Team racing terms

Keys to good team race starts

-Talk as a team about "Fleet Race Homework" Current, pressure, course geometry (line skew) -Communicate When a switch needs to be made A change has occurred -Know where your teammates are

always know

-The combo - Your play - Where the marks are - The breeze

High/Low

A method of passing an opponent downwind or on a reach where 2 teammates split, one high and one low of an opponent. The 1st boat generally sails high in an effort to force the opponent to commit to protecting the high lane, while the teammate sails low, minimizing distance and attempting to sail fast around the opponent. If leading, first boat goes low and second goes high.

Wall (double team)

A method often used by the 2-3 against a Play 4 against the 4 to attempt to eliminate the 4-5 gap. Upwind- the 2 will put themselves in a position to slow (almost stop) the 4 while the 3 pins the 4. This may require a fair amount of boat control since the 2 and 4 may be going much slower than the 3. (The 2 and 3 in this description may switch roles/positions)

Golden Rule

Do unto others before they do unto you. When in doubt, control the boat behind you.

geographic start

Each boat is assigned an area of the starting line: Boat, middle, pin. Each boat is expected to start in their zone and control any opponent that enters their zone. It is important for each team member to know where they should be playing pre-start for a given zone on the line. The boat responsible for the middle has the most flexibility, as they can cheat to one side or the other in response to opponents' positioning or wind shifts.

Goal of the start

Get the whole team, or at least 2 pairs, off the line with speed and ahead of the opponents while avoiding interference and congestion among teammates. At worst, start even.

covering

Maintaining control of an opponent to leeward, either loose covering to stay ahead, or tight covering to slow them down.

Gap

the distance between two boats on a racecourse, usually the same team

Passback

Term for slowing an opponent while not at a mark in an effort to let a teammate sail ahead of them. Passbacks are accomplished by either pinning or ragging. Positioning of each boat is important to be aware of.

Mark Trap

Term for slowing at a mark in order to prevent an opponent from rounding the mark, or at least slow them. Used most often to get a teammate ahead of an opponent. By entering the zone clear ahead, a boat is able to force an opponent to overlap them to windward, and they can then head them up and luff them while a teammate rounds the mark. A double mark trap is when 2 boats trap concurrently.

clearing out

The action of breaking up a mark trap and forcing an opponent to round. The first boat of a team sails high in order to break overlap and force the trapping boat to round, thus preventing the race from condensing any further or getting 2 boats caught in a trap

Gatekeeper

The rightmost boat on the course, usually off the line, who controls the right side by maintaining starboard advantage and not allowing other boas to get to the right of her. this is particularly important at the top of the 1st beat.

Push

The term for forcing an opponent up the course, towards the next mark or the finish line. In a 2-3-4, the 2 generally pushes the 1 while the 3 and 4 cover the 5 and 6.

Ragging

The term for positioning on an opponent's breeze and over-trimming the main to slow the opponent down. When ragging effectively, the opponent will be able to tack, you should be able to rag on them on the new tack as well. Jib luffing is used for positioning, not to affect the opponent's breeze.

swoop tack

The term for tacking out of a pin by heading down to create separation from the windward boat and then quickly tacking and ducking the opponent

tacking duel

The term for tacking out of a pin by heading down to create separation from the windward boat and then quickly tacking and ducking the opponent

Pin

The term for the position on an opponent preventing another boat from sailing in the direction they choose (towards the mark/finish or tacking). When positioned correctly, the opponent is sailing in clear breeze but unable to tack.

condensing

The term used for slowing down a race in order to bring boats together and eliminate gaps. A team wants to condense if they are losing a race, as forcing boats together gives them a better chance of passing or making a play.

Ace in the hole

The third boat of a team in a 1-2 or 1-3 combo. The goal is to finish ahead of at least 1 boat, with the ability to slow hard if there is a change to the play. Generally the ace wants to Gap, or slow the 6 as best they can to create separation so the opposing team cannot easily pass the 6 into a play 4 scenario. The ace is the insurance policy in case the opposing team breaks up the 1-2. Play 1 is much more stable with an ace

Switch (during a start)

This can be used to communicate with teammates when one boat is not well positioned for their starting spot and a teammate can fill in to create a better start for the team as a whole.

Incoming

This is the communication used when an opponent is headed toward a teammate and the teammate may not be able to see them

Bump and Run

This is the term for briefly hitting (slowing) opponents while maintaining your position in the race. In a 1-5-6, the 1 will want to "bump and run", slowing multiple opponents by mark trapping to condense the race but not being aggressive enough to lose the 1. Used in a sentence "I need a bump on #" often heard while entering mark 3.

Chasing

When no play is possible until a boat on the opposing team is passed. When chasing, all teammates want to sail fast in "fleet race mode" in an effort to sail around an opponent.

Zone coverage

When teammates control a given zone rather than a specific opponent. This is often used on the line in geographic starts or upwind legs

Breakaway

When the 1-2 break away from the fleet, creating a large amount of separation. This can be created by the 3rd boat of the winning team gapping hard at a mark

Loose cover

When you position yourself upwind of your opponent and focus on allowing them clear air while keeping them in your zone. They may sail to the edges of your zone as long as you maintain control

Tight Cover

When you position yourself upwind of your opponent and focus on not allowing them clear air while keeping them in your zone. The opponent will often look for opportunities to tack or fake tack to avoid being pushed past layline or into sailing slow on headers.

3 boat weave

action taken by 3 boats of the same team in succession and a winning combo (1-2-3 or 2-3-4). The 3 boats position themselves to cover all boats behind them as a team. While the 1st boat is covering the middle of the course, her teammates link zones on either side (one right and one left).

Balance

keeping an opponent behind a teammate on another part of the course. The balancing boat will Rag on the opponent to slow them so that his pair comes back together with his teammate's pair they will maintain control. This is particularly important in a Play 2 scenario.

Switch (while sailing upwind)-

used to communicate trading covering duties with a teammate. A well executed switch will leave both teammates in control of their pair and minimize space in between coverage. Other factors to consider are maintaining ladder rung, protecting against leverage, and keeping flow.

Back door passback

when a boat pins an opponent and allows their teammate to tack out and sail free

Front Door passback

when a boat rags on an opponent and allows their teammate to sail out from under the opponent

Speed passback

when an upwind passback is accomplished while sailing as close to full speed as possible, usually because another passback is happening simultaneously on the other side of the course Passbacks should be attempted on the lifted tack.