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1Speed & Smarts #140
The newsletter of how-to tips for racing sailors Nov/Dec 2016
&smartsDavid Dellenbaugh’s™SPEED
One of my guiding mantras in sailing is that it’s always a goodidea to focus on learning. It is impossible to win every race,
but it’s not hard to learn something every time you go racing. Icall this the ‘no-lose approach’ because learning makes you feelgood, and it improves your chances of success in future races. For this reason I occasionally devote an entire issue of Speed
& Smarts to lessons learned at specific regattas. After spending alot of time in Rio last summer, I decided to write this issue aboutthe 2016 Olympics. That was a great opportunity to learn about awide range of racing topics, for several reasons: 1) The world’s top sailors are at the Olympics. The best way
to learn is by watching how the best sailors do it. Yes, they makeoccasional mistakes, but we learn from those too.2) There is a wide range of one-design boats at the Olympics,
from the slow Radial to the fast Nacra 17 cat. It’s very informativeto watch how speed and performance affect tactics and strategy.3) Rio has lots of current! We all need to know more about
what happens when the water is moving.4) Rio has many significant geographic features. There are
islands, bays and mountains rising out of the sea near the racecourses. A perfect lab for learning how these affect the wind.5) There were many protests during the Olympics. These
offer a chance to learn about the rules and, especially, about theprocedures for protests, redress and reopening hearings.The Olympics – a great educational opportunity! Turn the
page for a detailed look at my take on all these subjects and howthey relate to racing fast and smart around the course.
Learning from the Olympics
www.SpeedandSmarts.com
I was very fortunate to be a partof the US Sailing Team for the lasttwo Olympic Games. In 2012 Icoached our women’s match racingteam. In Rio I was the team rulesadvisor, and I also developed thewind/current playbooks we usedfor each course area. This gave mea lot of time to watch the sailorsracing in Rio and to study the windand water behavior.
Rio is a great place to sail! Thebackdrops on the race courses arestunning, and the sailors have thechance to compete in a wide rangeof conditions – from the flat water,shifty wind and swirling current ofthe courses inside the bay, to thebig breeze and even bigger wavesof the ocean courses. I know every-one who sailed there learned a lot,and that’s what this issue is about.
THEME Learning at the Olympics .......1TACTICS & STRATEGY ...........................2CURRENT .............................................6RULES & PROTESTS.............................10WIND EFFECTS....................................14
LESSONS FROM RIOISSUE #140
US Sa
iling T
eam Sperr
y/Will Ric
ketso
n
2 Lessons from Rio
In Rio the current was often quite strong and there were somesignificant geographic features near most of the race courses. As aresult, the beats (and runs) were often ‘one-way’ affairs (see below)where one side of the course was much better than the other. Whensailors were racing on a one-way (or ‘closed’) course, they had to sailtoward the favored side or they’d end up in the back of the fleet. But not all Rio race courses were so one-sided. There were also
a lot of beats (and runs) where, for example, the current favoredone side and a geographic feature favored the other. In these racesthe leading boats often came from both sides, so we called these‘two-way’ (or ‘open’) courses. On a two-way course, the differencebetween left and right is relatively small, so either side might work.
From a strategic point of view, one question is always worthasking during a race: Is the race course ‘open’ (you can considergoing left or right) or ‘closed’ (you must go to a favored side)?Your answer to this question will be key in planning your strategy. At any moment in a race you have only two basic choices: 1) keep
going straight; or 2) tack (or jibe). If the course is ‘closed,’ then yourdecision is made for you; if it’s ‘open’ you can choose either optionbased on what you see at any particular moment. Here are somefactors that could influence your decision:
‘Closed’ Course –Many things could make one side of a beator run much more favored than the other. These include: differentwind velocity across the course, a geographic wind shift, a persistentshift in wind direction, variations in current, and so on. Each of thesewould make you want to sail aggressively toward the favored side.
‘Open’ Course – Neither side may be strongly favored when:the wind direction is oscillating, strategic variables are even/steadyacross the course, the wind is unsteady or random, etc. In thesesituations, boats may be able to win a leg from the left side, the rightside or the middle. They key is remaining flexible to take advantageof what you see developing as the race goes on.
‘Closed’ or ‘Open’ course?
Current
Windrange
020°
200°
180°210°
One thing about racing in Rio is that thewind usually lines up with the current.The current flows north into GuanabaraBay (flooding) or south out of the bay(ebbing), while the wind in the bay blowsfrom the south to southwest more than90% of the time. As a result, the currentis almost always flowing directly with oragainst the wind. This presents certainstrategic challenges during the start ofany race (and throughout that race),especially when the current is strong.
When the direction of the currentis lined up with the direction
of the wind, as is usually the case inRio, sailors face some particularlychallenging conditions on the start-ing line. It’s hard enough to get agood start when the water is notmoving anywhere. But when thecurrent is pushing you directly overor below the starting line, it’s toughto get your timing and position rightas you approach the line.With current, it’s even more
critical to have an accurate line sightand to make some pre-start practiceruns. The start is a critical part ofany race so you need to work hard tomake sure you won’t be early or late.Check out the next page for moreideas on how to do this.
Starting in fairor foul current
LESSONS FROM RIO: Tactics and Strategy
Here’s a diagram showing the tracks of the top three men’s 470s on thefirst beat of their fourth race at the 2015 Rio Test Event. All the leaderscame from deep in the right corner. It’s clear that this was a ‘closed’ or‘one-way’ beat – the top boats had to go hard right to avoid the strongadverse flood current on the left side of this course in Guanabara Bay.
Course area
Flood
Ebb
3Speed & Smarts #140
Wind
CURRENT
Layline in current
Layline without current
NO!
NO!
NO
YES
OK
Layline with current
OK
FAIR
CURRENT
Layline with current
OK
NO!
YES
NOYES! Layline without current
Layline with currentLayline without current
NO!
NO!
YES
Don’t get stuck to windward of thestarting line when you are gettingclose to the start sequence. Doyour training runs early, andmake sure you are back atthe line with plenty oftime to spare.
If your boat doesn’t tack well(e.g. skiff, cat, board) and youlike the right side, this is an OKtime to start on port tack behindthe fleet because the current willquickly open up space betweentheir sterns and the RC boat.
If you like the left sideof the course (or the pinend is farther upwind),it’s OK to start near thisend because the currentwill help you fetch thepin without pinching.
Do not make your final approachanywhere near the ‘barging’ area toleeward of and outside the RC boat.With current setting the fleet towindward, there will be a mess here!
With current pushing you over the line, you must know exactly where theline is and how long it takes you to get there. Get two line sights – oneright along the line (A) and another from a ways below it (B). Do sometimed runs before the start to find out how long it takes you to getfrom A to B. Then use this info to help plan your approach to the line.
A
B
Do not make your final approachanywhere near the pin end, especiallyif that end is a boat with an anchorline. With current setting the fleetto leeward, there will be a mess ofboats here trying to make the pin.
Don’t get too far to leeward of the startingline when your starting sequence is close, oryou could end up not making the line in time,especially in light air. In adverse current, agood rule of thumb is never to go more thana few boatlengths below the line.
You need a good line sight whenever there’s current, and you mustalso be able to see this sight as you approach the line. In adversecurrent, set up a little earlier on starboard tack and keep your bowpoked just ahead of the boats that are luffing around you (so youcan see the pin end and land beyond it). If you’re behind the frontrow of boats you will never see your line sight and you’ll be in badair, so there is a high risk of being late for the start.
When you are sailing around beforethe start, change your direction byTacking instead of jibing. Jibing willoften put you too far to leeward ofthe line, especially in lighter air whenthere’s a high risk of being late.
I never recommend starting close toeither end, but adverse current givesyou a less risky chance to start nearthe RC boat. That’s because currentpushes the fleet to leeward as theyluff before the start, so there’soften a hole near the RC boat.
Wind
When you are sailing around beforethe start, change your direction byjibing instead of tacking. Tacking willoften take you too far to windwardof the line, especially in lighter air.
FOUL
Barging!
‘Get there first’ – BoatL is to leeward of thefleet and leading themto the left. She will bethe first boat to benefitfrom any advantage ofbeing on the left side.
4 Lessons from Rio
Simply knowing which way to go on a beat (or run)is often not enough to make a good strategic plan.You also need to figure out the best way to sail towardthat side. Will you position yourself on the leewardside of the fleet so you get to the favored side first?Or will you be toward the windward side of the fleetand ‘sit on top’ as you sail toward the favored side? Each has its pluses and minuses. Being on the
leeward side of the fleet gets you to the favored sidesooner, but it’s more risky because you may never beable to cross the boats on your windward hip. Sittingon top gives you more options, but the delay in gettingto the favored side could be costly.The best plan depends on a number of things that
are different for every windward (or leeward) leg. Thekey question is this: When you get to the favored side,would you rather be to leeward or to windward of thefleet? This depends a lot on the existing wind patternsand to a certain extent on how much you lose whiletacking (see next page for a discussion of both).Here are some other factors you should consider:
Bias of starting line – If either end is upwind bymore than 5°, this could override any other factorsabout where to position yourself early in the race.
Length of the starting line – The longerthe starting line, the more time it willtake for boats at either end to reach
Playing a side: Get there first or ‘sit on top’?LESSONS FROM RIO: Tactics and Strategy
These Lasers have just starteda race in the ocean off Rio withSugarloaf Mountain in the back-ground. The Korean boat (L) isto leeward of the fleet, leadingthem to the left. Boat W is alsoheading to the left but she isto windward of the fleet.
Assuming the left side ofthis beat is favored, which boatwill get to the windward marksooner? If L gets enough of anadvantage on the left that shecan tack and cross the boats onher windward hip, then it wasbetter to get left first. But ifW can hang to windward andahead of the fleet all the wayto the left side, it was better to‘sit on top’ of the fleet whilesailing to the left.
L
L
W
Sugarloaf
US Sailing Team Sperry/Onne van der Wal
the opposite side of the course. This delay in gettingto the favored side could be significant.
Strength of preference – Do you favor the leftor right side by a little or a lot? This greatly affectsyour decision about how critical it is to get there.
Confidence in your strategy – Are you 95% surethe left/right side is better, or just 65%? This will havea big impact on much you commit to a particular side.
Length of first beat – Is the beat long enough soboats to leeward of the fleet will eventually be able totack and cross boats to windward? The shorter thebeat, the more likely it will pay to ‘sit on top.’
Level of risk – How much risk are you willing totake in the race or series? It’s relatively risky to leadthe fleet toward a side, and more conservative to siton top of the fleet because you have more options. There is more than one way to get
to the favored side, so thinkabout all these thingswhen making astrategicplan.
‘Sit on top’ – Boat Wis heading for the leftside of the course butshe is to windward ofthe fleet. She will getto the left side laterthan the others, butshe will benefit from aright shift or pressurethat comes from above.
The examples on this pageand the next show boats onstarboard tack heading towardthe favored left side, but thesame principles apply to boatson port tack heading right.
W
Can the Red boat (X) tack and cross ahead of the Grey boat(Y)? If X is on the same ladder rung as Y (position A), they areeven in the race. Even if X tacks and loses zero distance in theprocess, she will be bow-to-bow with Y. If X starts at position B (onelength ahead of Y) and she tacks without losing any distance, her sternwill be at Y’s bow (position 2). If X loses one length in a tack (e.g. aLaser in light air), she must be at least two lengths ahead of Y (positionC) before she can tack and have a chance to cross. If X loses twolengths in a tack (a 470 in breeze), she must be at least three lengthsahead of Y (position D) or else she won’t be able to tack and cross. IfX loses three lengths in a tack (a skiff in moderate air), she must be atleast four lengths ahead of Y (position E) before she can tack and cross.
The decision about whether to ‘sit on top’ or ‘getthere first’ often depends on your tacking ability.How much distance will your boat lose in a tackin the existing conditions? This determines howfar advanced must you be in order to tack andcross boats on your windward hip.
A boat that tacks well (e.g. a 470 in light air)might lose less than one length in a tack. But a boatthat loses a lot while tacking (e.g. a skiff in heavy air)might lose four lengths or more in a tack! The moreyou lose in a tack, the more difficult it will be to crossthe fleet if you are sailing on their leeward side.
Boat X must be at leastone length ahead of Ybefore she tacks, orshe has no chance tocross in front of Y.
In the three situations diagrammed on this page, the leftside of this first beat is ‘favored’ because it has more windvelocity or an advantageous wind shift. If you were plan-ning a strategy for the start of a race in each condition,would you: A) start to leeward of the fleet (on starboardtack) so you can get to the left side first; or B) start towindward of the fleet so you can ‘sit on top’ as boatssail toward the left side? This obviously depends on a number of factors
(see page 4). The most important is usually the patternof wind pressure and wind direction across your racingarea. Where is the best velocity? Which way will the windshift? And how can you position yourself to be strongestas the fleet sails toward the favored side of the course?The answer is not always ‘just head for the better side.’
As you can see in these examples, there are times when itis better to get there asap, and other times when it’s not.The key is gathering enough information (both before andduring racing) to help you make the right decision on this.
5Speed & Smarts #140
Wind
Wind
Wind
‘Ladder rung’
Wind
A
BC
D
1
2
3
Consider the wind pattern
Y
‘Sit on top’ – As you go farther left, thewind is stronger and its direction is shiftingprogressively to the right. This pattern isoften the result of a geographic influence.In this scenario you need to go left forbetter pressure but you want to be towindward of the fleet going left so youcan also take advantage of the shift.
‘Sit on top’ – There is more velocity asyou go farther left, and also more wind asyou sail farther to windward. So the beststrategy is to be on the windward side ofthe fleet going left so you have more windthan the boats going right and more thanthe boats to leeward of you going left.
Can you tack and cross?
X
E 2
t‘Get there first’ – The wind directionkeeps shifting left as you get farther tothe left side. This pattern is typical with ageographic or persistent shift. The beststrategy is to sail toward the left side asearly as possible – usually the boats thatget there first will be leading the race.
6 Lessons from Rio
RIO LESSONS: Current
Current varies,like the wind
The mouth of Guanabara Bay looking west from the shipping channeltoward Sugarloaf Mountain. As you can see from the water flowing pastthis buoy (located at point B on the chart below), current can be a majorstrategic factor when racing in Rio. Everyone who sailed there learned alot about how to predict and race in variable, and often strong, current.
A sample daily current forecast for Guanabara Bay. We had charts like thisfor every 15 minutes during race days, viewable by swiping on an iPad. Thecolors (and arrow lengths) represent current speed. The scale is boatlengthsper minute, using a boatlength of 4.5 meters which is average for Olympicboats. Most sailors find it easier to use boatlengths per minute while racingrather than knots or some other measure of current velocity.
Every morning in Rio our sailorscompeting in the Olympics got
two forecasts: one for the wind andanother for the current. The windforecast was a prediction of windstrength and direction throughoutthe day – this kind of informationis important for any venue. The current forecast included
predictions about the strength anddirection of water flow across eachcourse area every 15 minutes. Thisinformation was critical for a placelike Rio where the current is strongand greatly affected by geography.The biggest factor in every
current forecast, of course, is thegravitational pull of the moon andsun. Current runs strongest whenthe sun, moon and earth are in line(when there is a new or full moon).The current is weakest when thesun, moon and earth form a rightangle (during a quarter moon).
However, the current is not aproduct of gravitational pull alone.After getting dozens of Rio currentforecasts and checking them on therace courses each day, it was clearthat other factors can also have a
large impact on water flow:Rainfall –When it rained a lot
in the Rio area, the rivers that feedinto Guanabara Bay filled up andbrought more water into the bay’snorthern end. The result was moretrash, a stronger ebb flow out ofthe bay and a weaker flood into thebay, though it sometimes took 24to 48 hours to see these effects.
Wind – The current strengthwas also affected by wind velocity.The stronger the breeze and thelonger it blew, the more it pushedthe water along with it. We sawdays when a sustained 20-knotwind completely stopped the waterflowing out of the bay.
Ocean storms – The presenceof storm systems in the ocean offRio could also had a significantimpact on current. These systemstypically brought a surge in thewater height that strengthened theflood current and weakened theebb. Often these effects appearedas much as a day before the stormhit Rio and lasted a couple days. Many sailors think current is
always constant and predictablebecause it is a caused by the posi-tions of the sun and moon. But were-learned in Rio that the currentis affected by many other factorsand can be variable like the wind.
7Speed & Smarts #140
High
HighLow
Low
High
HighLow
Low
Wednesday, August 23, 2006New moon
Tuesday, August 2, 2016New moon
RIO Tides – August 2006 RIO Tides – August 2016
These were the phases of the moon as seen in the SouthernHemisphere during the Olympics in August 2016. The phasesseen in the Northern Hemisphere were exactly the same –except the visible part of the moon was on the opposite side.
The rise and fall of the tides was greatest around the timeof the new moon (August 2) and the full moon (August 18).These ‘spring tides’ produced the strongest current in Rio(and everywhere else in the world) on those dates.
The rise and fall of the tides was least around the timeof the ‘first quarter’ moon (August 11) and the ‘last quarter’moon (August 25). These ‘neap tides’ produced the weakestcurrent in Rio (and everywhere else) on those dates.
The Olympic sailing regatta ran from August 8 to August 18.The current on the first day was weak to moderate, and it gotweaker each of the first four days. On the fifth day (August 12)the current started getting slightly stronger, and it was at fullspeed by the last day of the event.
Set your practice schedulebased on the moon phase
New moon +1 day
New moon +2 days
New moon +3 days
New moon +4 days
New moon +1 day
New moon +2 days
New moon +3 days
New moon +4 days
The best way to get accurate, detailed infoabout current in a place where you will be
racing is to practice at that venue before yourregatta. However, you have to be smart withyour training schedule. If you randomly showup at the regatta site, you may never see thesame current patterns that you will see duringthe regatta. You have to pick days for trainingwhen the current will be just like the regatta –this is what the Olympic teams did in Rio.Since the time and height of tides is directly
related to the position of the moon, base yourtraining plan on the moon phase. For example,if your regatta will take place on a day when themoon is full, practice on days when you havea full moon. If your regatta will take place ondays 4 and 5 after a new moon, practice on thesame days after a new moon (this also works ifyou substitute new moon for full, or vice versa). Training on days with the same moon
phase is key for two reasons. First, the heightsof high and low tide will be very similar, whichmeans you will be training and racing in thesame current velocity. Second, and more im-portantly, the times of high and low tides willbe very close to the same. This is especially keybecause it means you can train in the same ebb,flood and slack water that you will see whileracing. (See the tide charts below for a greatexample of how this works.)
If you compare tide charts from the same moon cycle days in any two months or years, you will see that they comparevery closely. Here, for example, are the times and heights of high and low tides in Rio for similar days in August 2006 and2016. Compare August 25, 2006 with August 4, 2016 (green boxes), both of which are two days after the new moon.As you can see, the tide times and heights are very, very similar. No matter the month or year, every day that is two daysafter a new moon will have similar times and heights. This is very valuable to know when you organize a training schedule.
Time Height (m) Time Height (m)
Upwind vs. Downwind – The value of sailing in current also varies by wind angle.As a strategic factor, current is generally more critical upwind than downwind. That’sbecause when you are in better current on a beat, you also usually have more windvelocity (because the better current creates additional pressure). In other words,
you get a double benefit by finding better current when sailing upwind.The same is not true downwind. When sailing in ‘better’ current on
a run, you actually have less wind velocity (because the current detractsfrom the wind pressure). So your choice is: 1) better current with
less wind, or 2) worse current with more wind. This makes thedecision less critical – even if you don’t find the best current
you will at least have a little more wind. This extra wind velocity is especially helpful for
fast boats, which generally benefit more fromsmall increases in pressure. That’s why in Riothe faster boats (skiffs, cats, boards) spentless time worrying about current on runsand more time looking for pressure.
Lessons from Rio
When you’re racing in current, this is almostalways a factor at the starting line and while you
are rounding marks. But how important is it from astrategic point of view? The challenge in Rio, and anyother venue where you race in current, is to base yourstrategic planning on an accurate assessment of howcurrent will affect the race. At the Olympics we had verygood data about current in Guanabara Bay, but this didnot mean we always followed it. There were many raceswhere it was much more important to play the wind, forexample. Here’s a discussion of some factors that couldaffect the relative importance of current.
How important is current?
8
LESSONS FROM RIO: Current
Skiff
WIND ‘Fast’ boats vs. ‘Slow’ boats – The current is moreimportant strategically for boats that are going slowly thanfor boats that are going fast. When a boat is traveling slowlythrough the water (i.e. when the current velocity is a greaterpercentage of her boatspeed), she will spend more timesailing in whatever current she has. That makes it moreimportant for her to be in better current.
There are two primary reasons why a boat may be goingfast or slow. The first is wind velocity. In light air boats travelslowly, so current is usually a critical strategic factor. In heavyair, however, boats go much faster, which means current hasa relatively smaller effect on their performance. The lighterthe wind, the more likely it is that current will matter.
The second reason why boats may travel at differentspeeds is because they are different types of boats. At theOlympics there were a bunch of ‘fast’ boats including theskiffs, cats and boards. There were also some ‘slow’ boatsincluding the Laser, Radial and Finn. The strategic value ofcurrent was different depending on boat type.
The skiffs, for example, were very quick and thereforedidn’t care so much about current. The Lasers, on the otherhand, were much slower and therefore looked for even theslightest differences in current across the course. On certainRio race courses, it was not uncommon for one side to befavored if you were racing a fast boat and the other sideto be favored in slow boats, for precisely this reason.
Current
Current
Laser
Skiff
Current
Current
Fast boat
Slow boat
Fast boat
Slow boat
WIND
WIND
Laser
On a run, worsecurrent at least givesyou better wind
Boats going fast don’tcare as much aboutcurrent because theyspend less time beingaffected by it.
Wind or Current?Which strategic factor will be more critical in
your next race or leg – wind or current?Weigh the value of each, and don’t
place undue strategic empha-sis on a variable that hasonly a small chance
of affectingyour race.
9Speed & Smarts #140
Point
Point
Narrow
s
Narrows
Flood
Beginning ebb
Current strength is largely a function of geography. Itruns strongest where the water is deepest (i.e. where thereis least friction with the bottom), but it also accelerates atother points where the flow is constricted. These includeplaces where the water must pass: 1) through a narrow gatesuch as the entrance to Guanabara Bay (A) or the mouthof a river (E); as the water flow compresses into a smallerarea it also speeds up; and 2) around points that stick outinto the water flow (B,C,D). At these places the water flowspeeds up as it compresses around the points.
Current changes In Rio the current runs strongest in thedeep shipping channel that goes up the middle of the bay.Once the current is running at 2+ knots, it takes a long timeto slow. As the end of the tide cycle gets closer, the watermust eventually start flowing the other way. This begins inthe shallow water at the edges of the bay where there ismuch less resistance from the dying flood. In Rio, as inmany other venues, you frequently see new flow gainingstrength at the edges of the bay while the old flow is stillquite strong going the other way in the middle.
Current
‘Wind Race’ – The wind should be your strategic focuswhen it is strong and/or variable compared to current.In these conditions there is a lot more to gain (or lose)by playing the wind correctly (or incorrectly). It’s likely to be a ‘wind race’ when: the current is weak;
the current is even across the course (so there is notmuch to gain on either side); the wind is strong (so theboats go fast relative to the current); or the wind is shiftyand puffy (which means gains or losses due to the windcould be quite large).
WIND
Light and steady
WIND
Strong and shifty
Current
‘Current Race’ – The current should be your strategicfocus when it is relatively strong and more variable thanthe wind. In this condition there is a lot to gain (or lose)by playing the current correctly (or incorrectly). It’s likely to be a ‘current race’ when: the wind is light
(and the current has a correspondingly large influence);the wind direction and velocity are fairly even across thecourse (so there’s not much to gain on either side); thecurrent is strong; or the current is variable across thecourse (so there are gains and losses to be made).
Where you’ll find more current Where the current changes first
Guanabara BayGuanabara Bay
RIO RIO
A
B
C
D
EPoint
Shallow
Shallow
Ebb
Deep
Flood
Shipping
channel
10 Lessons from Rio
LESSONS FROM RIO: Protests
Olympic sailors spend a lot oftime training to sail faster, get
better starts and improve theirboathandling skills, but few spendas much effort learning about rulesand protest procedures. That’s a bitsurprising because rules often playa big role in high-level events –when there’s a lot at stake, sailorsseem more willing to protest eventhe smallest infractions.In the 2016 Olympic regatta,
for example, there were 109 protesthearings spread across ten classes.That’s an average of 11 protests perclass! There were sailors who wonmedals because they played by therules on the water and/or did agood job in protests ashore. Andthere were other sailors who lostmedals because they took risks onthe race course or did a bad job inprotest hearings.
As rules advisor for the U.S.team, I spent a lot of time hangingaround the jury room after racing.Here are some of my take-aways:
Look for evidence – ‘Evidence’is the key to proving your case in ahearing. It could be testimony fromyour crew or a person on anotherboat who saw the incident. It maybe video or a tracker replay of yoursituation. You can present all ofthese things at the hearing. Lookfor this evidence before your hear-ing; if it was available before thehearing but you didn’t get it, youcan’t use that evidence to defendyourself or to reopen the hearing.
Ask for a copy of the protest –This is a simple step that manysailors forget. Before the hearing,you have a right to see a copy of theother party’s written protest, butyou must ask the jury for this. Once
you get it, you are allowed reason-able time to prepare your defense.
Is the protest valid? – If youare filing a protest, make sure youmeet all the requirements for it tobe valid. If you are being protested,look over the other party’s form tosee if they met the requirements.A written protest, for example,must identify ‘where and when theincident occurred’ (rule 61.2c). InRio, two protests were found to beinvalid because they had the wrongrace number (the protestor listedthe race number for that day in-stead of the overall regatta)!
Check the notice board –The official notice board is the‘bible’ for any information youneed to know about protests, socheck it often (even if you don’tthink you’re involved in a protest).At least two Olympic boats weredisqualified from races becausethey did not see their namesposted on the notice board andfailed to show up for the hearing.
21
Don’t overlook protest hearings
Be prepared and preciseIt would be great if every protest decision could bebased on what really happened in the race, but that isnot the case. Because a protest committee hears onlythe testimony presented by two sailors, it can be diffi-cult for them to figure out the ‘truth.’ In many cases,their decision is simply a best guess based on whateach sailor says and does in the hearing.
If you believe that you followed the rules duringthe incident, therefore, you must convince the jurythat your story is the correct one. This requires care-ful preparation and accurate presentation (see below).When you explain the incident with model boats, forexample, be very precise about wind direction, boomangle, distance between boats and so on. Be confidentabout details, time and distance, and show that yourversion is clearly consistent with math and science.
The moment when USAhelmsperson last saw BRAthrough window in mainsail.
The moment when USAhelmsperson first saw BRAbehind the mainsail leech.
Here are two diagrams that we created to defend a port-starboard protest at the Olympics. These were drawnon graph paper so we could show precise boat dimensions and spacing. Our sailors used these for guidance duringthe protest hearing. We also submitted them to the jury 1) to keep our version of the incident in front of them,and 2) to show the attention to detail that went into our race and protest defense. We won this protest because(fortunately) a jury member witnessed the incident and testified that what he saw was similar to the diagram.
11Speed & Smarts #140
Here are five still shots from a videothat shows the start of Finn Race # 6in 20 knots of wind and 10-foot waves.The US boat is sailed by Caleb Painewho crossed the finish line 2nd in thisrace. But CRO protested Caleb, claiminghe (CRO) had to bear away hard to misshitting the aft quarter of USA.
We guessed there might be videoof this incident, but despite a fairlythorough search we could not find itbefore the hearing early that evening.With only the two boats’ testimony asevidence, the jury disqualified Caleb fornot keeping clear of a starboard tacker.
Fortunately, a friend happened tofind the video shown here early the nextmorning. We immediately brought it tothe jury and requested that they reopenthe hearing, which they agreed to do.
Caleb then presented the video atthe reopened hearing. Based on thisnew evidence, the jury changed thefacts to say that Caleb had in fact keptclear of CRO. The protest was dismissed,Caleb was reinstated in 2nd place, andhe went on to win a bronze medal!
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2
3
4
5
Notes on reopeninga protest hearingWhen you disagree with the decision
of a protest committee, you havetwo options. You can file an appeal, oryou can request the jury to reopen thehearing. At the Olympics, or at anyevent where there is an internationaljury, appeals are not permitted. In thatcase your only option is reopening.According to rule 66 (Reopening
a Hearing), a protest committee mayreopen a hearing when ‘it decides thatit may have made a significant error, orwhen significant new evidence becomesavailable within a reasonable time.’ Anyparty to a hearing may ask for a reopen-ing no later than 24 hours after beinginformed of the decision. That’s whatwe did in the Finn protest (see below).Twelve hours after the hearing we
found a video showing the incident.In order to get the hearing reopenedwe had to convince the jury see thatthis evidence was both ‘substantial’ and‘new.’ The jury agreed it was substantialbecause it could potentially reverse thedecision they had made the day before.And the video was ‘new’ because it wasnot reasonably available to us at thetime of the hearing. Therefore theyagreed to reopen the hearing.
12 Lessons from Rio
LESSONS FROM RIO: Protests
Laser gate marks (Dark orange)
LASER RACE 5
Pai Island
Pai Island
FINN RACE 3
Finn windwardand offset marks
(Red)
We were lucky that Amory Ross, who wasworking on media for the US Sailing Team,could help us with the presentation of a casefor redress in Finn Race 3. Amory started bygetting the GPS tracker info for both the Finnand Laser fleets. He took a screen shot of theFinns when they were getting close to theirwindward mark (top), and then took a screenshot of the Laser fleet (middle) at the sameexact time (13:20:55), using the same scale.These races were in the ocean off Rio, butluckily there was a piece of land (Pai Island)in both shots. Amory used this geographicreference to overlay the two screen shotsexactly on top of each other (bottom). Theresult was a very accurate picture showing theFinns and the position of their windward (andoffset) mark plus the Laser gate marks. Thiswas shown to the jury in the redress hearing.
Requesting redressIn Finn Race 3, the windward mark was alittle hard to find. The first beat was longand the waves were big, plus there were mul-tiple marks to windward. It turns out that theLaser leeward gate marks had been placedsurprisingly close to the Finn course – thisand the similar colors (dark orange versusred) confused at least a few sailors.In sailing, a boat may be entitled to some
form of redress if her finish position in a raceis made significantly worse, through no faultof her own, by an improper action of the racecommittee (rule 62.1a). That’s why severalFinn sailors asked for redress in Race 3.In order to get redress, a sailor has to
demonstrate several things:1) His finish position in the race was
made ‘significantly worse.’ In other words,his finish score was made worse by a signifi-cant amount and this was directly as a resultof the race committee’s error; and2) His finish position was made worse
‘through no fault of [his] own.’ That is, therewas nothing the sailor did that contributedto his worse finish score; and3) There was an ‘improper action’ by
the race committee. In this case, the sailorsalleged that it was improper for the RC torun a race with a second set of similar marksso close to their windward mark.In Race 3, the Finn sailors had to show
that the RC made an error and that this hada significant effect on their score. The juryfound that the Finn RC had placed theirwindward mark in the correct place, so theydecided not to give redress in this case.
Almost all the Finnssailed to the right ofthe rhumbline as theyapproached the topmark. The wind wasa little right of theposted Finn markbearing, and somethought the Lasergate mark was theirwindward mark.
The Laser fleet was sailing atrapezoid course just to thenorthwest of the Finns. Thegate marks on their outerloop were dark orange andpositioned fairly close to theFinn windward and offsetmarks, which were red.
Laser marks
Finn marks
Laser fleet on first beat
Finn fleet on first beat
Start
Start
Synchronized time
Synchronized location
Using the synchronized timeand location, the two racesand courses are laid on topof each other to show therelative positions of theFinns, their windward markand the Laser gate marks.
Synchronized scale
13Speed & Smarts #140
Ithink it is safe to say that there are more protestsinvolving rule 10 (On Opposite Tacks) than anyother rule in the rulebook. At the 2016 Olympics, forexample, at least 28 protest hearings involved a port-starboard situation. And the port-tack boat was dis-qualified in about 75% of those! Not very good oddsfor the boat trying to cross ahead.Even at a high-level event like the Olympics, many
sailors do not have a sound plan for managing port-starboard situations on the race course. Before anymajor event, every sailor should think about theirport-tack philosophy. In other words, when will theygo for the ‘cross’? Here are some things to consider: • How likely is the other boat to protest? This
depends on the crew’s personality, their history ofprotesting, the culture of the class in which you areracing and the level of the event. The bigger the event,the more rule 10 protests you tend to see. • The wind and wave conditions. As the wind
velocity and wave height go up, starboard tackersbecome increasingly apprehensive about boats cross-ing close ahead, and they are more likely to protest. • How much risk are you willing to take? At
any point in a race or series, you should have a goodidea about the level of risk you are willing to assume.More often than not, making a close cross on port tackis a risky move, so don’t do it unless you’re willing toaccept penalty turns or a possible DSQ.• How badly do you need to cross ahead on
port? There are occasional times when crossing astarboard tacker can make a huge difference in yourrace or series, but most of the time it doesn’t matterso much. Don’t make the mental mistake of going fora risky cross that is not essential to your race.
Beware of port-starboard situations!
P
US Sailing Team Sperry/Daniel Forster
“When a protest committee finds that ina port-starboard incident S did not changecourse and that there was not a genuineand reasonable apprehension of collisionon the part of S, it should dismiss herprotest. When the committee finds thatS did change course and that there wasreasonable doubt that P could have crossedahead of S if S had not changed course,then P should be disqualified.”
CASE 50World Sailing
Before you decide to make a close cross in front ofa starboard tacker, read this appeal! The rules donot place any specific onus on a port-tack boat, butWorld Sailing Case 50 says she will be disqualified if:1) the starboard-tacker changed course; and2) there was reasonable doubt that P could have
crossed ahead if S had not changed course.In almost all starboard-port protest hearings, the
starboard tacker says two things: 1) she had to bearoff to avoid hitting P; and 2) if she hadn’t borne offshe was worried that she would hit P. In other words,S almost always says the two things that Case 50 listsas conditions for disqualifying P. In the absence ofother strong evidence, a jury that hears this kind oftestimony will almost always penalize P.
S
Lessons from Rio
How land affects the wind
‘Compression’
Windshadow
Windshadow
Windshadow
WIND
WIND
WIND
Windwardmark
Wind shadow
(less wind)
Compression area
(more wind)
WIND
Wind shadows extend toleeward of objects, so theirlocation changes when thewind direction shifts.
Wind shadows – Hills, mountains, islands and buildings block the wind, of course, and leave shadowsof lighter air in their lee. Wind shadows usually extenddirectly to leeward of an object, so they move wheneverthe wind direction shifts. The higher and wider theobject, the longer and more severe its wind shadow.
Pai Island (shown here) is 100 meters high and abouta kilometer across, so it creates a substantial wind block.The severity of a wind shadow is also related to windvelocity – the lighter the wind the longer it takes for airflow to re-establish on the back side of the object, sowind shadows are more severe.
The best strategy, of course, is to stay in areas of bestpressure and avoid, or minimize your time in, sailing inwind shadows. That is not always so easy to do whenmarks are positioned near shore.
Compression effects –When there is a wind shadow,look for a corresponding area of more pressure on eitherside (or both sides) of the lighter air. The wind that wasblocked by the island (or any other object) has to gosomewhere, and much of it goes around (or over) theobject. As the wind on the windward side of the islandbends to go around the side, it meets up with wind thatwas already flowing there. The result is an area of com-pressed air flow with increased velocity. You may see thison both sides of the island and extending to leeward.
Identify the transition zone – Strategically, it’s usuallygood to sail in the area of compression where there’smore wind, and it’s bad to sail in a wind shadow wherethere is less wind. In between these areas is a ‘transitionzone’ where the wind goes from lighter to stronger. Thiszone is characterized by puffs and shifts. Once you seethe wind becoming inconsistent, you are on the borderbetween compression and wind shadow; in this case itusually pays to sail away from the wind shadow untilyou get into more solid pressure.
‘Compression’
Transition zone (Puffy)
14
LESSONS FROM RIO: Geographic wind effects
The race courses in Rio are surrounded by islandsand mountains that pop up out of the water andcreate a spectacular backdrop for racing. It’s a land-scape that provides a perfect laboratory for studyingthe effect of land on wind. Nowhere else have I seenthe velocity and direction of the wind vary so muchacross a small area due to geographical effects. Hereare some of the local effects that sailors had to dealwith during the Olympics.
When beating toward anobject that casts a largewind shadow, the beststrategy often depends onthe location of the mark.
Sugarloaf Mountain1,400 ft
Windshadow
15Speed & Smarts #140
Here’s a typical Rio racecourse set near steepislands and mountains.The breeze is fairly steadyfor any boats, like theseRadials, that are on thewindward side of thisisland. But on the leewardside sailors have to dealwith a big wind shadowthat has light and shiftywind. When boats areabeam of the island theyare likely to find evenmore wind because thebreeze compresses as itflows around the sides.The taller and steeper theisland (or mountain), themore significant are thesegeographic effects.
Wind over waterWind over land
Wind over waterWind over land
Southern
Northern
Southern
Northern
Area of c
onve
rgen
ce(m
ore wind)
Area of d
ivergen
ce(le
ss wind)
Northern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
Friction effects –When the wind blows across thesurface of the earth, it encounters surface drag, orfriction, with the land and water. This makes the wind(at lower heights) flow a little slower and changes itsdirection. In the Southern Hemisphere, surface dragmakes the wind veer (i.e. turn to the right). In theNorthern Hemisphere, the opposite is true: frictionmakes the wind back (i.e. shift left).
The rough surface of the land (trees, etc.) usuallycreates a lot more drag than the relatively smoothsurface of the water. The greater the friction, the moreeffect it has on wind direction. The wind, therefore,tends to bend more over land than it does over water.This is important to sailors whenever they are racingnear land (see below).
Convergence –When the wind is blowing alonga shoreline, you may find an area of convergencewith more wind pressure close to shore. This occurswhen the surface drag of the land area causes thewind to shift and blow toward the nearby body ofwater. This wind blowing off the land convergeswith the wind over the water and creates morewind where the two breezes meet. You’ll find thisin the Northern Hemisphere when you are facingthe wind and the land is to your left. It occurs inthe Southern Hemisphere when you are facing thewind and the land is to your right.
Divergence – At other times when the wind isblowing along a shoreline, you may find an areaof divergence with less wind pressure near shore.This occurs when the surface drag of the land areacauses the wind to shift away from the nearby bodyof water. This wind blowing over the land divergesfrom the wind over the water and leaves an areawith less wind between the two breezes. You’llfind this in the Northern Hemisphere when youare facing the wind and the land is to your right.It occurs in the Southern Hemisphere when youare facing the wind and the land is to your left.
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Lessons from Rio
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When you sail in a place like Rio, where the race courses are surroundedby land, it’s critical to know how much the local geography will affect
your wind during any race. Obviously, the height and width of the nearbyfeatures are important. A small, flat island, for example, will have nowherenear as much influence as Sugarloaf Mountain, which is 1,400 feet high!To understand the influence of geography, you also have to know the
depth of the breeze in which you are sailing. Does the wind go up half amile off the water surface, or just a couple hundred meters? The deeperthe breeze, the less it will be affected by local geography.Shallow breezes may not reach the top of nearby land features, so they
can only flow around these obstacles, which means a greater local change intheir direction and strength. Typical shallow breezes include a building seabreeze and the wind you get when there’s a temperature inversion (oftenaccompanied by low haze). In these conditions, look for more significantlocal geographic wind effects.
How much will land features affect the wind?LESSONS FROM RIO: Geographic effects
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Rio Lessons
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A shallow wind stream is unable (or lessable) to flow over geographic features,so it must go around them. This meansyou’ll see more of a change in the winddirection near obstacles and less windvelocity on their leeward sides becausethere is no flow going over the top.
When the wind stream is deeper thanthe obstacles in its path, the wind hasthe option of going up and over theobstacle, not just around it. Therefore,the strength and direction of that windis less disrupted by geography.
