Speed and Smarts - Plan your attack from behind

by David Dellenbaugh Speed&Smarts on 27 Jan 2009 Most sailors would never choose to fall behind on a run, but once you are there you have certain advantages. You get the puffs first and carry them toward the boats ahead.

You can also use your wind shadow to slow or control the boats in front.

Basically, your chances of catching up are better on a run than on any other leg. That's why fleets often compress on runs and telescope apart on beats.

Before you use tactical moves to attack the boats in front, think about your goals. Are you happy with your current position in the race? If you are, you shouldn't take too many risks trying to catch the boats ahead.

Instead, spend most of your effort making sure you stay ahead of the boats behind. If you're not happy with your position in the race, you need to work on catching up.

The first thing to do is sail your own race. Keep going fast and play the puffs and shifts as you would in the absence of other boats. A sound strategy is always a good tactical move because it gives you the best chance of gaining on the boats ahead.

But you also need to be clear on what you want to accomplish. Are you trying to pass other boats before the leeward mark? Or are you just trying to get as close as possible to them before you begin the next beat?

Sometimes when you are trying to pass another boat, you lose sight of the forest for the trees. It's easy to become fixated on one boat and, in the process, lose ground on the rest of your competitors. This is OK if your main priority is beating that particular boat.

But when you are trying to improve your overall posi­tion in the fleet, it's usually better to aim for gaining distance on the boats ahead, and then go for the 'pass' on the next beat.

Inevitably there will be times when you are sailing down the run with other boats close ahead and around you. That's when you need some good tactical moves like the ones pictured on these pages.

Remember the primary purpose of tactics is to allow you to follow your strategic gameplan when you're in the midst of a fleet of boats. On runs, where you can use your wind shadow to attack from behind, tactical moves can also be used to catch the boats ahead.



On a run (unlike a beat), the boats that are behind can use their wind shadows to attack boats in front of them.You can use your bad air in two ways: I) to slow a boat that's ahead of you; or 2) to control where that boat sails.

If you can place your wind shadow directly on the boat in front of you, they will slow down and you will catch up. This is a major tactical goal for many sailors on runs. But it doesn't usually work so well. Unless the boat ahead is pinned on a layline or otherwise committed to staying on their tack, they can easily get clear air by jibing.

That's why control is a more useful downwind tactic. By picking where you place your wind shadow, you can block the boat ahead from sailing toward the favored side, for example, or taking the longer tack to the mark. That boat then has a choice - sail slow in the right direction or sail the wrong way with clear air. In either case you will gain.

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Sometimes when you're behind you don't want to be too aggressive. If you're happy with your position (perhaps you are second out of 100 boats), there's not much sense in taking a lot of risk just to pass one more boat. Even if you do want to pass the boat ahead, you have to be patient. Often the best move is to follow the other boat and get to the leeward mark quickly. Then, when you have extended your lead on the boats behind, you can afford to take a little more risk to beat the boat ahead.

Jibe with your wind shadow in front

Your wind shadow can be an offensive weapon

when you're racing downwind, but you have to position yourself correctly in order for it to be effective. In many cases, the boat ahead can easily escape your bad air by heading up, bringing her apparent wind forward and increasing her speed. In a matter of seconds this can put her in clear air ahead of your wind shadow. .

Therefore, when you are positioning yourself relative to the boat ahead, it's better to place your wind shadow slightly in front of her (right) rather than on top of her or slightly behind (left). With your wind shadow just ahead, the other boat is in a tough position. If she heads up, she will run right into your bad air; if she bears off, this will hurt her speed

You are now in a controlling position from behind. If necessary, you can bear off a little and slow down to bring your wind shadow onto the other boat. It's much easier to do this from ahead than by speeding up from behind.


Near the end of the run, go for the left. When you're approaching the windward mark, a good rule of thumb is to protect the right. By staying on the right side of other boats you will have the right of way on starboard tack when you converge at the mark.

On a run you should follow the same principle, but you want to protect the left side (looking downwind).

This tactical move is even stronger than on a beat, for two reasons. First, if you go left late in the run, it means'you will approach the leeward mark on starboard tack, which gives you the right of way. Second, by coming in from the left side you will also be inside at the mark (assuming you are rounding it to port), and there's a good chance you will get buoy room from other boats.

Of course, if you are rounding the leeward mark to starboard, or if the leeward mark is a gate, the advantages of protecting the left side at the end of the run are not nearly so strong.






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David Dellenbaugh, former starting helmsman for America3, publishes Speed&Smarts, a monthly newsletter of how-to information for racing sailors.

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