Installing the Electronic Burgee – Mark 1 (and already thinking about Mark 2!)

There’s something rather satisfying about turning a traditional sailing skill into a bit of modern engineering. The humble burgee—normally a scrap of fabric fluttering at the masthead—is getting a serious upgrade in our boat.

We’re now at the installation stage of the electronic burgee, and like all good projects… it’s already teaching us what we should have done differently!

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The Electronics – A Small Box with a Big Job

The brains of the system are housed in a sealed waterproof box, complete with:

• Battery power
• Electronics for the wind vane
• Signal transmission to the display

The oversight?
I forgot to install a switch.

Which means:

• The system is permanently powered 😬
• Battery disconnect = open the box

So yes… Mark 2 will definitely include a proper on/off switch!

 Temporary Mounting – The Cable Tie Phase

Before drilling holes or committing to a permanent position, we’re taking the sensible route:

👉 Cable ties to the rescue

We’ll secure the electronics box:

• Close to the mast
• Easy to access
• Easy to move if needed

This gives us:

• Flexibility
• Quick adjustments
• No regrets later

(Every good engineering project has a cable-tie prototype stage!)

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Getting the Anemometer to the Masthead

Now comes the slightly trickier bit…

To mount the anemometer and wind vane at the masthead, we’ve got two options:

Option 1 – Drop the Mast

• The option we wnet for De-step the mast properly
• Work at ground level
• Safest and easiest for fitting

Option 2 – Tilt the Boat in the Water

• Heel the boat over
• Bring the masthead within reach
• A bit more “adventurous”

Either way, we need to:

1. Remove the masthead float
2. Fix the anemometer securely
3. Reattach the float

(Carefully… because dropping bits into the river is remarkably easy!)

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The Moment of Truth – Does It Work?

Once everything is in place, it’s time for the exciting bit:

Testing on the water

We’ll be checking:

• Does the wind vane point correctly?
• Does the anemometer spin freely?
• Are the readings stable and usable?

And most importantly…

Can I finally stop looking up at a burgee and get proper wind data instead?

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Lessons Already Learned (Before We’ve Even Finished!)

This is classic “Mark 1 engineering”:

• ✔ Build it
• ✔ Test it
• ✔ Realise what you forgot(The switch, and a battery tester)
• ✔ Design Mark 2

 Mark 1.5 with the switch

Mark 2 Improvements Already on the List:

• Proper power switch
• Possibly external charging
• More permanent mounting solution
• Cleaner cable management

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Final Thought

There’s a lovely irony here…

We’ve taken something beautifully simple—a piece of cloth in the wind—and turned it into:

• Electronics
• Sensors
• Power systems
• Installation challenges

But if it helps us read the wind faster and sail better on a river, it’s worth every cable tie.

 

Knot of the Week – The Stopper Knot

Some knots are glamorous. Some sound impressive. Some make you feel like an old sea dog even if you are really still wondering which bit of rope is called the bitter end. The stopper knot is not glamorous, but it is one of the most useful knots you can learn.

A stopper knot does exactly what it says on the tin. It makes the end of a rope thicker, so it does not slip through a hole, a block, or straight through your fingers at the very moment you least want it to. It is one of those simple little knots that can prevent a surprising amount of annoyance. In sailing, that usually means stopping a sheet or control line disappearing where it should not. On land, it can stop a drawstring vanishing into a coat, which is a tragedy all of its own.

There are several knots that can be used as stopper knots, but the one most beginners meet first is the figure of eight knot. It is quick to tie, easy to inspect, and easy to untie afterwards, which is more than can be said for some knots I have created in moments of panic. The figure of eight forms a neat chunky end in the rope that does a very good job of saying, “No further.”

To tie a simple stopper knot such as a figure of eight, take the end of the rope, pass it over the standing part to make a loop, then take the end behind and through the loop. Pull it snug and you should see the shape of an “8”. If your knot looks more like modern art, try again. The beauty of this knot is that once you have tied it a few times, your hands begin to remember it even when your brain is busy worrying about the wind, the tiller, the mooring, or lunch.

How to Tie a Double Overhand Stopper Knot

If the simple overhand knot feels a bit… underwhelming, the double overhand stopper knot is its bigger, more dependable cousin. It creates a larger, bulkier stop, making it much better at preventing ropes slipping through fittings.

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Step-by-step

1. Make a loop
   Take the working end of the rope and pass it over the standing part to form a loop (just like the basic overhand knot).
   
   

   
   
   

2. Wrap again
   
   
   

   
   
   
3. Instead of going through once, take the working end around and through the loop a second time.
   
   
   
   
   

4. Pull through neatly
   Make sure both turns sit nicely next to each other (not crossed or twisted).
   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   

5. Tighten
   Pull the knot snug. You should now have a chunky, compact stopper.
   
   

   
   
   

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What it’s doing

By passing the rope through the loop twice, the knot:

• Creates a larger stopper than a single overhand

• Increases friction, so it holds better

• Makes it less likely to pull through blocks or cleats

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Pros and cons

✔ Advantages

• Bigger and more secure than a simple overhand

• Still quick to tie

• Good for slippery modern ropes

✖ Disadvantages

• Even harder to untie after heavy load

• Can jam tightly if really pulled hard

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When to use it

• End of sheets where you want extra security

• Control lines that must not run out

• Slippery ropes (modern braided lines)

• When a standard overhand feels too small

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A practical tip

Dress the knot neatly before tightening. If it’s twisted or messy:

• It won’t sit properly

• It may jam even worse

• It won’t look very “salty” (always important!)

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Final thought

Think of the double overhand knot as the overhand knot that’s had a good breakfast — bigger, stronger, and much less likely to slip.

Just remember… once it’s pulled tight, it may be there for the long haul!

 Handicaps: First Across the Line Doesn’t Mean You Won

There is a cruel moment in sailing when you cross the finish line feeling like a champion, only to discover a few minutes later that you have, in fact, been thoroughly beaten by somebody who appeared to be half a river behind you. It is one of the great shocks of club racing. You finish first, look around for applause, and instead someone with a clipboard quietly informs you that the little boat you overtook ages ago has won on handicap. Sailing, it seems, is not always as straightforward as “first past the post”.

At first this feels completely unfair. Surely the whole point of a race is to get round the course and cross the line before everyone else? In simple racing, yes. But most club racing is not a battle between identical boats. On one start line you may have a quick, twitchy racing machine, a comfortable club boat, something ancient with more varnish than speed, and a boat that looks as though it was designed in somebody’s shed after a particularly strong cup of tea. If we simply judged by who crossed the line first, the faster classes would usually dominate. That would make for predictable results and rather a lot of disappointed sailors.

That is where handicaps come in. A handicap system tries to level the playing field by taking into account the expected speed of each class of boat. Faster boats have their elapsed time adjusted more harshly, while slower boats get more credit for the same course. The result is a corrected time, and that is what decides the winner. So the boat that comes first on the water may not win once the numbers have had their say. It is rather like giving a head start in a running race, except with more spreadsheets and more opportunities for arguments in the dinghy park.

For those new to racing, it can feel baffling. You may have had a splendid sail, rounded marks cleanly, kept your wind clear, crossed the line in front of everybody, and still ended up third or fourth. That does not mean the system is broken. It means you have raced well in one sense, but perhaps not well enough against the expected performance of your boat. In handicap racing, you are not just racing the fleet in front of your eyes; you are racing an invisible target set by the handicap number. Beat that target, and you have done well. Miss it, and someone in a slower boat may quietly take the prize while you are still congratulating yourself.

The clever part is that handicap racing lets very different sailors and very different boats compete together. At a river club especially, that matters. We are not all turning up in identical shiny craft with matching sails and Olympic ambitions. Some of us are still learning. Some are restoring old boats. Some are sailing family boats, training boats, or something inherited from a previous century. Handicap racing says all of you can come and join in. It keeps racing inclusive, interesting, and occasionally baffling enough to remain entertaining.

Of course, handicaps are not perfect. River conditions, gusty winds, crowded tacks, weed, stream and local knowledge all affect boats differently. A boat with a theoretical handicap based on open water sailing may behave very differently when trying to tack up a narrow stretch of Thames between moored boats, overhanging trees and someone else’s idea of the correct side of the river. This is why post-race conversations can become wonderfully animated. Everyone agrees that handicaps are essential, but very few agree entirely on whether their own boat’s number is fair.

Still, once you understand the idea, handicap racing becomes much more fun. Instead of simply watching who is physically ahead, you start thinking about how well each boat is doing relative to its design. You realise that a sailor in a slower boat, sailed brilliantly, can achieve something genuinely impressive. And you also learn a little humility, because crossing the line first does not automatically make you the hero of the day. Sometimes it just makes you the person who has to stand there smiling politely while the corrected results are posted.

So yes, first across the line is exciting. It looks good in photographs and feels even better from the helm. But in handicap racing it is only part of the story. The true winner is the one who sails their boat better than expected, gets the tactics right, and beats the clock once the arithmetic has been done. In sailing, as in life, appearances can be deceptive. The boat in front is not always the boat that has won.

And that, perhaps, is one of the reasons sailing remains such a fascinating sport. You can be fast, but not fast enough. You can be behind, but actually ahead. You can think you have won, only to be defeated by mathematics. It is a marvellous game.

 

How to Stay Ahead in a Race (and not go from Hero to Zero in 100 metres!)

It’s a familiar story…
You line up perfectly. The countdown is spot on. The sail is drawing nicely. The horn goes—and you cross the line first.

Brilliant!

And then…

Within 100 metres, half the fleet sails serenely past you as if you’ve dropped anchor. You look around wondering if someone quietly put the kettle on and you missed the memo.

Sound familiar? It certainly does to me.

So what’s going wrong—and more importantly—how do we fix it?

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1. The Start Is Only the Beginning

Crossing first is satisfying—but it’s not the goal.

The real aim is to:

• Start at speed

• Start in clean air

• Start with a plan for the next 2–3 minutes

If you cross first but are pointing the wrong way, boxed in, or in dirty air—you’ve effectively handed the advantage straight back.

 Think of the start as setting up your first beat, not winning a prize.

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2. Protect Your Wind (Clean Air Wins Races)

The biggest killer after a good start? Dirty air.

If another boat gets just ahead and upwind of you, their sails:

• Disturb the wind

• Reduce your sail efficiency

• Slow you dramatically

 What to do:

• After the start, immediately look upwind

• If someone is rolling over you → tack away early

• Fight for clean air, not position

Sometimes the fastest move is to leave the crowd.

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3. Have a Plan (Don’t Just Sail Straight Ahead!)

On a river like the Thames, this is crucial.

Ask yourself before the start:

• Which side of the river is favoured?

• Where is the wind stronger?

• Are there bends, trees, or buildings affecting wind?

 Common mistake:

Starting perfectly… then sailing straight into a wind hole.

 Better approach:

• Pick a side early

• Commit to a strategy

• Be ready to tack quickly if conditions change

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 4. Trim and Balance: Small Gains, Big Losses

Right after the start is when it matters most:

• Are you fully powered up?

• Is the boat flat?

• Are sails trimmed correctly?

If not, others will simply sail past.

 Quick checklist:

• Boat flat (or slight heel to windward in light winds)

• Crew hiking if needed

• Jib and mainsail trimmed for close-hauled

• No flapping sails!

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 5. Accelerate—Don’t Just Exist

A classic issue (I’ve done this!):

• You cross the line… but at just enough speed

Meanwhile others:

• Bear away slightly

• Build speed

• Then come up to close-hauled

…and sail straight past.

 Try this:

• In the last few seconds → build speed first

• Accept being slightly below the line if needed

• Then harden up once moving fast

Speed beats pointing every time.

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 6. Think 2 Minutes Ahead

The best sailors aren’t reacting—they’re anticipating.

Right after the start:

• Where is the next shift?

• Who is about to roll over you?

• Where is the pressure (stronger wind)?

 Make decisions early:

• Tack before you’re forced to

• Move before you’re trapped

• Sail where the wind will be, not where it was

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 Final Thought (From Experience…)

There is a special kind of frustration in:

Winning the start… and losing the race in the first minute.

But the good news?
That means your starting skills are already strong.

Now it’s about:

• Awareness

• Positioning

• Decision-making

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Conclusion

Getting ahead in a race isn’t about the perfect start—it’s about what happens immediately after it.

Master these:

• Clean air

• Boat speed

• Tactical awareness

• Early decisions

…and instead of watching everyone sail past, you’ll be the one quietly disappearing into the distance.

 How to Get Ahead in a Sailing Race

Anyone who has watched a dinghy race from the bank of the River Thames might think the secret to winning is simple: sail faster than everyone else. If only it were that easy! In reality, getting ahead in a race often comes down to a collection of small decisions made well before the finish line comes into view.

As someone learning to sail later in life at the Upper Thames Sailing Club, I’ve discovered that racing is less about brute speed and more about positioning, awareness, and anticipation. The fastest boat doesn’t always win—but the sailor who thinks ahead usually does.

1. Win the Start (or at Least Don’t Lose It)

The start of a race is crucial. If you begin badly, you’ll spend the rest of the race fighting through wind shadows and disturbed water from the boats ahead.

A good start means:

• Crossing the start line at speed

• Crossing exactly as the starting signal goes

• Positioning yourself in clean wind

If you cross the line too early, you risk being called back. Too late, and you’re immediately chasing the fleet. The ideal situation is to reach the line on full speed just as the starting horn sounds.

On a narrow river like the Thames, this can feel like trying to park a car at speed in the last remaining space in a crowded car park!

2. Sail the Shortest Course

This sounds obvious, but in practice, it is easy to sail extra distance without realising it. Every unnecessary metre sailed is distance your competitors don’t have to cover.

Look ahead to the marks and ask yourself:

• Can I sail a straighter line?

• Am I tacking too often?

• Would a slightly longer tack give me cleaner wind?

Sometimes, sailing a slightly longer path in clear wind is actually faster than the shortest route stuck in dirty air behind another boat.

3. Keep Out of Dirty Air

When another boat is directly upwind of you, their sails disturb the wind. This is called dirty air, and it slows you down dramatically.

In a race, you constantly try to:

• Sail in clear wind

• Put other boats in your dirty air

On the river, this becomes even more tactical because the narrow waterway limits where boats can position themselves.

4. Watch the Wind

Wind rarely stays constant. Even on a calm-looking day, small gusts and shifts can make a big difference.

Good racers are constantly asking:

• Where is the next gust?

• Which side of the river has stronger wind?

• Is the wind shifting left or right?

Sailing into stronger winds first can give a significant advantage.

5. Think Several Moves Ahead

Racing is a bit like chess on water. The best sailors are already thinking about the next mark and the next manoeuvre long before they reach them.

Before every tack, gybe, or mark rounding, ask yourself:

• Where do I want to be in 30 seconds?

• What are the boats around me likely to do?

• How can I position myself for the next leg?

This is where experience really helps—but even beginners can start thinking this way.

6. Stay Calm When Things Go Wrong

And they will.

You might miss a gust, mistime a tack, or get stuck behind another boat. The key is not to panic. Many races are won simply because someone else makes a bigger mistake later on.

As one experienced sailor told me:

“The race isn’t over until you cross the finish line.”

Wise words.

Final Thoughts

Getting ahead in a sailing race is rarely about a single brilliant manoeuvre. Instead, it’s the result of many small good decisions:

• A well-timed start

• Sailing in clean wind

• Watching the gusts

• Thinking ahead

Put these together, and suddenly you find yourself not chasing the fleet—but leading it.

And that is a very satisfying place to be.

 Sailing on a River: Why It Can Be as Exciting as Sailing Anywhere Else

When many people think about sailing, their imagination immediately jumps to the open sea: wide horizons, ocean swells, and distant coastlines. But those of us who sail on rivers know a little secret — river sailing can be just as exciting, and sometimes even more challenging.

On a river like the Thames, you rarely sail in a straight line for very long. The river bends, the banks funnel the wind, and the surrounding trees and buildings play havoc with the airflow. One moment you have a perfect breeze; the next moment the wind disappears entirely, only to return from a slightly different direction. Learning to read these constantly changing wind patterns becomes a fascinating part of the sport.

The Art of the Short Tack

River sailors quickly become experts at tacking. On wide open water you might sail for minutes on a single tack, but on a narrow river you may tack every 20 or 30 seconds to keep moving in the right direction.

This constant manoeuvring keeps everyone busy. The helm must judge exactly when to tack, while the crew must handle the jib smoothly so the boat doesn’t lose speed. Get it wrong and you stop dead in the water — or worse, drift backwards with the current!

Wind Bends and Surprises

One of the most entertaining aspects of river sailing is the wind itself. Trees, houses, and riverbanks cause the wind to bend and swirl. Often the fastest route up the river is not the shortest one but the one that finds the strongest breeze.

Sometimes the wind shifts dramatically around a bend in the river. A boat that looked well ahead suddenly finds itself stalled, while another boat a few metres away catches a gust and surges forward. River racing often rewards sailors who keep their eyes open and are constantly adjusting their course.

Current Adds Another Dimension

Unlike many lakes, rivers also bring the added complication of current. The stream may be pushing you along or working against you depending on the direction of travel.

Experienced river sailors learn to use the current to their advantage. Close to the banks the water often moves more slowly, while the centre of the river may have a stronger flow. Choosing where to sail can make a surprising difference to your speed over the ground.

A Game of Chess on Water

River sailing often feels more like a game of chess than a straightforward race. You are constantly making decisions:

• Should I tack now or wait for the next gust?

• Should I hug the bank out of the current?

• Should I follow another boat that seems to have found better wind?

Every decision has consequences, and that’s what makes river sailing so addictive.

The Joy of Local Sailing

There is also something rather special about sailing close to home. On the Thames, for example, you are surrounded by beautiful countryside, wildlife, and historic villages. One minute you are racing hard upwind; the next you are quietly drifting past swans and willow trees.

For those learning to sail — as I am — river sailing provides a wonderful classroom. The constantly changing conditions teach boat handling, sail trim, and tactical thinking far faster than steady winds on open water.

So while ocean sailing may have the glamour, don’t underestimate the excitement of sailing on a river. It may be narrower, but the challenge is anything but small.

 

Why is Having a Burgee Important?

When learning to sail on a river like the Thames, one of the most useful bits of equipment on the boat is also one of the simplest — the burgee.

A burgee is a small flag or ribbon fixed near the top of the mast that shows the true wind direction. While it may look decorative, it is actually an essential sailing instrument.

Why a Burgee Matters

On open water the wind direction is often fairly consistent, but river sailing is very different. Trees, houses, river banks and bends in the river all disturb the wind. The wind may shift every few seconds.

Without a burgee you are often guessing where the wind is coming from.

With a burgee you can instantly see:

• The true direction of the wind

• When the wind shifts left or right

• Whether you are sailing too close to the wind

• The best moment to tack

For beginners especially, this simple visual cue makes steering the boat far easier.

Steering the Boat Correctly

When sailing upwind, the helm needs to keep the boat sailing as close to the wind as possible without stalling the sails.

The burgee helps you do this.

• If the burgee starts pointing towards you, you are steering too close to the wind and the sails may luff.

• If it streams straight back over the boat, you are on a good course.

• If it swings to one side, the wind has shifted and you may need to adjust your heading.

Experienced sailors constantly glance at the burgee while steering.

Spotting Wind Shifts on a River

On a narrow river course, wind shifts can make a huge difference.

A small shift in wind direction can suddenly make one side of the river faster than the other. Racing sailors watch the burgee carefully to decide when to tack.

Even when cruising, spotting these changes early makes sailing smoother and more efficient.

Cheap but Powerful

The beauty of a burgee is that it is simple and inexpensive.

Many sailors just tie:

• a short ribbon

• a strip of sailcloth

• or a small triangular flag

to the masthead.

Despite its simplicity, it gives the helm one of the most valuable pieces of information on the boat.

My Own Sailing Habit

On the Thames I find myself glancing at the burgee almost constantly. The wind bends around the trees and houses along the banks, and without it I would often be guessing.

Some sailors prefer to read the sails or the ripples on the water. But when learning — or when the wind is tricky — the burgee is the quickest way to see what the wind is really doing.

A small flag perhaps… but one that can make a big difference to your sailing.