How to improve your yacht racing skills as a beginner

Yacht racing is not only a fun and fulfilling sport, but physically demanding as well, and like any competitive activity, it requires a fair amount of training and practice. Luckily, we’ve got some great tips on how to methodically improve your yacht racing skills, so that you can get to the front of the fleet in your club. Read on for more.

-          Join a club: There’s no better motivation to improve your skills than sharing that ambition with like-minded people. In a club environment, you’ll have access to experienced and well-trained professionals who will be more than willing to help you double down on your strengths while improving on your weaknesses. It’ especially important for beginners to be in a club in order to develop a mindset of winning while associating with people who can identify their talent and help them to realize their potential. Most clubs offer coaching lessons for young and old, and these lessons mostly focus on identifying areas that you need to work on while keeping a learner’s attitude will help you to constantly improve your abilities in the long run. Also keep in mind that even seasoned yacht racers have to constantly up their game so that they don’t stagnate and stay on the same level, so you’ll do well to associate yourself with a good mix of people who are as passionate about sailing as you are.

-           Maintain a beginner’s mind: It’s important to analyse your performance while going through your daily training so that you can learn from each mistake you make and refine your performance on an on-going basis. This goes for both beginners and expert yacht racers. After each day on the water ask yourself, ‘how could I have done that better?’, and then use the feedback you get to build on your skills. This process of automatic debriefing allows you to make the most of your strengths while constantly improving your results. Expert coaches recommend that beginners should spend at least 10 minutes after each training session or sailing event just reflecting on their performance, paying special attention to factors such as maneuvering performance and boat skills.

-          Technique: The foundation to any good sailor’s performance is their ability to control their yacht, especially the Cunningham, outhaul, and sail, so it’s incredibly important to understand the different techniques to sailing that beginners often overlook. For example, you’ll find that it’s faster to just sail using the sail trim, while you need to learn how to steer the sails by understanding how the jib rotates in the opposite direction from the wind in order to drive the mainsail. Considering these and other variables while you’re on the water can make all the difference in your performance.  

-          Shifting gears: Just like when you’re driving a car or a bike, your boat requires that you change gears every now and then to adapt to the changing water conditions. For example, the acceleration gear works for a variety of situations, like when you’re contending with harsh weather and water conditions that would otherwise slow you down, or when there’s no wind action and you need to move or accelerate your speed. Light conditions also require that you be proficient in gybing and roll tackling techniques, and you’ll do well to practice mark rounding as well, which often requires that you go in wide and then narrow out at the exit.

-          Know your rules: It’s crucial that you familiarize yourself with the standard Racing Rules of Sailing, even though you probably won’t come across many scenarios that warrant their use in the beginning. Commit to learning and understanding the theoretical knowledge behind sailing, including the tactics behind it, so that you don’t find yourself trailing because you didn’t observe the rules.

Looking to start racing but don’t have a registered yacht yet? Places like www.yachtregistrationmalta.net/ can help you register your yacht in Malta.  You will learn how Malta’s progressively simple and accessible registration process is making it easier for yacht owners to register their vessels under the country’s internationally recognized flag. 

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Created on Jan 8th 2018 11:55. Viewed 338 times.

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