Having a fast boat is not just about being fastest through the water in a straight line. It’s about being able to hang in there off a congested start line, about getting up to pace quickly out of a tack or a gybe. All these considerations were high on Terry Hutchinson’s list in his successful bid to win the 2008 TP52 Circuit, one in which Quantum Racing has continued to excel...
Big sails are not always faster than small sails, even in light to moderate breezes. Why is that? A lot of it is to do with boat balance, which is sometimes more important than raw power...
Bora Gulari talks technical, looking at some of the killer technology that helped him win the International Moth Worlds in The Gorge. He also breaks some of the myths about Moths and foiling boats, such as needing to be a flyweight, and talks about the joys of turning up 'The Dial'....
Audio: Leading sportsboat sailor Justin Chisholm explains the importance of sailing in the correct downwind mode in a sportsboat. How do you know when to soak for depth, and when to 'heat it up' into planing mode? Justin has the answers....
Audio (2 minutes): The 2007 and 2008 Laser World Championships in Portugal and Australia were windy, and Tom Slingsby won both of them. He's also won two Skandia Sail for Gold Regattas in Weymouth in 2009 and 2010. The young Aussie talks about the technique that makes him so devastatingly quick upwind in the breeze...
Audio (6 minutes) and text interview: Olympic Champion Anna Tunnicliffe talks through her tuning tips for the Laser Radial, and how she adjusts the rig through the wind range. "The vang in the Laser has a big influence in your sail setup, so just really pay attention to what the vang is doing for you. In the big breeze, we see people not pulling on their vangs enough, and in the light air people don't use their vang enough..."
