1. Skipper – Fluid Building Services
16 Foot Skiff Sailing 101
How to prepare your 16 foot skiff to win a National Title OR just keep it upright and get it going quicker…
With Clint Bowen
Skipper – Fluid Building Services

2. Preparation is Key! Weekly Tasks
Wash your boat and check while washing
Check fittings
Check main and kite sheets (replace as often as possible)
Check Boards
Check Rig numbers before and after
your crew (mid-week debrief so can review progress towards your goal and identify areas of improvement)

3. Preparation is Key! Monthly Tasks
Check rigging on mast (replace when necessary)
Check controls (vang, cunningham, pole)
Kite halyard
Check the things that would normally break and replace before they break
Breaking gear can put you out of a regatta!

4. Preparation is Key! Regatta Plan Your Year Replace ropes on the boat
Train
Plan Your Year
Go through calendar each year with crew and partners
Decide before the season which races can/cannot be sailed and lock in – commit
Set the team goals and get the whole crew committed
Having everyone on the same page = less stress for all!

5. Have a Strategy! Go in with a strategy before you start
Talk about what you want to achieve, where you want to be before you start (on the rigging lawn)
Be flexible – modify the plan to suit conditions expected
Keep it simple – skiffs don’t like the bump. You might have to modify your strategy to suit rig choice on the day
Search for conditions that suit rig – may not be where the rest of the fleet are going
Know where your marks are – Have a Plan A when you leave the beach and a Plan B if it all goes pear shaped

6. Communication is Key - Know what your job is and make sure you do it!
Crew Jobs - UPWIND
Who
Call breeze
Bow
Waves and tides
Marks
Best eyes on boat
Other boats / fleets
Controls
Skipper
Lay lines
Board settings
Strategy (where you want to be)
Main (the engine to make you go quick)
Sheet (only job needs to focus)

7. Communication is Key - Know what your job is and make sure you do it!
Crew Jobs - DOWNWIND
Who
Call breeze
Sheet
Waves and tides
Marks
Best eyes on boat
Other boats / fleets
Controls
Skipper
Lay lines
Board settings
Strategy (where you want to be)
Kite (the engine to make you go quick)
Bow (only job needs to focus)

8. Communication is Key - Know what your job is and make sure you do it!
Crew Jobs - POSITIONING
Who
Time
Bow (and skipper)
Strategy
All talk
Prestart checks (Line and time)
Flags and course
Bow
Check rig and rig settings
Skipper
Sail first beat
Get set up ready to race
Kite set and drop
Check kite will go up – better to fix early than during the race
Warm up and get head in the game
Two-sail gybe if fresh for confidence
Know your competition
Get on the course early to prepare
25-30 mins before the start

9. Rigging!
Be professional and challenge the team to improve on time (Work to get rigging setup <10 minutes)
Rigging quickly buys time to prepare and psych the competition
More time for strategy and to look at the breeze
Have specific jobs for rigging and be systematic

10. Rigging Jobs! Bowman Sheethand Skipper Jib Kite Pole Mast Main
Connection to the boat (stays, D1, halyard, vang)
Bowman and sheet bring gear to the skipper ready to connect to the boat

11. Rig Adjustments! Board Jib Too much board = too much drag = going slow
Pull up until sheet is complaining and uncomfortable
Want to be right on the edge with boat almost falling on top of the crew
Jib
Adjust cunno and sheet angle
If not right you will go slow
sheet angle starts around 4th or 5th seam, most often run too high. Run lower in flat water for a finer entry, allows you to go faster and steer higher.
Look for the bottom to pull tight first and then the leach

12. Rig Adjustments! Cunno and Vang Rigging Controls the main
Use to flatten the sail
Rigging
Advanced level adjustments
Adjust backstays on the move

13. Rig Adjustments! Board Setup Should have numbered 50mm increments
Know settings and be prepared to pull up board
Practice getting the board up without slowing the boat
If sheet has no drive, then can put board down
Keep pulling board up and adjust jib if overpowered

14. Rig Adjustments! Cunno and Vang Flatten sails and reduce drag
Usually lots of vang – set up so that you can see and measure
Keep pulling on cunno until sheet says they have no power

15. Tacking – Step by Step Key is to be slow in and fast out!
Call ready
Bowman releases jib by an 3-5cm to depower headsail
Come into the boat
skipper starts to turn the boat slowly to windward using small, slow movements NOT huge tiller movement
Sheet brings main on due to lost power in the headsail – pulling main on drives the boat through the tack
Turn boat chine line to chine line using weight distribution rather than turning the till too much
Turing tiller creates drag that slows you down
Shift weight together
Act as if there is 100mm of shock cord between you and shift weight through centreline together (don’t separate weight)
Exit the tack and keep the speed on
Ease the sheet to accelerate out of the tack

16. Tacking – Step by Step Key is to be slow in and fast out!
The second add up when you are building up speed again
20-30 seconds can be lost each time you tack, which adds up when you have to tack a lot each race.
Best to be smooth through the tacks at all times
Lots of time lost when changing direction
maximise inside angle and get back up to pace as quick as you can

17. Gybing – Step by Step Key is to be slow in and fast out!
GYBING IN LIGHT BREEZE
Generally – keep weight forward, sheet gybing the kite as bowman goes in front of the mast
Call ready
know your line, look for a flat spot, look for other boats
Seek pressure – gybing back into pressure line can keep you in pressure for longer- don’t sail out of the breeze
Ease the kite
Bowman can release kite slightly to depower and allow the boat to come away
skipper starts to turn the boat slowly away DO NOT use huge tiller movements as this will create excess drag
Come away slightly
Come into the boat
All sit on gunwale – keep everything smooth.
Sheet keeps main at centreline while gybing – leach will flick across – note that kite is the engine not the main when going downwind
Turn boat chine line to chine line
Use weight distribution to turn the boat rather than turning the till too much
Turing tiller creates drag that slows you down
Shift weight together
Keep weight together and over the centreline as you come away
Hit gunwale together
Get out on the wire if required
Exit the gybe and keep the speed on
Ease the kite a little to accelerate out of the gybe
Look for pressure on the other side

18. Gybing – Step by Step Key is to be slow in and fast out!
GYBING IN MODERAT TO HEAVY BREEZE
Generally – keep weight balanced, bowman gybing the kite, sheet going for weight
Call ready
know your line, look for a flat spot, look for other boats
Seek pressure – gybing back into pressure line can keep you in pressure for longer- don’t sail out of the breeze
Ease the kite
Bowman releases kite slightly to depower and allow the boat to come away
skipper starts to turn the boat slowly away DO NOT use huge tiller movements as this will create excess drag
Come away slightly
Come into the boat
All sit on gunwale – keep everything smooth.
Sheet keeps main at centreline while gybing – leach will flick across – note that kite is the engine not the main when going downwind
Turn boat chine line to chine line
Use weight distribution to turn the boat rather than turning the till too much
Turing tiller creates drag that slows you down
Shift weight together
Skipper and sheet should be close together to control and controlling the weight
Keep weight together and over the centreline as you come away
Hit gunwale together
Sheet gets out on the wire first
Exit the gybe and keep the speed on
Ease the kite a little to accelerate out of the gybe
Look for pressure on the other side
Reduce your angle in moderate to heavy breeze…
Change your entry and exit angle when really fresh to stay smooth through gybes

19. Clint’s Tips
Be mates on and off the boat – leave any issues on the water and have a beer at the end of the day. Save race review until mid-week once everyone can review rationally and is calm.
Be Together – act as if there is 100mm of shock cord between crew, shift weight together through the centreline of the skiff. Don’t separate weight!
Be smooth – lots of time is lost changing direction, cut down on time lost by being smooth through transitions.
Be professional – set goals, review regularly and push yourself to succeed.
Focus your training – don’t try to practice everything, focus on one aspect at a time when you go out training.