By, Greg Dair – One Design Coordinator

Recently I have experienced a tactical improvement in oscillating breeze venues by improving the communication process of monitoring the compass.  In the role of main trim and tactics my attention is on the present tactical situation and sailing the boat fast. (trim, weight placement etc..)  I often find my head out of the boat focusing on our position relative to other boats and things often change very quickly.  When a race gets a little chaotic it is easy to forget to be precise about the process of monitoring the compass.

This responsibility can be very effectively delegated to a crew member who might be a little less busy.  It improves the tactics as decisions are made off more accurate information.  It is also likely to improve the performance of the crew member who is assigned the task as they become more engaged in the race after being given an important new responsibility.

Compass duty is keeping a range (probability distribution) of the angles you have been on all day on each tack upwind and downwind.  That’s four different ranges to memorize and monitor throughout the day, it’s easy to get lost if you do it alone, while multi-tasking.  Having another person focus on it with a much higher percentage of their attention allows them to be more precise in their execution of the process.  The process I use is;

• After every maneuver, communicate the new heading every time you reach your target speed and wind angle.
  • It is important to note the boatspeed, wind angle and wind speed when the heading is communicated. It’s useless to say the number before you are up to speed and pointing properly.  The trimmers should be communicating percentages on the acceleration, after hitting 100% trim full speed and angle the compass monitor states the new angle every single time. (even if unchanged, downwind also)
  • It’s extremely important to note changes in windspeed to accurately assess the causal factor for any angle changes. (is it a lift or just a puff? Header or just a lull?)

• Communicate any changes to the heading greater than three degrees
  • Take averages over time, you don’t say anything if the skipper goes up or down 5 degrees for a wave or even driving error. If you notice a change in the average greater than 3 degrees over a 30 second period or so, communicate the observed change. (Don’t wait to communicate a big shift that happens faster, though it’s more the small gradual shifts that are easily missed.)
• Communicate the angle you leave the tack from.
  • Be careful not to interrupt more important comms. If you’re in a tacking duel or a rushed tack the comms that create good boathandling must be prioritized and uninterrupted.
  • When possible I say “standby tack” to warn the crew there is an increased chance of a tack upcoming. This is the perfect time for the compass monitor to follow up with an update and can even prevent a tactical mistake.  Standby tack also means the crew hikes harder and focuses extra hard on boatspeed the primary ingredient to a good tack.  (I have a pet peeve of crews who start drifting inboard when they sense a tack coming, it’s the most important time to hike)

In Summary:

Smart tactics are a product of accurately processing the relevant information.  This does not necessarily have to be a one person job.  Making the decision is the one person job, but multiple people can be feeding that individual the information.  Some people are better at monitoring numbers, some better at calling pressure, some better at calling relatives; some people are available or unavailable at certain times depending on their primary role.

Sit down with your team and define a communication plan that plays to everyone’s strengths and availabilities in order to process all tactical data in the most accurate way possible.  The decision making becomes easy, with the best information any average Joe sailor from the dock can come away looking like a world leading tactician.

*disclaimer;   Be very careful not to over-communicate.  The boat should be as quiet as possible with complete communication, anything extra is damaging.  Understand the people you’re sailing with and discuss roles, responsibilities, expectations and preferences in terms of communication.