Sailing Blogs - Tricks and Tips

Willow Bank Yacht Club

http://www.sailgroove.org/videos/coverage/view_video/234176-technique-tuesdays/76000-episode-2-controls

Great video on how to use your laser controls

2008 Lightning North Americans

I claim no responsibility if you read this, sail this way, and get last place.  These are just some tips that I've picked up from different sources for varying winds when sailing in and around Newport, RI.  This is largely taken from Gary Jobson and Tom Widden's book, Championship Tactics. If you haven't read this book, you probably should.  It does a good job of "dumbifying" a lot of sometimes tricky topics. 

I set out to discuss one of the fine points of steering downwind, and discovered that a terrific resource already exists. Steve Cockerill of Rooster Sailing (http://www.roostersailing.com) wrote piece titled "The 4th Dimension - Downwind Sailing".

I think that it's safe to say that the majority of skippers out there battling around the buoys are horrible tackers. I know I probably fall into this category, and whenever I set out on a sail I make a conscious effort to improve my steering and tacks. The majority seem to oversteer their boats, using the rudder to do all of the turning and not letting the sails do some of the work.

Proper sail trim is a tough thing to master. Greg Fisher of North Sails is one of the few sailors who has truly mastered this art. This mastery has led Greg to major championships in more classes of boats than most people will ever get to sail in. One of these classes where Greg has firmly established himself is the Thistle Class.