Sailing Articles By Brooke Thomson

As we dive into summer, which for many dinghy sailors means traveling to different types of regattas than what are normally on the high school or college scene, I've been reflecting on some basic methods I use when I find myself under pressure in the boat. Some of the more specific techniques won’t apply to everyone, but I still think it’s a useful process for each person to figure out what types of things are more likely to stress them out or not. The one thing I’ve noticed most sailors do is to have a set a routine of some sort. I… more »

Generally, mark roundings can be sort of counter-intuitive because there’s a lot of boat handling but the goal isn’t necessarily boat speed. Overall, the main thing to be thinking about is where bow needs to be pointed. Rounding the windward mark in a team race is a lot more condensed than in a fleet race, which means just a little bit of good positioning can go a long way. Good crews tend to be great at looking around the boat and predicting combos, plays, etc..., but this article is focused on how a crew can still do the right thing… more »

15 Things a Crew Should Do Pre-Start For the longest time I was under the impression that there wasn’t much for a crew to do before the start. However, bit-by-bit little things started falling together and eventually I realized (and I know this sounds corny) that the process of preparing for a race was just as important as the race itself. The most important thing to do is whatever makes you and your skipper feel confident or lucky for the next race. Preparing for the next race is the best time that superstition comes in handy. Other than looking over… more »