Success is blowing in the wind for the Rocky Point Sailing Association.
But first you have to keep your eyes peeled for ripples on the water, said Jago Tough, one of the group’s 20 or so competitive racers, because that’s a sign where the breeze is briskest.
Tough and his teammates are preparing for another busy spring season of regattas on the BC racing circuit that launches April 28 and 29 with the Kitten Cup, hosted by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club.
The Port Moody-based racers compete in three categories of craft: Opti, for neophytes; single seater Lasers; and the two-man 420 Club.
As one of the team’s volunteer coaches, it’s Musa Fortin’s job to transform young sailors who may have no more than a couple of weeks experience in a boat after completing the association’s learn to sail program into high-speed racers.
“It’s just a change in mindset,” he said. “You’re changing your focus.”
Much of that racing mindset involves becoming familiar with the rules and procedures that determine which boats have the right of way on the course, as well as learning how to read the course and weather to plot strategy.
“We have to look for advantage points, like ripples in the water,” Tough,13, said. “Then you have to compare your boat’s position to others and determine how to get there as quickly as possible.”
Fortin, who’s in his third year of coaching, likens sail racing to chess on water.
“The mental game is the most important component,” he said.
But that has to be complemented with some physical prowess like being able to hoist a spinnaker sail as quickly as possible to take advantage of a breeze as well as derring-do when trapezing out on a wire from the side of the craft to counterbalance the push of the wind into the sails.
“The adrenalin when you’re going fast is amazing,” Tough said.
Nicole Miller, who’s been sailing for 10 of her 14 years and a racer for three years, said while a sailing race might look chaotic from shore, it can be even more so on the water, especially as skippers tack for the best position along the starting line.
“There’s a lot of boats in the same space, but you don’t know what everybody’s plan is,” she said.
Jenny Tough, who heads the racing program at Rocky Point, said a lot of the coaching kids receive is about giving them the confidence to be able to handle themselves on the water, find order amidst the chaos.
“It’s not like you need to be an amazing sailor,” she said. “You just have to be competent.”
That means everybody who’s completed the learn to sail program can join the racing team if they’re keen.
“We make all levels feel welcome,” Tough said, adding rookie sailors get their feet wet in the small single-man Optimist (Opti) sailing dinghies that are designed to be easily managed by kids under 15. The craft’s pram hull and single spirit-rigged sail makes it extremely stable in winds up to 30 knots.
They then graduate to the sleeker Laser, that is almost twice the size with a single cat-rigged sail that performs best in winds higher than 15 knots.
The Club 420 is about the same size as the Laser but designed to be piloted by two people who must manage its main, jib and spinnaker sails.
Tough said the club is considering starting an adult racing program, but it’s main focus right now is to attract more young sailors who can learn the sport’s fundamentals in the summer before taking a spot on a regatta’s start line for the fall racing season.
For more information about Rocky Point’s learn to sail and racing programs, email [email protected]
