Situation:

You just rounded the weather mark for a long downwind leg – what direction do you head? What should you be thinking about now?

Objective One: Decide – Bare-away or Jibe-set?

As we all well know, rounding the weather mark starts well before you reach the three-boat-length circle on the upwind leg. To set yourself up for success you must know your position in the fleet – how many boats are ahead of you, how many boats are behind you, what your spacing is relative to them. There are factors relating to the conditions to evaluate as well – current, shifts, pressure, etc. these all inform the decision of whether or not your team will do a bare-away set or do a jibe set.

In fleets of 20+ boats jibe-sets rarely work. The bigger the fleet, the more bad air there is on the course. It is almost always more important to get away from crowds and into clean air than to work the inside early – especially right after rounding the weather mark. As such, 90% of the time the answer at the weather mark will be to do a bare-away set. However, below are some advantages and disadvantages to consider when looking at a jibe-set:

• Advantage: More likely to have inside room at the leeward mark
• Advantage: Typically fewer boats covering your boat downwind (once you get away from the mark)
• Advantage: Typically boat that sail inside will sail less distance as they don’t need to sail high to avoid traffic and secure a lane
• Potential Advantage: Being able to take advantage of various conditions relating to shifts and current
• Big Disadvantage: Sailing through significant bad air as the fleet rounding the weather mark blocks fresh breeze
• Potential Disadvantage: Doing a jibe-set will put you in a more leveraged position as most of the fleet will do a bare-away. If they get a shift, or more pressure, you will pay a significant price for doing a jibe-set. However, if you get a shift or additional pressure you may see significant gains.

Objective Two: Manage Your Lane.

Once you’ve committed to your strategy, whether that’s bare-away set or a jibe-set, you need to ensure you have clean air and manage opportunities and risks while defending your lane. To do this properly you need to know your jibing angles, how low you can take the boat without stalling out, and the spinnaker trimmer must communicate to the helm about pressure and shifts. By getting ahead of changing circumstances instead of reacting to changes you give your team the best chance to make gains, capitalize on others’ mistakes, and hold a clean lane.

For when your team chooses to do a bare-away set it is recommended that you extend on starboard – keeping a lane for the first couple of minutes before you jibe and pass underneath the rest of the fleet in the quest to get inside at the leeward mark.

Objective Three: Reflect and Adjust

Once you’ve set up downwind and executed your game plan, it is important to not get too comfortable. You need to evaluate your options and whether or not the plan you executed is working. To make these determinations consider the conditions – where are the waves coming from, long jibes away from waves, jibe in puffs. You also need to know your competition – are the boats covering you going to be aggressive about it? What about if you have a close jibe? Start planning your escape route just in case you need to get to the other mark and keep clear of corners going downwind.

Wally Cross (President, Ullman Sails Detroit)

Wally Cross is an exceptional sailmaker and pro-sailor. With over 40 years of sailmaking experience and titles in multiple National and North American Championships over a variety of classes, Wally brings a significant wealth of knowledge to the Ullman Sails group.  Wally is dedicated to providing his customers with the best value and sailing experience possible.  Wally is the President of the Ullman Sails loft in Detroit, Michigan, working with Mike Boston and Ian Pouliot.   

Learn more about Wally’s racing experience and more on his profile here: http://ullmansails.com/team/wally-cross/