Yachts & Yachting – August 2019

C

rewing is oen considered

to be not as important

as the helming role – the

perception is that you can

just jump in and go. In

the early days of your crewing career

this might be the case, but a great crew

will contribute equally to the speed,

decision-making and outcome of

their team’s racing. ere are myriad

aspects to this, from the personal to

the practical. Over the next few pages I

focus on one of the basics that is oen

ignored – going faster in a straight line

upwind. I hope you nd a few ideas

to try on whatever boat you sail.

BOAT SET-UP

ere will be loads of information on

the internet about how to set up your

boat, and most sailmakers will have

a set-up guide for their brand which

is the starting point. If you can’t nd

anything, ask the more experienced

sailors in the eet. It’s really important to

get the basic onshore settings right and

create a system, so that you can change

between settings while on the water.

With a permanent marker, mark

where you are pulling the jib halyard

to, record what shroud pin number you

are on and make a calibration system

for your jibsheet – this is the only way

to create a repeatable tuning guide.

Measure things before you sail and

then when you come in. Keep a record of

the conditions and how you were going,

to build up your own tuning guide.

For more detail I’d recommend Tuning

to Win [by Ian Pinnell, Fernhurst].

The slot between

the jib and

mainsail is vital:

as crew, the jib

is your domain

I gelled with Hannah Mills
instantly – we shared the
same ethos and goals.
To be a great team, all
members of that team
need to be operating at
maximum capacity

August 2019 Yachts & Yachting 47