A quiet boat is a fast boat, according to Tom Burnham, Artemis Racing coach in the America's Cup and the pitman on top TP52 Quantum Racing. Which is why it's good to have a team where everyone knows what's going on tactically - even the musclemen on the grinding pedestals. And a shouty boat is nearly always a slow one. Tom offers some tips for how to reduce the noise - and stress level - on your boat...
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.
Having done the tactical job for a few years, Terry Hutchinson found it hard to relinquish control of the decision-making habit when he started steering the TP52. Now when he's helming the AC45 multihull in the America's Cup World Series, more than ever it's vital to be absolutely clear with his communication. Things happen fast and communication needs to be heard and understood first time, every time...