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Don=92t you hate it when you round the weather = mark in the=20 top group and immediately lose distance and positions to crews that jibe = right=20 away? There you are, dread in your eyes, watching your lead slip away. = It=92s=20 worse when you=92re the one who jibes away, only to witness the rest of = the fleet=20 leaving you in their wake. "Why did we just do that?" you ask. Whenever = you find=20 yourself in either of these situations, it=92s usually because you have = only a=20 vague plan about what you want to do, and it doesn=92t pan out. You must = have a=20 strategy for exiting the weather mark, one that=92s based on your = positioning,=20 keeping your air clear, and avoiding traffic.

One of the first = things you=20 should ask yourself is whether the beat is skewed. If the wind speed is = constant=20 and you=92ve spent the majority of the weather leg on one tack, your = downwind leg=20 will reflect the same disparity of time on either jibe. In other words, = if=20 you=92ve spent a lot of time on starboard tack while sailing = upwind=97because the=20 breeze is shifting to the right, for example=97you=92ll be spending a = lot of time on=20 port tack downwind. By jibing to port early in the run, you position = yourself on=20 the "long tack" to the leeward mark. This is the headed tack relative to = the=20 course geometry=97remember that you want to sail the headed tack = downwind. Jibing=20 to port right away will position you directly upwind of the leeward mark = sooner,=20 allowing you to take advantage of any shifts from a dead upwind position = rather=20 than from an edge. I generally point this out to the rest of the crew = near the=20 top of the beat and then keep my eyes open for any late = shift.

Next,=20 determine if there=92s more wind on one side of the course. This = determination=20 comes from observations that you make during the upwind leg and before = the=20 start. The side with more pressure will generally be your top priority = if all=20 other factors are constant. It=92s beneficial to get to more breeze, but = the=20 question is, "How do I get there without sacrificing position?" = Generally, it=92s=20 best to be the weather-most boat when there=92s more breeze on one side = of the=20 racecourse. You get to the breeze first and can sail a lower course than = boats=20 that either jibe later or sail away from the wind. It=92s critical to = identify=20 whether or not there=92s more breeze on one side or the other. For = example, make=20 sure the pressure you felt on the right while going up the beat wasn=92t = just a=20 random puff or a filling breeze that has since covered the entire=20 course.

Don=92t forget about current when sailing downwind; = it=92s important=20 because it skews the run. If the current is going perpendicular to a = course=20 that=92s square to the wind it=92s important to get to the upcurrent = side (the side=20 from which the current is flowing) because that will be the longer jibe. = Positioning your boat upcurrent also allows you more freedom to play the = shifts=20 farther down the leg. If you sail downcurrent initially, you=92ll spend = the rest=20 of the leg trying to get back to the center of the course in order to = take=20 advantage of shifts. The lighter the wind, the more important it is to = be=20 upcurrent because you=92re going slower through the water and the vector = aiming=20 toward the mark gets skewed in the direction of the = current.

Whether due=20 to a windshift, tidal effect, or better wind to one side, make the rest = of the=20 crew aware which side is the favored before you round the weather mark = so they=20 can be ready to do whatever it takes to get there.



	David Norton

Most classes sail = windward-leeward courses=20 nowadays, making an escape from the weather mark more difficult. If = there=92s an=20 offset mark, there=92s usually a zone of dead air under the offset leg. = This zone=20 of bad air extends about 10 lengths to leeward of the offset leg and you = should=20 cross it only if the benefits of getting to a particular side are huge. = To=20 prepare for getting to the other side of the dead zone it=92s a good = idea to sail=20 artificially low (below VMG angles) to get as close to the zone as = possible=20 without having to sail in it. After 10 lengths you should be able to = jibe to the=20 side you want with minimal loss. Ideally, you=92ll be poked away from = boats that=20 didn=92t jibe=97though they may have moved forward some=97plus you=92ll = have the favored=20 side and will have sailed away from boats that jibed into the = zone.

If=20 you need to jibe right away, don=92t forget about the starboard-tack = parade and=20 the ghastly amount of bad air behind it. When sailing upwind you can get = a small=20 lift off the leech of an upwind boat when crossing behind, and the same = happens=20 downwind. Basically, the wind is bent about 10 degrees by the sails of = an upwind=20 boat, so when you=92re sailing to leeward of a line of upwind boats = you=92re=20 actually sailing in a 10-degree lift in disturbed air. This isn=92t = something=20 you=92d do on the open water, so it shouldn=92t be something you would = do after=20 rounding a mark unless the side of the course you=92re sailing to is = favored=20 dramatically.

Given this background, consider the following = scenario:=20 You=92re halfway up the beat of a leg that takes you towards the lee = side of an=20 island and the breeze suddenly goes left 10 degrees. With the breeze = left, it=92s=20 affected by the island, and it=92s lighter. The current is flowing from = right to=20 left. The majority of the fleet has gone right and there=92s a stack up = of=20 starboard tackers on the layline in more breeze but headed. You come in = from the=20 left and round the mark first.

Based on the shift you came into = the mark=20 with, you would extend on starboard downwind. This gets you clear of the = parade=20 of boats on starboard tack, away from the offset leg=92s bad air, and it = keeps you=20 on the long tack. However, you=92re now going downcurrent in light air. = And you=92re=20 sailing toward the island away from the best breeze. What would your = call be if=20 you were the tactician?

If there are no boats around you and you = can sail=20 deeper than normal, this is your best escape. As you sail away from the = island=20 your breeze should increase, and you=92ll slowly be able sail your = optimum=20 angle=97plus you=92re on the headed tack. At this point, disregard the = current,=20 unless you think the breeze is going to shut down completely, in which = case you=20 want to get upcurrent right away. Your most important goal is more wind = and=20 getting away from the traffic at the mark. This sets you up on the long = tack,=20 and when the wind goes back to its original direction, you can = jibe.

If=20 you=92re in a lot of traffic, concentrate on sailing a slightly lower = course than=20 the group around you. Don=92t be afraid of the pack climbing up, because = when they=20 get to the point that they=92ll affect you, you can jibe away. You = should be past=20 the 10-length dead zone and headed toward more breeze. Doing this gives = you the=20 option of checking in on the other side of the course, and if it looks = bad=97try=20 to figure this out in the first two minutes=97you can jibe back to = maintain=20 contact with the pack. In an ideal world you=92re farther from the = island so you=20 have a little more breeze so you don=92t lose too much from the two = jibes. When=20 the wind shifts back, you=92ll be on the inside with starboard advantage = if you=20 have to jibe again.

There are all kinds of options based on what = the wind=20 is doing and how the fleet is positioned. As in standard downwind = sailing, at=20 least try to sail in the most breeze on the headed tack. Figure this out = before=20 you get to the weather mark so the crew knows, and stick to your game=20 plan.