Single-handed Open Race Coaching at Attenborough Sailing Club
by Dom Barnes 5 Oct 17:58 BST
3 October 2026
Single-handed Race Training at Attenborough © Dom Barnes
Saturday's forecast at Attenborough was a pleasant 8 to 10mph, but the forecast doesn't know about the islands, the trees and the local geography, so what the sailors actually got was sometimes 8 to 10mph, sometimes 5, sometimes nothing, and it could come from any direction it liked. Not the easiest conditions, but a good test of whether the basics hold up when the wind isn't helping.
Eleven sailors took part, mainly from the home club, with a good mix of newer sailors, some old hands and a few in between. The boats were just as mixed, with a Mirror, two Comets, a Topper, an ILCA 4 and a number of ILCA 6s and 7s.
Three coaches were on the water: Dom Barnes, Colin Dengate, who has just qualified as a Level 3 Race Coach, and Emily Dengate. Emily is Colin's daughter, but don't let that fool you: she is a very good coach in her own right. Three coaches for eleven sailors meant everyone got clear feedback on their own sailing, which is a big part of the Dom Barnes Coaching approach.
The focus for the day was Quick Wins, Do the Basics Correctly. The briefing covered what the coaches would be looking for in tacks, gybes and mark roundings, and how well the sailors were using the five essentials.
The first exercise was a warm-up with no coaching, a short windward/leeward with five tacks and five gybes, just to get everyone going. That was followed by the main coached exercise, a longer windward/leeward sailed as if it was a race, with the coaches working with each sailor on their own quick wins. The wind then died to nothing at almost exactly lunchtime, so the sailors came ashore for food and a debrief.
After lunch, while the wind filled back in, the group went through the sail controls on an ILCA, what each one does, how they are linked together and how they affect the boat. The afternoon was repeated one-lap windward/leeward races with coaching, until the wind died again, as it was always going to. Once the boats were packed away, the day finished with a final debrief and a discussion about what everyone had learned and what they would take into their next race.
Dom Barnes Coaching would like to thank Attenborough SC for their fantastic support and for hosting the first of the Single-handed Open Race Training days. The next one is at Bartley Sailing Club on Sunday 25th October.
Book online for future coaching days