This morning we received our first update from Coach Tihansky as he embarks on his first transatlantic crossing.  With thousands of sea miles under his keel, Jahn’s no stranger to the open ocean but this is his first crossing.  Their route is a well traveled one that traces the same arc that Christopher Columbus sailed on his second voyage to the new world.  While the entire crossing will take about a month, the team is planning a short leg over to the Canary Islands before making the big (2500 nm) leap to the Caribbean.  Here is what Jahn posted this morning before slipping the dock lines and heading into the offing. Read more

Last Sunday, during the Annapolis Yacht Club Frostbite series, I watched nearly a dozen boats wipe out on the reach to the finish because they didn’t play the vang!   In a moment of hyperbole, I said to my team – “the vang is probably the most important sail control on the boat.”  OK OK OK – that might have been a bit aggressive, but I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to say it is the most important sail control most racers rarely think about. Read more

Yesterday’s post about the 2013 Frostbite series and the rules that govern what boats can do at obstructions created quite a stir.  This morning we’ll look at two common rules scenarios that seem to take place every Sunday during frostbite racing.  There are dozens of conceivable situations where the rules that govern obstructions can come into play on the frostbite course – but we will only unpack two. Read more

While sitting in the warm sun aboard a client’s boat yesterday the question was asked – “how can you possibly know what the wind will do?  Do those clouds tell us anything?”  The sky was clear, there was little to no wind and only a few whispy cirrocumulus clouds in the sky.  While today’s sailors are hopeless inured to devices, immediate buoy data and forecasting tools; the sky still has an awful lot to tell us about what to expect next.

There are plenty of old weather rhymes to help make your next forecast accurate and easy.   Read more

Annapolis Yacht Club hosts annual frostbite racing every Sunday from mid-November until mid-December.  Annapolis frostbiting is exhilarating, challenging, fun and unlike most other kinds of racing “discipline” in Annapolis.  Few other racing events (except for J World Annapolis Thursday Night Racing) put such a huge premium on starting, boat to boat tactics and local knowledge.

Why is frostbite racing so different?  Short courses, crowded heavily end favored start lines, obstructions, a very healthy mix of reaching and upwind/downwind, limited passing lanes and funky geographic influenced wind patterns make for racing that is unlike anything else taking place in Annapolis throughout the year.  It is FANTASTIC! Read more