Steering in Waves Teach your students to look for the path of least resistance through each set of waves. The worst way to hit a wave is head-on or perpendicular to the wave’s face.


Balance The skipper can immediately feel when the sailboat is out of balance. Either the tiller begins to have pressure on it, or the sailboat feels sluggish. If crew weight is too far aft, the sailboat may slam into waves more, accelerate very slowly, and feel heavier in the helm. If weight is too far forward, the helm will feel light, but the bow may dig under some waves and be a bit uncontrollable. Sailors need to keep experimenting with their weight forward and back until everything feels right.


If the sailboat has too much leeward heel, he skipper will have to tug against the tiller to keep sailing straight- a reminder to flatten the sailboat. If the sailboat is too flat, particularly in light air, it will not accelerate, the tiller will feel dead, and the sails won’t fill properly. While sailing upwind, have the crews change their weight more often to let the skipper identify different situations when the sailboat feels out of balance.


Steering Downwind


Steering in Flat Water Steering downwind in flat water is largely a matter of concentration by the skipper so they don’t wander all over the place. It is often helpful to pick a mark or spot on shore to aim at. A gentle hand on the tiller is best with small, smooth adjustments.


Steering in Waves If there are waves, it is fun to try and ride them. It is a lot like body-surfing. The idea is to cut across the back side of the wave to build speed (like paddling prior to catching the wave in surfing), and then bear off over the top and surf down the face. Using body position to facilitate steering the sailboat through the waves is critical to improving skill and speed. The time to bear away and “pump” the sail when the transom of the sailboat rises up on the wave!


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