Video

We're All Fast Alone. If you really want to improve upwind trim and performance tune up in a two boat speed drill. Work on trim, helming, weight position, angle of heel, and also tacking...

Light air tacks in J80s: Use a smooth turn and delay weight movement until the end... See also our IC24 Tacking video for details on weight movement and tiller extension handling...

A great drill to improve your ducking technique: Two boats sailing upwind. Port ducks. Boats sail 30 seconds and tack; port ducks again... Shown here are bear away (low road) ducks, easing the main - Don't forget to EASE the Main. Try also Slow Road Ducks - hold course and slow down to let starboard pass; and High Road Ducks where you trim and squeeze up, trading speed for height. The Slow Road...

Sometimes we approach the leeward mark Wing and Wing - perhaps for tactical reasons or just to avoid two jibes. Here's a video showing a windward takedown starting from wing and wing trim.

When approaching on port for a mark to be left to port use a windward drop. It helps to "soak down" (bear away) to take pressure off the spinnaker as you prepare to douse. Overhaul the windward sheet and pull the spinnaker down to port. A windward drop keeps wait to windward, is easier than working to leeward under the boom, positions the spinnaker for a next set bearing away on starboard...

With an approach on starboard for a rounding to port sometimes it is best to get the spinnaker down before you jibe... Sometimes waiting until you jibe is too late. Better early than late!

Approaching on starboard for a mark to be rounded to port... Overtirm the sheet and drop as you jibe.

In a proper asymmetric jibe the trim leads and turn follows. The sheet is eased to get the clew to the headstay, and no more. To avoid tornados and twists trim ahead of the turn and don't over-ease... Another in the "It's so easy from here" series by Bill Gladstone. Bill@NorthU.com

Two Downwind Attack Tactics: Simo Jibe Attack The trailing boat soaks low into position and then simo-jibes to attack the air of the boat ahead. Soak low into position and jibe as the lead boat jibes (You've got to be ready - no time for a "prepare to jibe" hail). As your bad air slows your rival you will roll over them... Wing and Wing Attack With both boats on port the windward boat turns dow...

A series of light air tacks on an IC24 showing proper turn, weight movement, and tiller extension handling. A few things to note: - A smooth turn: "ready about, soft alee" - The skipper does not move until late in the tack. Turn the boat, then move. - Handling this long tiller extension is tricky: It is up and over, not aft and around. In fresher wind the skipper would move a bit earlier - when...

North U Performance Race Week - St Thomas - Race 4, from (pre)start to finish. This was the 4th of seven races on the final day of the March 2023 North U Performance Race Week at St Thomas Yacht Club on their fleet of IC24s. Despite the shifty, puffy conditions this race was very close, with a 6 boat "duck and cross" near the first top mark and 7 boats rounding the bottom mark in a 30 second sp...

Some do's and don'ts for asymmetric spinnaker jibes using J80 video from a North U Performance Race Week. Do: Lead with trim and use a smooth turn. Ease the sheet to get the clew to the headstay. Pull like crazy on the new sheet. Delay the turn until the clew is jibed. Jibe the main late. Give a BIG ease to the sheet once the spinnaker fills. Flatten the boat and square down to proper angle as ...

Executing proper ducks is an important but not easy skill. Practice helps! First: Recognize that you will not cross. Next: Pick you style of duck: Low Road (shown here), Slow Road, or High Road. In this drill boats separate for 20 seconds and tack back to duck again, and again and again... Practice helps! North U Performance Race Week

One great way to learn nuances of upwind trim is "Two boat testing." Set up with two boats close enough together to be in the same wind and far enough apart that they are not interfering with each other. (Leeward boat about 2 lengths to leeward and bow-out on the windward boat.) Test changes in trim vs your rival. Also work on tacking with a countdown to simultaneous tacks. And try a ducking dr...

Starting: Defense vs Port Tack Approach

IC24 Spinnaker Drops

IC24 Spinnaker Set with Pole Dangle on Port Tack

IC24 Spinnaker Jibes

IC24 Spinnaker Sets

IC24 Spinnaker Trim

IC24 Tacks

IC24 Upwind Trim

IC24 Starts (and upwind racing)

Tack in Fresh Breeze

IC24 Light Air Tacks

The North U Performance Race Weeks St Thomas USVI

WOMEN’S PERFORMANCE RACE WEEK®

Austin Performance Race Week® with North U

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