January Clinic Review from Coach Paris Henken

Each Melges 15 Winter Series regatta kicks off with a pre-regatta clinic hosted at the Melges Watersports Center. With 40 boats registered, this Friday, January 3, was the perfect opportunity to fine-tune skills in preparation for the intense big fleet sailing this weekend. 

Coach Paris Henken was joined by Kyle Navin, Ripley Shelly, and Eddie Cox. Kyle and Ripley, fresh from their recent experience with the Youth Americas Cup Team, were excellent additions to the coaching staff.

Here are Coach Paris’s key insights from today to help you excel in this weekend's big fleet sailing.:

Holding a Lane After a Start 

Things to be thinking about when getting off the start line and holding a lane: 

Remembering that you’ll most likely be in a “high mode” after a start (unless you have room to leeward to work with) as everyone is eager to establish their lane and execute a plan 

• Set the boat up for more “power” (condition dependent) but realize you need as much power as the boat and your team can handle so you can ensure you are coming off the line in the front row with speed 

• Trim the sails accordingly - make sure you keep in check with A) your main leech telltales so you ensure they aren’t stalling, especially on lighter days, and B) you are in the correct range on the jib sheet trim, which should be found during your pre-race routine 

• Avoid steering too much during crucial moments - we are too eager to react with the rudder during times when we can keep the rudder straight and use our weight and sails more to achieve the same thing. Especially when sailing in a tight lane, try hard not to move the rudder too much, as it will increase drag and slow you down. 

• A flat boat is a fast boat - unless you need a little bit of leeward heel because of the lighter conditions, you want to make sure you are sailing your boat flat 

• Prioritizing big lanes when it’s important

• Communicating to your teammate that you might be losing your lane EARLY talking about exit plan based on your predetermined plan (not forgetting to think BIG PICTURE) 

Big Starting Line Tips: 

1. Break the start line into quadrants - we are accustomed to either starting at the boat, middle or pin, but with a large line you can think about splitting the line into 4 different quadrants and focusing more on the “pack” you started with then worrying about the whole fleet 

2. We have Vakaros RaceSense - you know how far away you are from the line, but without the Vakaros RaceSense realize that they will be line sag in the middle of the line 3. Starting near an end - might be easier to get clear if your lane gets compromised then if you were in the middle quadrants 

3. Read this article from Andy Burdick: Winning Tips for 100 Boat Regattas

Downwind Strategy Tips: 

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid! 

Are we in offensive or defense? 

Risk vs. Reward 

Top half: 

• Manage the panic - take a deep breath 

• Keep it simple 

• How much risk can I take? 

• Your plan is most likely dictated by the wind conditions and your initial plan you made before the start and not by other boats 

• If you are winning the race - 98% of the time we never gybeset UNLESS there is a damn good reason too. Gybesetting as the lead boat creates too much risk 

Bottom half: 

• There is more risk to be taken BUT take that risk early 

• Create leverage 

• Try to sail “free” - try to keep clear of other boats when making decisions and moves. The closer you are to other boats or “packs” the more the wind will be disturbed, and you’ll sail slower around others than by yourself

1st Leg Mentality vs 2nd Leg Mentality 

Are we throwing the ball for a hail mary pass AKA creating more risk, creating more leverage to 

try and pass a big group of boats 

OR 

Are we running the ball for a potential couple yards gained AKA focused more on what pack we are sailing against instead of the whole fleet and we are trying to pass boats 1-by-1