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
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 →
Many top sailors complain about either their downwind speed or state that they don’t know how to sail downwind. In reality this is usually based on an emotion and mental challenges rather than what an observer may see, but there is can be a hint of truth in such statement as they might be slow in certain conditions. In this article we look at the real deal with both top sailors and amateurs falling into the same errors quite often.
Successful Sailing Club Coaching Whether or not we are engaged in sailing clubs, we all need to recognize the amazing value a sailing club brings to our sport, and the diversity which often exists within their activities. Clubs are thought of as places where people who sail congregate to share their mutual enjoyment of our... Continue Reading →
Sailing is a sport that lends itself to educational development. Contentiously it is one of a very few sports which can claim to develop this list:
Speed and DRAG Boats are designed to go through the water, and over the past 70 years have been designed to ride ON the water. Over the past 10 years plus they’ve also been designed to fly over the water. These hull designs are termed as displacement (through the water), planing (riding on the water)... Continue Reading →
Ideal Weight and Dynamic Sailing Sailing crew weight is seemingly best dealt with by most major sailing federations by making it clear that if the sailor is outside the ideal weight, they must get as close as possible to ideal before even being considered for National Sailing Teams. What we find inconsistent about this attitude... Continue Reading →
Full Battens and Sail Shape In this blog we pose some questions and outline some answers. The black art of batten technology and its complexity s demonstrated by the multiple answers given to any challenge by different people; therefore, an open mind and ability to analyze benefits and losses is as important as the knowledge... Continue Reading →
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 →
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