I have listened to Michael Blackburn’s Mind Skills CD on and off for a couple of years. Apart from its ability to help you get in the right frame of mind when tackling competitions or difficult windy or light conditions, Michael has also recorded a list of Do’s and Don’ts in the last short chapter of the CD which I always find fascinating and thought provoking.
Here they are together with my thoughts in italics and where applicable with Michael’s own extra explanation.
When in doubt:
DO position yourself between the next mark and your opposition
an honest basic rule that works upwind and downwind – especially when in doubt
DO cross ahead of other boats
it might be your only chance to cross them when either offwind or upwind, at least then you can put yourself between the next mark and their boat.
DO gybe
sometimes you think that the boat has started to slow down. Doubt creeps in, perhaps I should gybe.
DO apply dirty air to other boats
not my philosophy really – unless its the boat that I have to beat.
DO let it out – mainsheet outhaul vang
if you don’t change the settings – you may never know if its better, but this is particularly true with the sail – letting out the mainsheet is often quicker than holding it in, letting out the sail controls also help you power up when in doubt.
DO obtain an inside overlap
rounding on the inside gives you so many more options; better to drop one place but round inside than risk being outside a boat.
DO tack inside boats that are close to the layline early on a beat
you will be the winner once the expected header kicks in. If you don’t tack, you risk having no tactical options and sailing along the layline on a long header.
DO exhaust your lead to keep it
an example – you may look like you are in a large lead on the left in a big left shift. Pinching may make you look great for a while, but your lead can turn into a loss if the wind goes back to the right shift. This DO would mean when in the lead – foot off to cross the middle of the fleet and gain a smaller but more defendable distance in front of the fleet, ready for when the shift goes back to the right.
DO tack parallel to the majority of the fleet
can they all be wrong (this is if you are in doubt)
DO keep to the right of close competition when sailing upwind and left downwind so you have the advantage of starboard tack
Your close competition will find it harder to cross you on Port than on Starboard.
When in doubt:
DON’T start at the most congested part of the line
Its harder to get off a congested start line.
DON’T tack
When you doubt that it was a shift, perhaps it was a velocity header.
DON’T pass the stern of boats on the tack back to the rhum line particularly when near the lay line line
I had to ask Michael what he really meant by this. His reply was as follows:
“The Question… maybe a picture will help… it refers to two boats on opposite tacks near a side of the course. If you were the boat on starboard you’d tack to leeward of the port tack boat because you would do better on the next shift than if you tacked outside the port boat. If you delayed your tack until closer to the layline, all tactical options would be gone.”
DON’T give your opposition an easy path
perhaps I am soft – but I think what goes around comes around, so I tend to be easy on sailors unless they are giving me a hard time.
The other chapters on the CD are:
- The keys to racing
- Happiness room
- Light wind imagery
- Strong wind imagery
- Starting imagery
- Tacking imagery
- Mark rounding principles
- Tools to increase your arousal
- Putting competitive anxiety in its place
- Fill your mind with what matters
- Distraction control
- Major competitions
- A quick race
- Do’s and don’ts
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