How Are You Feeling?
Sailing World|Fall 2022
Feel is not something that can be measured, calibrated or tracked on a spreadsheet. So, what is it anyway? Let's explore one of sailing's great mysteries.
MIKE INGHAM
How Are You Feeling?

In sailing, we talk a lot about feel.” But what is that anyway? Is it something natural, a sixth sense we are born with? Or is it more about nurture, something we can define and learn? Lately, it's been one of my favorite regatta-dinner discussions. I’m learning that most of us use the term too generically to describe what we can’t define.

We apply it to others: Sue was so fast today in the waves; she has such a good feel for it.” We describe our own experiences, like, The boat felt sluggish today; we did not do very well.” But both uses are cop-outs. Can’t we be more specific about why Sue is so fast in waves? What exactly makes the boat sluggish, and what can we do about it? Perhaps, if we codify the answers, the boat will tell us more about why we are fast and suggest solutions when we are not.

My best stab at defining feel is: The assimilation of senses in forming an overall sensation of boatspeed and height to assess performance. What find most fascinating about the subject is that somehow our mind subconsciously combines multiple sense inputs to form this performance assessment: Helm, sheet tension, our core, sit bones, sounds and sight all go into the equation that our mind takes in to decide.

Although deeply intertwined, feel is not technique. Technique is the action we take to sail the boat, while feel is performance feedback. If our senses tell us we are bound up and slow, that’s feel. We decide to pull on the backstay more and hike harder to fix that problem—that’s technique. Using instruments is not feel. You can get a lot of information from the simplest speedometer to the most sophisticated instruments with a target VMG, but that is different from actually feeling it.

Bu hikaye Sailing World dergisinin Fall 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Sailing World dergisinin Fall 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

SAILING WORLD DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Tips for More Successful Epoxy Projects
Sailing World

Tips for More Successful Epoxy Projects

That have nothing to do with epoxy mixing or application techniques

time-read
5 dak  |
Fall 2023
Auxiliary Rear Station Build
Sailing World

Auxiliary Rear Station Build

From past fishing experiences, I've learned that quick changes in speed and direction are often required when retrieving a hooked fish.

time-read
4 dak  |
Fall 2023
TARGETED PERFORMERS
Sailing World

TARGETED PERFORMERS

Defending their title at the 420 Youth Worlds in July, Freddie Parkin and Asher Beck were on a roll-until they weren't.

time-read
6 dak  |
Fall 2023
BALANCE ON THE PINNACLE
Sailing World

BALANCE ON THE PINNACLE

The path to gender equity in the Olympics has been a long and twisted one, but when the sailors assemble in Marseille next year, we'll finally see what's been a long time coming.

time-read
5 dak  |
Fall 2023
SIMPLE STEPS TO CONSISTENT SPEED
Sailing World

SIMPLE STEPS TO CONSISTENT SPEED

Boatspeed is the magic ingredient for winning races because we can get away with bad decisions if we are fast, but we can't make good choices if we're slow.

time-read
4 dak  |
Fall 2023
THREE-DIMENSIONAL JIB-LEAD ADJUSTMENTS
Sailing World

THREE-DIMENSIONAL JIB-LEAD ADJUSTMENTS

Floating jib leads give trimmers more dynamic control of the headsail profile.

time-read
5 dak  |
Fall 2023
BETTER TOGETHER
Sailing World

BETTER TOGETHER

Success over three decades comes down to making it meaningful.

time-read
3 dak  |
Fall 2023
JUSTINE THE MACHINE
Sailing World

JUSTINE THE MACHINE

This self-effacing Swiss sailor has-in her quiet and understated way become one of the stars of offshore ocean racing in recent years, whether as part of a winning crew in The Ocean Race or building her credentials as a top-class solo racer.

time-read
6 dak  |
Fall 2023
THE MULTITASKING MULTIHULL MOM
Sailing World

THE MULTITASKING MULTIHULL MOM

Competing in Olympic sailing's most challenging discipline is one thing, but doing so with a tyke in tow takes the campaign hustle to a higher level.

time-read
5 dak  |
Fall 2023
CONNECTED COAST TO COAST
Sailing World

CONNECTED COAST TO COAST

From sunny St. Pete to historic Marblehead, the 34th edition of the Regatta Series linked sailors and friends across the country, with a few new twists.

time-read
3 dak  |
Fall 2023