The things I learnt...

5 minutes with Iain Percy in the back of my 420 at Grafham Winter training back in the 90's.... it made me realise how subtle the changes in sheeting, weight distribution and rudder control need to be to sail at that level.  Honestly the boat was just in totally new gear; so smooth and serene, planing upwind without any vices and still holding a good angle probably 5-10º higher than I had been sailing. (If you've sailed 420s you'd view that description as an oxymoron, but trust me, it was a different boat!)  Oh yes, and that all of that is on auto pilot as you sense the change in wind and water before it even happens.

Having Victor Brellisford (ex I14 world champion, 18ft Skiff national champion and highest British placing to date in the JJ) crew for me in the 29er showed just how flat flat can be, and how the crew's sheeting mentality entirely affects the way in which the boat is sailed (searching for height, vmg, and footing off), leaving the helm free to look around without any doubt that the boat will not be at top speed.

Originally posted by G.R.F. I found watching those Olympics enormously rewarding, especially that bit where you get to stand up, grab a handful of sail sheet and pull like buggery, kinetic sailing I totally get that and that new rule in the 2013 rule book that means you get to do it every wave..

having been lucky enough to sail dinghies and keelboats with serveral really top guys and girls I can only mirror the comments above, and particularly the "smooth" nature of steering and adjustments coupled with using weight to steer the boat, rather than just the rudder, what's always very noticable (even when teaching complete beginners) is that some peoples natural style is to be smooth and relatively subtle, whereas others saw away at the tiller like they're chopping wood or clump about pulling on or blowing off huge amounts of sheet tension at once... yes styles and techniques can be taught, but how much is just 'hard coding' and how much is learnt is questionable, after all where are all the people who used to be quicker than BA or IP in Oppys and Lasers now?

I am eternally grateful to the staff of Tighnabruaich ( 3 visits in the 1990s) and Minorca sailing along with staff I worked with at Blairvaddach. All had a big emphasis on safety, learning and fun.