Zenda University

March, 2017 by Devon Howe

Key Points

Thank you to Eddy Cox and Ted Keller, III for their excellent instruction. You MUST go to Zenda U to learn from the Pros. These notes are no substitute. Sections here:

1. What I need to do to GO FAST
2. What I need to do to START WELL
3. What I need to do to SAIL SMART

1. What I need to do to GO FAST

Stay in the highest pressure AT ALL TIMES

• Always look upwind to find where the next pressure will be and go there

Rudder

• It will slow you down when moving too much. Don’t make quick adjustments…gradual only.
• Never push tiller outside of cockpit

Tacking

• Get your body on the windward side and feet in hiking straps ASAP (your counter balancing the force of heel is what drives speed)
• Slow turn (see Rudder)
• Practice tiller and sheet handling and always use the same routine
• Tacking sequence:
  • As tack starts, in two clicks on main sheet
  • Drop board
  • Duck boom and get your body to other side ASAP and your feet in the hiking straps
    • Sail should not do a lot of luffing – this is slow – sail should pop from flat to flat
  • Two clicks out on main sheet
  • Get proper heel
  • Board up (not as important as proper heel)
    

Main Sheet Cleats

• Never use them

Traveler

• Set it and forget it. Use sheet more.
• Drop traveler if higher winds force too much heel

Upwind

• Keep steady heel by doing these items in this order
  • Hike
  • Ease Main Sheet
  • Hike some more
  • Rudder is last control to use!
• Keep steady heel by
  • Anticipate puff and hike and ease main sheet in a fluid motion as the puff hits…don’t react by dumping main or pointing nose to windward…this is slow
  • Listen to velocity of wind across your ear
  • Too much heel will cause boat to head up, which will cause you to pull tiller and slow you down
• Too much breeze causing too much heel?
  • See above
  • Try combination of: more outhaul, more vang, ease traveler
  • Raise board by 2”
• Heel angle 15 degrees means leeward stay plate is not wet but water is 1-2” below it
• Use body position to help steer
  • Forward body is less windward helm
• Trim
  • Don’t over trim – better to be under trimmed
  • Leach telltale must be flying at least 50% of the time
  • Mark your mainsheet with a marker to remind you of optimal trim point
  • Sheet in but stop when the boom is going more down than in

Downwind

• ¼ board down on side that you are sitting
• Your weight will depend on which side that you want to sit on
• Heavier sailors should be on windward side in lighter air to reduce helm
  
• Sailing by the lee in 15+ mph is just as fast as conventional
• Lock the tiller into a fixed position (between hand and deck) as you look upwind for the next pressure
• Spend most of your time looking for the next pressure and stay in pressure
• Must have Vang on downwind
  • 2nd batton from top must be parallel with boom
  • Leach must “breath” (if leach is straight line…too much vang)
  • Take off Vang at leeward mark!
• Light Air – Hold one (or group of) main sheet between the traveler and boom…can have faster response to wind shifts
• Goal is to get low angle to mark without losing speed. In lighter air, need some air flow around the sail in order to generate apparent wind and more speed, so must sail higher angles in lighter air.
• Wind shadow from windward boats is a killer for speed…must be at least 5 boat lengths away in medium-heavy air, 15 boat lengths away in light air. How do you know if you are in a wind shadow? Look at your stay tell tails or mast head…if they are pointing at the boat behind you…then you are in their wind shadow.
• Mast head is more accurate of wind direction downwind (look at mast heads on other boats)

Hiking

• Keep both hands inside shoulders
• Shoulders and hips facing boom

Mark Rounding

• First windward mark - if you are in the top pack, Port tack to mark is OK. If you are not in top pack, always Starboard tack. Do not consolidate lead with Starboard tack in last third of first windward leg unless at layline. Instead, consolidate lead at layline on Starboard tack (otherwise you may get hosed coming to layline on Port by boats that you just crossed on Starboard).
• Leeward mark - Establish inside overlap when possible, and talk to your neighbors WELL IN ADVANCE of 3-boat rule, then start wide and finish skinny. Bring your sail in as you turn to accelerate, but don't over-trim. If you have enough speed, pinch slightly to get fresher air for 15 seconds. NEVER be on the outside of the "Pinwheel" rounding the mark...this is the death zone.
• Leeward gate - Which one do you choose? The one that will put you in the most windward position after rounding. Check your tell-tales or mast head 1/2 way down the course, then again at 1/4 leg to go and make a plan to get INSIDE other boats.
  

2. What I need to do to START WELL

• Keep both boards down prior to start (but remember to pull-up windward board after start)
• Have a pre-start routine
  • 4 minutes: Go to point that is 10 boat lengths windward of line at midline and check wind direction
  • Stand-up to view where future pressure will be around start time
  • Determine which end of line is favored based on wind direction (or future wind direction if other boats are beating in the future wind)
  • Divide line into four quadrants
    • Pin
    • Mid-Pin
    • Mid-Boat
    • Boat
  • Determine which quadrant that you want to be in
    • If Boat is highly favored, choose Mid-Boat start because Boat start will be difficult in an experienced fleet
    • You will be much better off with speed hitting the line in a semi-favored line position that you will be in an optimal line position with no speed
  • Must be at full speed when gun goes off
  • Set-up your position after 2/3 of boats have set-up their position
  • Port set-up is good option as you have a good view of other boats set-up and can find a hole easier
  • Be in a hole with few boats below you with 30 seconds to go...pushing the windward boat up
  • If you see a boat coming from your stern with intent to be the leeward boat pushing you to windward…head off the wind with your boom out to block their entry before they get to you…make them go above you, then when they do, push them to windward
  • In light air, get to line on time during set-up
  • In heavy air, can be farther away from line during set-up
• Tips
  • Before the start – can push boats to head to wind, but after start, cannot push competitor above close-hauled
• Get cleanly off the line for 1 minute before tacking to avoid dirty air

3. What I need to do so SAIL SMART

• Ask yourself this question – constantly - “Am I sailing toward the mark” (draw a line from you to the mark – if your angle is less than 45 degrees, you are sailing toward the mark…if not, tack)
• Ask yourself this question – constantly – “Am I sailing toward the pressure”
• Ask yourself this question – “Can I cross people” If you can cross a boat, cross them and then tack to cover them…especially when on the last beat of the race.
• Always LOOK UPWIND – the sailing angles of the boats upwind will tell you the direction and pressure of the coming wind – use this to plan your route to the most pressure and the most favorable wind direction (lift toward the mark)