Sunday, November 26, 2006
Sailing – A book review
I had read this book several times. The author is Dr Ben Tan, a well-known local sailor. The book title is “The Complete Introduction to Laser Racing” (ISBN9971-88-759-2). I would like to share some parts of the book that I feel are useful to both Laser novice and experienced sailors.
These parts covering the various aspects of boat rigging, sail tuning, racing techniques are useful. A sailor can clearly understands how the boom vang (kicker) and mainsheet tension, cunningham (downhaul) and outhaul affect the sail trim. For e.g. the Cunningham affect the upper third of the sail. The middle third of the sail is controlled by the boom vang (kicker) and the lower third is determined by the outhaul. It shows the sailors how to trim the boat in different wind conditions. In light wind, the sail should be fuller. In strong wind, the sail should be as flat as possible to spill the wind at the top of the sail. When sailing upwind, the sailor need to hike out in order to keep the boat as flat as possible. With a big-fleet racing that is typical of the Laser class, places are gained or lost at the marks within seconds. Being able to pass the boats at the marks involve not only superior boat handling, but also a sound knowledge but also a sound knowledge of the racing rules and a war chest of tactical tricks.
I had read this book several times. The author is Dr Ben Tan, a well-known local sailor. The book title is “The Complete Introduction to Laser Racing” (ISBN9971-88-759-2). I would like to share some parts of the book that I feel are useful to both Laser novice and experienced sailors.
These parts covering the various aspects of boat rigging, sail tuning, racing techniques are useful. A sailor can clearly understands how the boom vang (kicker) and mainsheet tension, cunningham (downhaul) and outhaul affect the sail trim. For e.g. the Cunningham affect the upper third of the sail. The middle third of the sail is controlled by the boom vang (kicker) and the lower third is determined by the outhaul. It shows the sailors how to trim the boat in different wind conditions. In light wind, the sail should be fuller. In strong wind, the sail should be as flat as possible to spill the wind at the top of the sail. When sailing upwind, the sailor need to hike out in order to keep the boat as flat as possible. With a big-fleet racing that is typical of the Laser class, places are gained or lost at the marks within seconds. Being able to pass the boats at the marks involve not only superior boat handling, but also a sound knowledge but also a sound knowledge of the racing rules and a war chest of tactical tricks.
