Learning about Racing

admin July 8, 2025 Sailing Previous Lesson Going Faster Comments (0)

Learning: How to Prep for a Race – and arrive at the start line before the start

For some sailors, it’s all about racing – the thrill of the start line, the tactics, the overtakes, and maybe even the glory of crossing the finish line first. For others (ourselves included), sailing is often just about trying to get from A to B without ending up in C via the willow tree. But here’s the thing: racing – even if you’ve no intention of winning – is one of the best ways to learn how to sail properly. Not just drifting about in a straight line, but handling the boat with purpose. With urgency. And crucially, with other boats nearby that you’re legally and morally obliged not to crash into.

It’s a crash course in not crashing.

Racing teaches you how to:

Steer with precision (and not just when the instructor is watching),
Trim your sails for speed rather than vague flapping approval,
Tack and gybe efficiently,
And react to unexpected wind shifts and enthusiastic fellow sailors.

In this episode, we’ll take a look at how to survive your first race, with the simple goal of just finishing the course. Victory, for beginners, is not measured in trophies, but in:

Making it past the first mark without a tactical meltdown,
Avoiding collisions (or being blamed for one),
And ideally crossing the finish line while the race officer still remembers you started.

For Paul and I, it took the better part of 18 months of practice, perseverance, and polite shouting to reach the point where we could complete a race course and sometimes even finish in the same lap as everyone else. That may not sound like much — but believe me, after a few races where we were still zigzagging up the river while the rest were packing up their boats, it felt like winning the America’s Cup.

So if you’re thinking about giving racing a go — do it. You’ll learn more in one lap than in ten aimless river meanders. And who knows, you might even beat someone one day (possibly by accident, but that still counts). So we will look at the most important part first the Prep for the race so you are ready to go.

Race Prep – The Art of Looking Like You Know What You’re Doing

So, you’ve decided to enter a race. Excellent choice! Now begins the crucial and often underestimated phase known as Race Prep — where you try to make your boat ready, your brain ready, and ideally, both at the same time.

Let’s be clear: this is not just “going for a sail.” This is organised chaos with rules, starting signals, and a finish line that won’t wait for you to have a snack halfway round. Preparation is key – or at the very least, it gives you a fighting chance of not being overtaken by someone sailing backwards.

Here’s my race-day checklist, refined through experience (and several near disasters):

1. Check the Boat

Before you even think about the race:

Are your foils (rudder and daggerboard) in the boat and not still drying in the clubhouse?
Are your sheets (ropes, not bedding) untangled and actually rigged through the right blocks?
Is the buoyancy still inside the boat, or have you left the bung out again?
Is the mainsail halyard actually fastened, and not doing a secret loop-de-loop around the mast?
If something falls off mid-race, it’s considered bad form. Especially if it floats past the committee boat.

We always carry an oar - we have needed it on more than one occasion especially when visiting the willow tree, but the oar is attached to the boat by a long bungee so that if we do capsize it is still attached to the boat.

2. Know the Course

There will be a course briefing. Pay attention. This is not the moment to mentally reorganise your garage or wonder what’s for tea. Learn:

Which marks to go round,
What order to go round them in,
And whether you round them to port or starboard (getting it wrong causes chaos and deeply hurt feelings).

Pro tip: draw it on your hand. Yes, really. You’ll forget it otherwise.

Many is the time when sailing up the course we chat to Richard in the Laser, and we or he asks which mark are we aiming for or which side are we going. Usually from the back of the fleet we can watch what the other boats are doing and follow. Otherwise we get a NSC in the results Not Sailed the Course, and that means that race didn't count.

3. Get to the Start Line (Early!)

Races do not wait for latecomers. You want to be near the line well before the start sequence begins:

5 minutes – flags go up.
4 minutes – nerves increase.
1 minute – you realise you’re nowhere near the line.
GO – everyone else blasts off and you’re still adjusting your gloves.

Try sailing along the line before the start to judge your position and make sure you’re facing the right way. Ideally not into the wind. That never goes well.

It always seems to take longer to get the boat ready than the time you have. We have to take off the covers, fit the cameras (optional but great if you want to learn from your mistakes) fit the sail to the mast but not to the boom or hoist it up too far, wheel to the water and launch
Tie up head to wind. Set the sails, tidy the ropes and then go and have a little practice to feel the wind

4. Tune for the Conditions

If it’s light wind, keep your weight low and forward.
If it’s breezy, tighten everything up and prepare to hike like a human plank.
And always, always check your rudder and centreboard are down — you laugh, but it’s been done.

5. Talk to Your Crew (If You Have One)

Establish basic roles:

Who’s tacking the jib?
Who’s calling the gusts?
Who’s in charge of snacks? and drinks and I don't mean the G&T - many including me get very thirsty out there so carry a water bottle.

Clear communication prevents arguments, and nothing slows a boat down like two people shouting “I thought you were doing it!”

Final Thought Before the Horn

Remember, the goal isn’t to win (yet). The goal is to start, go the right way, and finish. If you can do all three without capsizing, arguing, or accidentally rounding the wrong mark backwards — you’re doing brilliantly.