Commandments of College Sailing

Commandments of College Sailing
Ben Spiller

1. Sail the boat flat – “Flatness is a state of mind.”
2. You may heel to leeward only when heading up.
3. You may heel to windward only when bearing off.
4. Beat your neighbors off the staring line.
5. Have a hole to leeward.
6. Pin boats on your weather hip.
7. Have the ability to tack.
8. Cross’em when you can!
9. Don’t let them cross you! (parallel them)
10. Sail the lifted tack.
11. Pin boats to the layline.
12. Approach the Starboard tack layline 3-8 boatlengths from the weather mark.
13. Sail low on the first reach.
14. When the first reach is a run, always consider gybing.
15. Sail high of the rhumbline on the second reach.
16. Work to the inside downwind.
17. Never round on the outside.
18. Sail hot angles downwind in light air.
19. Use telltales on the shrouds.
20. Wing with the breeze 2-5 degrees off your weather hip.
21. When winging have the board all the way up.
22. When things get hairy downwind ease the board down half way.
23. Crew weight together.
24. Crew weight forward.
25. Loose cover packs when going the correct way.
26. Tight cover packs to force them the correct way.
27. Jib cars back in heavy breeze.
28. Tight jib halyard = high pointing, but smaller groove.
29. Loose jib halyard = bad pointing, but wider groove.
30. In no breeze point directly at the mark.
31. You get one freebie each leg.
32. Double tack around the leeward mark when ahead.
33. Double gybe around the weather mark when breeze is very light.
34. When the vang is on in breeze pull the mainsail’s draft forward with the Cunningham.
35. You have a 50% chance of winning going into the protest room.
36. Sail at a crew weight of 260-275 lbs.
37. Have a heavy option of 295 pounds in an FJ.
38. Have a heavy option of 300 lbs in a 420.
39. Have an extreme option of 330 lbs in a 420.
40. Have the centerboard down when gybing for speed.
41. Have the centerboard half way down when gybing in heavy breeze.
42. Sail towards the persistent shift upwind.
43. Sail away from the persistent shift downwind.
44. Velocity is of utmost importance in light air.
45. Shifts are of utmost importance in heavy air.
46. “Single digits dudes!”
47. A fifth place average wins regattas.
48. Start in the middle to minimize risk.
49. Plan for 15 extra minutes when picking people up in the morning.
50. Plan for 15 extra minutes in drive time.