Down but not out

Running downwind in fresh conditions can be a white knuckle ride that can lose you a race in a split second. Jon Emmett explains how to stay in control

- Jon Emmett

What scares you the most when the wind is fresh (Beaufort scale force 5) to frightening, is it the downwind? Well for a lot of people the answer to that question is yes! I am a big believer in working on your weaknesses because it is by improving these that you have your very best chance to improve your race and therefore regatta positions. After all it can be very frustrating if you work all winter on your fitness for that extra 2 boat lengths of upwind speed to the windward mark if you lose 10+ boat lengths on a swim on the downwind leg.

First things first: the boat will always be faster with the mast in the air and the foils in the water (and very often the fastest way is with the former sticking straight up and the latter sticking straight down). For example, better to let the sail flap a bit than the boom hit the water, the boat “trip up” and capsize, but we are getting into detail here.

When, why and how do boats capsize?

The most common places to see the crew swimming and sometimes in quite spectacular/comedy fashion is when boats try to turn the corners. I remember when I first raced 49ers I was given the advice “respect the bear-away” and that is as true now as it was then, but you also need to respect the head up, and indeed any time the boat turns a corner, because simply put, when the boat is going very fast and in a straight line, even if it might not feel like it, you are pretty safe. It is when you slow down you have difficulties.