Tartan Ten Ratty Montrose Harbor Chicago, Illinois

Updated 7-13-2015

Racing involves preparation, skill and decision making. Improving in these areas improves results.

While the cruising sailor can spend time rigging things, adjusting things and sorting things out, while racing time lost sorting things out lets the other boats gain.

So, a good race starts with preparation. You can have a look at what needs to be done here.

Click on these to view Ratty's animated checklists.

1. Rigging The Spinnaker Can be Done at the Dock.
2. So can Rigging The Jib and Main.
3. Everybody in the crew contributes. We've raced under spinnaker with four to eight people.
4. It helps to have a couple of the crew when we are leaving the Dock
5. Once we Hoist and Set Sails we are sailing.
6. A basic coordinated maneuver is Tacking.
7. Under Jib and Main, Gybing (or Jibing) is used to change course when going downwind.
8. The best crews nail the Spinnaker Hoist
9. Trimming and Jibing the Spinnaker Requires Teamwork by Everyone from the Helm to the Pointy End.
10. When the race is over, we return to harbor and moor at the slip
11. A quick look at cleating a line.

dbrezina@rcn.com

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