Audio: Olympic Gold Medallist and Melges 24 World Champion Jonathan McKee shares some of his tactical tips for racing in small keelboats like the Melges 24. 'Sail in bad air' is one of his more surprising nuggets of advice..."That rule that people say: 'Don't sail in bad air,' that's bad advice. Sometimes it's the lesser of two evils...."
Audio (9 minutes): The 30 minutes leading up to a start are critical times, especially when you're about to start in high quality big fleet. Melges 24 sailor Justin Chisholm is a creature of habit, and here he reveals his pre-start routine...
In his early 20s Robert Hopkins found himself coaching the British America's Cup team Victory 83 through to the finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup where they came up against the mighty Australia II. A year later, aged 24, he was head coach of the USA Sailing Team at the Los Angeles Olympics, where the Americans grabbed four gold and three silvers from all seven medal disciplines. SailJuice asked Robert what he has learned about good team communication through his 25 years of coaching and sailing with the very best in the business...
America's Cup veteran Terry Hutchinson says that opposites may not necessarily attract, but putting different personalities together was still a vital part of creating a Quantum Racing team that was strong enough to dominate the European TP52 circuit in its heyday...
For the Oman Sail campaign for the Tour Voile, skipper Rob Greenhalgh was tasked with training up three inexperienced Omani sailors as part of the crew. Using this Excel spreadsheet, Rob got his sailors into top form in the shortest time. To get the Omanis up to scratch in every aspect of their jobs on board, Greenhalgh divided every routine, every manoeuvre - both inshore and offshore - into the tiniest detail. Now you can benefit from Rob's experience and apply it to your own sailing. For anyone looking to organise complex manoeuvres between a crew, this document is gold dust.
Nik Pearson won the Etchells World Championships doing the bow for skipper Stuart Childerley and Simon Russell working the mainsheet. Every team is different in its make-up of skills, but there are some good general principles of communication here that will work for any sailor looking to improve teamwork in the boat.
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....
The last few years have seen Rob Greenhalgh make a successful transition from skiff world champion to one of the most sought-after offshore racers. The Brit has a busy season ahead, skippering an Oman Sail entry in the Tour Voile and still squeezing in some 14 and 18-foot skiff racing. Although he couldn't say at the time of the interview, he has since been confirmed as rejoining Puma Racing for the American team's second assault on the Volvo Ocean Race...
The Hamble Winter Series is arguably one of the toughest competitions in the UK yacht racing calendar. Having spent a whole summer getting used to their boats, many crews are at their peak of confidence and ability by the time the Hamble series kicks off in October. So the racing is of some of the highest quality in the country. We share some tips from the sailors who know how to win in the Solent...
In the second part of our interview with a top sailmaker from Australia, Stewart Gray talks about the tell-tale signs of when you need to replace sails with new ones, and why high-tech sails demand that you use high-tech halyards...
SailJuice interviewed top freelance sailmaker from Australia, Stewart Gray, for his advice on buying sails for keelboats. Stewart has worked at all levels of the sport from small keelboats through to the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race. In Part One, Stewart talks about how to select the right sailmaker, the best time to buy sails, and why the climate could determine whether or not your sails are race legal...
America's Cup veteran Terry Hutchinson says that opposites may not necessarily attract, but putting different personalities together was still a vital part of creating a Quantum Racing team that was strong enough to dominate the European TP52 circuit in its heyday...
For the Oman Sail campaign for the Tour Voile, skipper Rob Greenhalgh was tasked with training up three inexperienced Omani sailors as part of the crew. Using this Excel spreadsheet, Rob got his sailors into top form in the shortest time. To get the Omanis up to scratch in every aspect of their jobs on board, Greenhalgh divided every routine, every manoeuvre - both inshore and offshore - into the tiniest detail. Now you can benefit from Rob's experience and apply it to your own sailing. For anyone looking to organise complex manoeuvres between a crew, this document is gold dust.
Nik Pearson won the Etchells World Championships doing the bow for skipper Stuart Childerley and Simon Russell working the mainsheet. Every team is different in its make-up of skills, but there are some good general principles of communication here that will work for any sailor looking to improve teamwork in the boat.
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....
The last few years have seen Rob Greenhalgh make a successful transition from skiff world champion to one of the most sought-after offshore racers. The Brit has a busy season ahead, skippering an Oman Sail entry in the Tour Voile and still squeezing in some 14 and 18-foot skiff racing. Although he couldn't say at the time of the interview, he has since been confirmed as rejoining Puma Racing for the American team's second assault on the Volvo Ocean Race...
The Hamble Winter Series is arguably one of the toughest competitions in the UK yacht racing calendar. Having spent a whole summer getting used to their boats, many crews are at their peak of confidence and ability by the time the Hamble series kicks off in October. So the racing is of some of the highest quality in the country. We share some tips from the sailors who know how to win in the Solent...
In the second part of our interview with a top sailmaker from Australia, Stewart Gray talks about the tell-tale signs of when you need to replace sails with new ones, and why high-tech sails demand that you use high-tech halyards...
SailJuice interviewed top freelance sailmaker from Australia, Stewart Gray, for his advice on buying sails for keelboats. Stewart has worked at all levels of the sport from small keelboats through to the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race. In Part One, Stewart talks about how to select the right sailmaker, the best time to buy sails, and why the climate could determine whether or not your sails are race legal...