Inside Tack feature - Top 10 Solent Racing Tips

Grab a winning start

1. Make sure you’re in the start area early (but don’t get in the way of previous starts). This means any last minute hitches won’t cause you to start late.

2. Assuming one end of the line isn’t favoured by the wind direction, start in the maximum tide. This is usually about one third of the length of the line out from the island.

3. If you’re not sure if you were over the line (OCS), and there’s an individual recall (two guns rather than one), go back and start again. It doesn’t matter how good the rest of your race is, OCS undoes all that.

Throughout The Race

4. Sail in clear air. If you’re overtaking another yacht down wind, get some separation, or it’s going to take forever. They’ll not let you past upwind of them. Overtaking upwind, unless you can point higher, you might as well tack away. Don’t get caught out by wind shadows caused by shipping, No Man’s Land Fort, land, etc.

5. Think about the tide. You’re going to have to strike a balance between where the best tide is, where the best wind is, and the distance you sail. The lighter the breeze, the more significant the tide.

6. If your crew can execute fast slick tacks and gybes, you can “mix it” with the other yachts. If not, don’t get too close. Remember, the other yacht may only do one race per year, this one!

7. Choose your moment to be on port. Having to duck too many other boats costs time.

Going Aground

8. There are many hazards along the Isle of Wight shore, some of which can be avoided by keeping a close eye on the echo sounder. Some, however, give no warning. If you don’t know where they are, be cautious. Going aground will, at the very least, hurt both your wallet and your race time.

The Finish

9. Keep racing until you’ve passed through the correct finish line. It’s a handicap race; wouldn’t you hate to lose out by one second?

10. Don’t forget to clear the line for others finishing after you.

Enjoy!

Peter Randall.

Peter is one of Activ’s Skipper’s, known for his relaxed but passionate approach to sailing. Sailing caught Peter’s imagination in his teenage years when he discovered dinghy sailing and then, in his twenties, yacht sailing. It was his love of yacht sailing that inspired him to take his Yachtmaster’s qualification in 1997 and subsequently his Yachtmaster Instructor qualification in 1999. Event with so many adventures under his belt, Peter still maintains that his ‘best moment’ was when he won his first proper regatta.