In the June issue of Yachts and Yachting, British Sailing Team 470 Sailor Eilidh McIntyre shared some of her top tips about the boat in which her competitive sailing began, the RS Feva. 

McIntyre says that when she was sailing the RS Feva at competitions, she was often asked how she was so fast, particularly downwind. At the time she had no answer to the question. But now, having graduated into Olympic class sailing she realises her speed came in large part from knowing when to be gentle and when to be aggressive in the boat. 

Below are three videos from the 470 sailor demonstrating some of the key tips and techniques to give any Feva sailor the edge. Special thanks go to Volvo Sailing in assisting with the creation of these videos.


Windward Mark – “The key is to be set up and ready to go early so as you are approaching the windward mark the crew is letting the kicker off and easing the outhaul, while the helm is keeping the boat flat…”








Gybing – “The heavier weight of the RS Feva means that if you can do a lovely gybe when someone else does a bad one you can easily gain a couple of boat lengths…” 







Downwind technique – “This is the biggest strength in any kind of sailing. If you can be fast downwind it’s an opportunity to make up for any time you might have lost elsewhere…”