Three boats, same start, same speed — one banged the left corner, one banged the right, one stayed in the middle. Which is the smart way to sail a beat?
Sailing hard to a corner is a bet on one wind shift. Guess wrong and you're last: Yellow bets on the left and never gets her swing. Pink bets on the right, the wind swings right, and she comes back in on starboard. Blue stays near the middle and swings with the wind, sails the shortest course and ends closest to the mark. The middle keeps you in the race whichever way the wind swings. At the top, though, Blue is on port and Pink is on starboard (Rule 10) — so who gets there first? Watch and decide.
📖 Want more situations like this one? Bryan Willis's The Rules in Practice 2025-2028 works through the rules as they happen round the racecourse. (affiliate link)
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<p><a href="https://sailing.kiwi.nz/v/FS6s4U_UmH4/">Source: Sailing Kiwi</a></p>Go deeper: books and gear
- Tactics Made Simple by Jon Emmett — Racing tactics, explained simply.
- The Rules in Practice 2025-2028 by Bryan Willis — Situations round the racecourse, worked through for the current rules.
- Five Oceans masthead wind indicator — See the wind direction at a glance.
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