What makes you fast on the race course? Please give me one or two tips on things you do or don't do that help you sail better than the average racer. What do you feel is the most important thing an average racer needs to concentrate on to improve his or her finishes?
Thanks,
John
Clean air is king. Don't sit in anybody's dirty air for too long if you can help it.
To get clean air, get a good start.
Hey John,
A great tactic -- get out ahead and stay there. <img src=
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Rick
Keep yourself in a "this really is fun" state of mind, whenever I'm in a bad mood the boat is slower, and then my mood gets worse. Hmm, guess I'm not really sure what is cause and what is effect here. 😉
sail fast. drink beer.
my go fast secret is alcohol. definitely alcohol.
Tad = slow
The start is what makes or breaks me. Whenever I get a good start, I always seem to perform better. Also, it helps to know all the right-of-way rules at the line and use them!
And in Jake's case, the only reason he can go fast is that super-cool tapered mainsheet I built for him 
Trey
N20 314
Layline Rigging
www.velocitysailing.com
What makes me fast?? The "5 Ps". What?, you ask?? 30 years of PRIOR PREPARATION PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE. No one gets more ready for an event than I do!
ehhh,
Less weight........ 
What makes you slow: Having non functioning systems aboard, like a snuffer system that works only 60% or a downhaul hard to reach.
What makes you fast: concentration, knowledge and time on the water. Hard to get any more spesific without writing a book
Developa plan before the start after sailing the first half of the beat, sail smoothly, dont stop.
Funny, but at the Bay Week Regatta this year, I was rattling off bullets and way ahead of the pack. Someone sailed by and asked how I was doing it.
I said that was the scary part. I didn't have a clue what I was doing right. When I lose, I always know what I did wrong, but when you are way ahead, it is hard to figure out what you are doing right.
I did have excellent starts, thanks to our doing fleet races here at PIB twice a week and getting in at least 8-10 races per week.
Rick
Sailing fast is SO simple!!!
You just sail around the course eliminating more mistakes, than everyone else. There, done, winning is just the natural by product of "fewer mistakes". If you make no mistakes, then you are GOD (and you immediately disappear in a glow of bright light)
Little Chocolate Covered Donuts...
My crew plays the bongos to keep me in rhythm
yeah, but I'm not wearing the coconuts again... ever.
You mean those weren't coconuts in your shorts????
Prunes and dates together make me really fast, either that or very smelly!
(I remember a girl once who could turn around so fast to slap you on the face that she had to put her bra on backwards!!!)
I hate to say this--but DON'T RACE!! 
IMHO most races are done in stultefyingly low winds -- booooooring!
Sail when the winds are good, and then do a good-natured "race" with your friends -- do a running start (beer can in hand) from the beach to your boats, launch, and OFF YOU GO!!
Fun, Exhilarating & Exciting!!
Fast just seems to come naturally to me, FAST?? Why I'm so fast that I have to slow down when I turn around so that I don't bump into myself!!
I have to set my alarm "fast" so that I don't catch myself coming home from work before I get out of bed!!!
It can be a problem when I work with people that are still on a Wednesday when I'm already up to Friday!!
And what do you say to someone who thinks that they see you arriving when you have already been and gone?
It’s good though when you finish a race so fast that you can actually watch yourself start!!
(was “Dr Who’s" police box (Tardis) really bigger on the inside than it was on the outside??)
A good crew.
Makes all the difference.
However finding one is no easy task.
Wouter
this weekend's races in Cape Hatteras were all carried out in perfect sailing conditions.
However what makes you NOT fast is 3' of water with 4' boards + 15 knots of boat speed.
:beatup:
So you're still cool with the grass skirt, eh?
I would not know, everyone around here beats me, I used to sail faster but then I learned a bunch and now I can consistantly come in near the end.
What I have observed the winners doing is starting first, sailing fast to the marks in the right order, and knowing when to finish. What they tell me is to have a plan for every situation and to sail for speed all the time. Now I know that and I think that the real way to sail fast is to not drink anything before the race and have a rum and coke at the end of the race, however I prefer to come in last and drink beer on the course. (not enough to get drunk, just enough to not care that I am losing).