, too. Pay one of the class hotshots to do some one on one coaching with you. I suspect this a problem many of us face. Simply doing the circuit can help a lot, but it would be nice to get a step up.
	Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

Do Different Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 26 Jan 12 Location: North Online Status: Offline Posts: 1312	Post Options Post Reply Quote Do Different Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 4:00pm
	Sail with better people than yourself. I do all the time ((-; Seriously though find people who are beating you and sail with them as often as you can, changing Clubs may not be an option for you, it isn't really practical for me or many people. However as you sail a Phantom, they seem a popular class at present so could you do some more travellers? I am not too sure about lot's of out of boat training, mind you I do work for myself in a physical job so general stamina is not an issue for me. Do you tire during races? Seems to me sailing is more of a mind and technique game than pure muscle, some will disagree but to an extent I think if it's hurting you're doing it wrong. Biggest challenge for me is keeping concentration high while at the same time keeping tension low. In the medium conditions we often race in the trick is not trying too hard and forcing the boat, somehow quick seems to be staying loose and letting the boat run sweetly. Not that I'm that great to give advice, not a big winner but by the sound of it like yourself want to trouble the top end a little more often.

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 4:00pm
	What you most need are other folks around you, so what can you do to encourage other folks to sail Phantoms at your club? That can be both lending your boat to other people at your club for trips round the bay to encourage them to get one, but also promoting your club as a vanue to other Phantom sailors.

fish n ships Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Groupie Joined: 11 Jul 14 Online Status: Offline Posts: 71	Post Options Post Reply Quote fish n ships Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 4:04pm
	yeah changing clubs is a little more drastic than i had hoped. I'm hoping to encourage a few people to get phantoms (they're a brilliant boat for places without the space for kites, esp if you're a little lardy for laser/supernova) so will see if we can encourage some of the better sailors into them. i had thought about coaching but was unsure how this works. likewise i'm joining in as much of the open circuit as possible so hoping to improve their it would just be nice to feel i'm doing something productive sailing at my home club. edit: sorry jim i posted as you were. i hadn't thought about encouraging other phantoms to sail with us, equally handing out my boat to people is something i hadn't thought about. Edited by fish n ships - 11 Jul 14 at 4:05pm

AlexM Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 10 Jan 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 857	Post Options Post Reply Quote AlexM Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 4:18pm
	Where do you sail? There must be some Phantoms close by

iGRF Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6499	Post Options Post Reply Quote iGRF Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 4:19pm
	I'm an imitator, it's why I like sailing a boat faster than the hot shots, so even when I screw up, I can catch back up and emulate their style. There is real magic watching those Europe girls in their almost effortless style and body position, I don't know why it is but it always seems to be wimmen I pick the most up from, probably down to chauvinism, but whatever it works, they really shouldn't beat us so when they are you know you're doing it wrong and when they sail past you in their bloody Topper or stuff you in the Laser Radial you know your doing it badly wrong. Also sailing on very confined water with quite a few boats and having to make lots of rapid mark round decisions not just the one your rounding but planning a couple ahead just to get the water rights, not to mention the shifts, the boat on boat rule observation requirement, it's all very very good training that we really never get on the sea. If they ever get another of those FOM's (Forum Open Meeting) off the ground come to that I learned loads at that meet, they all pretend to be useless knob ends but they are not, and the atmosphere is so friendly and not intimidating at all like major class events. (Just steer clear of anyone who even mentions the words Brandy and Babysham in the same sentence I found smiling like a simpleton and dribbling a bit seemed to work and he shuffled off, problem was by the end of the evening pretty much everyone was doing exactly the same thing.) Edited by iGRF - 11 Jul 14 at 4:26pm
	Snow Equipment Deals New Core Kite website

rodney Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 26 Feb 09 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 915	Post Options Post Reply Quote rodney Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 4:26pm
	One of the best ever UK Laser sailors, Keith Wilkins, trained in Bristol Docks alone. I think that boat handling and getting a relationship with your boat so that you and the boat are one is the key. Once that is achieved you can focus on keeping your head out of the boat and concentrate on strategy and tactics. It's better if you can find a training partner but not essential. To summarise get comfortable with the boat and then, when racing, you can focus on the race....
	Rodney Cobb Suntouched Sailboats Limited http://www.suntouched.co.uk [EMAIL=rodney@suntouched.co.uk">rodney@suntouched.co.uk

maxibuddah Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 06 Mar 09 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1760	Post Options Post Reply Quote maxibuddah Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jul 14 at 4:37pm
	I found that the best way was to go to opens. The standard is usually higher than at a club so you can learn. Get the basics right - keep the boat flat, and I mean properly flat, anything else in a phantom and you slip sideways big time. Get enough kicker on, this means that the top batten trailing edge telltale should be flying about 50% of the time. Don't oversheet, the end of the boom should be pointing to the outside of the transom, unless you need to pinch alittle then towards the inner gunwale at the transom. Anything more and you'll choke the sail and lose speed. Play the main if it gets windy to keep it flat. Then there is using the rig tension upwind. that is probably best explained with your boat on shore with someone else. Setting it up, read the tuning guides. Simon Childs on the phantom website is still relevant and works for most. More recently Jim Hunt did one and its on the website too. This gives you tips on how to sail the thing fast as well. What is your club by the way?
	Everything I say is my opinion, honest