This is a super exciting column for me to write. We’ve enjoyed a winter starkly different from the previous two winters, and that means things are looking good for some preseason practice!
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Photo by Dan Phelps for SpinSheet[/caption]
I looked back at a few recent years of “Small Boat Scene” columns, and last year my April column bemoaned the frigid weather’s effects on dinghy sailors’ physical conditioning routines, and offered up a treadmill interval workout to help us get ready for summertime mark roundings. And April 2014’s column even was so bold as to offer that the best way, at that point, to get ready for sailing season was to sit on the couch and read some coaching books (though it did feature some resources still more than worthy of your attention).
But not this year. While last year, the tail end of March still saw some bergy bits floating in the Bay, this year we are ice-free and ready to roll. Roll tack, that is. So let’s go sailing!
Now, that’s not to say everything is free and easy for us dinghy sailors in April. Water temperatures—while certainly warmer than last year this time—are still on the chilly side and can be quite dangerous if you’re not suited up properly. Be sure to check water temperatures before you head out on the water so you know what you’re dealing with. Even if it’s a lovely early April day, water temperatures can be significantly colder than the air. While we don’t plan on capsizing, it does happen. If you flip into 50-degree water, it doesn’t matter if it’s 80 degrees air temperature. Dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature.
Be smart, sail with friends in other boats, and bring good communications (phone if in good coverage area, VHF, etc.) with you.
Once you’re prepared, it’s time to hit the water to get some sailing in. Let’s craft a fairly short but focused session for your first time out on the water for the year. Our goal is really just to get you—and your crew if you sail a multiperson boat—comfortable again.
20 MINUTES: Literally just sail around. Pick points in the harbor to go check out; it may have been several months since you saw these sights from the water. This gives you some time to enjoy being back in the boat again, and to get your “sea legs” (well, on a dinghy, usually more like “sea butt”) under you again.
15 MINUTES: Focus a bit more on boathandling. Not in any rush, do 10 tacks. Did you notice that tacking one way (from port to starboard, or from starboard to port) felt easier? Can you identify any movements that worked really well? For me, tacking a Laser, it’s key for my tiller hand to grab the new windward rail as I’m moving to weather, before I switch hands on the tiller. Having that as a “must-do” helps me keep my tacks (somewhat) consistent. Do a few more tacks to cement the “good behavior” you have identified.
15 MINUTES: Same concept, but with gybes. What works to make your gybes as smooth as possible? For me as a Snipe crew, getting the timing of uncleating the pole launch line and rolling synced up is key. Getting it to the point where it feels like a dance step doesn’t come easily at first, but when it does, boy howdy is it effective. Find an element along those lines to focus on.
20 MINUTES: Kick it up a notch with a mini upwind-downwind scenario. Find a buoy or crab pot marker to use as a leeward and windward mark and sail around ‘em a few times. After that has worked well, instead of just going around each mark, do a complete lap around each before starting your next leg. As you complete each lap, you’ll start to sense your movements becoming more automatic.
15 MINUTES: Rapid-fire tacks and gybes. Get that heartrate up. Do 10 tacks one right after the other. Then same thing, with gybes. Breathe for a few minutes. Do it all again. Remember, this is your first time back out; it won’t go perfectly. And that’s fine. We’re just working on getting your muscle memory woken up after a long winter’s nap.
FINAL 5 MINUTES: Anything else you really want to practice? Do it three times, well. As they say, send the dog home on a good retrieve.
So that’s an hour and a half, a good amount of time for just getting back out there, and a reasonable amount of stuff to work on. You’ve got some time yet to practice starts and focus on boatspeed. For today, though, celebrate being back on the water and moving around in the boat. Welcome back!
by Kim Couranz
