UK Sailmakers
by Adam Loory
August 25, 2021
How many times have you been sailing near the end of the beat only to get left behind by a boat that you have been close to? You see them tack away and figure you'll just keep going the last 10 or 20 boat lengths to the lay line. When you round the mark, they have doubled their lead. What’s happened is that you missed the last shift. Even close to the mark, you need to keep playing the shifts. This happened to me while calling tactics on the Fast 40+ CHRISTOPHER DRAGON in the recently sailed Safe Harbor Race Week sailed on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay.

On the last day of the regatta, the forecast called for the wind to shift right and I had been protecting the right side of the course. To my team’s detriment, I ignored the left shifts. On the first beat, we were sailing on port four boat lengths to leeward of the 50-footer we wanted to beat. The starboard layline was less than 20 boatlengths away. I was aware of the boats astern and to windward on port tack as well getting lifted, but I chose to head for the layline. The 50-footer, on the other hand, tacked to starboard to and caught the left shift, before tacking on the port tack layline. At the windward mark they had more than doubled their lead on us.

The key to making gains is to avoid the laylines. Once you are on a layline, your options have become limited and the chances that something bad can happen increase. Either the wind will shift and you won’t be making the mark or you get a lift and end up overspending. Or worse yet, a boat or boats will tack on your wind slowing you down and, in some cases, force you to make two more tacks in order to get around the mark.

Those who avoid the laylines have the flexibility to play the shifts up until the very end. They can also pick their spot on a very short layline to get around the mark.

Keep in mind that avoiding the laylines starts well down the windward leg. Be careful about playing the corners because one shift may put you on the layline well before the mark. That said, if one side is favored, don’t be afraid to go to that side, but remember to tack back to the mark BEFORE THE LAYLINE!