Tackle It Now!

If you are the typical club average helm then you are middle aged in a mid sized, mid budget boat.

You are stuck also with that other law of averages, that your results may vary and be peppered with greatness,  but tend to fall back to a season average.

In terms of wanting to perform consistently and be one of the top of fleet, then this is not going to happen by just sailing for some more years. It requires a deconstruction of your sailing and better abilities in stress managemet on and off the water.

Firstly, let us get cash-to-splash out of the way. If the fleet is very dependent on cheque book racing and your budget is well short of the top boats, my best advice is either pay up or get out. Bluntly. You can look at financing a special couple of seasons, with a newer boat or just sails and deck gear, as a one off investment after which you cut your loses and liquidate the boat or return to mediocrity.

If you have a reasonable boat, sails and rigging then forget cheque book sailing. Yes you can add a good number of marginal gains this way, but their sum will be less than addressing your sailing skills and the sports psychology you have personally and as a team. Small investments in sail repairs, fairing the hull and foils and replacing dysfunctional deck gear are worth the effort, but the cost of say a new funky genoa for flat water is not going to give the same benefit as using half that money on some sailing tuition or coaching.

Some helms are just stressed little old erics, or powder kegs on the race course just waiting to go off at their crews or other boats. If you find yourself being overly stressed out while racing or even preparing for races,. or you suffer from an uncontrollable anger out there on the course, then address this now- it aint going away buddy and the latest  generally accepted science is that you are going to get worse because these responses are hot wired into subconsious biological mechanisms, including the now deadly stuff of much debate "cortisol" the stress hormone.

Good life hacks for addressing your stess or anger include breaking down the points at which you are negatively 'aroused] and being very objective about ways to improve these manoevres or tactics. Also using meditation and visualisation before and after races. And my favourite hacks, following the fleet round after starting late on the right hadn side of the line, or sailing with an accomplished and low stress team as crew.

The same is true of your skills. They are unlikely to get much better or make that quantum leap to top 10% of the fleet just by doing the same you have always done. You need to break down your weaknesses and get help to overome them. My favourite #SailHack is to go sail in a simple dinghy class like the snipe or tasar, or laser if you dont have a willing crew and get some instruction. Play dumb and act like an absolute beginner.

Just a short blogg, reiterating really Fred Rants from before.