Sailing Upwind
from the Boating Info Center - New Zeeland

The most important part of a yacht race after the start,
is to pick the first two wind shifts correctly then to settle
into the longest tack on the upwind leg of the course, this
will generally position yourself with a loose cover over the
bulk of the fleet and will leave you closest to the top mark.

To sail this part well you have to reach your best boat speed
for the wind and sea conditions, note this can only be achieved
in clean air. To reach your best boat speed there are a number
of adjustments that can be altered "on" and "off" the water to
make your boat go faster and also easier to sail. It is very
important that all these controls are easy to use and strong
enough that they will not break under load.

These Include

  • Batten weight.
  • Boom vang tension.
  • Mainsheet tension.
  • Traveller position.
  • Cunningham.
  • Outhaul.
  • Mast rake.
  • Centreboard position (movement fore and aft).
  • Mast bend (stiffener), hounds height.
  • Sail size/shape.
  • Gooseneck position.
  • Hiking.
    • The most important part of making the boat go fast upwind comes
    back to the person holding the tiller. It's all very well coming in after
    a race and blaming your sail/mast/rudder, where nine times put of ten
    it's your fault! The minute you realise that you are at fault, you will
    begin to improve.

    "Realise you are at fault, you will begin to improve."

    Points to Remember

    Sail the shifts.

    Remember the current

    Play the middle unless one side is clearly favoured (remember
    one side gives a 50% chance of leading or losing).