Midwinters East - What To Get Out Of The Practice Day

Thistle MWE is here!

We didn't have a great day of weather Saturday making it hard to get on the water.  Tomorrow bring the practice race and since most of us haven't sailed Thistles yet this year it's important to do the most you can to prepare for the regatta tomorrow.

The key if figuring out what the things you can work on to add the most improvement to your regatta, especially on day 1.  Before heading out tomorrow make a list of the things you want to accomplish.  A few typical items are:

• Checking all the control systems to make sure they work
• Tacks - lots of them
• Gybes
• Spinnaker sets -  standard, gybe set, etc
• Take downs
• Time on distance runs - VERY IMPORTANT
• pick a point (a mark, crab pot, etc) and set a rolling timer at 2 minutes or so.  Practice your timing runs to hit the mark at full speed right on time.  You'll be amazed how far off you are at first and how quickly you can dial it in.  
• Speed testing - work with 1 other boat to do 3 minute drags in a straight line.  Make sure both boats are up to speed.
• Check the current and how it affects you around the starting line

For the practice race you know people will push it very hard.  Focus more on your maneuvering and controlling yourself around the boats around you than getting a clean start.  

After getting back in, check your boat over well to make sure nothing came loose or is about to break.  And most importantly, get ready for day 1 so you can be relaxed and focused when you hit the water.

Straightening Your Mast - The Most Important Part of Tuning Your Boat

Is your mast straight? Is it really straight?  A straight mast is the most important part of your boat tuning and setup.  You shouldn't start anything else until your mast is completely straight.  Only then should you move on to tuning your mast diamonds, forestay, pre-bend, and rake.  

Because the thistle mast is so bendy, it is extremely susceptible to getting small bends and curves over time. The locations vary, but there is typically a large single bend the length of the mast composed of a few smaller bends, often near the middle and lower spreaders.

First, you will want to evaluate the straightness of the mast with no diamond interaction. Sighting the mast by eye alone can be difficult. Not only does the ambient angle of the lighting affect how the bend/straightness appears, but it is very difficult to determine where in fact a bend is along the length of the mast. 

To take the guesswork out of the process, take the main halyard down the mast and attach it to the gooseneck and cleat the halyard taught with a knot in place of the halyard ball. Then tie a spare piece of line tightly around the mast, pulling the halyard into the mast track. Do the same with a piece of line at the top of the mast, as the shiv is often offset to the side of the mast track once load is applied. Make sure the halyard is centered in the track at both ends.

Disengage all diamond wires and sight the halyard along the length of the mast. Note where the halyard is not in the middle of the track. If the halyard is within the mast track, the mast shouldn’t need to be straightened off the boat. While doing this sighting, ensure the halyard is held perfectly centerline by the keeper lines at the top and bottom. 

If the halyard doesn’t fall within the mast track, it needs to be straightened. Keep the same setup, but remove the mast from the boat and put it in between two chairs or picnic table benches with the ends setting on pads. Move the supports in so only the section of the mast with a bend is between them. 

At the apex of the bends sit or push down on the mast - you must apply the force slowly and steadily - NEVER BOUNCE THE MAST. Depending on the bend it may take your full weight for several minutes to work a bend out. If you think your boom bend under vang load is gross looking, this will be another level of discomfort. Keep working the mast, until you are within tolerance. 

Once the mast is straight, engage the top diamonds. Pin the halyard along the length of the top diamond section and check for straightness along that length. Adjust the diamond tensions side to side ¼ turn at a time until the section is straight. It helps to be in the ballpark of your desired diamond tension while doing this, but the right number isn't necessary.  Being on the light side of diamond tension is better.  Disengage the top diamonds and do the middle diamonds, then the lower diamonds using the same process. Do each section individually as each section interacts with the next. 

Once all the individual sections are straight, attach all the diamonds and check straightness again. Often, it will be slightly out of straightness. Adjust the diamonds to get it perfect. Then, check your numbers for the diamonds so the average of each side to side meets the tuning guide. If the difference is greater than 1 ½ to 2, the mast may need to be straightened again or the process begun from the beginning to get it within tolerance. 

At this point you should have a straight mast.  Time to move on to the diamond tensions and the rest of setting your rig up.  

If you have questions about this process, find Brad Russell or Mike Ingham in the parking lot at St. Pete for MWE or send us an email at bradarussell@gmail.com or mike.ingham@northsails.com. 

The Wind Spotter - Figure Out Who It Is On Your Boat

This is reprinted from a Sailing World article by Mike Ingham.  For the original article go here: The Wind Spotter - Sailing World

We once had a fifth man on board who was relatively inexperienced. He didn't have much to contribute to either speed or tactics, so in the spirit of giving him something to do, we assigned him the role of “wind spotter.” He blew us away with his ability to see and communicate the wind on the course. By the end, he was the main tactical contributor, making the tactical decisions all but obvious from the picture he painted. He completely immersed himself in the role. Perhaps with no pre-conceived expectations he did not realize that wind spotters are rarely that dedicated.

Some people seem to have the ability to “see” the wind. But, of course, wind can’t be seen, so instead they have a knack seeing indicators affected by the wind. For sure there are some techniques worth discussion.

Good vision: Some people just see better than others, chose them as your wind spotter! Sun glasses: Quality glasses with the right prescription if necessary.

Understanding texture: More wind usually creates small ripples on the water which show up as dark patches on the water. Seeing this texture is the main role of the wind spotter.

Filtering out external visual input: Just because an area of water looks dark does not mean there is a puff. A cloud above, a mountain in the background, or the reflection of the sun can give us false visual input, so taking this into account is important. For example, if the sun is shining off the water, it looks lighter there, but it may well not be. If it then it gets a little duller in the sun’s reflection, that might be signs of a puff. One technique is to try and just look for the ripples themselves and compare one area to another. Darkness is a good start, but discerning that from true texture is a much better indicator.

Higher up is better vision: Try seeing a puff from just inches above the water - you can’t. So standing on the gooseneck before the start and standing up on the deck occasionally during a race really helps especially in seeing wind in the distance.

Technique: I like polarized glasses so it filters out some of the reflection that looks like lighter wind. I like tilting my head so I see the water with and without the polarization to get a different view. I also like to look away from a spot I am not sure of then back. By scanning side to side I can better see texture differences. Just staring in the distance isn’t good enough.

Other indicators: We look for anything that might help us, such as other boats on or near the course, flags, cruising boats in the distance. Change in cloud patters will surely bring something different in the wind, so looking at the water below the side the clouds are changing at is a great place to focus attention.

Lulls: It’s just as important to find wind where there’s less wind. There are signs, such as one side being shinier, or boats “standing up” (sailing flatter with crew members sitting in). But be careful not be fooled by the reflection of the sun, or cold spots on the water. Some local shiny spots are sometimes areas of cooler water that in turn have a thin layer of cooler air which the wind has trouble penetrating.

The wind spotter is not the puff caller. Instead the wind spotter is looking for a trend for the tactician to take advantage of tactically by being the first to see it. There are three zones that the team should be looking for wind.

Zone 1, immediate: The puff caller is looking just a few boat lengths out and counting down “puff in 3, 2, 1,puff on.” The puff caller is helping the boat go fast by giving the team a few moments to adjust sail trim, body weight, and steering in the immediate time frame. They are not the wind-spotters responsibility because they are about speed, not tactics.

Zone 2, short-term trends: The wind spotter is calling 10 boat lengths or more out. These are puffs and lulls that are far enough away that they could be used tactically.

Zone 3, far: Scanning the edges of the course. Comparing wind on each layline and beyond for bigger trends.

Seeing the wind is of no use if it’s communicated well. “There is more wind on the starboard layline than the port” is good information. “Because there is darker texture on the water and the boats to the right seem more powered up” is even better because it give confidence and credence to the initial statement. “The left seems shinier and the boats are standing up” seals the deal; the tactician has no choice but to head to the right.

Dedication rounds out the best wind spotter. It is one of those thankless jobs that even the most dedicated teammate fizzle out on. To relentlessly look for wind and communicate it for an entire regatta is not easy, but done right, it sure is effective.

-Mike Ingham

Regatta Checklist

As much as we go to regattas, it still seems like we always forget something.  We have a regatta checklist to help us make sure everything needed to sail and live makes it into the boat or car.  Feel free to use this checklist and modify it for your own needs.

Thistle Regatta Checklist

Tampa Bay Weather Recap - Feb 22

Today was the final day of J24 Midwinters.  While we didn't have any racing, we did have a sailing condition we should experience through Thistle MWE.

Here's the expectations from yesterday:

The result is High Pressure (3), Gradient (1), Air Warmer than Water (1), which is a score of 7. That score says: 

• If air warmer than water expect modest & unpredictable changes in direction w/ little change in speed
• If some regular veers or backs occur expect them to break into irregularity - stay defensive

The expectations didn't hold true today.  The Gradient breeze was non-existent and we had glass conditions all morning.  Racing was called at 1:30 because of the cutoff time, but shortly thereafter the sea breeze came in.

There were some great takeaways from today.  First, the gradient breeze was dead and the forecasted temp was 80.  This calls for a sea breeze.  Our Tampa Bay info tells us to watch for cumulous clouds over St. Pete (and from Davis Island the surrounding land as well).  We know the sea breeze won't come in until those clouds are gone.  

Sure enough, the clouds went away and around 1:30 the sea breeze started to spill into our area.  At 1:55 it was full and solid all the way at the top of Tampa bay from the normal direction of around 210.  It filled very nicely and was a gorgeous afternoon.  I would guess the sea breeze was in the MWE sailing area around 1:30.  

In conclusion, watch for the clouds, and if they form and then start dissipating watch for the sea breeze to come in.

Keeping track of Tuning, Trends, and Tips for Locations

We all have a lot of information that could be really useful if only we could remember it.  I found a great type of notebook that works for recording tuning settings, notes from a day's races, lists of things to fix or do, or anything related to your sailing.  

The Moleskine Professional Large Notebook has an index to let you quickly find the info you're looking for, a very good format for recording some heading notes, lists of items, and details for a day on each page, a column for topics, and room to expand on those topics.  

They are especially useful for tracking your tuning numbers over the season and recording how the changes felt, and more importantly, what you would change next time.  

They come in all kinds of colors (my Thistle one is green) and they've worked very well for me so far for sailing, work, and personal lists.

I found them at Barnes & Noble if you want to get it locally (in black only for Professional edition) and on Amazon in several colors: Moleskine Professional Notebooks on Amazon

Tampa Bay Weather Analysis - Feb 21 Review & Feb 22 expectations

Here was the expected weather for today:

The result is High Pressure (3), Gradient and/or Sea Breeze (1 or 2), Air Warmer than Water (3), which is a score of 6 or 7. Those scores say for our expected conditions:

• If air warmer than water expect modest & unpredictable changes in direction w/ little change in speed
• If some regular veers or backs occur expect them to break into irregularity - stay defensive

The breeze was much, much more consistent in speed and direction today. We had a heated land surface to windward so there were still puffs and lulls, but the shifts were much smaller and there were not small rapid oscillations on top of the bigger and longer oscillations. This is because the air temperature was warmer than the water and cooled the breeze.

The breeze started from the NE, but in a period of 10 minutes shifted to SE.

We had a tough day, but a lot of people struggled. It was very difficult to figure out which way to go, but both sides paid at times. While the matrix said direction would be king, the windward land caused gusts and lulls that made finding the pressure equally important. Overall the forecast was pretty good for knowing what to expect.

February 22 Forecast and Expectations

• Air temp: 70-76
• Water temp: 64 degrees
• Wind type: Breeze or Light Air (4-11)
• Breeze Type: Gradient
• Pressure System: High Pressure

The result is High Pressure (3), Gradient (1), Air Warmer than Water (1), which is a score of 7. That score says: 

• If air warmer than water expect modest & unpredictable changes in direction w/ little change in speed
• If some regular veers or backs occur expect them to break into irregularity - stay defensive

With the direction forecasted to be SE going to SW, we have a good chance of having at least 2 miles of runway over water, so the expectations should be more likely to be accurate without the influence of land.  Breeze from this direction in St. Pete typically have long oscillation frequency and puffs typically veer (shift right).

If it blows less than 6 knots, the forecast doesn't apply because you are sailing in Light Air, not Breeze.  In that case, sail for pressure always at the expense of direction.  And you want a lot more twist in your sails.  

This is the last forecast before MWE, but I'll follow up with a recap of the results for this one tomorrow.  We have some great content coming up in the next week leading up to MWE.

Tampa Bay Weather Analysis - Feb 20 Review & Feb 21 Forecast

Today on Tampa Bay brought extremely challenging conditions.  Breeze started at 10-13 for race one, but spend the next 3 races less than 10 knots.  The wind forecast we posted yesterday held very true, although the system moved more quickly and racing occurred in a NE breeze instead of the NW expected as an early part of the St. Pete cycle.

Here's the expectations we had:

• Expect unsteadiness in wind speed
• Expect local differences in speed across the course
• Little predictability in oscillations
• Boats who sail for more pressure typically win
• Continuous short-term unsteadiness in direction superimposed on long term oscillations
• Look for changes in wind speed - this is where the advantage is
• Do not believe if a shift seems persistent over an entire leg...likely just too long of an oscillation to go back on that leg
• Can recover from a gamble gone bad by using short term shifts

The short answer for reality is that the first race had more breeze and direction and speed were mostly equally important.  For the next 3 races the breeze was 10 or less and pressure won over direction almost always.  Oscillations were completely unpredictable and you could lose out bad on one leg, but by not declaring it would do the same the next leg and looking for pressure you could make back much of the losses.  

It was extremely shifty, gusty, and unpredictable.  The scores indicated that.  With our finishes of 3, 4, 15, and 9 we are in 7th place, 3 points out of 2nd (with 3 MWE Thistlers on board!).  Overall, the scoring matrix and expectations worked extremely well today and helped us not chase a false persistent shift, allowing us to go from 26 to 6 in one windward leg.

February 21 Forecast and Expectations

• Air temp: 70-75
• Water temp: 64 degrees
• Wind type: Breeze (10-18 SE)
• Breeze Type: Gradient and and/or Sea Breeze
• Pressure System: High Pressure

The result is High Pressure (3), Gradient and/or Sea Breeze (1 or 2), Air Warmer than Water (3), which is a score of 6 or 7. Those scores say for our expected conditions:

• If air warmer than water expect modest & unpredictable changes in direction w/ little change in speed
• If some regular veers or backs occur expect them to break into irregularity - stay defensive

If it's a sea breeze, it should come from the SE.  If cumulous clouds form over St. Pete it's hard for sea breeze to generate until the clouds are gone, but it's a good indicator the sea breeze will try to form.  Oscillations are much quicker in a sea breeze, from 5-10 minutes (2-6 minutes going to windward) and they are much more regular.  It will typically veer (shift right) as the day goes on.  If significant puffs and lulls occur it IS NOT a sea breeze and treat it as a gradient breeze.

If it's a gradient breeze (which is a possibility based on the surface pressure map) then the wind speed should be pretty steady (unless land within 2 miles to windward).  In this breeze, direction wins out and tracking the angles and shifts is extremely important.  Tack as soon as your number crosses your median.  Keeping clear air should be very important, as well as the ability to tack when oscillations occur.

As always, contact us if you have any questions.

Tampa Bay Weather Forecast Feb 20

Here's the data and expectation for day 1 at J24 Midwinters.  We sail in the area to the north of the Thistle MWE course area, so the geographic and current effects are a bit different.

February 20

• Air temp: high 59
• Water temp: 64 degrees
• Wind type: Breeze (10-15)
• Breeze Type: Gradient
• Pressure System: High Pressure

The result is High Pressure (3), Gradient (1), Air Cooler than Water (1), which is a score of 5. That score says:

• If air colder than water expect modest & unpredictable changes in direction & speed

Our takeaway from this is to sail for pressure, but take advantage of shifts of 15 degrees or more. We will always be within 2 miles of shore so if sunny, gusts will be harsher and more irregular. This could create situations where tacking more often, even in a slow-tacking boat like a J24, is more advantageous. Here's our bullet points of expectations to go with the matrix output:

• Expect unsteadiness in wind speed
• Expect local differences in speed across the course
• Little predictability in oscillations
• Boats who sail for more pressure typically win 
• Continuous short-term unsteadiness in direction superimposed on long term oscillations
• Look for changes in wind speed - this is where the advantage is
• Do not believe if a shift seems persistent over an entire leg...likely just too long of an oscillation to go back on that leg
• Can recover from a gamble gone bad by using short term shifts

I'll update tomorrow evening to see how it actually played out.

Breaking Down the Weather - Tampa Bay Edition

I try to pick one topic each year to learn a lot about (at least a lot more than I knew previously).  This year it's sail design.  Last year it was foils and everything underwater.  Two years ago it was weather and how it affects our type of sailboat racing.

The result of that is a set of tools that are fairly simple and allow you to have a good idea of what will happen and the order of changes to expect, though not necessarily timing.  For MWE Mike & I will provide a daily weather report each morning on what to expect that day based on the tools we have.

Since I will be racing in Tampa bay this weekend, I'm going to introduce the tools we use, provide a daily briefing for our J24 Midwinters event, and update it with a reflection based on expectations.

Necessary Information
A few key factors go into the matrix we use to determine what should happen with the weather.  The items we will use are:

• Is there heated land (by sun) within 2 miles to windward of where you are sailing?
• What is the air temperature?
• What is the water temperature?
• Are you in a high pressure, low pressure, or straight isobar system?
• Are you in a gradient breeze, a sea breeze, or a funneling breeze?
• Is it light air (under 6 knots) or breeze (6 knots and over)?

By answering these questions and plugging them into our matrix we get a simple expectation for the day.  Here is the matrix:

The Stability Index

Factor	Least Stable (1)	Neutral (2)	Most Stable (3)
Convergence or Subsidence	Low Dominant	Straight Isobars	High Dominant
Boundary Layer Thickness	Gradient wind	Sea Breeze	Funneling Wind
Surface Heating	Air Cooler than Surface	No Difference	Air Warmer than Surface

You score each row and add up the sum.  With that sum you look up the expected outcome from this list:

Scoring: 1 for Least Stable, 2 for Neutral, 3 for Most Stable

Score 3-4

• Expect major unpredictable changes in wind speed & direction
• Assume no prediction is possible, sail for pressure

Score 5-7

• If air colder than water expect modest & unpredictable changes in direction & speed
• If air warmer than water expect modest & unpredictable changes in direction w/ little change in speed
• If some regular veers or backs occur expect them to break into irregularity - stay defensive

Score 8-9

• Expect uniform wind speed
• Expect pattern to be predictable

Caveats

• If there is land heated by the air and/or sun within 2 miles the gust mechanism will kick in and cause unpredictable and often harsh puffs with shifts
• If there is land within 2 miles of your position the land is effecting your air. It will tend to shift towards more perpendicular as it gets closer to shore.
• If you are sailing in light air (less than 6) then these rules do not apply - sail for pressure ALWAYS
• A gradient breeze often has shift intervals longer than a leg (20-60 minutes), which causes them to appear as persistent shifts. Don't take that as gospel next time around.
• In a sea breeze the shifts are short (2-6 minutes) so you can attack them more aggressively.

Let's look at Tampa Bay today, February 19.

• Air temp: 52 degrees
• Water temp: 64 degrees
• Wind type: Breeze (20+)
• Breeze Type: Gradient
• Pressure System: High Pressure

The result is High Pressure (3), Gradient (1), Air Cooler than Water (1), which is a score of 5. That score says:

5: If air colder than water expect modest & unpredictable changes in direction & speed

So what does that mean? The breeze should be up and down and back and forth, but not with extremes. Expect some gusts to be harsh and be prepared to make big adjustments quickly.

This is just a small part of the weather analysis we do, so please ask Mike Ingham or myself if you have questions about the content or would like more thorough explanations. We'll see how well it holds true over the next 3 days on Tampa Bay....

Choosing a VHF Radio for Thistling (Hint: it's this one)

With the Thistle Class now allowing radios as part of our racing, many sailors are buying radios for the first time and trying to figure out what to get.  By nature I'm a researcher.  I love figuring out the best type of anything to get for the best value.  Combining that with some real world experience from Mike Ingham in other classes with years of using radios and we found the perfect solution for every Thistler.

There's a few features you want in your VHF radio:

1. It should be submersible
• Many radios say they are 'waterproof' but are actually only rated for spray.  Check the JIS rating for any radio you consider.  Only JIS-7 and JIS-8 are rated for submersion - something very likely to happen in a Thistle capsize.  Avoid anything with JIS-6 or lower.
2. It should float
• We Thistlers tend to be cheap.  And if your precious new VHF goes overboard, you're going back to get it.  Actually, you are required by the Racing Rules of Sailing to recover anything that goes overboard, so that's all the more reason to have a radio that floats and you can retrieve.
3. It should have backup power options

• Some radios have a great feature.  It's a replacement battery back compartment that holds AA batteries instead of the main rechargeable battery.  Keeping that on your boat will save you when you left your radio on overnight or forgot to charge it before the event.
4. It should have multiple charging options
• You want both AC and DC charging methods so you can take care of it on the way to a regatta or overnight if you're camping
5. It should be affordable
• VHF radios come in all price ranges.  The sweet spot for value to performance seems to be right around $100.  Considering the safety and added value to your sailing compared with any of your other expenses it's a no brainer.
6. It should be easy to mount
• Almost all VHF radios fit this requirement, but having a radio that can be attached multiple places on your boat is important.  I've tried up on the 45s, in the very back of the boat, and on the starboard side of the centerboard trunk, behind the thwart (which seems to work best).

So Which Radio Should You Buy?

After researching a lot of radios I decided on the Uniden MHS126.  It holds the JIX8/IPX8 standards, which is the highest possible waterproof rating and will survive 30 minutes submersed at 5 feet.  It floats and has a blinking LED to aid finding it in the water.  It has the spare batter back we keep onboard in a water-tight bag.  It charges in cigarette outlets or AC wall plugs.  It current sells for $105 and the included clip make it easy to mount in many places on the boat.

After getting the radio and using it a while I am extremely satisfied with it.  I already know of 3 other Thistlers who bought the same radio for the same reasons.

You can get it on Amazon or your favorite retailer: Uniden MHS126 Radio on Amazon

Using the Human Speedometer to Increase Upwind Performance

Mike Ingham talks about the importance of using a Human Speedo in this video. 

A few Thistle-relevant items - the video is talking about J24s when specifics are mentioned, so some adaptation is involved. On a Thistle instead of the trimmer making the changes, it's usually the skipper with the main and then the middle with the jib.

On my boat the middle is the Human Speedo, but a very good forward can do it as well. You'll learn quickly who is best at gauging the relative performance to boats around you AND following it up with suggested changes most likely to work.

Another difference is that the changes you make are quicker to appear in results than in a heavy boat like a J24, so sometimes you can make a determination more quickly than 20 seconds, but often it takes 15 seconds or so for there to be enough data to make a call.

The goal is constantly making small changes to keep getting faster and faster and using your Human Speedo to evaluate the results of those changes.

Credit and Thanks to SailingWorld for allowing us to use this content.

http://www.sailingworld.com/h…/inghams-insight-human-speedo…

Taking Notes on the Water to Improve Your Sailing

Taking notes on the water, especially between races, is a big help in the discussion on shore about how you could have improved your day. 

We love these little green waterproof notepads ($7 for a pack of 3) that are far cheaper than the ones in the sailing stores. You can also get them at your local hardware store.

Set of 3 Waterproof Notepads - $7.49

Your Centerboard and Rudder Need You!

Our rudder and centerboard are below the water, out of sight, and out of mind. They also aren't wear items like sails and lines so that default reminder doesn't exist. Like your sails, your foils create lift and generate drag, countering the force of your sails to help your boat move forward. Most people don't realize that the effect of your foils underwater on your performance is just as significant as your sails.

I'd heard all kinds of ideas on the best and fastest ways to keep your foils. A popular theory is to wet sand them so the water adheres to the surface and creates a sheer layer. Last year I decided to educate myself on foils and found some great takeaways. It turns out the wet sanding with moderate grit sandpaper is just to justify being more lazy in the preparation of foils. Your foils should be as polished as possible, with no imperfections, especially on the leading and trailing edges. 

Use these tips and give your blades a little love before MWE or your first regatta and have the confidence your foils are performing at their best.

Common Misconceptions:

• A wet sanded blade with 400-800 grit provides the best performance (least drag)
• Thistle foils cannot achieve laminar flow, which is very good for drag reduction (they can, on the pressure side)
• Small nicks in your foils don't have much effect on performance (imperfections on leading and trailing edges massively effect drag)
• Your foils are probably polished enough already (you should have a reflection when looking at the surface straight on)

Performance Tips:

• Fix all nicks in your blades, especially in the first 4 inches and trailing 2 inches
• Sand and polish your blades as finely as possible. Start with 800 (or 400 if your blade is really rough) and progress up to 1200 grit. Then use a fine compound followed by a fine polish. A good guide is that you should see a reflection straight on, not just from an obtuse angle
• Try to sand down any abnormal convex bumps in the form (concave areas are not nearly as detrimental)

Results/Takeaways

• A foil can never be too smooth - the smoother the foil the less the drag and higher the lift - and the faster you go!
• A foil polished to a mirror finish has 1/3 the drag of a foil wet sanded perfectly to 1200 in the majority of sailing situations (imagine what the comparison is to 400 or 800 grit)
• Only a highly polished foil is capable of laminar flow. Less polished foils will have turbulent flow on both sides in all conditions
• My real world experience is that you gain a little bit in speed upwind, but the biggest change is in height, which we all want more of.

Summary:

Your blades should be as smooth as you can get them and as polished as you can get them. Imperfections in the leading and trailing edges cause the biggest detriment to performance. At +/- 3 degrees angle of attack, highly polished blades have 1/3 the drag of blades sanded perfectly to 1200 grit (imagine the improvement over 400 or 800!). 

Use the last few weeks before your first event to take a look at you blades and make some small repairs. It can give you that extra little bit to live in that lane when you couldn't have otherwise.

I tried to keep this brief and somewhat less technical, but if you would like more of the technical background behind these conclusions please let me know and I will be happy to share more info with you and discuss it. 

"Higher, Faster" is always a great thing to hear on a boat, so put in some time on your foils and see the difference for yourself.

Time to Check Your Trailer

The start of the season is the best time to check your trailer, especially before a long road trip. Here's a list of things to check for to make sure you're ready to roll:

• All lights are working correctly - make sure ground is very solid
• Safety pin still there (they can have a tendency to walk off)
• Boat sitting correctly on the bunks & adjust if necessary
• Check tires for dry rot & replace if necessary
• Check tire pressure, including spare
• Check lug nuts for correct torque
• Check tightness of bolts on spare tire, front vertical bar, etc.

Jack up each side of your trailer and check a few things:

• Spin the tire and make sure there are no unusual noises or friction
• Grab the wheel at 9 & 3 and check for play by pushing on one side and pulling on the other and vice versa
• Repeat the above step by grabbing the wheel at 12 & 6
• Check grease in the axle and add some with a grease gun if needed

No one wants to get held up on the way to see his friends at a regatta, so make sure you're fully prepared before hitting the road.

Give Your Lines Some Love

This post could not have been written without extensive help from my middle crew, Douglas Toney.

The start of the season is the time to take a good look at the control lines on your boat from last season after all the abuse and abrasion they have endured. Check each line, specifically around points of abrasion (turning blocks, cleats, and other sources). If it is damaged, it’s time to think about replacing it. Replacing it with a line that is meant for its specific application will not only make you and your crew happy, but can also significantly improve its longevity and functionality. 

Here are some of the lines and their uses on my Thistle and why I like them. 

Super Prestretch - Marlow: This stuff is bulletproof. It has a great nubbiness to it, which is awesome for grip. A lot of collegiate programs use this on any small diameter control line/halyard. If you need a small diameter line that takes a ton of abuse, this is the stuff. 

Sta-Set - New England Ropes: Yes its cheap, yes it doesn’t really look spectacular, yes I feel the need to scream when a boat is entirely rigged with this stuff. All that aside, it is an economical solution to a lot of problems on boats. Its cover fluffs-up nicely with use giving it really nice handling. 

It stretches a decent amount, but that can be good in certain applications. It is nearly as bulletproof as super prestretch. I use it for my Vang, where I intentionally want a lower strength line with some stretch between the becket block so there is a little less shock load exhibited to the boom (I have a history of breaking a mast, so maybe I’m gun shy). It’s also the bow line.

Amsteel - Samson: This stuff is almost as cheap as the crummy nylon line at Walmart. Any application that sees minimal abrasion I recommend replacing with ⅛” Amsteel. It’s pretty much the lightest line per foot available, and ⅛” has a 2500 lb breaking strength. The most significant drawback to it is knots tend to slip, and it really should be spliced in most applications and if you want to use it in a cleat think again. 

Splicing can be done easily with a clothes hanger (the beefier bronze colored ones work great). Cut a 4 to 5 inch piece and round off one end. Use masking tape to tape the end of the line to the end. I use it for simple tie downs and traveler lines. 

Switfcord - Maffioli: Most are probably familiar with this stuff, but it’s pretty much like holding onto a silk bag full of puppies. It’s incredibly soft right off the bat and has incredible grip. It’s not super strong, but is fairly light per foot. It doesn’t absorb water, and it’s a single braid so splicing is easy. I use 5/32” on my spinnaker sheets. The small diameter is grippy enough in moderate wind and only slightly painful to my crew in heavier air. I can live with this. 

Polilite - Rooster: This stuff looks like the crummy line you’d buy at a hardware store. I’ll be darned if I have tried to replace it, but can’t in good faith because it just holds up and performs. I have two schools of thought for sheets, either so limp and shapeless that they don’t kink (Swiftcord/Salsa) or so stiff they don’t either. Polilite fits into the stiff category. It won’t win a beauty pageant, and it probably isn’t my crew’s first choice but it just works. My crew probably finds this mostly to his chagrin because he has to hold it as his jib sheet. This may also be my reluctance to replace it, as I do enjoy watching him cringe each time he has to put the ugly black line onto the jib. It’s the little things that build crew teamwork...

Salsa - New England: Soft, supple, doesn’t kink, durable, doesn’t hold water. These are pretty much the main considerations for a mainsheet, which is what it is used as on my boat. Plus, it adds a little color to the boat, and who doesn’t like to party. Its not as easy to splice as other single braids, but it is still fairly easy. It just gets the job done and done well. 

Things I’d like to change:

I’d like to replace some control lines with a vectran/dyneema core and a covered working end. It’s lighter and let’s be honest it just looks better. I’d also like to replace my mainsheet with a double tapered sheet. While close hauled, just the core is through the boom with cover starting just after the mainsheet block, and just cover is used after that. Similarly, I’d like to have tapered jib sheets for less sheet weight in light air. 

All things aside, the best resource for information is other boats that are doing well. Talk to other folks in the parking lot and find out what lines they are using and most importantly why. Rerigging your boat isn’t going to totally transform the way you sail, but there is no substitute to stepping onto a cleanly, well rigged boat to go sailing. Having faith in your equipment, and having that equipment be reliable and as well suited to its job will do wonders for your peace of mind.

Keep Lists & Notes Handy with Phone Apps

A big part of getting ready for the season is getting your boat prepared. A few great tools exist to keep track as you prepare for your first events. If you use Android or Google, Google Keep is a fantastic way to make lists and keep track of progress on them. 

An iOS alternative is Evernote. 

Planning goes as long way to have a clear mind when you get to a regatta and leads to better results.