Top Ten DO's and DON'T's for River Racing
Dick Holden

1. Start — DO Use a Transit and a Stopwatch

The OOD will sight down the line from the flagpole on the club balcony, over to the outer distance mark on the far bank. Before going afloat, you can do the same. Make a mental note of where this invisible starting line crosses, for example, a moored boat on the outer berths. As an example, it might bisect the cockpit of a green cruiser on the outer berths of B pontoon. Now, when you are in the river and starting close to the green cruiser, you know just where the line is, so you can start right on it.

Every competitor must have a stopwatch to time their start. Do some dummy runs and factor in the tide effect – either holding you back from the line or pushing you over.

A good start is fundamental to success. It’s about determination and controlled aggression. You can do it.

2. Tide — DON’T Ignore It

The tidal flow in and out of the river is so fast that you simply cannot ignore it. If you are going against the tide, it will slow you down. You will spend a relatively long time going into the tide. It is vital to get out of the foul tide as much as you possibly can. This means sticking right in close to the banks where the tide is slowest. Even moving out a few feet away from the banks can have a huge impact.

Conversely, when moving with the tide it is important to stay out in the flow, but since you spend only a short time going down-tide with the favourable current, it does not make as much difference, and so is not as important, as when going into the tide.

3. DO Get Clean Air

In handicap fleets, there are fast and slow boats all mixed up. For any boat to do well, it is important to quickly obtain and keep a supply of clean air on the sails. If you are taking wind that has come off somebody else’s sails, then it will be turbulent and de-powered, and you will go slowly. Scheme, manoeuvre and work hard to make sure you are always in clean air.

4. Mark Rounding — DON’T Loose Places

It is hard to gain places through sailing speed, but it is dead easy to loose places through poor boat handling, and this usually occurs when rounding a mark. Plan the rounding well in advance. Come in wide and go out tight on the mark. If there is a risk that the tide could carry you past the mark, then you need to turn the boat almost before you get to the mark. Conversely, if the tide is carrying you onto the mark, allow plenty of space to make sure you get round cleanly.

5. Sails — DO Use All of Them

If your boat has a spinnaker, then use it if you possibly can. The boat has a handicap based on the assumption that the spinnaker will be used. If you don’t use it, you are going to severely handicap your performance.

6. Heavy Winds — DON’T Heel the Boat

In windy weather there are gusts and turbulent wind in the river. It is absolutely essential to keep the boat bolt upright in order to retain control and performance. This means the helm especially must be ready to spill wind the instant a gust strikes. Keep the mainsheet in hand. Act immediately to spill wind in the gust. Crews should use their weight to ballast the boat, but don’t be too fast and extreme in moving. The gust will soon pass, and if the crew is too far outboard the boat will capsize to weather. The most important control is the mainsail "power valve" to keep the boat on its feet.

7. Light Winds — DO Keep the Boat Moving

Weight well forward for both helm and crew. Lean the boat slightly to leeward to let gravity shape the sails. Make sure the air if flowing off the back of the mainsail (loosen kicker and maybe use a bit of Cunningham). Ease the jib more than usual. Gently movements within the boat — don’t shake the rig. Gently movements on the rudder — don’t brake the speed. You must roll tack or you will stop in the tacks, and roll gybe too.

8. Rig Controls — DON’T Forget Them

River racing is mostly about boat handling, but it is still important to get the rig roughly right for the prevailing conditions. Particularly, keep air flowing off the back of the mainsail. Use the telltale on the leach at the top batten to guide you. Increase kicker tension until the tell-tale starts to stall, then release just enough to get it flowing again.

9. Racing Rules – DO Know the Basics

Particularly know the rules about rounding marks (18.2) and calling water on a continuous obstruction i.e. the bank (18.5) – but they are all important really. If you don’t know the rules well enough, then try to avoid confrontation with others who do. Some people use the rules as an offensive weapon, but you can do very well by simply steering clear of trouble.

10. The Course — DON’T Forget It

Although the river courses at AYC rarely involve more than three marks, it is amazing how often places are lost because competitors don’t know the course. Make sure you are down early, sign on and learn (or write down) the course.