The Box vs. The Triangle

College team racing, and most of high school team racing, both use the Digital-N/Collegiate-N as their race course. However, many schools still sail a port triangle. One issue raised last spring was the number of marks required to set a Digital-N. A great compromise is the Box Course.

The Newport V-15 fleet uses this course all summer. The bottom two marks can also serve as a starting line, and the top two can be a finish. As long as the course is set so that it is long and narrow - creating a true down-wind leg (not a reach), then the concept of a Digital-N can be practiced with fewer marks to set and move.

Another great advantage, at least for practice, is that the coach boat does not have to be anchored in order to do starts. Blow whistles as always and then just position the boat next to the mark to sight the line. While not perfect, it does keep you mobile during practices.

Getting Started with the Rules

At the NESSA annual meeting, we had a long discussion about how to best teach our sailors the rules. Particularly with team racing, this is a critical knowledge set - possibly even more so than understanding shifts, plays, and tactics. As you plan your first Rules lesson, here are a few resources that you should definitely check out.

1. ISAF: Racing Rules of Sailing - while it's great to have a complete rule book, sometimes its easier to keep a PDF on your computer or a few print outs in a zip lock bag. The ISAF site has the current edition as well as any changes.
2. ISAF: Call Book for Team Racing - in addition to knowing the basic rules, sailors who team race should also be familiar with significant judges calls. Many situations that appear fuzzy have actually been clearly defined. 
3. ISSA Procedural Rules - these are crucial for both coaches, sailors, and parents to understand, particularly with regard to how protests should be handled as well as items that differ from the standard racing rules.
4. Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing - Dave Perry's book is hands-down the easiest interpretation of the rules. If you or your team are just getting started, then this is a must-have book.

Once you have all of your resources, how do you start teaching? Last year, with our JV group, we did about a 2 hour chalk-talk on rules on a rainy, windy afternoon. We opened up Dave Perry's book and started with Part 2: When Boats Meet. One person read while another person drew on the white board. We didn't have any magnetic boats, so we used 2 different colored markers. It was probably the best rules lesson that I've ever taught at a beginner level.

Back to Practice

Though the college teams have been on the water since late January or early February, most high school teams are just getting started. As you prepare for the new season, a few things to keep in mind.

1. Registration & Dues - make sure that all of your paperwork has been filed correctly with NESSA
2. Schedule - if you plan on competing in the O'Day, you need to have completed at least three meets before the qualifiers begin. Given the weather of these past few weeks - and what is forecast for this week - that may be easier said than done.
3. Gear - the water is cold. Is your team fully dressed? At St. George's, we still have some new sailors looking for lifejackets and dry suits. Our first day on the water, yesterday, proved that many of our sailors are not layering properly under their drysuits. While this sounds simple, it's worth reviewing.

If you are a new team or coach this season, and have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sail Fast and Good Luck!

Knowing Your Team's Limits

We've had a windy spring in Newport, RI. For the first few weeks, we may have spent as much time in the classroom as on the water. While the urge to just get on the water is huge, it's not always the best idea.

The question then becomes: how do you know when to say when? As coaches, it's our job to make the judgment call. We not only need to determine what is best for the safety of our team, but also our competitors. Here are a few questions to ask yourself that may help you to know your team's limits.

1. Can your team safely get on and off the water? For us, it is extremely difficult for even our top boats to get off the dock in a strong northerly. We had to cancel a meet earlier this week not necessarily because of the gusts, but because of the fact that we didn't think everyone could get sailing without risking damage.
2. Can your weakest boat stay upright? Sometimes, we are confident that our top boats, with heavy air crews, can sail the conditions. However, are we creating safety risks by letting our JV boats out? If you have enough support, don't hesitate to tell some kids that they should just watch for a day while you sail the top boats. It's better for them to learn something rather than just go swimming.
3. Would you want to sail the conditions? Honestly, do you think that you would enjoy the practice? If you are looking at the breeze and thinking, glad I'm not out there, then the kids probably are too.
4. Is it your equipment? A few weeks ago, we had a varsity meet against another school while using a third school's boats. It was gusting to 25, and blowing onto a lee shore. After the first race, we all agreed to call it a day before something got broken. If you are using some one else's boats, they will appreciate your judgment call.
5. Are you going to gain anything from sailing the conditions? Not all conditions are conducive to a good practice. If the goal is to speed-test with heavy-air crews, then 20+ is ok. However, if your team is still learning to boat handle, then a day of chalk-talks may be a better use of you and your team's time.

Finally, know that opposing coaches will always appreciate your good judgment. With both fleet racing and team racing events, it is often up to the coach to determine whether or not their sailors can compete in the given conditions. A hosting coach would rather have you pull out of a race before some one, or something, is put in harm's way.

Getting Ready to Host

Hard to believe that spring season is here. In case you are hosting any meets, or maybe you already have, here is a checklist that may be of benefit. Sarah Helming from Sail Maine put together a great article about what to expect at a high school regatta.

Typical Schedule/Itinerary:

9:30am Report time (all sailors need to be at sailing site)

10:00am Skipper's Meeting

11:00am Regatta begins

Lunch break - There is not typically a lunch “break”. Sailors tend to eat between races. Coaches/parents should make sure to bring food and drinks as it is often not convenient to go find something after you're on site.

4:00pm Last race is sailed

5:30pm Depart venue

* If the regatta is on SUNDAY: Most regatta hosts will end a regatta at 3:30pm on Sunday to allow for people to return home/travel.

Fleet vs. Team Racing events

1) In Fleet Racing there are 2 divisions (A and B). Each team has one boat for each division. Most regattas are represented by at least 4 sailors (2 sailors per boat).

• At some of the regattas there may be an option to have 2 “teams” for each individual school. This can help to increase the number of competitors.
  

• Generally, the 2 divisions rotate through the boats. For example, while A-division is sailing, B-division is on shore. Occasionally, if the venue has enough boats, all competitors will be on the water at the same time, but there will be separate starts.
  

2) Team racing is very different from Fleet Racing. In a team race, there are only 6 boats on the race course at one time. There are two teams racing against one another and each team has 3 boats each (6 sailors).

Spectating

Unfortunately, sailing is not an easy sport to spectate and most HS regattas don't have spectator boats. However, sailors will be on land for a portion of the day and “fans” are always appreciated. ** Binoculars help! **

Coaching

Make sure to consult the sailing instructions (SIs) with regard to coaching at events. Once a start is in sequence, regardless of whether it is a fleet or team race, there is no coaching allowed (except for maybe in a low JV meet). However, if there is not equal access for all coaches to meet with their competitors, then coaching may be limited to just between races. Coaches and parents need to respect and adhere to the guidelines, as written in the SIs.

Welcome to NESSA!

Welcome to the New England Schools Sailing Association (NESSA). This is the governing body of high school sailing for New England. Unlike other high school sports, sailing competes regionally rather than across districts or states. While some states may hold their own championships, or even create their own leagues, teams are still encouraged to be a part of the NESSA community.

If you are a new team, or a new coach to a new team, we hope that this blog will be a good resource to help you get started. 

All About High School Sailing

As mentioned, NESSA is the governing body for high school sailing in New England. All of high school sailing falls under the ISSA (Inter-Scholastic Sailing Association). Again, unlike other high school sports, in sailing, schools compete regionally and nationally, and includes public as well as private schools. Eligibility to compete begins in the 9th grade and has no age limitations (other than the fact that the student must compete for the school in which they intend to matriculate). 

There are active districts in six other regions besides New England, and hundreds of schools across the country that compete year-round. In the fall, there are some double-handed events as well as the single-handed national championships (The Cressy). During the spring, teams compete in both fleet racing as well as team racing events with their goal being to make it to the national championships. (The Mallory for fleet racing and the Baker for team racing) These events are hosted by a different district each year.

If you have not already registered to become a member school, you can do so from the NESSA website. Once you become a member, you will be eligible for the national qualifiers as well as other events with your team.