Tag Archives: marblehead blog

Improve Your Tacking !!

Racing a modern day marblehead is exciting and exhilarating. They are fast and have a presence on the water…

But if you are wondering why every time you tack you are slow through the tack, that you are loosing ground. we need to think about rudder control !

Such a simple thing, but something that cannot be emphasised enough. With these big boats, speed is key and as we know the rudder acts as a giant brake. It’s all to easy in the excitement to slam over onto another tack – or to force the boat over only to end up in irons ….something that l was doing all to regularly until l was shown how to manoeuvre my boat properly !!


The key is small rudder inputs and time. The boat can glide from one tack to another. It just needs patience and practice from the operator – treat her like the lady, softly and gently. You will find you are able go through the tack with out ending up in irons. You will do it maintaining speed.

The next thing that’s also important is sheet control. Once you pass head to wind you should ease the sails slightly, build speed, then sheet in. These might seem basic but need practicing so we can gain that much needed lead. 

Happy tacking:)

RW

Take a Look Around This Prototype Website…

Three of us at Datchet have been discussing the two facts that there are no consolidated Marblehead Knowledge Bases online… and more broadly, how very hard it can seem to potential newcomers to enter into the Sport regardless of Class they sail.

This little prototype website has been built around all our club fleets to give us an impression of what it might feel like if we were to build the idea out more fully. Try and imagine it populated with a thousand items of knowledge scattered through the subject categories listed.

In earlier years, when this gap in the market for the Flying Fifteens was identified, we at Datchet embarked on the idea to build a knowledge-led website, that did race reports as well. It quickly became followed in 26 countries and it now treated by many clubs worldwide as a way of supporting newcomers. We wrote about 2,000 items about buying, owning and racing Flying Fifteens. To date it has been read more than two thirds of a million times.

It would be focussed mainly on our Club, its members, our classes – and trying to encourage potential members to join up – whether they be World Champions, or more importantly, potential new members in the South East who are considering the sport, and DWSC members in particular.

Don’t worry about the pesky adverts – if we go ahead with this kind of idea, for a nominal annual fee we can turn the ads off.

It works on a browser or your mobile. Let me know what you think. Richard J.

A Beginners Guide to the Rules of Yacht Racing … the Radio Control Version

If you’re just getting in to sailing, or beginning to race, the Rules of Racing can feel something of a challenge. It’s normal !

This a super 20 minute video issued by Radio Sailors in the US, covering the standard Rules and how it all works in Radio Sailing. A great little watch….