I'd like to hear ideas on this.

Yonks ago, I used to race sailboards. I was rather average, but on downwind legs I was the best. That's when I could make up for a few places I'd lost on the upwinds.

Now I race sailboats for the fun of it (27-footer, handicap, etc.). And my downwind skills absolutely suck. My downwind also sucks on CC 1-designs, so it's not the boat.

It's as if I couldn't figure how to sheet, how to spill, strategies, etc.

Is there a reason why it should be so different ???

More frustrated than curious...

Longwinded - not very like your name at all ;-) Very succinct indeed.

If I could add that you should keep the weight low and centralised - if the bow isnt digging in then there is no need to get the crew weight aft (the arse drags toomuch).
Have someone keep a watchful eye aft - every gust counts - have someone call the gusts to the sailtrimmer.
Spinny trim is the only focus of the trimmer. If he knows where he is on the course he isnt paying enough attention to trim. The trimmer should have to be told when to gybe and drop.

JB

JayBee said...

Longwinded - not very like your name at all ;-) Very succinct indeed.

If I could add that you should keep the weight low and centralised - if the bow isnt digging in then there is no need to get the crew weight aft (the arse drags toomuch).
Have someone keep a watchful eye aft - every gust counts - have someone call the gusts to the sailtrimmer.
Spinny trim is the only focus of the trimmer. If he knows where he is on the course he isnt paying enough attention to trim. The trimmer should have to be told when to gybe and drop.

JB

too right, i was the trimmer on quite a few boats and was the last one to even know where we were.

Sorry but previous replies are generic stuff, what you see in basic courses too.
I've applied those basics for over 20 years at sailboats now. Actually there are 10s of combinations depending on position, angle of downwind, wind speed, gusts, etc.

In 1-design classes, most people do most of these things, almost copy each other in a race. Yet it's mostly the same guys that win.

However, downwind seems to exacerbate greatly whatever seems to make the difference, and I don't know what that is. That was my question. At windsurfing, I knew, now - not.

I was trimmer in a CC-25 design race last year - the winner didn't even bother half the downwind adjustments mentioned, some of which I was pushing for too during the race. He just wins, it seems.

Pierre,
As I am sure you already know, there is no magic about sailing. If the guy is sailing away from you downwind he is doing it because he is doing the basics better.

A good hoist will save you 5 seconds on a bad one.
Same for a drop
Same for a gybe
Thats 15 seconds you have lost

Very small rudder movements will give you some more seconds on the course.
Indecision will cost more seconds.
A dity hull will cost more seconds.
A cleat that doesnt jam properly will cost seconds

The seconds add up to your competitor getting away every time.

I used race Solings for a number of seasons, and was lucky to be on one of the "faster" ones. A few times a year we did sprint races. Probably 500m to the top mark, 1 round. Starts were critical, picking the 1 or 2 shifts and gusts was critical etc. Often the antifouled boats could beat us if they did teh basics right. We may have had the faster hull but it made no difference on a course where tiny errors were punished. It was close to the best racing I have ever done.

If you are sure that the boatskills are equivalent then he must have a lighter boat (or a bigger spinny), or the engine on ;-)

JB