I keep tacking too soon approaching the weather mark. Anybody have a sure fire remedy?

Tack a little bit later?

When you pass behind someone you can see if they can "make it" or not.

Recently, I found myself in the position of being ahead of a few boats. Tacking short gives that away. The problem becomes how to prevent the error.

Unless I knew there was a strong current favouring tacking early, I never tacked for the top mark until I could sight the marker somewhat behind the aft beam. Depending on windstrength and seas that was about right on the Tornado.

Practice makes perfect, but working out a fixed point on the boat to line up the marker with before you tack gives you good help.


BTW: Thanks for asking all those questions that bring value to the forum. It is awfully quiet here at times.

The layline is a tricky call, especially on a shifty day on a lake. At Eustis I've been burned so many times I can't even count. I finally came to say, "There is no layline!" I always overstand a bit on every A mark layline just because it's faster to overstand a little and crack off and be going faster, than trying to pinch up at the last minute, and god forbid, making two more tacks if you don't lay it!

So, the cure, for your situation, when ahead of a couple boats? WAIT until they tack for the layline first, they you wait just another second or two, then you tack. That way, if you two didn't get it right, he will suffer while you come down hot and fast to the mark. If by some miracle he did get it right, you have not lost too much, as you still should be going faster, sailing a slightly lower course into the mark.

Now, there is always the possiblility that you both get a last minute lift and you are both now overstood, and he will make out better than you, but there is no way to predict that so I just write that off to...Sh!t Happens.

Being closer to the mark makes it easier to judge tacks.
Instead of going from the gate to the mark in 1 tack try to do some tacks in between.

Timbo,

I disagree with you as long as we are talking racing. You can not depend on the other guy to get it right/wrong, you need to have a system that is dependable. What if you are racing in a handicap fleet with slower boats but really skilled sailors?
Calling the layline is not that hard (excluding Lake Eustis of course ) once you have a system with fixed points on your boat and are skilled enough at calling the current and oscillating shifts. The only reason to overstand the top mark is if you expect a permanent shift change in current or there is a massive pile-up at the top mark.

Dont give up distance unless you have to when racing. Overstanding the layline is just as bad as tacking too early. Time on the water and practice makes perfect

I did not mean to say that we never tacket before the layline, but on the final approach to the layline we used sighting marks over fixed points on the boat (aft of aft beam).
In the "old days" Tornado fleet were given the compass heading to the top mark becouse it was so far upwind they could not see it. Then they could do up to six tacks before they were at the top mark. Then courses became shorter, you got the selftacker and suddenly you began loosing races if the right side was favoured and you did two extra tacks. Tacking on the Tornado is relatively slow so going on right to the layline made sense quite often. Modern hullshapes tacks faster.

Being closer to the top mark makes it much easier. Finding the fastest way up to the mark is part of the game we play

You have to know your capbilities with the boat you are sailing - Time on the water.

I use an angle reference with the hull slanted to the conditions. Light flukey winds it often pays to overstand (a little) sometimes. Ususally there is persistant shift at marks and or current.

We would hope any serious race committee at a high level event would not accept conditions as we had in a couple of those races in Eustis.

Rolf, I live on such a lake, so I think I may know a thing or two about it. When in doubt, overstanding a little is much faster than doing 2 more tacks beacause you got it wrong or the wind shifted.

Your methods may work great on the open ocean where 30 degree shifts every 2 minutes are rare, but at Eustis, not so much...

As usual, the guy that won didn't seem mystified by the shifts.

With the GC coming up, all the potential competitors should be aware that our bay is much like a lake.

"We would hope any serious race committee at a high level event would not accept conditions as we had in a couple of those races in Eustis."

I wasn't at Eustis so I don't know the conditions, but if there is wind, at want point do you sail or not sail? Being lake sailors we are use to shifty and usually light wind. We would much rather the RC drop marks and let us sail than wait around for the "perfect" conditions. We would never get to sail if that was the case. It just makes it more interesting to sail 5 down-wind legs out of a 6 leg course.

Careful what you wish for!!

News to me. How so? Shifty? Gusty? Wind Shadows? Current? All of the above?

All of the above!! Plus, in light air you may find a huge hole in the middle of the bay.

It shouldn't be so bad in November, that's why we chose that time of year.

How reliable is the "Old Port Tampa" weather station for wind conditions on Boca Ceiga Bay?

This probably should be brought up in it's own thread but:

If I go for a weekend "local" regatta I expect to be sent out in any condition and that occasionally will include races like we had last weekend.

If I attend a championship level race I expenct that the RC will do their very best to provide for fair "racing"

Boca Ciega can be very shifty, but when areas of the course are regularly becalmed and 180 degree shifts are common, it ceces to become a race. With a min 4-5 knot wind at each mark, typically it means there is enough pressure accross the course that a race can be held that has at least as much skill involved as luck to complete.

I enjoy the racing, but i would much rather be on shore partying than bobing around on the water just to say "we raced"

No clue.

Here is the link: NOAA - Old Port Tampa Station

When the wind is very light, lots of holes, puffs, shifts, etc. it's not really racing, it's a crap shoot and like Matt I'd rather be on the beach.

BUT, sometimes the RC will put A mark close to a windward shore, with all the trees or Condo's mixing up the wind, so even if there is good wind over most of the course, the Layline into A mark may be quite tricky, as the closer you get to A, the lighter the wind and usually sifting too. That is why I prefer to "put some in the bank" (overstand a bit) when racing into A in those conditions. If you get it wrong and have to tack twice, especially in light air, you are dead meat.