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Team Sailing Tips
The Master Tactician
The tactician is one of the most important members of any racing team -- whether you're in a local yachting club or the US Sailing Team. It's the job of the tactician to plan out the course of the regatta, and anticipate as much as possible (weather, competition level, etc.) before the race begins. However, to be a truly excellent tactician, here are a few important tips:
Give clear orders to your crew in a positive and upbeat manner.
Don't overreact to mistakes. They happen. Instead, look at the quickest and smartest way to correct them.
When behind, changing tacks erratically will not win the race. Look at the big picture and note where you may be able to move ahead more strategically.
Keep morale high...no matter where you are in the race.
Although it may be hard, try to accept the responsibility for any errors that occur so that your crew can stay focused.
After the race, take notes! Use these to better your performance in the next regatta.
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Team Building Business Sails
Offshore Sailing School Tip: More and more businesses are taking time to provide team-building activities for their company. From hiking excursions to morale workshops, there are plenty of opportunities to choose from. One of the more adventurous team building activities is to take your staff to a team sailing course. Use Offshore Sailing to engage team bonding. Beyond the practicalities of sailing technique, instructors should also be able to identify the similarities between team sailing and teamwork in the office. Job completion, maximizing performance of the boat, and the changing winds all correspond to the everyday challenges that a business faces. Working together as a team will prepare your staff to function more efficiently.
A team must work together to build company performance, much like maximizing a sailboat's performance
The feeling an employee gets when completing a job to company satisfaction is the same as successful sailing
When sailing, team members are forced to use quick problem-solving skills
Trained sailing professionals will establish a working crew from your team and teach novice sailors how to man a sailboat with the assistance of colleagues. Seek out team building activities that emphasize these strength-building elements. After a team sailing course, you should discover that "running a tight ship" suddenly has a double meaning! No experience is necessary.
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Staying Still to Move Faster?
Believe it or not, in a team sailing regatta, the more a crew moves around, the less chance they have of winning. It may seem that a deck hot with crew action must mean the team is knowledgeable and full of hidden tactics that will win the race. In actuality, too much movement on the boat can slow your boat down considerably. Think about it: If something as light as a sail can make a huge difference in the speed of your craft, imagine what effect the weight and movement of several human bodies can have. In order to ensure smooth and speedy sailing, each crew member should ideally perform his/her tasks and freeze in position. In fact, part of your task as a crew member is your position at any given point. Keep excess movements to a minimum to keep boat speed to a maximum.
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Avoiding Slam Dunks
In sailing races, "slam dunking" occurs when an opposing boat tries to tack onto your wind in a close enough proximity to stop you from tacking away. In order to prevent and overcome a slam dunk, do one of the following:
a) bear off before the opposing boat has a chance to catch up to you, or b) tack immediately.
Do not try both tactics, but rather choose one and see it through.
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Team Racing: When to Get Aggressive
Team racing requires that the crew think alike as often as possible. All of you need to keep your focus on upcoming marks even before you reach mark one. Also note the buoyroom between marks, as these are good opportunities to overtake opposition boats. Do not overtake an opposition boat if it is closely followed by another from its team (it's not worth your effort). Only make your move if the boat behind your competitor is one from your own team, and that team boat is not followed by another from the opposition. You want clear sailing for your maneuvers, and that requires a united front from your team.
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A Powerful Racing Tip
To create more power in your mainsail (pronounced “MAYN-sul”) during a team sailing competition, you need to increase its depth. In other words, the sail’s shape should be more curved. Light to moderate winds, you should increase the depth. When trying to negotiate upwind, a flatter sail shape is more desirable. Much like the edges of a sheet of paper being pushed together or pulled apart, the mainsail will become fuller if the leech (back edge of the sail) and the luff (front edge of the sail) move closer together, and flatter if they move apart.
