Dynamic Sailing and Bow Splashes One of the most destructive aspects to speed, in any sailing boat, is the bow splashes. This is particularly true in an optimist; more so than any other boat. Due to the shape of the optimist bow, each bow splash is equal to hitting a wall of a couple of... Continue Reading →
Wind Moves
Dealing with wind changes Sailing is a sport of infinite variables. These variables happen both inside the sailing boat and in the weather, sea state and within the psychological factors concerning the sailing team. Few sports can have the complexity that we see in sailing due to the transient nature of “change” that we experience... Continue Reading →
Dynamic Sailing
This video allows us to see the difference between a dynamic sailor who is steering the boat to maintain speed, jumping waves and being dynamic and a sailor straight lining the run. Even when it is windy it is always faster to be dynamic; notice how the leech is open. This allows the sailor to... Continue Reading →
Block Heads
Sail shape Over the past 50 years sailing boats have probably evolved more than in the previous several centuries. Drag has been greatly reduced, planing has been understood and rig efficiency and drag has been researched. The wing is in, square head sails the norm, carbon masts are common. Let’s consider some of our own... Continue Reading →
Optimist downwind
Kiting and sailing by the lee Sailing fast in an optimist is hard especially in downwind, the boat doesn't accelerate enough to enable surfing as other sailing boats might. There are 2 fast angles on a run, one is broad reaching and the second is sailing hard enough by the lee, both require the use... Continue Reading →
Karyna Manuel GBR
I was coached by Toplevel Sailing for over a year both in Laser Radial and 49erFX. In that time both Eshed and Pete helped me as an athlete and as a person in many ways. I improved a lot every time I went to train with them and would really push my boundaries in training,... Continue Reading →
Drag Limits
Hydrofoils and more... In theory a sailing boat can travel infinitely fast. How? The wind generated by forward movement (we know as being a component of apparent wind) continues to increase with speed. With the increase in apparent wind everything changes, and more speed is theoretically possible. We should have video games based on this... Continue Reading →
Tactical Changes
Old School VS Innovative Tactics The evolution of sails and hulls has probably seen greater progress over the past 50 years than in the previous several centuries. Sailing boat speed has increased by a massive factor, and with it the impact on tactical racing has changed enormously. Reading books from the 1960’s by Uffa Fox... Continue Reading →
The Mystery of Masts
Why does the mast matter? In terms of sailing boat “hardware”, the mast must be considered one of the most dominant pieces of equipment when considering impact on performance. We have many types of mast, and along with the evolution of hull design and the progression to apparent wind sailing, the mast has probably changed... Continue Reading →
Sail Shape
Making it look easy... When it comes to setting up the sailing boat for any given condition the initial step is to make sure that the power setup is right; that we are not over powered or under powered, of course there are adjustments to be made that are immediate, but the general setting is... Continue Reading →
You must be logged in to post a comment.