Skipper's Cockpit Racing Guide : For dinghies, keelboats and yachts

The __Skipper's Cockpit Racing Guide__ is an at-a-glance reference for dinghy and yacht racers, covering everything they need to know to improve their performance – and win. From those in their first year of racing to old hands wondering why they're not winning, this guide covers an enormous amount of detail in a simple, easy to follow format.Topics are broken down into photo sequences, boxes, flowcharts, hints and tips, and cover:- setting your goals- assembling the right boat and gear- practising and tuning (straight line, tacking, gybing, rounding marks, doing penalties)- starting (planning, set-up of rig and foils)- race strategy (beating, reaching, running)- tactics against the opposition- crewing skills (trim, weight)- tides and currents (what affects the flow, using them to your advantage)- wind (wind shadows, wind bends, forecasts)- spinnakers (symmetric, asymmetric, hoist, gybe, drop)- rules (start, beat, reach, run)A final section on troubleshooting enables readers to rate their performance and identify areas for improvement, handily linking back to those pages in the book. The Skipper's Cockpit Racing Guide is an at-a-glance reference for dinghy and yacht racers, covering everything they need to know to improve their performance – and win. From those in their first year of racing to old hands wondering why they're not winning, this guide covers an enormous amount of detail in a simple, easy to follow format. Topics are broken down into photo sequences, boxes, flowcharts, hints and tips, and cover: - setting your goals - assembling the right boat and gear - practising and tuning (straight line, tacking, gybing, rounding marks, doing penalties) - starting (planning, set-up of rig and foils) - race strategy (beating, reaching, running) - tactics against the opposition - crewing skills (trim, weight) - tides and currents (what affects the flow, using them to your advantage) - wind (wind shadows, wind bends, forecasts) - spinnakers (symmetric, asymmetric, hoist, gybe, drop) - rules (start, beat, reach, run) A final section on troubleshooting enables readers to rate their performance and identify areas for improvement, handily linking back to those pages in the book. Cover; Introduction and Goals; Goal setting; SMART; Getting the boat right; First steps; Finding the right boat; Getting the boat up to speed; Sorting the systems; Practising solo; Starting; Accelerating; Tacking; Gybing; Sailing round a course; Practising 720s; Check the rig set-up; The buddy system; Increasing speed upwind; Increasing speed downwind; Working with your buddy at a regatta; Going through the gears; Gears to windward; Gears downwind; Starting; Checking the start line; Getting a transit; Starting on a starboard-biased line; Starting mid-line on an unbiased line