Not too long ago in a lot of classes crews could be seen visibly relaxing as the kite went up, and the procession began. Happily now in all racing we understand how to make gains and use the downwind to our advantage.
Asymmetric Speed
Looking to Win
Throughout the history of sailing it is rarely the fastest sailor that wins a series, In most conditions it is necessary to be fast to win but that's not all. Winning takes many disciplines to master, a crucial one is the ability to observe your surroundings.
Sail Twist
There are a lot of theories of why we need sail twist. They are mainly disputable, but the fact is that boats go better with twist. That’s all we need to know to understand the importance of this factor of sail trim. For us its simple to prove - when the tell tales are flying, and most importantly at the head the leech tell tales,
Pressure Season
The evolution of skiffs and foils have generated the necessity for the evolution of the skills of pressure hunting.
Spinnakers
The spinnaker is a sail which many misunderstand, and few master. In this blog we show that it isn’t a black magic sail and you don’t need a doctorate to appreciate what it can do. The blog is written at what seems like a basic level. All we can say is that speed is basic, whether its advanced or beginning - the same rules apply.
The Diamond
A major source of beginning to understand tactics is dealt with by Toplevel sailing as tactics for the first half of the beat (when the boats are diverging into a wider area, as against tactics when the boats are converging into the tiny area around the mark.
Reaching High or Low
Whilst many asymmetric kite boats struggle to reach effectively and the reaching legs have been dropped from their courses, the skills of reaching are still very important for traditional classes such as Laser, 420, 470 etc. This blog is aimed at those classes, and hopefully some of the information here will also help our asymmetric sailors when they have overlaid a downwind mark! The potential losses and gains on a reach, particularly rounding the top mark and approaching the reach mark are huge.
Diverging and Converging
During a racing beat there are some fundamental differences between different phases of the leg, this mean our decisions and priorities as racers should be different between different parts of the course
Inclusivity Blog
At Toplevel Sailing we believe we have enjoyed a progressive period in sailing, where a greater cross section and a growing demographic of people have had access to sailing, people of all abilities, all races and cultures are able to compete in our great sport
Our Analysis of the 2024 Olympic Slate
Every four years there is a rush of blood through the veins of World Sailing (formerly ISAF) as the Olympic “slate” - which is the combination of classes to comprise the Olympics six years from the decision year - is decided. The process is quite complex, and theoretically thorough, and always leads to criticism, outrage,... Continue Reading →
You must be logged in to post a comment.