Coaching by Gary Adshead

Saturday 25^th may, 2013.

Gary Adshead.

Present:                                                                       Missing:

·                Row - Helm	·                Kate
·                Jane - Main	·                Barb
·                Leander – Trim 1
·                Alina – Trim 2
·                Hayley - Pit
·                Mandy - Sewer
·                Andrea - Mast
·                Elyse - Bow

Started off leaving the dock at 1.15 after waiting for a few missing sailors.

Wind light to medium, ranging from 7 to 13 from the SSE.

Main and light jib.

Talked through the objective of the day to have a chilled sail with plenty of tacks, gybes and kite work, reinforced that the loudest voice on the boat is mine and I will float, help out if required and talk through all manoeuvres and try not to get in the way.

Main went up easily though the webbing at the top batten on the bolt rope is worn and catches on the feeder. This needs to be fixed before it causes further problems.

Row

No problems steering and focused on what she was doing not yelling or hassling for manoeuvers to happen quicker etc. nice and relaxed.

Got to a stage where she was steering to the kite in gybes and all other manoeuvers. No problems at all and confident in what she was doing.

Row needs to try steering sitting down more and work with the main trimmer on keeping speed / height.

Jane

Great and no problems trimming the main; used the sheet and traveller to get the best out of it and changed gears when the breeze fluctuated. Good calls on the gybes to duck, mainly directed at me.

Main needs to call the boat speed more and make sure the heady trim is working with her.

Also downwind the main trimmer needs to be looking back and calling the wind.

Leander

First time on the boat and hadn’t floated kites during gybes for some time, she didn’t use that as an  excuse and did well, maybe over trimmed at times as she’s used to big boats and having to trim in twice as far. She took some getting used to two handing the sheets on the float gybes otherwise comfortable. We kept the angle small (didn’t go from shy to shy) to make her job and the bow / mast combination work easier, that was the smart thing to do and confidence (fun) increased.

Upwind trim was good and again getting used to the different sail shape but had the skills and will improve with more sails on the boat.

Alina

Great second trim. Good tailing on tacks and brace work under kite was great. All good.

I didn’t get into it but upwind she should be calling the wind and counting the puffs in “puff on in 5, 4….).

Also on the gybes in heavier wind call for the tactician to come in and either grind or tail the brace to get it back quickly, this will stabilise the spinnaker and stop the helms white knuckles.

Hayley

No problems, knows what is required of her and keeps her eyes on what is happening up front.

She needs to be more aggressive on the topper coming out of the gybes but again all good. I suggested that she stands out of the stairs, next to the cabin top, for the gybes to be able to get more purchase / leverage on the topper and halyard for the hoist and gybes.

Also as soon as the trip is called for the pole she needs to drop the topper to the marked height, don’t wait for the pole to be tripped, it’s easier to come out of the beak when the topper is off.

Mandy

On time and eager to pitch in which is invaluable and does it with a smile. Great at sewer and kicker, if anything make sure she gets down those stairs earlier rather than later and that might help if Hayley’s out of the stairs. I’m not sure if she ran the tapes after each drop but good on the boat and has fun.

Andrea

Really good on the mast, strong and uses her body weight when bouncing halyards, just needs to make sure she watches the hoist, looking forward, while doing it.

We changed the gybe from bow tripping and running forward to connect the new brace, to mast tripping the pole with the bow in a pre-set position to receive the pole. It certainly worked better as the gybes became a lot cleaner with fewer issues. We should see if we can keep the pole butt at a constant height so it doesn’t need to be adjusted for each gybe, this will make the tripping easier and more efficient.

Good talking on what needs to happen at each mark rounding, this position is the eyes and ears for the bow with comments going both ways.

Elyse

Elyse, just because I’ve written a lot here doesn’t mean anything bad.

Elyse got better and better as the day went on and finished on a good note. The first few runs we had some issues and we discussed this and identified that she was confused with the Flanno running forward gybe technique which resulted in a few twists on the pole, so we reverted to the method she was more confident with. We discussed changing it around and doing it other ways once she has her gybes down pat.

Elyse and the gybes worked better as the afternoon went on and she became more confident and happier on the bow. It didn’t help when I suggested a float gybe drop (Mexican) on the last manoeuvre for the day, but it worked and it came down clean and dry and we had boat speed out of the manoeuvre, perfect.

It’s one of the most important positions on the boat (and the most visible) and the more you practice the better you will become.  Do it your way and once you have that perfected play around with other ways and work out the best for you and the boat. Don’t forget that you are in control of some of the manoeuvers downwind so don’t hesitate to “suggest” how you want them done.

Work on keeping the brace and sheets clean so you don’t have issues out at the end of the pole.

Practice as much as you can with the direction the brace is coming from so it doesn’t go into the beak the wrong way or twisted. Keep the jib out of the feeder and foil so the pole doesn’t hit anything on the way through the gybe.

Also on the hoist and gybes you control where the pole goes. Meaning, clip the sheet and brace in for the hoist then hold the pole up over your head for the topper to take up. This always ensures the pole doesn’t catch on the forestay / foil. Same with the gybes, throw the pole out towards the spinnaker tack after you’ve yelled made, this will keep it from ripping the kite if the topper comes up too quick (by keeping out of the middle of the kite) and makes it easier for the second trim to pull the brace in.

Overall

I think everyone had fun and the team work got better and better as the day progressed. We slowed the manoeuvres down after a few little errors to start and that helped greatly. Then we started to do them a little faster and more frequently and really didn’t have too many issues.

Upwind is fine, the tacks and weight movement are great, no problems there. Changing gears for the up / down of the breeze needs more communication from the side (calling the wind) and main trim to talk it through with the heady trimmer and helm on what’s required to keep or build boat speed.

Downwind, gybes need more practice. Big thing is to keep the headsail down and out of the way for the gybes, less clutter the easier the manoeuvre is. Slow turns and getting it right is always better than fast turns and more stress. Increase the angle of the gybes once confidence and competence is reached. 

Keep the fun in it and have a few laughs along the way.

It won’t take long for the manoeuvers to improve and then it will be easier to take it up a level and with a solid base of experience to rely on everything starts to become second nature.

Evan Walker Feed back on Headsail Trim

Headsail Trim 101     DRAFT 13/06/13

Evan Walker 3 June 2013

Step 1:

Sit down to leeward (on the side of the boat away from the wind, also known as the low side of the boat) and while on an upwind course, trim to an obviously under-trimmed position (top of the jib flapping while the bottom is filled).

Step 2:

The skipper will use the bottom tell-tales (See figure 1) as a steering guide so those will fly parallel. Now notice that the middle and/or top windward tell-tales are breaking (not flying parallel). This shows that the top of the jib is sheeted out too much compared to the bottom of the jib and the jib is described as having too much twist.

Step 3:

It is helpful to think of the jib sheet as controlling the headsail twist. If you sheet on more the twist will decrease. Slowly sheet on (with the skipper maintaining an upwind course according to the bottom tell-tales) and only stop when the middle tell-tales stop breaking. Now the middle (and top) of the jib are working properly along with the bottom. The twist is correct.

Step 4:

As the skipper slowly steers up above this course, the middle tell-tales should break slightly before the bottom ones (If they break at the same time it will be difficult for the skipper to steer). If the top breaks too early relative to the bottom, correct the twist by sheeting on a bit more.

Step 5:

Now that the twist is correct, pay attention to the depth in the foot (bottom) of the jib. You may need to be shown a few times what is an appropriate depth for underpowered conditions (when you want max power) and what the foot should look like when you want it fully depowered (flat). This can be controlled by adjusting the jib carr.

(Most jibs like the Sydney38 Medium have a ‘shelf’ foot.  This means the gap between the depth of the foot and the straight line between the tack and the clew is filled in with material. When you want full power this shelf should look like it was meant to, with the edge of the sail pulled almost straight from tack to clew.)

Step 6:

If once you have sheeted the jib for the correct amount of twist, the foot is too deep, you need to move the jib carr back (away from the bow, so that the sheet is effectively pulling more along the foot instead of down the leech) and vice versa. As the wind increases and you get more and more over powered, you will need to flatten the foot by moving the carr further back incrementally (If you move the carr too far back you risk tearing the foot apart).

Step 7:

Moving the carr also affects the twist so now re-adjust the jib sheet to achieve optimum twist. If you still aren’t happy with the foot depth repeat steps 6 and 7.

Step 8:

Now while you are getting used to this process it might take a long time and you don’t want to have to repeat it every time you tack, so pay attention to the carr position and where the leech of the jib is compared to the bands on the bottom spreader. An alternative (or additional) method to using the spreader bands to replicate sheet settings is to put a mark on the sheets near the winch when they are fully sheeted.

Advanced step 9: Barber haulers

Once the twist and the depth have been set, the barber hauler can be used to sheet the whole sail in closer to the centre line of the boat. This will help the boat sail closer to the wind but might cost some speed.  The easiest way to use them is to keep an eye on the boat speed instrument. If the boat is faster than the target boat speed when the skipper steers to the tell tales then you can probably pull on more barber hauler.

Another thing to notice is the leech tales (Figure 1). These are the tell-tales extending off the back of the leech.  If the leech returns too much towards the centreline (is too hooked), either because of too much barber hauler or too much jib sheet, these leech tales will suck in behind the sail and not fly freely. Similarly, if they are flying all the time then you can potentially pull on more barber hauler (or sheet), so make adjustments until you see them start to suck behind occasionally.

A sure sign that you have too much barber hauler is that the bottom of the mainsail luff will suffer from ‘blow-back’ (bubbles). See diagram 2. If there is blow-back and the barber hauler is already fully eased you need to either ease the sheet a bit, or if you also think the foot is too deep, just move the jib carr back (flattening the foot while also increasing twist). The middle tell-tales will now break early but that’s ok because the boat is overpowered.

Barber hauler can have an affect on both jib depth and twist, so after any adjustments to barber hauler re-adjust sheet and carr to return to desired depth and twist.

Advanced step 10: Backstay

As the wind increases you will notice the forestay will tend to ‘sag’ more to leeward and sometimes you will see it move around a lot in waves. It is never good for parts of the sail to move around a lot and it is also not good for the forestay to sag excessively. Changes in sag affect the shape of the sail according to Figure 3.  To maintain an acceptable amount of sag ask the main trimmer to adjust the backstay. More backstay means less sag. You will have to accommodate the main trimmer however because the backstay also affects the depth of the mainsail by bending the mast.

Advanced step 11: Headsail halyard

Similar to forestay sag, headsail halyard tension can have a big effect on sail shape. A tighter halyard will move the shape towards the front of the sail (Figure 4). This might be beneficial in choppy water or in stronger winds. It can also help correct the effect of age. As sails get older the shape moves further aft (back).

A good starting point is to tighten the halyard until there is only a hint of horizontal creases in the luff. This will vary as the wind strength changes.

It is important to be able to replicate the halyard setting every time the jib is hoisted, and if you have changed headsails on the last run you need to have a starting point for the new sail’s halyard tension.

The easiest way to keep track of this is to have an area of stickyback on the sliding hatch. On it draw a table with wind strength down the side, and sail selection across the top (Light Medium Heavy). It is then the pitperson’s responsibility to record the setting whenever the trimmer is happy with it. Within a couple of sessions the table should be close to complete.

Mechanics of headsail trim

Only use the self-tailer on the winch if the load is too heavy to wind with one hand and it is inconvenient to give the tail to the offside trimmer. For any big trim moments like the wind up at the start or the bottom mark, or after a big dip, the offside trimmer should make themself available (just turn your shoulders in and reach your hand out).

Always take the handle out of the winch once you have reached target trim, and cleat the sheet on the inside of the cockpit. Putting it in the tailer means you need more time to leeward going into a tack.

When you need to add a wrap, always try to have the handle aiming towards you so you don’t have to reach over it.

Upon exiting the tack (immediately after tacking), the trimmer should pay close attention to the jib tell-tales and only trim the jib to match the angle steered by the skipper. There are a number of reasons why the skipper might steer higher or lower than usual out of a tack. If they come out too low, trim to that angle, and then wait til they steer up before trimming in any more (But be careful not to undertrim when easing to the skipper’s course. Can can lead to the skipper steering further away from the wind).

It’s also important to have a slightly softer (looser) trim while the boat is building speed, then wind up to your target trim only once the boat has reached the target boat speed.

When tacking, the offside trimmer should move across the front of the cockpit while the trimmer steps behind.

At all times both trimmers should be conscious of their weight. Offside should tail as far across the boat (to windward) as possible (unless the weight needs to be to leeward out of the tack such as in light winds). After turning legs in the trimmer should stay to windward til the last second before the tack and then after trimming to the tack exit/speed build setting, should move to windward with the tail where you can see the jib tell-tales from the windward side of the mast, here you can ease more sheet if necessary during the speed build before returning to leeward to wind in the last bit once the boat approaches target speed (In strong winds you might take a long time to get the sheet in. In this case don’t worry about moving to the windward side for the speed build).

Recording Settings:

It is important to keep track of what carr/spreader band/barber haul combination you used for each wind strength. The optimum setting will change across the wind range and might be completely different for each jib used. Get in the habit of carrying a notepad to record quick notes while sailing and then consolidating these along with the halyard settings at the end of the day.

Super Advanced Sail Shape and the influence of mast bend and forestay tension:

There are two ways that sail makers build shape into any upwind sail. These are known as broadseam shape and luff curve shape.

o   Broadseam shape is built into a sail in the way that the various panels in the sail are joined together. On any seam, shape is introduced to the sail when one edge is cut in a slight convex curve and the adjacent panel is cut straight. This type of shape accounts for most of the shape in the sail.

o   Luff curve shape is the same technique on a much larger scale along the luff of the sale. When the luff, which is prominently convex curved, is forced onto a straight mast, shape is introduced to the sail. The benefit of luff curve shape is that we can easily influence it by bending the mast for a mainsail, or changing forestay sag for a jib.

The mast can be bent by pulling on the backstay. The more backstay you pull on the more the mast bends and the more closely the bend of the mast matches the luff curve, producing a flatter sail. This reaches a limit when the mast bend matches the luff curve. Over bend creases will occur if the mast is bent any more (Figure 5).

The backstay also affects the tension in the forestay. This combined with the load in the sail determines the amount the forestay sags. Forestay sag affects a jib in a similar way that mast bend affects a mainsail. The more the forestay sags, the more luff curve shape the sail will have. More accurately it affects the ‘angle of entry’. This is the angle between the wind coming into the sail and the front of the sail. Forestay sag affects the ‘angle of entry’ in the middle of the jib luff more than it does the top and the bottom. Therefore, excessive forestay sag might result in a middle tell-tale that breaks before both the top and bottom tell-tales.

All Female Crew first race together Result Line Honours

“She watched the gap between ship and shore grow to a huge gulf. Perhaps this was a little like dying, the departed no longer visible to the others, yet both still existed, only in different worlds.”
― Susan Wiggs, The Charm School

I just want to say a heart felt thank you for yesterday. I know that many of you took a risk coming out with people that you barely knew, and some of you doing jobs that you have not done for a long time, if ever.

All I keep thinking as I was resting on the floor of the shower, having the warm water on me, is if we never took any risks life would never be full off opportunities like yesterday.

As a woman, I have spent allot of time on boats, growing up with my dad as a single father, and an ocean racer, I was dragged from one race to another.

After I had my children, I stopped sailing for a long time, and now in the last 6 years getting back onto the ocean with a new conviction.

One of the main issues that I have felt and it is not a criticism, is that as a woman, you are often the putty filler on a boat, you are put in amongst the "gun crew" and are there to make weight or fill a spot , yet not often on a permanent basis. And if you are on a boat, there is not a lot of room to be trained into a position properly.

I would love to be with a group of women, where we spend time exploring various roles and jobs on a yacht, learning boat handling, speed building, and working together as a team in support of each other.

Yesterday, watching the courage and the tenacity of Michelle on the Helm, and the work of every woman on that boat, my heart burst open.

I was inspired and committed to training, even if we don't all sail together on a regular basis, yet as Michelle has constantly said to me, her mission is to empower women on the water. And that mission was seen in every minute of the day yesterday.

I got home last night, after calibre"s virgin voyage, with an all women's crew, and all I could do was smile, and hug my daughter.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Manly Yacht Club Helly Hansen Woman's Challenge

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/MYC-Helly-Hansen-Womens-Challenge/107798

Ladies Day CYCA 2013

Ladies Day CYCA

What a wonderful day had by all, with challenging conditions, a lack of wind, yet a huge amount of determination, Calibre sailed incredibly well.

Our Wonderful coach Geoff Bonus

CHICKS AHOY!

Geoff Bonus

SUN 14 APRIL 2013

OK ladies. I am pressed by Nikki to provide some written feedback.

I tried to resist but she can be very persuasive. Written notes get really detailed really easily, and the notes below are no exception to this.

What we are doing at the moment is the basics of boat handling, and on the water I am keeping it simple and repetitive. When I see that we are handling the boat well, we step it up a gear and increase the pace of manoeuvres, but we still keep it simple.

There are a 100 little things that we could stop and I could talk about at any one moment, but that is not the way to get everybody dancing the same dance steps. So in this written feedback I will mention some of the 100 little things and give some more feedback on the session. I hope it is useful.

BOW

Barb: 200% improvement in 7 days. Upwind: think ahead at all times and know that you and the boat are ready for the next 2 manoeuvres, whatever they may be. Always work on the windward rail. Talk to the Pit, let them know what you are doing/can do/cannot do/need to do. Hit the rail at transitions. Speed out of a rounding is more important than a tidy bow. Clean up when you can but only when the boat is at pace. Get into the habit of looking up whenever you take a halyard in your hand and check that it is free, not twisted, will go up, will come down. Downwind: be smooth. A confident calm bow makes the whole boat fast as everybody relaxes. Sailing is much more fun on the bow when you don’t have 18 eyes burning holes in the back of your head. Develop habits that make gybes easy. After a bottom mark rounding tell the boat when we are clear to tack. If we are not clear, tell them with more urgency and remedy it.

MAST

Lia: Good combination with Barb. Upwind: be the boat. You are at the centre of effort for power (adjacent the mast/keel) AND placed at the widest part of the boat (B-max) so every move you make does more for boat trim than anybody else’s. Take the lead on crew weight movement. Feel the different modes of the boat and respond with weight appropriately ie in flat water down pressure, less than 7 knts, weight to leeward to induce 14 degrees angle of heel, keep the boat fast by roll tacks, crew cross together to be more effective, press the rail down to complete the take, keep pressing to build speed. 7-9 knts, weight up and hiking in gusts to keep constant angle of heel, weight in for the lulls, press the boat down in tacks to reduce rudder movement (rudder= handbrake, less rudder movement=faster tack exit speed), weight up and hiking after completing the tack and when boat “attitude” is correct, mid pressure, 9-13 knts, be smooth, cross the boat quickly but smoothly and together, “heads in one line” when hiking AND tacking, take it a little easy hiking so you can press the rail down with an increase in effort in a gust, up pressue, 13-30 knts, hike like crazy, fully projected from the rail at all times, head position is low, bunch up and reduce windage, legs can feel numb, cross boat rapidly in tacks, don’t get caught to leeward, did I mention hike like crazy? Downwind: think ahead at all times and know that you and the boat are ready for the next 2 manoeuvres, whatever they may be. Eyes on Barb at all times, stay on the rail but watch/back up/provide “Quality Assurance” at all times. Get the new brace for the bow after a gybe so we a ready to gybe again as soon as possible, flick the lazy sheet around the brace to prevent it falling below the beak, human pole via the lazy sheet whenever the brace is not made including out of gybes.

SEWER/FLOAT

Mandy: At sewer/float/kicker you are the go-for girl, sails, water bottles, battens, etc. Pre start: know where everything is, have kites placed so you know which is which (there will usually be 3), take instructions from the Pit and if in doubt ask, Upwind: be nimble, be smooth. Feel the different modes of the boat and respond with weight appropriately (see above in Lia’s notes for more details about this) Downwind: Understand the mechanics that are holding the spinnaker tack in space via topping lift/brace/kicker, the sail needs to be stable and not bounce around in waves so tension pulling the pole down is important, spinnaker pole horizontal at all times for maximum sail projection, big sail=fast, understand that movement of any ONE pole adjustment ie topping lift/brace/kicker will require the other TWO to be adjusted, so brace trimmer AND pit AND kicker trimmer have to work together at all times.

MID BOAT/GRIND

Cate: Welcome aboard! At mid boat grind you are the glue that holds the centre of the boat together and the back up for the pit position. Eyes on what is happening in the middle of the boat at all times. When the pit needs a third hand it is yours, particularly important at top mark roundings. Upwind: think ahead at all times and know that you and the boat are ready for the next 2 manoeuvres, whatever they may be. Always work on the windward rail. Feel the different modes of the boat and respond with weight appropriately (see above in Lia’s notes for more details about this) Downwind: always grind from above the cabin top winch, tag out when tired, back up the pit at the drop, hit the rail early at transitions.

PIT

Hayley: Good combination with Lia and Barb. Upwind: Upwind: be nimble, be smooth. Feel the different modes of the boat and respond with weight appropriately (see above in Lia’s notes for more details about this), think ahead at all times and know that you and the boat are ready for the next 2 manoeuvres, whatever they may be. Always work on the windward rail.  Downwind: communicate with mast and bow, eyes forward at all times, be the “Spokesman” for the front of the boat to reduce chatter amongst the crew, work on the rate of drop for the topping lift in gybes to help the bow be smooth, mark halyards for consistent settings at hoists, spinnaker pole horizontal at all times for maximum sail projection, big sail=fast, understand that movement of any ONE pole adjustment ie topping lift/brace/kicker will require the other TWO to be adjusted, so brace trimmer AND pit AND kicker trimmer have to work together at all times.

TRIM

Nikki: Nice upwind trim and downwind trim in pressure. Upwind: wear knee pads for quicker and more confident movement around the cockpit, work on earlier trimmer ready calls at tacks (on a fast boat the tactician simply calls tack the boat and they go), eyes on the jib when grinding out of a tack, work on taking the new sheet earlier so the second trimmer can hit the rail, get comfortable with the seated trimming position so that eyes are on tell tales/trim stripes/boat speed in one cone of vision, provide feedback to helm in this order: firstly angle out of the tack, secondly speed to build to target, lastly percentage jib trim, when within 0.5-1.0 knt of target speed bang it in to 100% trim and hit the rail, find a language that you and the helm are comfortable with OUT OF TACKS re boat speed/mode/TWA, think aloud when required, give the helm feedback, keep the helm quiet. In down pressure stay down on the winch and trim constantly. Get used to using the in hauls to make effective sail shapes. Downwind: ask for help in shy to shy tacks to handle the metres of sheet required, work on earlier trimmer ready calls at gybes to give the tactician options and avoid telegraphing your moves to the opposition, try trimming from the cockpit. Call pressure in the spinnaker sheet for the helm, provide feedback on opportunities for angle change, find a positive language that you and the helm are comfortable with re boat speed/mode/TWA, think aloud when required, give the helm feedback, keep the helm quiet.

SECOND TRIM

Andrea: Great job on second trim.

Upwind: when tacking in pressure at the new sheet, body position with the sheet in hands needs to be compressed at the leeward winch and expanded to the new windward rail. Be tall. Hit the rail and set up the new sheet from a hiking position. (later, in big wind and waves, let the trimmer do their own set up... just hike, HIKE, HIKE. Call breeze from the rail in up pressure to help the helm/main combination to anticipate.

Downwind: stay on the brace at ALL times. The new brace can prepared by you at the “setup” call, or can be made for you by your friendly neighbourhood main sheet hand. Be aggressive at the completion stage of the gybe ie standing posture and crouched position over winch for explosive take up of brace when made. With great technique this can reduce need to grind by 75%. Understand that movement of any ONE pole adjustment ie topping lift/brace/kicker will require the other TWO to be adjusted, so brace trimmer AND pit AND kicker trimmer have to work together at all times.

MAINSHEET

Matilda: Nice upwind trim, especially in the up pressure...isn’t it a nice change to have some breeze to work with! Upwind: constant chat with helm on speed and attitude, constant eyes on boat speed to keep the boat accelerating, monitor the boat mode and ask yourself “what will the boat speed be in 5 seconds time?”, “How do I respond now?”, aggressive traveller down when required, speed build when required, boat flat to accelerate and traveller up as the boat gets to targets and comes hard on the breeze. Find a positive language that you and the helm are comfortable with re boat speed/mode/TWA, think aloud when required, give the helm feedback, keep the helm quiet. Call crew weight if it is not happening to your liking. Downwind: back up the brace trimmer out of gybes by grinding, set up new brace so trimmer can remain on station, eyes aft for feedback to helm re pressure on the race track aft.

HELM

Michelle: It’s the hardest job on the boat so it takes the most effort and concentration to do well. Relax, let the crew know you are calm and in control, feel the boat. Upwind: get in mode with the main sheet trimmer, small adjustments of the helm, keep the angle of heel constant, generally speak less than the mainsheet trimmer does as you want the result (speed and height) not a conversation, let them give you the feedback so you are both thinking the same way, encourage them to think aloud so that you form a good combination and get into the right mode more quickly, remember less helm = more boat speed. Trust the crew to setup and prepare for manoeuvres and let them get on with it. Things WILL go wrong, and when they do keep the boat fast/clean/safe while they fix it. The more often they fix things that have gone wrong the less frequently things will go wrong. Downwind: listen to the trimmer for feedback on sheet pressure as they will often feel it in the sheet before you feel it in the boat, find a positive language that you and the trimmer are comfortable with re boat speed/mode/TWA, accept feedback and filter out whatever is not relevant, keep quiet because when you are quite everybody else follows your lead, small helm movements, think about your weight movement in the gybe, at the “set up” call identify your gybe angle and find a target to aim at on your exit for correct TWA on the next gybe, encourage feedback from brace trimmer re target angles for the wind speed, encourage everybody all the time re boat mode, if you tell them when it feels really good and they get used to hearing it they will know when things are not right without you saying a word!

Nikki now Typing!

I just want to say to all of you that this is a dream come true for me, for many, many years I have tried to get inside Geoff's head and find a way to squeeze out all this information from him, I have also been the girl who never moved from a position as there was never any time to be trained.

Matilda and I were talking last night, this is one of those moments in life when you are out on the water, and it is the whole team that is adding to the experience.

It is also in the observation of our reactions and interactions that makes us a better tighter team, human and sailor.

I was blown away yesterday by every one, yet a very special shout out to Barb and Andrea, please do not think that I did not adore you all, yet what I saw was the strength and commitment of the human spirit, and Barb every time I I thought of you I would start singing I got knocked down then I get up again!!!! You are a super star.

Getting involved with Chicks Ahoy Australia

Women sailors getting involved:

In a constructive and supportive environment, together, we sail with and train women sailors to empower them to achieve their sailing goals.

You might be already be part of a crew, yet wanting to learn more about the position you are in, or to contribute in some new way.

Often we have all said “I wish there was more time to learn”?

By providing specialist coaches volunteering their time, and spending time on the water training, we improve our skills and become more competent and confident sailors.