CHAMPIONSHIP PREPARATION

By Phil Poyner (UK National Champion 1990 and 1991, 5^th in 1991 Laser II Worlds).

Championship racing is about more than just turning up on the day, with a borrowed boat, suntan cream and pint of beer. The purpose of the article is to try and help people raise the standard of their racing. Here I concentrate on preparation and training.

Fitting Out

A new Laser II is supplied as a complete package; however, there are many improvements that can be made or changes to suit your own style of sailing.

Some changes Jill and I made to "personalise" the boat were to:

1. Use Kevlar spinnaker sheets and a single ended pole. This is to hold the tack of the spinnaker as rigidly as possible in relation to the boat in order to prevent any loss of power.
2. Change the spinnaker up haul to a narrower rough braided rope which cleats more easily.
3. Replace the jib halyard with one approximately six centimetres longer as boats are now sailed with more mast rake.
4. Lower the bow eye and let the jib down on the luff wire. The bow eye tends to bend. Lowering the jib height drops the jib luff onto the foredeck when beating and I believe improves the power and slot slightly.
5. Replace the jib sheets with slightly narrower sheets that give more "feel" in light weather.
6. Replace the trapeze handle, cleat, rope, and shorten wire to allow straight arm trapezing and faster tacking.
7. Replace the centreplate slot gasket to give a tight fit. This stops the plate rideing up unexpectedly, stops water seeping into the boat, and holds the plate stiffer. Strips cut from a thin carpet tile are the best thing to use.
8. Insert a wedge under the spinnaker halyard cleat to prevent it from uncleating.
9. Shorten the tiller. The shorter tiller gives a better steering angle when sitting at the back of the cockpit.
10. Replace the tiller extension with the extendible variety. This allows the crew to steer whilst out on the wire so the helm can get the kicker on more or put the pole up. It also provides good entertainment for the other boats.
11. Secure the tiller extension a little back from the end of the tiller. This allows you to steer with your knees more easily without forcing the tiller back and wrapping it in the mainsheet.
12. Move the rudder downhaul cleat to nearer the rudder stock. The shorter rope stretches less and this helps to keep the rudder down.
13. Tie the mainsheet strop at the back of the boat in such a way as it centres the main and is adjustable in height. It is important to be able to centre the main whilst using minimum downwards force.
14. Replace the pressed steel shackles with rolled steel shackles as they are stronger.
15. Replace the small spinnaker halyard and spinnaker uphaul blocks with ball bearing blocks.
16. Put three or four shackles at the bottom of the kicker on the mast. This allows the cleat to swivel so that it can be cleated from the sitting out position.
17. Inspect rivets, particularly on the underside of the boom and bolt through any that are suspect.

Rig

• Rake measured from a shackle attached to the mainhalyard at the top mast, to the deck at the stem near the pintalls should be about 625 centimetres depending on crew weight and rig tension.
• Shroud tension of 35 for medium airs and 30 for light airs. In windy weather there is much more force on the rig and therefore you need to start with a stiffer rig. Putting so much tension on so as to invert the mast is not fast, especially when the mast breaks.
• Diamond tension of 20 for medium airs and 10 for heavy airs, the idea being that you let the top of the mast bend off in heavy airs. This should be increased for heavier crews and conversly for lighter.

The rig tension measurements are from the scale on a Loos and Co Model A tension guage.

Fitness

A level of fitness should be obtained which gives you the confidence that you are fitter or at least as fit as any of the opposition. Fitness here really means stamina and agility.

Jill and I were both going to the local Leisure Centre at least twice a week for three months prior to the Worlds and not the Leisure Centre, running or playing squash. You can work out your own programme of exercises, although it is best to ask the advice of a qualified instructor. Over the winter I am going circuit training with some other Laser II sailors for relaxation and Jill's having a baby!

The ideal combined crew weight is probably between 18-20 stone, with the crew slightly heavier. The Americans were sailing at around 18 stone, whilst we were nearer 20.

Training

Sailing is one of the few sports where there is almost no training. People turn up to an event, rig their boat, race, pack their boat up and go home. I believe it is vital to increase the amount of time spent training. Some areas that could benefit from training are:

1. Single boat tuning

- Reducing the time to set the spinnaker.

- Changing gear when the wind decreases or increases suddenly.

- Continuously refining and calibrating the rig, fittings and sheets, noting the adjustments required. We found it very useful to have the kicker, main outhaul, spinnaker halyard, and spinnaker sheets marked.

- Balance. By this I mean sailing the boat flat, minimizing the use of the rudder because it just acts as a break. Work on evening out and minimizing the height of the stern wake will also help to reduce drag.

- Capsize recovery. In one windy race at the Worlds, nearly every boat capsized andthe boats that stayed near the front of the fleet generally recovered quickly. To stop and argue whose fault it was is not fast. - A trendy word for team work is synergy. All aspects of sailing should be looked at to see if the combined action of the crew can be improved. The advantage of working out good routines is that under pressure the boat handling starts to happen automatically.

2. Two Boat Tuning

- Sailing against another boat with different rig tensions to determine which is faster and so on.

- Close reaching in heavy seas. What height should the pole be? should the kicker be eased and does it matter if the plate is down?

3. Race Practice

- Control of boat speed and position in pre-start maneouvres.

- A thorough knowledge of the rules is essential to give you confidence when maneouvering in close proximity to other boats and the rules can be used to give you advantage. Team racing or match racing is good practice to improve your boat handling and knowledge of the rules.

- Communication. Try to create a "positive environment" for sailing fast. The crew can keep the helm posted in the whereabouts and maneouvres of other boats, tide,course, heading, and sail trim. This should be put across as positive factual information and not "I think the tide is coming in" when in fact it is going out. One reason for our success in Chichester Harbour is Jill's knowledge of the tides, marks and channels. This allows me to concentrate on sailing the boat fast.

- Personal preparation. Ensure that you have got the right clothing, course, food and drink.

All information available should be collected and studied. Long discussions with locals in the bar are also recommended as a useful source of information. Things to look for might be:

• An up to date weather map and forecast.
  - Wind strength
  - Whether the wind is likely to veer or back during the course of the race.
  - Front moving through.
• The proximity of the Land to the racing area.
  - Wind bend from the land
  - Sea breeze
  - Wind holding the shore.
  - Wind off the land causing wind shifts.
• Detailed tidal information for each corner of the race area for the duration of the race.
  - Sea bed contour lines and how they might effect the tidal strengths.
  - Effect of a near by estuary.
  - Lee bow.
  - Wind against the tide.

Psychology

An important aspect of all this training and preparation is building confidence in yourself, the crew and the boat. If you think you can win, you can win.

Get next Tip!