Ovvero: le barche camminano, sono gli uomini che le rallentano ...

Sabato ero a Talamone. Impaziente come un bambino di risalire sullo Snipe dopo lo stop invernale, per me, in fondo, neppure tanto lungo.

Nel corso del weekend, ragionando a posteriori, ho maturato (o riscoperto) alcuni convincimenti che è buona regola tenere sempre presenti.

Dunque. Sabato è previsto un bell'allenamento con altre barche ed Alessandro Testa, quale coach.

Text in Italian

Text in Italian

Xandi & Beto Paradeda e Antonio Bari & Paolo Lambertenghi

Enrico e Franco Solerio. Sanremo 2004

Sanremo, 2004. Enrico e Franco Solerio

Lago di Garda, Estate 2004. Paolo Tomsic & Andrej Mocilnik

by Peter Commette
Originally published in the Snipe Bulletin, June 1992

In 1973, I won the U.S. Youth Championships, single-handed division, with all firsts. Luckily, though, I was saved the certain embarrassment of losing badly at the World Youth Championships by a rather unfortunate set of circumstances. These circumstances ultimately dictated that I participate in another regatta being held at the same time, and that the runnerup from the U.S. Youth Championships attend the World Youths in my place. That runner-up was Augie Diaz, and he blew away the competition at the World Youths, winning easily.

Why would I undoubtedly have lost? And why was our runner-up such an easy victor? The answer is simple: The U.S. Youth Championships were sailed in heavy air, and the Worlds were held off Portugal in light air. Augie had developed a keen light-air technique in the Snipe, and at the time, I didn't have a clue as to how to sail in light air.

Originally published in the Snipe Bulletin, July 1993. Slightly modified by the Author, April 2006.

Regular readers of the Snipe Bulletin need no introduction to Peter Commette. He is one of the world's best Snipe sailors and his record in other classes is even better, with a Laser World Title to his credit.

As the years go on, there seem to be fewer and fewer techniques which I utilize that my competitors don't. Moreover, of those left-over techniques, there are fewer and fewer which I feel comfortable in believing give me a speed advantage.

However, there still are two points of sail concerning which I can offer some help to a few. These points of sail are: escaping the starting line and going fast upwind in a breeze and chop.

The key to sailing fast upwind in a breeze and chop is to keep the boat moving. This means that it is critically important to keep your lee bow
clear so that you can drive off when you need speed. From this first philosophy of keeping your lee bow clear, comes a starting philosophy and a few starting techniques. I will not go into an in-depth discussion of starting, since most of you know that I am the king of OCS, and you know better than to listen to me.