The Sailing Season Ends — But the Boat Work Begins

The best winter maintenance list starts with the things that annoyed you last summer.

The rope that always caught at the wrong moment. The fitting you had to jiggle before it would move. The seat you repaired once already. The patch of varnish you kept looking at and thinking, “I really must do something about that.”

During the sailing season, these things compete with a much more attractive prospect: getting afloat.

When there is a race about to start, a decent breeze on the river or an opportunity to take the family sailing, maintenance can become something we promise to do later.

Then autumn arrives.

The days shorten, the river becomes less predictable, and lifting a wet boat cover loses some of its appeal. For many of us, this is when the sailing slows down and the boat work begins.

With three very different boats to look after — our A-Rater Champagne, the RS Toura and Whaly Coyote, our electric camera boat — I have plenty to think about.

The challenge is turning all those remembered annoyances into a sensible winter plan.

Start With an Honest Review of the Season

Before reaching for polish, tools or a catalogue of tempting upgrades, it is worth asking three questions:

• What worked well?

• What broke, wore out or became unreliable?

• What did we keep meaning to fix?

That first question matters just as much as the other two.

A piece of equipment that worked reliably all season may need routine care rather than replacement. A rope that felt comfortable, ran freely and did its job has already passed a useful test. There is little value in changing it simply because something more expensive exists.

Equally, something that repeatedly caused trouble deserves attention, even if it looks reasonably presentable on the trolley.

The most useful inspection combines what you can see ashore with what you remember happening afloat.

A block may turn when you flick it with a finger, yet have been reluctant under load. A cleat may look sound but have allowed a rope to slip. A seat repair may appear acceptable until someone puts their weight on it.

Ask the people who sailed with you, too.

On a three-person boat such as Champagne, the helm will not notice every awkward lead, uncomfortable working position or troublesome fitting experienced by the rest of the crew.

“What kept getting in your way?” can be a remarkably productive maintenance question.

Inspect Before You Hide the Evidence

There is a temptation to begin with a thorough wash and put everything away looking respectable.

Cleaning is useful, but first take photographs and record anything that might help explain a problem: chafe marks, the way a rope has been rubbing, an unusual stain or the exact position of a loose fitting.

Then clean the boat using methods suitable for its materials, let things dry, and inspect again.

Work in a consistent order:

1. Hull, deck and visible structural areas.

2. Rudder, centreboard and steering arrangements.

3. Mast, boom, standing rigging and attachment points.

4. Sheets, halyards, blocks and cleats.

5. Sails, stitching and reinforced corners.

6. Covers, trolley, trailer and storage supports.

7. Safety equipment and any electrical systems.

For each concern, write down its location and what you actually observed.

“Rigging needs attention” is easily postponed.

“Photograph and measure both shrouds; ask a rigger about suitable replacements” gives you a next step.

You do not need to diagnose every problem yourself. Sometimes the right entry is simply: “Cause uncertain — get advice before using or repairing.”

Champagne: Look Beyond the Beautiful Silhouette

An A-Rater attracts attention for all the right reasons. Tall rig, elegant hull and an extraordinary presence on the river.

Looking after one also means becoming very familiar with the less glamorous details.

With Champagne, the winter inspection needs to revisit the areas that have already demanded attention: the rudder cassette, jib luff arrangement, covers, hull damage and timber finish.

The important word is revisit.

A repair completed during the season should be checked to see how it has performed. Has movement returned? Is there fresh chafe? Has water found another route in? Has a small damaged area changed?

Steering deserves an early place on the list

Play in a rudder arrangement can become something you gradually accommodate without realising it.

You steer around it. You get used to the feel. It becomes part of the boat’s character.

That does not make it harmless.

For Champagne, the sensible approach is to check the cassette and its attachments, establish where any movement originates, and assess the effectiveness of previous work.

A steering problem belongs near the top of the list because it affects control of the boat.

Rigging needs more than a quick glance

Our long shrouds raise a practical question: what happens when the replacement you can readily find is shorter than the one already fitted?

This is where measuring properly and getting appropriate advice matters. Overall assembly length, wire specification, terminal type and adjustment range all need to be considered together.

A nominally similar length in a catalogue is not enough information to order confidently.

Whether making up a wire assembly yourself is appropriate depends on the specified fittings, tools and method. That deserves its own investigation with a competent rigger, rather than an improvised solution because something is nearly the right size.

Know when to bring in a professional

The whitish marks towards the front of Champagne are something we plan to have assessed and repaired by a professional boatbuilder.

That is an important part of winter maintenance: recognising the limits of your own diagnosis.

A discoloured finish, trapped moisture and a problem beneath the surface can require different responses. Making an area look better does not necessarily resolve the cause.

I enjoy working on boats, but there is considerable value in paying someone with the right experience to establish what actually needs doing.

The RS Toura: Tough Boats Still Need Attention

The RS Toura has a very different job in our sailing life.

It is a practical family boat, with a durable polyethylene hull. RS specifies its construction as Comptec PE3 polyethylene, which also means hull work needs an approach appropriate to that material.

For our Toura, one item is particularly familiar: the seat needs attention again.

A repeat repair should prompt a better question than, “What shall I stick it back with this time?”

Why did the previous repair fail?

Was the original cause still present? Was the repair method suitable? Is there movement or loading that we have not properly accounted for?

Repeated failure is useful evidence. It suggests the job needs reassessing before repeating the same process.

Follow the whole system

The Toura inspection should also follow each control through its working route.

Take the mainsheet as an example. Look at the rope, its lead, the blocks, their attachments and the cleat. Replacing one worn component may achieve little if another part of the system caused the wear.

The same approach applies to the jib furler, reefing arrangements, spinnaker handling and lifting foils.

Think back to using them afloat:

• Did the centreboard move as expected?

• Did the rudder lift and secure reliably?

• Were reefing arrangements straightforward?

• Did sheets run freely?

• Was anything awkward enough that we avoided using it?

That last question is revealing. Equipment that is inconvenient often gets worked around, leaving the original problem unresolved.

Whaly Coyote: Electric Does Not Mean Maintenance-Free

Whaly Coyote has a different purpose again: providing a platform for filming and photography on the water.

Its ePropulsion Navy 3.0 and E60 battery make the electrical installation an important part of the inspection.

There may be no petrol engine to service, but there are still a motor, propeller, mounting arrangements, cables, connectors, controls and a substantial battery to look after.

Check for visible damage, loose supports, cable chafe and signs of moisture around connections. Isolate the system in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions before maintenance.

For winter storage, use the instructions for the particular motor and battery fitted. ePropulsion’s E-Series guidance calls for protecting connectors and monitoring battery charge during storage; the correct manual should determine the detailed routine.

“Put it away and forget about it until spring” is not much of a maintenance plan.

Camera equipment belongs on the boat list

For a camera boat, the inspection should include the things that keep the filming equipment secure and usable:

• Mounts, clamps and fixing points.

• Independent camera tethers.

• Cable routes and possible snagging points.

• Dry storage.

• Access to controls without obstructing movement.

Having already lost a camera, I have a particular interest in secure mounts and independent tethers.

A useful winter improvement might be a better camera position or a more convenient storage arrangement. It should also make working aboard easier and keep essential access clear.

Turn the Findings Into Three Lists

A long list of jobs can feel impressive while being surprisingly difficult to act on.

I prefer three straightforward categories.

Category	What belongs here?	Example
Essential repairs	Problems affecting safety, control, structural integrity or dependable operation; defects that may worsen in storage	Unresolved steering movement, damaged rigging or a leaking cover allowing further deterioration
Useful improvements	Changes that solve a recurring difficulty or make the boat easier to use	Better rope storage, clearer control labels or a more practical camera mount
Things that can wait	Cosmetic work and optional additions with no immediate consequence from postponement	Minor superficial marks or an extra camera angle

These categories require judgement.

A mark on a hull may be superficial, or it may need investigation. A damaged cover may seem less important than a sailing fitting, yet allow water to undo months of careful work.

Classify the consequence of the problem, rather than judging how dramatic it looks.

If you do not know the consequence, assessment becomes the first job.

Useful Improvements Should Solve a Named Problem

Winter is a dangerous season for browsing chandlery websites.

A new rope, clever fitting or additional gadget can quickly become something the boat apparently needs.

Before buying it, finish this sentence:

“This will improve our sailing because…”

For example:

“This rope bag will keep loose sheets out of the crew’s working area.”

“This revised camera mount will let us adjust the view without reaching awkwardly.”

“This replacement block will address the control that repeatedly jammed.”

Those are useful reasons.

It is also worth asking whether an existing part could work better after cleaning, adjustment or a corrected lead.

A particularly useful exercise aboard Champagne would be to walk through a tack or mark rounding ashore. Each person takes their usual position and explains what they need to reach, move or release.

Some improvements become obvious when you look at the boat as a working space.

Write Jobs You Can Actually Complete

“Sort out the boat” is a burden.

“Remove the suspect block, photograph its markings and identify a replacement” is a task.

For each significant job, record:

• The observation: what you saw or experienced.

• The next action: inspect, measure, obtain advice, repair or replace.

• Who will do it: you, another crew member or a specialist.

• What is needed: parts, information, workspace or suitable weather.

• The deadline: before storage, during winter or before launching.

• The check afterwards: how you will confirm the work has succeeded.

For example:

Observation: Seat repair on the Toura needs attention again.
Next action: Examine the failure and obtain advice on a suitable repair method.
Deadline: Before the next sailing session.
Check afterwards: Confirm that the seat and its attachments are secure before use.

This approach also helps with budgeting. Obtain quotations for the essential work before spending the available money on optional upgrades.

Do the Jobs in a Sensible Order

Some work becomes urgent as soon as the season ends.

Wet sails need appropriate drying and storage. A failing cover needs attention before it admits more water. A boat needs suitable support before being left ashore for months.

Other jobs need planning rather than immediate action.

Sailmakers, riggers and boatbuilders need time, so contact them early. Weather-dependent finishing work may need to wait for suitable conditions. Follow the relevant product instructions for preparation, temperature and curing.

Allow time for reassembly and checking, too.

A repair is not complete merely because the tools have been put away. Controls need to run correctly, fastenings need checking, and repaired systems need an appropriate test before normal use.

Where the boat is safe and conditions allow, a calm shakedown session can reveal things that an inspection ashore cannot.

Keep a Record — Including What Worked

Photographs and a simple notebook can save a great deal of uncertainty next winter.

Record what was repaired, which materials or parts were used, and how the work performed afterwards. Keep measurements and useful part references.

Also record the successes.

Which rope lasted well? Which cover arrangement kept water out? Which small change made launching easier?

Maintenance becomes more effective when you can learn from it, just as sailing does.

With three boats, that record is especially valuable. Otherwise, it becomes remarkably easy to remember that something was replaced while forgetting which boat received it.

Winter Work Is Part of Next Season’s Sailing

There is satisfaction in arriving at the club on a bright spring morning, uncovering the boat and finding that everything is ready.

The steering feels right. The controls run freely. The seat is secure. The camera mount holds firm. The little problem that irritated everyone last year has finally disappeared.

That morning begins with the decisions we make now.

For Champagne, the Toura and Whaly Coyote, the aim is to understand what the season has taught us and turn it into manageable work.

Some jobs need immediate attention. Some deserve a place in the winter budget. Others can wait quite happily.

Your first winter maintenance task: write down the three things that annoyed you most last season. For each one, decide whether it needs an essential repair, a useful improvement or a place on the “can wait” list.

The sailing season may be slowing down, but the work towards a better one has already begun.

 

From Finishing Your First Race to Racing Better — How Do You Keep Improving?

The most useful part of today’s race may happen after you cross the finish line.

You have finished.

Perhaps you are delighted. Perhaps you are disappointed. Perhaps you are mainly relieved that the boat, the crew and the race marks are all approximately where they ought to be.

Back ashore, someone asks the inevitable question:

“How did you get on?”

“Sixth.”

That tells them your finishing position. It tells them remarkably little about your sailing.

Did you make a good start? Were you keeping pace with boats that normally disappear into the distance? Did a difficult tack finally come together? Did you recognise a wind shift and act on it?

You might have finished sixth and sailed your best race yet.

You might have finished third and repeated several mistakes that a stronger fleet would have punished.

The result matters. Understanding how you produced it is what helps you improve.

As we reach the end of this Learning to Race series, that is the final skill to develop: learning how to learn from a race.

Finishing Your First Race Is Already an Achievement

Before we start analysing lost seconds, let us recognise something important.

Entering your first race takes courage.

You have to understand the course, negotiate a start, remember which way to round the marks, manage the boat and share the water with people who appear to have been born knowing where the next gust will arrive.

Completing that race is progress.

The next stage does not require you to become an expert overnight. It requires you to notice what happened and choose something useful to work on.

There is a considerable difference between saying:

“I am no good at racing.”

And saying:

“We lost speed coming out of our tacks. That is something we can practise.”

The first statement closes a door. The second gives you a job for next weekend.

Start With What Went Well

A post-race conversation can easily become a catalogue of mistakes.

The start was late. The tack was slow. The wrong bank was chosen. Someone’s foot was apparently occupying a space urgently required by someone else’s knee.

By the end, everyone wonders why they came.

Begin with something worth repeating.

Perhaps the crew stayed calm during a crowded approach. Perhaps you sailed through a lull without making unnecessary adjustments. Perhaps an early call gave everyone time to prepare for a gybe.

Ask:

“What did we do today that we want to do again?”

Make the answer specific.

“Good teamwork” is encouraging.

“Calling the tack early meant everyone was ready, and we accelerated together afterwards” explains what made the teamwork effective.

The RYA’s guidance on feedback emphasises helping sailors understand their own performance and develop the ability to learn for themselves. That is a useful aim for any club-racing debrief.

Review the Race While You Still Remember It

Once the boat is secure and everyone has had a chance to settle, spend five or ten minutes talking.

You do not need a formal meeting. You certainly do not need a presentation entitled A Comprehensive Review of Why We Came Seventh.

Three questions provide a useful starting point:

1. What went well?

2. Where did we lose the most ground, and what might explain it?

3. What one thing will we try next time?

Give everyone a chance to answer.

The helm may remember being unable to turn. The jib crew may remember waiting for a call. The mid-hand may remember dealing with a snagged rope.

Those are different views of the same incident. Together, they may explain it.

If you are racing single-handed, make a short voice note or write a few lines before the details disappear into the journey home.

Find the Cause Behind the Lost Position

“We lost two places at the leeward mark.”

Useful observation. Incomplete explanation.

Did you arrive too fast behind slower boats? Was the rounding wider than intended? Were the sails still being adjusted as you began the beat? Had you failed to decide where to go afterwards?

The visible loss may happen at the mark. Its cause may begin several boat lengths earlier.

Use the main parts of the race to organise your thinking:

Area	Useful question
Start	Did we cross with speed, space and a workable route away?
Boat speed	Could we hold pace with similar boats in comparable conditions?
Manoeuvres	How much speed did we lose, and how well did we accelerate afterwards?
Tactics	Did our decisions around other boats protect our progress?
Strategy	Did our overall route make sense given the wind and current?
Preparation	Were equipment, roles and course knowledge ready before racing?

You do not need to investigate every category after every race.

Look for the problem that repeatedly costs you ground.

A poor start can look like poor boat speed

Suppose you spend the first beat struggling behind another boat.

You return ashore convinced that your sails need adjusting.

But perhaps you began in disturbed air and never found a clear lane. Before changing the boat’s settings, ask whether you gave those settings a fair test.

A tactical problem can begin with a slow tack

Suppose another boat repeatedly crosses ahead after you tack.

Perhaps you chose the wrong moment.

But perhaps you chose a reasonable moment and then lost too much speed through the manoeuvre.

Practising the tack may help more than studying another page of tactical diagrams.

Separate What Happened From What You Think Happened

Sailors are wonderfully inventive when explaining results.

“The wind always fills in on that bank.”

“They must have had less current.”

“We would have caught them if that gust had lasted.”

Perhaps.

A useful review separates observation from interpretation.

Observation: The other boat gained while sailing nearer the bank.

Possible explanation: It experienced less adverse current.

Other possibilities: It found stronger wind, sailed a better angle or maintained better speed.

Next step: Watch that stretch more carefully on another lap and compare boats in similar conditions.

This matters particularly on a river. Trees, bends, buildings, current and other boats can produce several effects at once.

One successful trip along a bank does not establish a universal law of Thames sailing.

It gives you something worth investigating.

Judge the Decision Using What You Knew at the Time

A sensible decision can produce a disappointing result.

You choose a route because it has visible pressure and has worked on previous laps. Then the wind changes and the other side gains.

That does not automatically make your decision foolish.

Equally, an optimistic gamble can succeed without becoming a reliable strategy.

Ask:

• What information did we have?

• What did we expect to happen?

• Was there evidence we overlooked?

• Would we make the same choice again with the same information?

This helps you learn without pretending that every gust was predictable.

It also prevents the most confident person in the clubhouse from becoming an expert entirely through hindsight.

Change One Thing at a Time

After a difficult race, the temptation is to change everything.

More jib tension. Less mainsheet. Different crew positions. Earlier tacks. Later tacks. A completely different starting plan.

If the next race goes better, which change helped?

You may have no idea.

Choose one main focus.

For example:

Problem: The boat is slow after tacking.

Possible cause: The jib is being pulled into its final position before the boat has accelerated.

Practice: Work on the timing of the jib trim through several tacks in open water.

Evidence to watch: Does the boat regain its normal pace more consistently, with less corrective steering?

Normal sailing adjustments still continue. You must respond to changing conditions. The point is to keep your deliberate experiment clear enough to learn from it.

As a chemistry teacher, I find this approach rather familiar.

Observe. Suggest an explanation. Change something deliberately. Look at the result.

The river makes a less obedient laboratory than my classroom, but the habit of thinking is much the same.

Turn “Sail Better” Into Something You Can Practise

“Sail better next week” is an ambition.

“Agree the next leg before reaching the mark” is an action.

Useful practice targets include:

• Be afloat early enough to check the start area.

• Make a preparation call before each tack.

• Look beyond the next mark before beginning the rounding.

• Establish clear air after the start when a safe opportunity appears.

• Practise accelerating after a manoeuvre.

Choose a target that you can recognise afterwards.

You may finish in the same position and still have achieved it.

A crew that completes six organised tacks instead of six hurried ones has improved, even if a stronger fleet disguises that progress on the results sheet.

Keep a Small Racing Notebook

You do not need an elaborate spreadsheet.

A notebook, phone note or short voice recording is enough.

Record:

Conditions: Light, shifting wind; noticeable adverse current upstream.

What worked: Early calls made the tacks calmer.

Main loss: Two wide leeward-mark roundings.

Possible cause: We began preparing too late.

Next focus: Agree the rounding plan earlier and allocate jobs before the turn.

These are illustrative notes, but the format is deliberately simple.

After several weeks, look for patterns.

Perhaps your starts are usually reasonable, but your first minute is weak. Perhaps the boat feels slow only when the crew are unfamiliar with their roles. Perhaps the same control becomes difficult to adjust every time you need it.

Recurring evidence helps you choose worthwhile practice.

Use Video to Answer a Question

Onboard video can be useful, particularly when your memory of a beautifully executed tack differs slightly from the camera’s account.

Watch a short section with a purpose.

For a tack, look at preparation, crew movement, sail handling and the exit.

For a mark rounding, look at the approach, the turn and the route away.

Ask one question:

“What happened before the speed disappeared?”

That is more useful than watching an entire recording while announcing that everything needs improvement.

GPS tracks can help too, but remember what they show: movement over the ground. On a river, current affects that movement. A slower recorded speed does not, by itself, prove poorer sailing.

Make the Debrief Safe for the Crew

People learn more readily when they can admit what confused them.

“What did you need from me before that tack?” invites a useful answer.

“Why were you not ready?” may invite a defensive one.

Keep the discussion about actions, timing and information.

Perhaps the helm called too late. Perhaps the crew could not hear. Perhaps a job that looked simple from one position was impossible from another.

Agree what you will do differently together.

A debrief should leave people clearer about the next race and willing to come back for it.

That matters especially when introducing someone to racing. Their willingness to sail again may be more valuable than a small improvement in today’s result.

What Champagne Is Teaching Me

Aboard Champagne, the learning is part of the attraction.

There is the boat herself: the sail handling, the balance, the timing and the coordination between three people.

Then there is the river, which can change the examination question halfway through your answer.

Our early Bourne End to Marlow race provided a particularly useful lesson. We had rigged and launched Champagne ourselves, which already felt like progress. During the race, advice from an experienced Rater sailor prompted an adjustment to the jib tension, and the boat responded better. It gave me something concrete to connect with sail shape and handling. It was a lesson for those conditions, rather than a setting to copy blindly every time.

That is the sort of experience I want to build on.

What changed? What did the boat do? Can I recognise that situation again?

There is plenty of room for humour too. Our first win with Champagne came when we were the only A-Rater to start. We still had to complete the course, cope with very light wind and give a new crew member an experience he wanted to repeat. The result made a good story; the day also gave us useful practice.

I am still learning.

Every race provides another experiment, another observation and another lesson. Some lessons become obvious immediately. Others require a conversation ashore, a look at the video or another attempt next weekend.

The End of the Series — and a Reason to Go Racing Again

Across this series, we have explored starts, wind shifts, current, clear air, crossing boats, covering and mark roundings.

You cannot consciously perfect all of them in one afternoon.

You can notice one thing more clearly.

You can prepare one manoeuvre earlier.

You can ask one better question afterwards.

For your next race, try this: choose one focus before launching, notice what happens on the water, and leave the debrief with one action for next time.

Then go sailing again.

That is how finishing your first race gradually becomes racing better.

And aboard Champagne, that is how I intend to keep learning: enjoying the boat, listening to the crew, observing the river and occasionally discovering that the most important lesson began several minutes before I realised there was a problem.

The finish line gives you a result. What you do afterwards helps shape the next one.

Follow Champagne’s continuing adventures and explore the Learning to Race series at pmrsailing.uk.

Return to sailing website https://pmrsailing.uk/Lessons.html

 

Racing an A-Rater — When Everything Happens Faster

Learning to Race — From First Start to Better Results

In a fast boat, the tactical decision may be the same — you simply have much less time to make it.

A gust moves across the Thames. Another boat is approaching on starboard. The riverbank is getting closer, and the next mark is already demanding attention.

Aboard Champagne, these are connected problems. Where we sail now determines whether we can cross the other boat, whether the crew has time to prepare a tack and whether we reach the mark with useful options.

That is what makes racing an A-Rater so absorbing.

The fundamentals remain familiar: find clear air, respond to the wind, understand the current and sail efficiently towards the next mark. But a powerful rig, a three-person crew and the confined space of a river make anticipation particularly valuable.

Champagne brings together everything this racing series has explored. The question becomes whether we can apply those lessons early enough, together enough and smoothly enough to turn potential speed into progress.

A Boat That Makes You Look Up

An A-Rater is an extraordinary sight on the Thames: a long, low hull beneath a towering rig.

Upper Thames Sailing Club describes typical boats as approximately 26 feet long, with masts around 43 feet tall. Its class information gives newer boats a sail area of around 350 square feet — approximately 32.5 square metres — and identifies the three-person crew as a defining feature. Those are class descriptions rather than individual measurements of Champagne.

The visual impression tells you something important about the sailing.

There is considerable power available, but using it well requires coordination. Sail trim, steering and crew movement all influence whether that power becomes forward motion or an awkward struggle.

For me, part of Champagne’s appeal is this combination of elegance and involvement. She is a boat that invites you to understand what is happening, rather than simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

“Everything Happens Faster” Really Means Less Thinking Time

An A-Rater does not race at one constant, spectacular speed. In light river winds, patience and delicate handling can matter more than anything else.

But when the breeze arrives, a familiar stretch of water can suddenly feel much smaller.

Consider a simple illustration:

Time available = distance remaining / speed towards the limit

Suppose there are 40 metres left before the point where you intend to turn:

• At 2 metres per second, you have 20 seconds.

• At 4 metres per second, you have 10 seconds.

These are illustrative figures, not recorded speeds for Champagne. They show why a decision that felt comfortably distant can become urgent.

And those seconds must accommodate more than a helm movement. The crew needs to hear the plan, check the space, prepare the sheets, move appropriately and complete the manoeuvre.

The faster the situation develops, the earlier preparation must begin.

Waiting until the boat reaches the turning point leaves the preparation unfinished.

Three People Must Build One Shared Picture

Three people aboard do not automatically produce three times the awareness.

If everyone watches the same telltale, another boat may approach unnoticed. If everyone offers a different instruction, useful information becomes noise.

Before racing Champagne, a valuable conversation is:

Who is watching what, and who is doing what?

A possible division is:

Responsibility	Main focus
Helm	Steering, immediate boat control and committing to manoeuvres
Sail-handling crew	Allocated sheets and controls, trim and preparation for manoeuvres
Crew member with an agreed lookout role	Approaching boats, gusts, marks and useful tactical information

These responsibilities overlap. The lookout role does not remove anyone else’s responsibility to remain aware, and the exact arrangement must suit Champagne’s fittings and the people aboard.

The essential point is ownership.

Who checks that a sheet will run freely? Who looks behind before a manoeuvre? Who calls the approaching gust? Who confirms that the crew is ready?

Unspoken assumptions become expensive when time is short.

Use Calls That Help Someone Act

Compare:

“There’s a boat!”

with:

“Starboard boat approaching — likely to meet us before the mark.”

The second call helps the helm make a decision.

Likewise, “Gust coming” becomes more useful when it includes direction and urgency:

“Gust from ahead, reaching us shortly.”

A simple manoeuvre sequence might be:

“Prepare to tack.”

“Ready.”

“Tacking.”

Agree the words beforehand. A readiness check should mean that the people and equipment are actually prepared.

For Champagne, I want communication to create a calmer boat. The aim is to make the important words arrive while they can still change the outcome.

The Big Rig Rewards Preparation

A large sail plan makes gust awareness particularly important.

A stronger patch of wind can increase heel, load the helm and change the boat’s balance. If the response comes late, the crew may end up correcting several problems together.

An earlier response gives more choices.

That might involve preparing to ease the appropriate sheet, adjusting trim or moving crew weight according to the conditions and the agreed handling plan. The precise response depends on wind strength, point of sailing and how Champagne is behaving.

The principle is straightforward:

Use the gust as information before it becomes a surprise.

A Practical Example: Pressure Near the Bank

Imagine Champagne approaching the edge of the usable sailing area when a stronger gust appears ahead.

An immediate reaction might be to keep driving towards the bank because the extra speed feels useful.

But ask what happens next:

• Is there room to tack?

• Is another boat occupying the exit?

• Is the crew ready?

• Will the gust reach us during the turn?

A slightly earlier tack may produce a better result than arriving quickly at a position with no comfortable escape.

Speed is valuable when we retain control of where it takes us.

The River Makes the Decision More Complicated

On open water, an extra few boat lengths may leave plenty of room for recovery. On the Thames, those lengths can put you close to a bank, beneath trees or into another boat’s wind shadow.

The route that looks attractive for one reason may be poor for another.

Sheltered water near the bank might offer less adverse current but weaker wind. More open water might provide better pressure while exposing the boat to stronger flow.

Aboard Champagne, the useful question is:

Where will we make the best progress over the next section of the river?

That requires looking beyond the nearest inviting patch of water.

For example, a route towards stronger pressure may be worthwhile if it also leaves space for the next tack. The same route may become unattractive if it leads into a crowded mark approach.

This is where the earlier lessons on current, clear air and fleet positioning come together. Each decision changes the choices available afterwards.

Closing Speeds Can Be Deceptive

When boats converge, the available time depends on how their paths are closing.

In the simple case of two boats heading directly towards one another, their closing speed is the sum of their speeds along that line.

If each is travelling at 3 metres per second, the gap closes at 6 metres per second. A separation of 60 metres disappears in 10 seconds if both maintain their courses and speeds.

Real crossings involve angles, changing speeds and changing wind. That makes early observation more valuable, not less.

Aboard Champagne, an approaching boat should trigger an early assessment:

Can we cross with a clear margin? Should we tack? Would an early duck preserve more speed and better options?

The decision should include where each choice leaves us afterwards. A duck that leads towards clear air can be better than a hurried tack into disturbed wind.

Racing decisions must also respect the applicable right-of-way, room and contact-avoidance obligations. The current World Sailing rules are the 2025–2028 edition; the race’s sailing instructions and relevant local requirements also need checking.

A manoeuvre should be chosen because it can be completed properly, with an adequate margin.

A Clean Tack Is a Team Achievement

A tack can lose ground through much more than slow steering.

A sheet catches. Someone moves late. The jib is trimmed hard before the boat has accelerated. The helm tries to point high while speed is still low.

Individually, these may seem small. Together, they can leave Champagne struggling to regain her rhythm while a rival sails away.

A useful sequence is:

1. Choose the space. Check traffic and the course available after the tack.

2. Prepare the crew and equipment. Make sure the required sheets and controls are ready.

3. Confirm readiness. Allow time for a real response.

4. Turn smoothly. Coordinate steering, sail handling and movement.

5. Rebuild speed. Let the boat accelerate before demanding her best upwind angle.

The exact technique needs practice aboard Champagne. The larger lesson applies widely:

The manoeuvre includes the approach and the acceleration afterwards.

This connects directly with the previous article on the leeward mark. A rounding is successful when the boat emerges ready to sail the next leg effectively.

Performance Amplifies Both Good and Bad Decisions

A powerful boat can make a good decision feel wonderfully rewarding.

Reach a gust with speed, complete a clean tack into clear air or leave a mark with the crew already organised, and the benefit can build quickly.

The reverse can happen too.

A rushed tack reduces speed. Reduced speed makes steering less effective. The helm uses more rudder. Extra drag slows the boat further. A nearby rival then leaves us in disturbed air.

The original mistake may have been small, but it starts a chain.

However, the cost of an error is not always greater simply because the boat is faster. What matters is the combination of speed, handling demands and available space. On a narrow river, that combination can make a late decision particularly costly.

My aim with Champagne is to recognise these chains earlier: preserve balance, maintain useful speed and avoid turning one untidy moment into three more.

Read the Tall Rig Without Ignoring the Water

Wind on the Thames is shaped by trees, buildings, bends and gaps.

Ripples on the water are useful clues, but they do not describe every part of the airflow reaching a tall rig. Wind direction and strength can vary with height, and disturbed air can make the picture complicated.

The crew therefore needs to combine observations:

• Water texture ahead.

• Telltales and sail shape.

• Changes in heel and helm load.

• What nearby boats are experiencing.

• What happens when boats pass a familiar gap or obstruction.

For Champagne, local knowledge becomes most useful when it helps us predict the next change.

“The wind often fills in beyond that gap” is valuable. Treating that expectation as a certainty is much less useful.

Look, predict, then check what actually happens.

Practise the Moments That Decide the Race

More racing gives experience. Focused practice helps turn that experience into repeatable skills.

For Champagne, I would build short sessions around three exercises.

1. Prepare Earlier

Practise tacks in clear water with enough space to separate preparation from execution.

Notice whether earlier calls produce smoother handling. After each attempt, discuss one improvement.

2. Give Someone the View Ahead

For a short practice leg, assign one crew member to make concise calls about pressure, traffic and the next mark.

The aim is useful information that reaches the helm in time.

3. Rehearse the Exit

Practise approaching a mark, preparing the sails and controls, rounding and accelerating onto the new course.

Judge the exercise several boat lengths after the mark. That is where the quality of the preparation becomes clear.

A securely mounted camera can help with the debrief. It may reveal a late call or a caught sheet that nobody noticed while concentrating on the race.

What Champagne Can Teach Us

For me, Champagne represents a particularly rewarding stage in learning to race.

She brings the theory into sharp focus. Clear air becomes something we must actively preserve. Crew coordination becomes something we can feel in the quality of a tack. Anticipation becomes the difference between choosing a manoeuvre and being forced into one.

The most useful question after a race may be:

What could we have noticed five seconds earlier?

That question gives us something practical to improve next time.

Fast Sailing Begins Before the Boat Accelerates

Racing an A-Rater rewards awareness, preparation and trust between the people aboard.

The big rig makes Champagne striking to watch. The real satisfaction comes when the crew makes good use of it: a timely call, a smooth manoeuvre, a clear exit and the boat accelerating into open water.

The lessons from this series still apply. Find pressure. Protect clear air. Understand the current. Plan the next leg. Give yourself choices.

Aboard Champagne, those lessons become a shared task.

The boat may move faster, but the best decisions begin earlier.

Follow Champagne’s progress and explore the Learning to Race series at pmrsailing.uk.

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The Leeward Mark — Plan the Exit Before You Arrive

A mark rounding doesn't finish at the mark — it finishes when the boat is accelerating away from it.

You have sailed a good downwind leg. You have found some stronger breeze, stayed out of the worst wind shadows and closed the gap on the boats ahead.

Now comes the leeward mark.

Several boats converge. Someone begins turning. Another slows unexpectedly. Sheets need bringing in, controls need adjusting and the crew suddenly seem to need three hands each.

A few seconds later, the buoy is behind you.

Unfortunately, so are your speed and your opportunity to escape into clear air.

The leeward mark brings together almost everything we have explored in this racing series: positioning, anticipation, rules awareness, boat handling and teamwork. The challenge is to turn all those decisions into a smooth transition from sailing downwind to sailing upwind.

The objective is to leave the mark ready to race the next leg.

1. Start With the Water Beyond the Buoy

It is easy to become so focused on reaching the mark that you forget to look beyond it.

Before arriving, ask:

• Which way does the next leg go?

• Which tack would I prefer after rounding?

• Where are the boats ahead likely to sail?

• Where will I find clear air?

• How will the current affect the approach and exit?

You may want to continue on the rounding tack towards stronger pressure. Alternatively, the next beat may favour an early tack towards a different part of the river.

That decision affects your preparation.

If you expect to tack soon after rounding, the crew need to know. Sheets must be ready, everyone must understand the sequence and there must be sufficient speed and space to complete the manoeuvre.

“Round first and decide afterwards” can leave you following another boat into precisely the patch of disturbed air you wanted to avoid.

Choose a preferred exit early, then keep checking whether it remains available.

2. Inside Position: Valuable When You Establish It Properly

An inside position can be a considerable advantage at a leeward mark. It may let you sail a shorter rounding and emerge in a stronger position for the next beat.

However, being nearest the buoy at the last moment does not automatically entitle you to space.

For an ordinary fleet-racing leeward rounding where rule 18 applies, the relationship when the first of two boats reaches the zone is crucial. The zone extends three hull lengths of the nearer boat. If the boats are overlapped then, the outside boat must give the inside boat mark-room. If they are not overlapped, the boat that has not yet reached the zone must give the other boat mark-room. A late inside overlap does not automatically reverse that obligation. Mark-room is also distinct from right of way; other obligations, including avoiding contact, still matter. This is a practical summary, rather than every exception in rule 18.

The tactical lesson is straightforward:

Work for your position before the rounding becomes crowded.

Suppose two boats are approaching together and you can establish a legitimate inside overlap early. That may be worth pursuing.

But if you are clearly behind as the leading boat reaches the zone, trying to force your bow into a disappearing gap can turn a manageable rounding into an incident.

Sometimes the better decision is to follow closely, round cleanly and attack on the next beat.

3. Control Your Arrival When the Traffic Slows

A leeward mark often behaves like a narrowing road.

Boats approach from different angles, but all need to pass through a relatively small area. The leading boats turn and change speed. Those behind continue arriving.

The danger is watching only the boat immediately ahead.

Look further forward. Is the first boat struggling to complete its rounding? Are two boats coming round together? Is a crew still sorting out its sails?

If the queue is slowing, recognise it early.

Where space and your obligations allow, ease the sails to reduce drive before you reach the congestion. Leave enough separation to steer and retain control. Avoid making an abrupt course change into another boat’s path.

There is a useful distinction between:

• Choosing to arrive a little later, with room to make a controlled turn.

• Arriving at full speed and being forced almost to stop, with nowhere useful to go.

Imagine the boat ahead rounds wide and then slows. Following directly into its stern gives you little choice. Managing the gap earlier may allow you to follow through on a better line.

Deliberately slowing is not always a loss. Sometimes it protects the speed you need afterwards.

4. Prepare the Boat Before the Turn

The buoy should trigger the manoeuvre, not the discovery that nothing is ready.

Before the final approach:

• Check that the working sheets can run freely.

• Prepare the centreboard for the beat, as appropriate to the boat and depth.

• Set the upwind controls that can sensibly be adjusted early.

• Agree who will handle each task.

• Confirm whether a gybe is needed before the rounding.

• Check the route through the traffic.

In a spinnaker boat, the drop needs its own plan. Leave it too late and the sail can dictate the rounding rather than the helm.

For this discussion aboard Champagne, the useful focus is the coordination of the mainsail, jib, controls, crew movement and steering.

Not every adjustment needs to be perfect before the bow turns. Some controls can be refined once the boat is moving away. The priority is to complete the tasks that would otherwise prevent a clean rounding.

Prepare early enough that the helm can keep looking outside the boat.

5. “Wide In, Tight Out” Needs Room and Judgement

You will often hear the advice:

“Wide in, tight out.”

The idea is to allow room for a smooth turn, then finish close enough to the mark that you do not leave a large opening on the exit.

This is different from sailing directly at the buoy and trying to pivot around it.

A sudden turn can create excessive rudder drag, heel and loss of speed. The boat may slide sideways and finish farther from the mark than intended.

When sailing alone, with adequate room, a slightly wider entry can help you turn progressively and emerge on the intended upwind course.

In a crowd, your available space may be much smaller. A preferred tactical arc is not automatically space that another boat must give you. Mark-room does not necessarily include room for your ideal racing rounding.

The aim is therefore:

Make the smoothest effective turn that the space, conditions and rules allow.

“Tight out” should mean a controlled exit with a sensible clearance, rather than trying to brush the buoy.

6. Bring the Sails In With the Turn

A leeward rounding is a continuous change in sailing angle.

As the boat heads towards the wind, the sails need to come in progressively. Steering and trimming should work together.

If you sheet in too early, the sails may create unnecessary heel and resistance while the boat is still sailing downwind.

If you sheet in too late, the bow turns towards the beat while the sails remain too far out to drive effectively.

A useful sequence is:

1. Begin the planned turn.

2. Bring the sheets in as the sailing angle changes.

3. Move crew weight smoothly to maintain balance.

4. Settle onto a course that allows the boat to accelerate.

5. Refine pointing and final trim as speed builds.

Avoid immediately demanding maximum pointing from a boat that has lost speed.

In light air especially, sailing slightly freer for a short period can help restore flow over the foils and build momentum. Then you can bring the boat towards its effective upwind angle.

Speed first, then height — adjusted to the traffic and space available.

7. Aboard Champagne: Agree the Sequence

My aim aboard Champagne is to make the rounding something the crew prepare together, rather than a turn followed by a rush to catch up.

A useful practice briefing might sound like this:

Before the approach:
“Mark to port. We want to continue on this tack after rounding.”

As the traffic becomes clearer:
“Boat ahead is slowing. Keep a gap.”

Before the turn:
“Ready to bring the jib in? Controls ready?”

During the rounding:
“Turning now. Bring it in steadily.”

On the exit:
“Build speed. Boat ahead to windward. Keep looking for clear air.”

These are suggested calls for practice, rather than a report of a particular race. Their value is that each gives information someone can act upon.

Crew members should also report what they see:

“Sheet clear.”

“Boat approaching outside.”

“Ready.”

The best coordination does not require a continuous commentary. It requires the right information before the next decision.

For me, that is one of the attractions of learning to race Champagne: improving the result means improving how we sail together.

8. On the Thames, Allow for the Current

A rounding takes place relative to an anchored mark, but the boat is sailing through moving water.

That distinction becomes particularly noticeable when speed through the water falls.

If the current is carrying you towards the buoy, the final gap can close more quickly than expected. If it carries you sideways, your track may drift away from the exit you intended.

The direction of the bow alone will not tell you whether the rounding is working.

Watch how the mark moves relative to the boat. Look at your actual progress past it. Leave an allowance for drift, especially during the slowest part of the turn.

Avoid treating every leeward mark on the river as the same manoeuvre. The approach that worked in weak flow may need changing when the current strengthens.

9. Clear Air Makes the Exit Worthwhile

A neat rounding can still produce a poor result if it leaves you directly behind another boat.

The boat ahead may be disturbing the wind you need to accelerate. Your first few lengths of the beat then become a struggle to recover speed while following its course.

Look for a usable lane before you arrive.

Sometimes you can create separation through a better rounding. Sometimes continuing briefly will open space. Sometimes a tack is the sensible escape, once you have the speed, room and freedom to make it properly.

A wider route is not automatically faster, and an immediate tack is not automatically an escape. Assess the whole situation.

The useful exit combines speed, clear air and progress towards the next mark.

10. Practise the Rounding Beyond the Buoy

On a suitable training day, with space clear of other traffic, practise several approaches to the same mark.

For each attempt:

1. State the intended exit.

2. Prepare the boat before the final approach.

3. Make a controlled turn with progressive trimming.

4. Continue for several boat lengths before judging the result.

Compare a rushed approach with one planned earlier. Try different amounts of entry room. Notice how the boat responds when you head up sharply compared with building speed before asking for more height.

If you film the exercise, include the approach and departure. A close-up of the buoy alone will miss much of what matters.

Afterwards, ask:

• Were we ready?

• Did we retain steerage and speed?

• Did everyone understand the sequence?

• Did we leave in useful air?

• What one change would improve the next attempt?

Conclusion: Judge the Exit

The leeward mark rewards sailors who think ahead.

Inside position matters. So do approach angle, traffic, sail preparation and accurate steering. But these are all parts of the same objective: beginning the next beat in a position from which you can race effectively.

For Champagne, that means treating the rounding as a shared sequence. We need to know where we want to go, prepare the boat and coordinate the turn.

Next time you approach a leeward mark, look beyond the buoy and picture the boat several lengths farther on.

Is she balanced? Are the sails working? Is she accelerating into clear air?

That is where the rounding earns its value.

Follow Champagne and the Learning to Race — From First Start to Better Results series at pmrsailing.uk.

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Downwind Racing — It Isn’t Just Pointing at the Next Mark

Learning to Race — From First Start to Better Results

Downwind, the straight line can sometimes be the slowest route.

You round the windward mark, ease the sheets and see the next buoy further down the river.

After the concentration of beating to windward, this ought to be the straightforward part. Point towards the mark, keep the sails full and enjoy the ride.

Then something puzzling happens.

A boat beside you turns away from the direct route. It appears to be sailing towards the wrong part of the river. A little later it gybes, comes back across and arrives at the leeward mark ahead.

Meanwhile, another boat seems to be catching you from behind, even though your sails are still drawing.

Downwind racing has its own decisions about wind, angles, clear air, current and positioning. Easing the sheets is the beginning of the next tactical problem.

1. The Shortest Distance Is Only Half the Calculation

A straight line is the shortest route between two points. It is not automatically the quickest sailing route.

The basic relationship is:

Time = distance / average speed

A longer course can win if it produces enough additional speed to compensate for the extra distance and manoeuvres.

Consider an illustrative example, using average speeds over the ground:

Route	Distance sailed	Average speed	Time
Direct route	600 metres	2 metres per second	300 seconds
Angled route	720 metres	3 metres per second	240 seconds

The angled route takes four minutes instead of five, before allowing for any additional gybing losses.

But suppose that longer route only produces an average speed of 2.2 metres per second:

720 / 2.2 = approximately 327 seconds

Now it loses.

These are teaching figures, not measured performance figures for Champagne. They illustrate the question that matters:

Have we gained enough speed to pay for the extra distance?

A boat can feel much faster while making slower progress towards the mark.

2. Sailing “Hotter” — What Does It Mean?

On a downwind leg, sailing hotter means turning closer towards the wind, usually from a deep running angle towards a broader reaching course.

The sails may become more effective, the boat may accelerate and the crew may feel an immediate improvement.

Sailing deeper means turning further away from the wind, towards a dead run.

The challenge is to find a productive balance between speed and direction.

Sail too deep and the sails may become unstable or the boat may lose drive. Sail too hot and you may travel impressively quickly across the course while making disappointing progress down it.

Apparent wind explains part of the difference

Apparent wind is the wind experienced on the moving boat. It combines the actual wind with the effect of the boat’s movement.

On a dead run, moving with the wind reduces the wind speed felt aboard. Changing angle alters both the direction and strength of the apparent wind.

In a fast asymmetric dinghy, boat speed and apparent wind can support a very effective angled downwind course. But this does not mean that every boat should copy the same angles.

Even asymmetric sails are designed for different wind strengths and sailing angles; there is no single ideal angle for all boats and conditions.

3. VMG — Progress That Actually Counts

Velocity made good, usually shortened to VMG, describes the useful component of your speed in a particular direction.

For this discussion, imagine the direction straight towards the mark:

Speed towards the mark = boat speed x cos(angle away from the direct route)

For this simple calculation, use speed and direction over the ground consistently.

At 30 degrees away from the direct route:

3 x cos(30 degrees) = approximately 2.60 metres per second towards the mark

At 45 degrees:

3 x cos(45 degrees) = approximately 2.12 metres per second towards the mark

The boat is travelling at the same speed in both examples, but its useful progress is different.

In practice, the mark’s bearing changes as you move, and current complicates the picture. You do not need to calculate trigonometry while helming. The useful habit is to ask:

Are we getting to the mark faster, or simply enjoying the sensation of speed?

4. Why Champagne Should Not Copy an Asymmetric Dinghy

This is where different boats make the subject particularly interesting.

A modern asymmetric dinghy may gain substantially by sailing an angled course, keeping its spinnaker working and, when conditions permit, maintaining planing speed.

Champagne presents a different problem.

Thames A-Raters have exceptionally tall rigs and substantial sail area. Upper Thames Sailing Club describes the class as typically having masts around 43 feet tall. Their proportions and river setting make them a distinctive sailing experience.

For me, the useful question aboard Champagne is:

What angle keeps her moving effectively in the wind we actually have?

That might mean sailing a little higher to restore drive. It might mean accepting a deeper course because the sails are working and the shorter distance is valuable.

There is no reason to assume that a dramatic zigzag will pay simply because it works for a different class.

The tall rig also gives us a reason to compare several clues. Ripples show what is happening near the surface; the upper sails may be experiencing something different. That is a practical inference from the rig’s height, rather than a guarantee that an A-Rater always finds better wind.

Learning Champagne means discovering her responses, rather than borrowing another boat’s answers.

5. Downwind Wind Shadows Can Come From Behind

Upwind, sailors quickly learn to avoid sitting behind another boat in disturbed air.

Downwind, the geometry changes.

When running broadly with the wind, a boat behind you may be upwind of you. Its sails can disturb the air before that air reaches your own rig.

The chasing boat can therefore become a threat to your wind supply.

Imagine two boats running towards a mark, with the wind coming from behind them. The trailing boat moves into a position directly upwind of the leader. The leader loses drive, slows and becomes easier to catch.

This is why looking ahead is not enough.

On a downwind leg, keep checking astern and towards the wind.

The disturbed air follows the airflow, rather than a fixed line directly behind a boat’s transom. Its position changes with wind direction and the boats’ headings.

Escape while you still have options

If another boat is moving into a threatening position, consider a modest course change before you lose speed.

You may be able to establish a lane of clear air without a large diversion. Alternatively, a gybe may open a better route.

The aim is to protect your progress towards the mark. A prolonged battle with one opponent can give the rest of the fleet an excellent opportunity.

6. Find Pressure — But Check That You Can Reach It

Sailors often use “pressure” to mean a patch of stronger wind.

On a river, it may appear as darker, more textured water. You might also notice boats heeling, accelerating or filling their sails more consistently.

Useful clues include:

• Moving patches of ripples.

• Changes in boats upwind of you.

• Flags and vegetation.

• Increasing sheet load.

• Changes in heel and the sound of water along the hull.

Dark water is not proof of stronger wind: reflections, shade and current can mislead.

Before chasing a promising patch, ask:

Is it moving towards us? Will it still be there when we arrive? What will it cost to reach it?

A small diversion into sustained wind can be valuable. Crossing the river after a patch that has already passed may achieve very little.

Aboard Champagne, I would want the crew looking for the next useful patch while the helm concentrates on keeping the boat moving towards it.

7. Hotter in the Lulls, Deeper in the Gusts?

A common downwind technique is to sail a little hotter when the boat loses drive, then sail deeper when additional pressure allows it.

UK Sailmakers describes this approach alongside close communication between helm and trimmer, while warning that excessive changes in either direction can damage VMG.

Treat it as something to test in your boat.

In a lull, a small change of heading may restore useful flow over the sails. Once speed builds or a gust arrives, you may be able to turn deeper while retaining drive.

However, an abrupt turn can stall the sails or waste the speed you have just gained. A fast asymmetric boat may also need to preserve its apparent wind rather than immediately bear away hard.

Make measured changes, trim with them and watch the result.

The question is whether the boat responds usefully, rather than whether the manoeuvre matches a slogan.

8. Gybe for a Reason

A gybe changes your route, sail positions and relationship with other boats.

Good reasons to gybe include:

• Reaching stronger wind.

• Escaping disturbed air.

• Responding to a wind shift.

• Avoiding an unfavourable bank or current.

• Setting up the leeward-mark approach.

“We have been on this gybe for a while” is less persuasive.

Every gybe carries a possible cost: disrupted sails, loss of speed, additional steering and the need to accelerate again.

On a short river leg, several unnecessary gybes can consume the gain from an otherwise clever route.

Prepare before turning

Agree the manoeuvre, check the space and other boats, clear sheets and confirm that everyone is ready for the boom to cross.

Then aim to settle promptly onto the new heading with the sails drawing.

In stronger winds, control and crew readiness become particularly important. A rushed gybe can cost far more than a few seconds.

9. On the Thames, Downwind Does Not Necessarily Mean Downstream

The wind determines whether a leg is downwind. The river determines whether you are sailing upstream or downstream.

You can therefore be sailing downwind against the current.

A direct route through stronger adverse flow may lose to a slightly longer route in weaker current. Conversely, when sailing with the flow, a faster stream may help.

But the bank offering weaker current may also have less wind.

This creates a familiar river-racing compromise:

Is the reduction in current worth the loss of wind?

Picture Champagne approaching a tree-lined section. Moving nearer the bank might reduce adverse flow, but if the sails lose drive there, the apparent advantage can disappear.

Judge wind and current together. Neither can make the decision alone.

10. Keep the Racing Rules in the Picture

Changing downwind angles can bring boats together quickly.

Under the 2025–2028 Racing Rules of Sailing:

• On opposite tacks, port keeps clear of starboard.

• On the same tack and overlapped, windward keeps clear of leeward.

• On the same tack without an overlap, clear astern keeps clear of clear ahead.

• A right-of-way boat changing course must give the other boat room to keep clear.

Rule 17 can restrict a leeward boat that establishes an overlap from clear astern within two of her hull lengths. Proper course is not automatically the straight line to the mark.

These are starting points, not a complete account: mark-room, obstructions and other limitations may also apply. Avoid contact whenever reasonably possible.

On the Thames, also watch for other river users. A tactical opportunity must fit the space and traffic available.

11. Start Planning the Leeward Mark Early

A downwind leg does not end when you reach the buoy. It ends with a transition onto the next leg.

Before arriving, establish:

• Which side of the mark you must leave clear.

• Which boats may affect your rounding.

• Whether you need another gybe.

• Where you want to exit.

• What the crew needs to adjust.

A small advantage down the run can disappear if you arrive on an awkward heading with the sheets tangled and nobody prepared.

A slightly less ambitious approach may produce a much better exit.

That matters particularly aboard a boat with substantial sail area: give the crew time to organise the transition.

Race towards the next leg, as well as towards the mark.

12. A Practical Exercise: Discover Your Boat’s Best Route

Choose a suitable practice area with room to manoeuvre and identifiable start and finish points.

Try three approaches:

1. Sail a relatively direct route with the sails working comfortably.

2. Sail a modestly hotter route with one planned gybe.

3. Repeat, choosing your route around pressure and clear air.

Record elapsed time, the number of gybes, any obvious losses of drive and the conditions.

Repeat the comparison. One gust can make a poor route look excellent, so a single run proves little.

For Champagne, this would be a useful crew exercise: one person helms, another trims, and another watches pressure, traffic and progress.

Video could help reveal whether a gain came from the angle, a cleaner gybe or simply better wind.

The Best Downwind Sailors Keep Making Decisions

Downwind sailing can look relaxed from the bank. The best crews are still working.

They are watching the wind behind them, protecting clear air, choosing angles, managing gybes and preparing for the next mark.

For me, that is part of the appeal of learning to race Champagne. A familiar stretch of the Thames can present a different puzzle every time.

Sometimes the direct route will win. Sometimes a modest change of angle will keep the boat moving while others struggle. Occasionally, a longer route through better wind will be decisively quicker.

On your next downwind leg, try one deliberate experiment: make a small change of angle and judge your progress towards the mark.

The buoy tells you where you need to finish. The wind, current and your boat help you decide how to get there.

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