Finding a Lane downwind.
I have a couple of golden rules
which I stick to when sailing down wind.
1. When reaching if it is a tight
reach stay as high as the boat in front of you. You will never pass
to leeward of another boat on a tight reach. And if you try you will
more than often open the door for a boat behind to catch you.
2. If it is a broad reach go low.
If in doubt go even lower again. Put heaps in the bank and only heat
it up as you get closer to the mark. This is the easiest place on
the race coarse to pass 10 or 20 boats in one hit. By doing this you
will often find some clean air and when the bunch is slowing each
other down as they get closer to the mark you can sail in with speed
and air.
3. Talk to the sailors around you.
Especially if they don't know the fastest way to the next mark. It
is very hard to sail a fast coarse if the boat just behind you is
only worried about taking your wind. Sailors have got to see the big
picture. You and the sailor behind you could fight it out for 1
place, or both work together and pass 10 boats, pull away from the
boats behind, catch the leading bunch, consolidate your good
position.
