Page 47 - Folk Boat Year Book 2022

marvel at the gains the port tack flyers have made along the shore? We have all done
it!

And if you have ever wondered why some boats are always out first to the race
course and what they have been doing the week or night before a regatta or race –
it’s likely they are trying to figure out the wind patterns and the tactics to apply, they
are unlikely to be sobering up from the night before – I have done both - there is only
one approach that works if you are keen to do well in the race – apart from a very few
exceptional sailors who can do both!

Wind strategy and tactics is a BIG topic and lifetimes work to master – it is a work in
progress on board Madelaine. If you want to make a start, the best books I have
found are:

Wind Strategy – David Houghton and Fiona Campbell
Wind and Strategy – Stuart Walker

The good news is that #5 can compensate for #1 to 4 and it’s free! All that is needed is
the curiosity to learn, time on the water to put it into meaningful practice (it does not
have to be during a race) by looking up and out of the boat and the willingness to ask
others in the fleet who consistently finish in the top 5 what their wind strategy was,
why and what worked/ did not work for the race tactics deployed.

Even #1 to 4 are achievable for free if you have the time and skills. If not, the cost of
faring and achieving a smooth finish is not exorbitant, with local yards that do great
work at great value.

A Bjarne mast is a value adding investment, as is the lightweight rudder. These
investments can be made over a number of years to spread the cost and means you
can spend more time on the area of biggest gain – wind strategy and tactics. This is
how we have approached it on board Madelaine in the last five years.

I will finish with a checklist that we use loosely on board Madelaine during a regatta
or for a race and trust the above and what follows has been of some interest/ value. It
can be found in any good race strategy book.

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