You’ve probably tried to imagine what it’s like to sail with people more experienced than you, on perfectly equipped boats, all handled by highly organized teams.

As your experience matures with sailing, I’m sure you’ll find yourself needing to explore other sailing opportunities.

I myself have transitioned between hundreds of different sailing teams as a professional coach.

To elevate your career as a sailboat racer, ocean voyager, enthusiast, or professional — it’s universally understood that your background should include a variety of experiences with several sailing teams who challenged your skill level and encouraged you to grow.

Today’s Paul Exner Pro Sailing Tips provides essential info on how to join your dream sailing team, along with insights on how to build your reputation as a valuable crew.

TIP 1 — Ask yourself: Why leave my current team?

Everyone has ups and downs with their teammates, and we may outgrow a team’s aspiration for ‘success’ finding ourselves wanting more. Sometimes we didn’t know the best way to contribute to a team from the beginning and now we feel our growth potential is unchangeably stunted because our team cannot envision us differently from how they see us.

Quite often, there’s simply something new and cool you’ll want to try.

There are SO many different sailboat designs afloat today, it’s understandable that sailors become enamored by one design or another and hope to sail a different boat with a new team!

In every harbor worldwide we see groups of sailors doing something we think is awesome, like winning races, foiling aboard a cutting-edge machine, or circumnavigating to foreign ports.

It’s expected that a sailor will eventually say, “I wanna sail that boat, over there, with those people!”

But many sailors ponder ‘How do I transition from sailing ‘here and now’ to begin sailing on a different boat with another crew?’

A crew is basically a bunch of sailors who have a common sailing goal united aboard the same boat.

Ask yourself: ‘Why leave my current team?’

Team dynamics are the central focus of all crew work—it’s an easy concept to underscore and bring up in conversation but difficult for everyone involved to manage or improve.

Good teamwork is actually hard to see!

Team members often under appreciate the good times when they have ‘it’ good. Even knowing what’s expected of good crew is confusing to pin-down, especially as we prioritize our own ambitions above a team’s objective or team-up with anyone who lets self-interest side-step team cohesion.

Remember, every person’s individual performance consists of two key components: attitude and skill.

Metaphorically: Everyone has to ‘show-up’ to be there.

You must ask yourself: Have I given my best attitude and skill to my current team?

Ask yourself: Have I contributed to any imbalance of leadership, meaning: did I positively or negatively contribute beyond what was expected of me?

Ask yourself: Have I become pigeonholed into a role that others can’t see me thrive beyond?

Whether we like it or not, we’ve taken part in every team experience we’ve been part of, for better or worse — we ‘lead’ from all positions by doing our job well and by simply promoting an aura of positivity.

Many team captains on any sports team are not the most technically skilled athletes.

Great professional coaches weren’t top scorers when they played—instead they developed a special form of leadership that enabled their team to win championships consistently as their coach or leader.

Talent alone doesn’t make a crew member great; ‘talent’ is often misused aboard sailing teams and may drive an unfortunate wedge between crew members who perceive and resent special treatment given to ‘talent.’ A crew member doesn’t need to possess the most skill to be the Most Valuable Player… The question to ask yourself is, “Am I leaving my team because they don’t utilize my talent; or am I leaving because I’m not afforded the opportunity to develop myself?”

Most people believe: There’s no ‘I’ in team. 

Ask yourself: What have ‘I’ brought to the team?

Two common managerial problems I see aboard struggling sailing teams are either an ill-defined distribution of responsibilities, or everyone runs amok as ‘experts’ trying to do everything.

Teams who live by strict role-definitions without marrying the relevancy of individual contribution to actions may have their heart in the right place but still fail—thus, crew must realize that success is also two parts: heart and spirited contribution.

Another developmental problem with sailing teams is having a sailor aboard that’s underutilized—these may be quiet and capable sailors who avoid ‘talking the talk’. In this case, a mismatch exists between success-potential and team dynamics. This scenario rarely gets nurtured beyond the initial onboarding process and results in an unfortunate failure caused by both crew and manager unable to handle the matter—crews in the sport of sailing sometimes give-up and move-on too easily.

Inadequacies with team management combined with a lack of developmental opportunities leave crew wondering if their time could be spent better elsewhere; but, it’s hard to identify these problems in the first place, and even harder for a manager to improve a situation like this.

If you leave your team because you’ve outgrown them, that’s one thing; but, if you’re moving on because you haven’t been a good team member while you were there, you’ll undoubtedly bring your bad habits wherever you go next.

TIP 2 — Crew managers striving to retain good crew and build a cohesive team should also follow TIP 1.

Leaders must lead, and that includes provisions for teaching and nurturing players. Successful leaders bring out the best in their crew, and that takes continual effort.

Set clear and realistic expectations for the team and outline each crew member’s role. To do this, an assessment of core competencies is first required (and that’s a deep topic I’ll not entertain in today’s tips). However, make sure to discuss development opportunities with your crew. Practice often and organize practices so teamwork can be nurtured at a time separate from the main event. Find ‘talent’ in everyone.

TIP 3 — Be professional and have fun

Time is money and sailboat ownership requires considerable finances, logistical prowess, and strong project management skills to coordinate numerous industry-insiders and perform system maintenance. When you approach crewing with a fun and professional attitude, you’re showing respect for the magnitude of the endeavor you have the privilege to be part of.

Sailing attracts people who enjoy dissecting the complexity of things and compiling the ingredients that comprise a brilliant adventure—sailors are not typically satisfied with the status quo which means good crew must put their best foot forward to get noticed. Always ‘show up’ and offer the best version of you. Know your job but remember ‘sailing’ is a vast subject and if you don’t know something, solve the problem like a professional would: bring complete solutions, avoid irrelevant discussion, make the boat operational, and keep going with a positive attitude.

TIP 4 — Sail with like-minded sailors.

It may take a decade (or more) to figure out what your sailing style actually is, or what type of sailing you like best. Sailing is a vast discipline and it’s likely your tastes will mature over time. Be careful you don’t get stuck in the wrong program (for years) not knowing what other sailing styles exist!

Despite a team manager’s effort to build cohesiveness, crew seeking to grow are sometimes at odds with long-term team building goals simply because there’s a limit to the specified positions on a sailboat and it may be inefficient for two people to do the same job.

However, the fact is: we must sail with someone to know if we enjoy the experience or not.

A good fit is great until it’s no longer good.

For example, if you’ve sailed with the same like-minded team for a while and then you eventually aspire to do something different, but your existing team keeps you doing the same old tasks, it’s a clear sign you’ve outgrown your team. If they prioritize cohesiveness above your aspirations—it’s clear in this case that you’ve become less like-minded.

The question we ask ourselves over and over is: at what point are we not like-minded anymore and how should we continue trying to make it work; or when do we break it off and look elsewhere?

There’s no doubt your commitment to a team will showcase your character and partly define your reputation, so honor yourself and build a positive legacy by sticking to your commitments for the timeframe expected. Sometimes life interferes with our plans, but try to follow-through to the end of the team-project by finding open bandwidth in your personal schedule and keep showing up for your team the best you can. Your good track record should give you the confidence to believe in yourself knowing you’ve done the right thing. Even if the current boat you’re sailing aboard could be improved somehow, don’t get discouraged—keep trying for the duration of the expected project.

Everyone on a team seems to align their strongest values around the idea of ‘commitment,’ so, if you keep showing up you’ve automatically remained like-minded in spirit even if you’re compromising your personal aspirations temporarily.

The program you’re in could change for the better simply because you’ve worked harder on your commitment to the team, even if like-mindedness has waned a bit.

I encourage crew to commit to a sailing program for an entire season, or sign-on to a lengthy voyage until it finishes; but, after any endeavor completes, reflect on what’s next on your horizon and be openminded. Great teams should recognize like-minded teammates, and they’ll ask you to stick around if you fit in. Be honest with yourself and make certain you feel ‘compensated’ for your performance—your gut feeling always speaks one way or another to like-mindedness.

At the project’s end, you should make a practice of reflecting on whether you’d do it again and if so, how it could be different. Realize that a crew manager tries throughout the project’s duration to improve everything and here-in lays opportunity to rejuvenate your potential by identifying and changing areas that could be better. Take a close look at your own team and observe how other teams are organized to identify potential areas of improvement which often present themselves as crew-openings you could transition to.

Basically, try to improve your situation and help a team by finding like-minded solutions to problems created by team dynamic inadequacies.

In other words, find ways where your interests and talents can solve problems as a team player.

It’s fascinating how problem-solvers on a team are rewarded more than team players who keep things running smoothly. The truth about sailing is that there are always problems to solve that improve efficiency—and herein lay opportunities for crew transitioning to a new role.

TIP 5 — You’ve set your aim to join a dream team—but how do you get invited to sail with a different crew?

Obviously, if you don’t own a boat, you need an invitation to get aboard.

You could advertise yourself on crew boards to get noticed but that process is a shot in the dark and you have zero control over who may contact you, in which case you’re back at square one. Thus, I do not recommend crew boards and, this approach highlights your lack of options and connections. To join a dream team, crew boards are not a good starting point in my opinion; however, if you’re totally new to town and looking for a ride, maybe try a crew board.

For the record, I tried crew boards a few times and no-one ever called me.

Ideally, you should be proactive and establish the right mix of initiatives targeted to appear on the dream team’s radar screen—only then do you stand a chance to get an invitation.

Dream teams don’t have openings on their crew because their existing crew is not looking to jump ship. Also, there may be competition amongst other applicants for a spot on your dream team because, if you believe it’s a good team, other sailors also think it’s a good team to join — it’s important to understand this so you know the high-level effort you must put forth.

On the flip side, if you’re a manager with crew going and coming through a revolving door on your boat, I’m sorry to say: you may be the reason there’s no cohesion in your program, not the crew failing to meet your expectations. We have to be realistic about why we can’t stabilize a problem rather than deny it exists.

IT’S A FACT: Good crew get invited to join a dream team because the manager and prospective-crew have nurtured a relationship that has established an appreciation for each other’s character and skill-level; and, because there’s a unique problem they can solve together.

To get invited to join your dream team, the following three things (at a minimum) are needed:

1. You’re a fun person to be around, and you share like-mindedness.
2. You know your sailing-position well.
3. The dream team has an opening for the sailing position you’re good at.

YES, IT’S TRUE: Invitations occur because there’s an open position the dream team needs to fill with a crew that fits best.

Unfortunately, you probably feel that the invitation process is out of your control–but the fact is that there’s ONLY one factor you can’t control: the open position.

In rare cases, enterprising people can create their own position (for anything), but I’ll write about how to assert yourself into your custom-created role another time.

Know this: crew invitations are rarely offered to people moving backwards—you have to grow to grow!

So, this leads us to ask: is there anything we can do proactively to get invited to sail on our dream team?

Yes—be yourself and recognize other like-minded sailors (on other teams AND your current team)—these are people you’ll easily relate with. Improve your relationships with like-minded sailors; and, always show-up and sail at a level that continues to demonstrate the best version of you!

Keep growing and demonstrating your skillset and you’ll eventually be in the right place at the right time.

Simple? Yes and no.

Yes, it’s possible to be in the right place at the right time. TIP 6 explains…

TIP 6 — Should I ‘toot my horn’ while waiting to join my dream sailing team?

On a daily basis, the best things you can do to improve your odds of receiving an invitation is: continue doing what you do best and be a fun person to be around. Be true to your beliefs about sailing and seek like-minded crew to sail with. Debrief your own sailing actions introspectively and do things to improve your skill. This takes effort.

HOWEVER, the most important thing you must do is toot your own horn!

Unfortunately, if nobody notices you doing the ‘right things’, you’ll never get discovered by your dream team.

To create opportunities, you should promote your accomplishments at the right times—don’t sail around ‘tooting your horn’ too much or you’ll put people off.

Some people love to advertise themselves and others shy away from the spotlight. Marketing ourselves requires a calculated risk that highlights our favorable accomplishments while balancing where and how we broadcast our message. It’s obvious that effective marketing rarely convinces 100% of our audience, which means some parts of our message are received undesirably. Still, we must ‘advertise’ because without risk there’s little change.

Many people are suspicious of self-promoters because ‘too much talk’ offers no guarantee a promise will be delivered! Crew managers need a BS-detector to filter the fakers from authentic crew. So, promote yourself as a do-er!

But where are the right places to promote ourselves, and when are the right times to shine favorably—what does our dream team take notice of?

Actions speak louder than words—words clarify our actions and reassure the person we’re conversing with that we both see the same big picture.

For example, my words herein express ideas that I’m trying to convince you to follow; but I’m offering my advice only because I’m a proven and respected sailing coach.

Right now, you’re arming yourself with tried-and-true insider sailing TIPS that will help you achieve your ambitions and join a dream team. By reading these tips you’ll accomplish your objective more effectively than someone who does not follow my tips.

You and I are both in the right place at the same time—we’re succeeding together!

‘Tooting your own horn’ is appreciated in ‘sailing’ today and resonates most effectively with our preferred audience when advertised in the right venues.

TIP 7 — What venues showcase your talent where people can see your value as a crew?

1. Rigging your boat at the dock while preparing for imminent departure.
2. On the water maneuvers (docking, race starts, rounding buoys, collision encounters).
3. At the yacht club after the event (passage, regatta, or storm encounter).

Being active in the scene will help you get noticed if you do things properly.

Your actions—how you act, and the result of your actions while you’re IN these KEY places defines you for better or worse!

If you screw-up and hit the dock, or arrive with a broken boat, or drop a sail in the water, or crash into something, you do not appear competent, and you’ll get noticed unfavorably.

If you do things in an organized manner, remain calm and collected, don’t panic, and execute good maneuvers consistently, people will take positive notice.

In the hands-on sport of sailing, good sailors appreciate other sailors who do things well—and they should because sailing is a high-stakes endeavor.

Beautiful boats sitting at the dock that don’t get proven under sail are nothing more than something pretty to look at—beauty is fleeting and it’s never part of an efficient solution.

If you sail actively and do things well, one day you’ll do something worth talking about—you will feel stoked to share your experience; OR you’ll notice something that someone else did well—NOW you have something favorable on the table that’s worth discussing and it’s the perfect time to introduce yourself to someone on the dream team who appreciates you like-mindedly.

Saying “Great job” to someone who deserves it is a good ice breaker but, you will not get noticed with just that; you need to offer substance to the conversation.

We hear dock banter ALL the time which helps you get noticed alright, but who really cares? Your dream team probably won’t be swayed favorably by your dock banter; however, it’s a low-risk and semi tolerable thing sailors do in the community—but dream team sailors are looking for much more to gain their respect.

It’s important to highlight your expertise and behave professionally—say something worthwhile that you feel someone should hear.

TIP 8 — Introduce yourself to your dream team and state your intention.

Build a relationship that becomes founded in oral dialog—you may know who a person is but have yet to have a meaningful conversation with them.

I’m certain everyone reading this article has initiated relationship-building conversations before; but let’s highlight a few things relevant to transitioning to your dream sailing team—what do ‘dream teams’ really care about?

Like-mindedness.

When you have something relevant to say to someone they will listen.

Talk about their situation and what you notice they are doing—hopefully you’ve been paying attention to what they’re really doing because any misplaced topic will go nowhere.

For example, at the dock as you pass by their boat say, “I really like the way you attach your foreguy in its lazy-position; when you guys got that inside overlap on us at the windward mark and set your pole before us, you were fully hoisted and left us behind… Wow, that foreguy connection seemed like an integral part of the whole process!” Yada, yada, yada.

Now you’re IN a dialogue and it’s time for you to be you and make a good impression. Try to close the conversation positively and this is a million dollar process… If you’re able to say, “I’m looking forward to seeing what you guys do next” and get away knowing a connection is made, you’ll be best positioned to maintain a pattern of encounters into the future where you’ll continue to build like-mindedness.

The dream team should know who you are at this point, and they should know a bit about which particular boat you’re sailing; in other words, if you’ve created an inkling of respect by making an impactful reference to something important to them, you’re on the right track—walk away from each conversation by leaving a good impression, while representing your authentic self!

Another fantastic venue to nurture like-mindedness is the yacht club social following an on-the-water event—this offers many opportunities to introduce yourself and make a good impression; but, again you have to be pointed and relevant about what topic you’re using to pitch your conversation.

Let’s say you’ve been counting race-points in a regatta series. You observed tactically how the dream team was boxing out their closest competitor, playing the odds against the other boat and the fleet at the same time… That’s a serious topic that insightfully gets into someone’s head. They’ll definitely remember who you are if you can relate with them on a nuanced tactical level like that!

Again, it’s imperative to close-out these initial conversations by building the relationship so you can share another conversation in the future. NOTE: It’s easy to screw-up your chances if you’re not careful… For example, it would be a faux pas to handle their shiny new trophy and accidentally fumble it out of your hands onto the yacht club floor.

TIP 9 — State your intention to join your dream team — proposals work!

Let’s face it, dream teams are professional-minded and goal oriented—‘ready, fire, aim’ makes you appear foolish.

Depending on the sailing role you seek, your proposal should highlight different focal points. If you’re a Watch Captain, your proposal will be leadership based. If you’re a trimmer, discuss how you’ll compliment the helmsman’s style and include details about running rigging efficiencies and your ideas about sail inventory. If you’re a mechanic, your proposal will encompass tool selection, spare-parts, and highlight your fiscal responsibility.

Preparing an outlined proposal is important well before you feel the invitation is imminent—continually think ahead about how you’ll proactively compliment your dream team.

When the time is right, you could give your proposal in-person using a few sentences in conversation or request a sit-down to discuss a detailed written report—I’ve joined many high-level teams after presenting my detailed written proposal.

Propose your intention clearly and state the benefits you’ll bring—most importantly, communicate with conviction and express a sincere desire to follow through.

Good crew managers are observant—so, if a manager is thinking about inviting you, they’ll also be considering any other commitments on your plate that could conflict with your involvement—prepare a response that realistically portrays the time commitment the team can expect from you.

Prepare in advance how you’ll accept the invitation and acknowledge your aligned interests when they finally say to you, “We’d love you to join our team!”

Proposals work.

Once you’ve introspectively considered all aspects of your aligned team efforts, and you’ve prepared talking angles for each important point in your proposal, pitch your intention. Deliver a 2-3 sentence oral ‘elevator pitch’ stating your desire to join the team—express sincerity and explain how you’ll make their program better.

What the dream team representative says next is a matter of utmost importance!

Be true to your sailing values and most importantly, be yourself.

TIP 10 — You’ve joined the team.

Having sailed actively since 1975 myself, and coached sailors professionally since 1986, I’ve perfected this process and proven these points to be successful many times.

Most importantly, my coaching has yielded the results I promised. This success is the result of hard work by my sailors, and how much I cared about their well-being to find the methods and energy to help them achieve their big goals.

If you’d like me, Paul Exner, to coach you, contact me. I mentor sailors around the world striving to achieve immense sailing goals, and coach them hands-on using an innovative approach guided comprehensively by my developmental resources and talent for interpersonal relationship goal setting.

Feel free to inquire directly: paul@moderngeographic.com or 808.895.9531

Check-out my Heavy Weather Sailing Mastermind—it’s the most in-depth preparatory course on the topic, proven effective for hands-on sailors by immersing them in actual high-stakes sailing in Hawaii’s Alenuihaha Channel.

To your success!

Paul Exner

Apparent wind is the most important factor affecting a sailboat in motion. Apparent wind is elusive, it changes constantly as we sail; it’s the throttle by which we sail. Mastering the triggers that control apparent wind will unlock your sailing potential more than any other thing you can pay attention to. Today’s tips help you visualize apparent wind and break down how to use it.

TIP 1: LEARN TO RECOGNIZE THE FEELING OF APPARENT WIND

A sailor continuously senses the apparent wind on their face and feels the hull sailing beneath them. In simple terms: the apparent wind is the wind experienced by an observer in motion and is the relative velocity of the wind in relation to the observer.

To best appreciate the relationship between apparent wind and your boat’s performance, you must mentally record the physical changes in apparent wind and boat performance over time. Focus on this relationship in 30-second intervals (or longer) to enhance your understanding. This could take you a lifetime to master.

TIP 2: UNDERSTAND THE THEORY OF APPARENT WIND

The classical theory defines the velocity of apparent wind as the vector sum of the velocity of the headwind (the wind velocity a moving object would experience in still air) plus the velocity of the true wind.

Headwind is defined by a boat’s speed and direction, taking into consideration factors such as leeway, wave resistance, current, and other motions such as rolling and pitching.

Despite its simple definition, apparent wind changes constantly and rapidly in the real world.

TIP 3: HARNESS APPARENT WIND

The wind blows over a sail’s surface, but the only thing that allows power to be created from a sail is its angle of attack. The angle of attack is determined by both the craft’s point of sail and how the sail is oriented with respect to the apparent wind. A sail’s angle of attack is the angle between the sail’s chord line (between the luff and leech) and the direction of the apparent wind.

You are responsible for the apparent wind you have, and you can influence your apparent wind vector by understanding how to control it. Subtle directional changes in relation to the true wind can have a significant impact on boat speed, in part due to the immediate changes in apparent wind.

When you’re sailing and turn toward the true wind, your apparent wind speed immediately increases; conversely, if you turn away from the true wind, the apparent wind immediately decreases. Knowing when to seek more (or less) apparent wind is a more complex concept.

TIP 4: UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF APPARENT WIND IN THE LIFT EQUATION

Sail Power (formally: Lift) is influenced MORE by apparent wind than anything!

Sail Power is a function of four notable factors:

Lift(f) = Sail Area; Sheet Angle; Sail Shape; V^2

Where, Apparent Wind = V

Sail Power varies to the SQUARE of Apparent Wind: V^2

To generate lift, a sail must present an “angle of attack” between the chord line of the sail and the apparent wind velocity.

The Lift Equation reveals it all — never underestimate anything that varies quadratically!

You can (and should) control your sail-power by coaxing a little more or less apparent wind! This is simply true because sail-power responds to the square of apparent wind speed. For example, if you coax your apparent wind from 8 to 9 knots because you’re a skilled sailor, you gain 8% more sail power! When the true wind is this light, an 8% increase makes the difference between keeping your boat moving or coming to dead-stop.

TIP 5: OPTIMIZE SAIL POWER

A boat’s hull is designed to perform within a narrow range of sail power. Frankly, the sailor’s job is to continually supply and drive the hull with the right amount of sail power. Sail area and sheet angle offer the foundation for sail power, but it’s the apparent wind flowing over the sail that offers throttle control. It’s imperative that a sailor optimizes the proper apparent wind across a sail to give the hull its power to keep the boat within its control specifications.

Aero/Hydro balance is designed into every boat. More power than necessary doesn’t create incremental improvements to performance — in fact, incorrectly powered sailboats are more difficult to manage; and, the risks of component failure in overly powered situations are greater than any perceived efficiency gains.

You can sense your boat’s balance given the apparent wind you’ve created and the sea state you’re sailing through. Unfortunately, I cannot offer specifics about how to get the most from this tip because this art requires intuition based on knowledge and experience. However, as you’re now equipped with my concept — it works; now, go practice!

TIP 6: SEEK PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE

Sail with me and receive private coaching to intellectualize your hands-on growth as a sailor; it’s the best way to advance your sensitivity with the application of all my tips above. Feel free to email me with any question about this info and I’ll be happy to either speak with you by phone at (808) 895-9531 or correspond by email at: paul@moderngeographic.com

I’ve been breaking barriers in sail coaching for 36 years, and my new Mastermind Sail-Training is facilitating limitless learning in the sailors who work with me — the results are there!

Check out the best Sail Training available anywhere right now:
https://www.goanywherebysail.com/my-vid

Great sailing ahead!

Paul Exner

Every sailor, without exception, will experience a shift in the wind’s direction as they sail near or through a Cold Front — the scale of the wind shift can span a thousand miles! Heavy weather frequently blows near a Cold Front but that’s not guaranteed; CF-severity is characterized in three ways: extreme, moderate, or mild.

You can learn to leverage a Cold Front’s weather pattern to help you win a regatta or complete a safe offshore passage — it’s important to understand how Cold Fronts behave as their influence dominates a sailor’s plans for 2-3 consecutive days; and, CFs affect all sailors several times per year.

I’ve experienced more Cold Fronts at sea than I should have — the worst I endured was in the middle of the Gulf Stream off Charleston, S.C. in April when a post-frontal Nor’easter hammered us on a passage to Puerto Rico — gale force winds opposed the Stream’s 2.5 knot current and “holes” formed in the sea surface large enough for our boat to fall into — two yachts foundered in the wake of that Cold Front, and a pre-season hurricane unexpectedly spun up on the frontal axis a few hundred miles south of us.

To help you sail in the proximity of Cold Fronts, here are my pro sailing tips and tactics based on the expected atmospheric behavior of this powerful weather phenomenon; I’ve also included some points about what to watch out for.

TIP 1: NUMERICAL WEATHER MODELS STRUGGLE WITH FRONTAL TIMING

Without a doubt, GRIB Files and post-processing apps display weather model output to help sailors gain clear expectations about the sailing conditions they’ll encounter, but Cold Fronts behave elusively and can’t be perfectly modeled. In the natural world CFs accelerate, stall, and morph their boundary in ways “the math” can’t resolve; they also tend to deepen as they move offshore and away from a continent, posing further problems for model convergence in transitory phases. CF behavior simply cannot be modeled with high accuracy down to the hour — often, CF frontal boundaries can be mis-modeled by as much as a day!

Despite modeled inaccuracies with Cold Fronts, their atmospheric mechanics do behave consistently enough for a sailor planning and taking routing actions IF the sailor knows what to look for. Let’s dive more into CF behavior in the TIPS below; but, for now, hear this: the sailor must always analyze their immediate surroundings and make their own judgment about a Cold Front’s timing irrespective of numerical predictions.

TIP 2: WIND-SHEAR AT THE COLD FRONT BOUNDARY

Surface winds converge on a Cold Front’s boundary, creating an opposing wind direction on opposite sides of the front (known as horizontal wind shear); this occurs in relation to how the atmospheric pressure is distributed around the CF and influenced further by the Coriolis Effect.

The Coriolis Effect causes the wind to change its direction by bending its flow rightward in the north hemisphere on a regional scale.

As surface winds are drawn into the Cold Front’s line of low atmospheric pressure, sailors can expect to see a consistent unfolding wind direction pattern as the front passes over them:

• Preceding the Cold Front, a persistent wind shift first materializes from the southeast and clocks to blow from the southwest in close proximity to the frontal boundary. The wind speed likely increases as it clocks.
  
  
• The frontal boundary of the Cold Front will produce widely varying conditions depending on the storm itself; expect anything from: dead calm, gentle breeze and severe thunderstorms to rain, gale force wind, and completely overcast skies.
  
  
• Following the Cold Front, the brunt of the advancing cold air mass typically fills in and blows from the west-northwest; although, the specific westerly component of the wind is totally unique to each individual storm. Then, the wind builds in strength as the regional gradient establishes itself over the next few hours — the wind sometimes dies out if the CF is mild — but, if the CF is characterized as “extreme” the wind will blow HARD for a day or two especially in the ocean if the front leaves the continent and advances seaward. During this final phase of the Cold Front, we’ll see the wind’s direction continue to clock from the west-northwest to the north, and sometimes clocking further to the northeast.

Even though I’ve specified the expectations for a Cold Front passage above, mother nature occurs on a planet rocketing through space — I fully realize my TIPS are considered general info.

Nevertheless, the wind shift pattern I’ve outlined above happens consistently throughout the northern hemisphere — if you truly “own” these concepts, you can detect the nuanced weather for each Cold Front, leveraging your sailing routes to the Moon and back!

TIP 3: DEVELOP CRYSTAL BALL AWARENESS

When a sailor can intellectually interpret a WX forecast and naturally sense how the sailing conditions will unfold in the vicinity of a Cold Front, and then make routing decisions that leverage their plan as if they saw everything clearly in a crystal ball — wow — they’re living a guru reality.

ANY sailor can develop this level of awareness: racers, day sailors, and voyagers. By practicing the art of sailing at this level you’ll experience one of the greatest enjoyments a sailor can know.

To develop this awareness for yourself, study the step-by-step account of a Cold Front I outlined in TIP 2 and compare the info to your firsthand observations of your immediate weather. Ask yourself: what’s the wind direction and speed? Could a CF be near or within several hundred miles of you? Consider the atmospheric mechanics presented in TIP 2 in relation to the nomenclature depicted on the Surface Analysis Reports published by your national meteorological office; try to relate your immediate wind direction and speed to any nearby Cold Front depicted on the Surface Analysis Report. How will the forecasted CF move in the next 24 – 48 hours relative to your position? Make your own weather prediction and monitor the wind over the next two days. Compare your own forecast to what you observe locally.

I’ve practiced this same self-coaching method myself over the past twenty years — it has undoubtedly helped me grow my awareness of synoptic weather, and I’ve successfully sailed many highly leveraged routes near Cold Fronts. I encourage you to do this work for yourself; when you do, you will greatly advance your ability to interpret the unfolding weather as if you had a crystal ball.

The on-the-water benefits received by efficiently leveraging the mechanics of a Cold Front help us create a multi-day sailing strategy. Remember: we’re influenced by Cold Fronts hundreds of miles away from us as they steadily morph and unfold day-after-day.

TIP 4: LEVERAGED SAILING STRATEGY FOR PERSISTENT WIND SHIFTS

There’s SO much to say about leveraged sailing and persistent wind shifts — an entire book could be written, mostly because our actions depend on numerous boat-specific performance factors and every routing situation is different, but I’m compelled to include a few points to get you thinking and consider a few out-of-the-box options.

Let’s look at two separate sailing cases for persistent wind shifts: 1) You’re sailing a regatta with multiple races in the same day, 2) You’re sailing a lengthy offshore leg greater than 24 hours.

First, you absolutely must understand the atmospheric mechanics driving the wind coming from the Cold Front on the day, and believe with conviction that you can accurately predict which way the wind will shift throughout that day. Refer to TIP 2 to review these mechanics.

Force yourself to make a prediction with conviction — the only way to advance knowledge is to make an educated guess, leverage our decisions regarding the guess, and take note of how our decisive actions play out.

TIP 4.1 — Sailing several races on the same day as the wind shifts persistently: To perform well in this environment, sailing angle data must be collected to identify the “fast lane” headings coming off the starting line on both port and starboard tack. You must begin collecting data as soon as you hit the water, and continually collect new data so your immediate sailing angle can be compared to what you previously collected. Often, wind oscillates as it persistently shifts, so you must filter out aberrations to determine the persistent trend.

You’ll likely notice that wind fills sometimes in spurts from the side of the racecourse where the persistent shift will eventually come from. The leveraging strategy is to simply favor sailing in locations on the race course where the new wind is filling in; then, sail toward the persistently shifting wind, and change tacks before you’ve over-leveraged yourself, keeping in mind that sailing the lesser of two tacking angles to the mark is preferable.

As multiple races unfold throughout the day of racing, there will be several starts and specific legs where the wind will shift more advantageously than others. Identifying and capitalizing on advantageous events is obviously important, but requires you to focus your awareness on the trends. By constantly keeping track of your efficient sailing angles you’ll be more likely to identify the significant events to leverage against. While sailing fast, keep your head out of the boat and correlate the shifting wind to signs of wind pressure on the water.

TIP 4.2 — Encountering a persistent shift on a lengthy offshore leg. NOTE: the most common point-of-sail on offshore legs is reaching, so I’ll focus on strategies that apply to persistent-shifts while reaching (SEE 4.1 for upwind strategy).

Since the evolution of a Cold Front unfolds over several days, my approach to leverage the persistent shift from a CF is to evaluate the wind’s change of direction in terms of 3-6-hour increments (sometimes shorter). If the boat sails 150-200+ miles/day on a reach, and you’re sailing toward a Cold Front, wind changes occur faster than expected.

There are two general approaches to sailing reaching legs: 1) To a compass course aimed at a waypoint; and 2) Helming a desirably fast wind angle where compass heading is less important; this is sometimes called: Fast VMG Sailing.

TIP 4.2.1 — If you’re sailing to one compass number as the wind shifts persistently, the sail trimmer will slowly adjust the sails to the wind’s change over a lengthy period of time simply because the helmsperson is sailing one consistent heading. The sail trim adjustment may be SO subtle you’ll probably not realize there’s a persistent shift causing this — but — you absolutely must notice this persistent change because the boat’s performance suffers when the optimal apparent wind angle for the boat is forgotten in favor of sailing to a compass course. Worse, you probably will NOT notice the persistent shift either — or — you’ll completely miss the full potential to leverage the wind shift!

TIP 4.2.2 —To really sail a boat well on a reach and leverage ourselves in accordance with a persistent shift, we must select the optimal reaching sails for the reaching angle that gives the best Velocity Made Good for the waypoint we’re sailing to; having a full inventory of reaching sails to choose from obviously offers us more options. If we’re tight reaching we’ll use a Code Zero. For broad reaching or sailing deeper angles we’ll use an A2 spinnaker. The A3 spinnaker gives us flexibility in the mid-range reaching angles. Talk with your sailmaker about specific reaching sails you might need.

Once we’ve established the optimal sail configuration for the sailing angle that gives us the best VMG, the recommended sailing style is to maximize the groove to sail efficiently fast, irrespective of the bearing to our next waypoint — changing tacks when the most leverage occurs. Accomplishing this automatically puts the boat on an average compass heading as a result of sailing efficiently fast — this is the heading we pay attention to and keep track of over time.

As the persistent wind fills-in and shifts, the first thing we’ll notice is how the boat engages differently in the established wave direction since the wind will shift more quickly than wave direction because water waves propagate in the same direction for days sometimes. Handling the new wave angle as we sail the newly shifted wind requires a new groove through the waves. Pay close attention to your new average compass course and how the value may change over time — put a timer on the evolution of this wind shift and log it! This level of monitoring should be compared to your expectations for how fast the shift will occur, and compare it to the full extent you believe the shift will happen that day. This absolutely helps you leverage the persistent wind shift at the right time.

Ultimately, a leveraged sailing strategy for persistent wind shifts begins by understanding the Cold Front weather mechanics well enough to hedge our bets as to how the wind and weather will change over a few day period, and infer the general timing for each event in the phenomenon. We absolutely must plan how we will sail through a changing wind field that shifts and changes in strength because the ramifications of not doing so affects us on the scale of days. We can infer what sailing angles we’ll sail and we’ll select the most efficient sail configuration. The final actions we take are those that allow us to sail an optimized groove that hedges us toward our waypoint with consideration for which leveraged sailing strategy is best.

Paul Exner Pro-Sailing Tips are written exclusively for UK Sailmakers sailors.

I coach sailors to handle extreme conditions on the water that requires in depth virtual training before we embark — you should check out my 9-week virtual mastermind and Alenuihaha Channel Expedition; it’s the best heavy weather sail training and sailboat prep guidance for sailors seeking confidence in extreme offshore weather.

Email me your questions at: paul@moderngeographic.com and click here for more information on upcoming expeditions.
Here’s to your heavy weather success! – Paul

When you’re deep within heavy weather, your crew is either ready, or not — a crew unprepared will suffer human injury and break gear at a considerably higher rate than experienced sailors who’ve proactively geared themselves to handle rough conditions.

It’s common to underestimate the immense power-load that high wind and waves inflict on sailboats and crew. To appreciate the realm of heavy weather, sailors must actually sail in big weather several times — and, experience never alleviates the high-risk of facing heavy weather. Specialized knowledge, training,and hands-on skill is required to improve the odds of success.

Before your next slam-dance on the high seas, checkout my TIPS to help you prepare your crew and sailboat for heavy weather efficiency.

For relevancy on this matter, I’ll first mention my work with Kirsten Neuschafer (recent winner of the GGR around-the-world solo-race); she sought my coaching during her campaign, then asked for my storm-sailing advice on the eve of her departure from Nova Scotia into a 50-knot Gale in December to sail 10,000 miles to South Africa — without stop.

Rest assured, my pro-sailing tips are proven — valid info for all sailors including circumnavigation race winners.

TIP 1 : HUMAN READINESS

“Human readiness” encompasses a sailor’s entire character — health is wealth.

“Health” refers to everything a sailor feels, knows, imagines, and applies into actions aboard a sailboat. If sick, it’s harder to sail a boat. If ignorant, injury is likely.

Sailing is undoubtedly a physical sport — but without sharp-mindedness and fluid application of methodology that enables a sailor in a variety of conditions — the sailor truly cannot imagine how to efficiently manage themself in heavy weather — brains and brawn are required.

The best way to prepare our human readiness is to sail a lot — there’s no substitute for time spent on-the-water to gain sailing efficiency.

Reading books and watching videos about sailing are supplemental to on-the-water practice — I must emphasize that “knowledge” must be dissected from “content” so operational methods can be constructed and turned into practical actions. Human readiness is achieved when the sailor has many options to sail a situation and can take action appropriately with awareness and hands-on experience. “Ideas” without the skills to employ them are useless in heavy weather.

For example, assume you’re planning to sail a deep-offshore leg of 2-3 day duration, maybe you’ll depart despite a heavy forecast, or maybe you’re at sea already and heavy weather is imminent. Either way, human readiness requires the understanding of hundreds of details that must be organized before you’re ready to handle any possible weather. In such cases, the ultimate readiness occurs when many options are available to choose from. The goal is to keep the crew safe and the boat sailing in control; the goal is not reinventing the wheel. Human readiness for heavy weather includes having an array of sailing equipment available, and knowing how to employ everything: a reef-able mainsail, storm trysail, robust running rigging, heavy-air spinnaker, a variety of headsails; I want equipment that offers me readiness-options.

More importantly, it’s imperative I have a plan to utilize all equipment with mental and physical clarity — I must communicate with, and lead the crew to preempt any maneuver with organized actions so I have several options to choose from — but more options require more human readiness!

Just having the equipment aboard is step #1. But leading the crew to practice each available maneuver in controlled scenarios is everlasting.

Frankly, hands-on practice at the dock or in light conditions is better than nothing, but that’s simply not enough to attain human-readiness for heavy weather. When prepping for complex maneuvers in real situations, we refer to our experience and knowledge from articles, books, videos, and advice from colleagues; then, we create one cohesive plan of action for each maneuver — we must practice each maneuver in progressively difficult situations so we’re ready to do it in heavy weather where the stakes are higher. Establishing methodology and proving it through practice is the only way to be humanly ready for the physical and mental demands of sailing in strong wind.

TIP 2: NAVIGATION AND COMMUNICATION

Navigation AND communication are jointly-tied to sailboat operation — our navigation decisions will influence the way we manage ourselves under sail. Communicating how the crew will sail the navigated-route is crucial to carrying-out the objective, especially in heavy weather. This seems obvious, but the sailing-directive communicated by the Skipper, and how the crew communicates together is one of the weakest areas of crew-work that can be easily improved through training.

Good nav and comm depend on forward-looking leadership. Leadership communicates the expectations of the route to be sailed in clear terms: “For the next X-hours the sailing-conditions are expected to be Z; we’ll deploy this sail-configuration and sailing-style as a means of reaching waypoint-B according to this ETA.”

In turn, a crew who understands expectations is empowered and will concentrate on their team-work, communicating amongst each other with focus. In heavy weather, this level of planning-and-communication greatly heightens the odds of success, minimizing human-injury and gear-breakage. It also motivates crew to achieve peak efficiency; crew-happiness is raised when sailors strive to meet clear expectations.

TIP 3: MARLINSPIKE SEAMANSHIP

Crew who have a solid grasp of their rigging systems: running rigging layout, shackle types, rope-clutch nuances, friction points, gear stowage plan, and have proficiency with knot-tying and line-coiling will excel better than crew who lack hands-on fluency. Skills as basic as tying a bowline cannot be taken for granted, especially in heavy weather!

Too often I see sailors tie fancy one-handed bowlines at the dock but cannot finish a bowline on the bow with 30-degrees of heel in bucking seas. I’ve seen crew at night with their head-lamps glowing, trying endlessly to complete a rigging task only to return to the cockpit seasick — most unfortunate, considering these skills will improve with diligent training.

“Rigging” is something that all sailors believe they’re proficient in, but my coaching experience has shown that rigging-skill can be measured and ranked amongst crew. I’ll advise you here and now that any mention of ranking the crew’s ability by demonstration of their marlinespike skill is enough impetus for them to self-improve to save embarrassment.

Encourage crew to train by visualizing rigging setups and solving rigging problems from various angles and orientations. Describing each rigging component orally is a good mental exercise that demonstrates understanding and improves a sailor’s communication skill at the same time.

TIP 4: ASSESS HEAVY WEATHER DEFICIENCY & IMPROVE

These Paul Exner Pro-Sailing Tips are written exclusively the UK Sailmakers website readers — these training tips are a starting point to improve heavy weather efficiency — but there’s more to this topic.

An honest assessment of your equipment and crew-readiness for heavy weather is required — without it, the road to proficiency is long and winding.

STEP 1: Begin by evaluating the ability of you and your crew to handle your boat in 10-15 knots for: 1) Human Readiness, 2) Nav & Comm, and 3) Marlinspike. Have fun creating your own sub-topics within each category and rank yourself on a scale of 1-3; so, 1 = needs improvement, 2 = average ability, 3 = rock star. Be honest with yourself.

STEP 2: Think about the maneuvers you do now: tacking, jibing, reefing, hoisting/dousing the spinnaker, etc. Can any area improve? If so, begin working on the skill of worst-performance first, then move to the next skill until you feel at least averagely proficient in all maneuvers. Use my process to improve: 1) Start with your existing knowledge and introspectively dissect the details for each crew for every step. 2) Assemble new methods for the maneuver by looking at the process in three phases: starting-point, what happens in the middle, and what’s the end-result. My “assembly” process helps you create killer methods. Then, go sailing and practice!

STEP 3: Participate in the best Heavy Weather Mastermind coaching anywhere — work with Paul Exner one-on-one and collaborate with his keen group of sailors all focused on heavy weather efficiency for 9-weeks, beginning October 10, 2023

STEP 4: Immerse in heavy weather training with Paul Exner in Hawaii’s treacherous Alenuihaha Channel for 8-days in January of 2024

If you have questions about my TIPS, please email me personally: paul@moderngeographic.com

When the breeze fills-in, waves build-up to create a lumpy sea-surface that often impedes a boat’s upwind progress, especially when true wind blows 25-40 knots across open water.

To sail efficiently in heavy weather and maintain any heading between close-hauled to beam- reach is hard-going for sailors driving through steep, thick waves that resist a boat’s forward headway. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to hold a close-hauled point of sail in True Wind of 35+ knots due to wave resistance and wind drag.

For the record, I coach offshore-sailing in Hawaii 150+ days per year, including my Heavy Weather Training across the Alenuihaha Channel, a treacherous 45-mile swath of ocean between Maui and Big Island where I repeatedly fly a Storm Trysail because Gale-driven circumstances demand it. Here are some of my tips for powering-up your boat and sailing into big waves in heavy air.

TIP 1 – SUSTAIN MOMENTUM

Do everything possible to drive the hull with enough sail-power to maintain a high-average boat speed whereby hydrodynamic acceleration becomes the throttle. We need a high-torque response from the underwater appendages that only comes from sustaining our momentum through the water. This helps the boat hold it’s heading toward the waypoint and heightens the helm’s responsiveness to tweaks that maintain a balanced groove between sails and hull.

TIP 2 – BOAT SPEED IS KING / HIGH APPARENT WIND IS NOT

Because more apparent wind builds sail-power quadratically it’s usually the case that excess apparent wind will drive the hull TOO hard in heavy wind; that being said, the quickest way to accelerate a slow-boat is to nab more apparent wind as needed. So, if your boat speed in heavy air is reasonably good, don’t seek a higher pointing angle as that would create excessive apparent wind. Its best to keep the hull moving fast to preserve your momentum.

Without consistent boat speed there’s insufficient momentum to overcome wave resistance, and this rapidly worsens a boat’s performance because:

• The hull is more apt to respond multidimensionally to waves throwing it around, and
• Water flow over the hull, keel, and rudder become turbulent which stalls a boat’s hydro-dynamic parameters causing a loss of directional control which in-turn dampens the potential for acceleration.

TIP 3 – LESS SAIL AREA IS MORE EFFICIENT

Heavy Weather is puffy – especially when extreme conditions prevail. If its a heavy day and blowing 30 knots it’s likely that long-blasts of 40 are probable. So, less sail area, assuming the boat still has enough power to drive into a heavy sea state in the lulls, will produce a more responsive and accelerative state for the hull.

Human nature errs to fly too much sail; So, I’ll save you decades of trial-and-error and affirm that it’s ok to set a little less sail area than you think is necessary in heavy winds. Next, optimize every air-molecule flowing over your sails to sustain momentum – seek momentum! Capitalize on the benefits of all tips above and get the boat moving well in the groove – it’s during this span of time when LESS SAIL AREA will contribute the appropriate power to the balanced equation of aero/hydro-lift equilibrium because:

• Peak momentum is achieved to carry you through the waves, and
• Optimal-average apparent wind is dialed-in so less sail-area is highly tuned for max boat speed, propelling and maintaining the boat in her groove.

TIP 4 – SLIGHTLY MORE SAIL POWER IS ACCEPTABLE

After a well-designed sail leaves the loft, sailors tweak it on the water; remember your primary controls are: sheeting angle, area, and the amount of apparent wind you coax into the balanced equation. It’s at this point when sailing in heavy weather that we should sheet a little harder, or close sail-twist a smidge to keep the hull just short of being over-powered. Bear in mind that ALL Tips above must be satisfied before applying this final touch of power. Basically, this extra edge applies what’s needed to overcome wave resistance – ease any excess power quickly if it suddenly becomes too much.

Paul Exner Pro-Sailing Tips are written exclusively for sailors flying sails by UK Sailmakers, who are seeking an extra edge needed to sail with confidence. I’ll see you here in the next UK Newsletter when I dive-deep into another topic that helps you get the most from your UK Sails!

Sail with me in heavy weather and apply these tips in real-time; email me personally at paul@moderngeographic.com and check out my upcoming Heavy Weather Mastermind Course through my company, Modern Geographic.

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