TELL TALES 34 (July 9, 2008)

• The summer series is going fairly well for the Red, White and Blue Fleet, but Portsmouth Division sailors have been conspicuous by their absence. Michelle Thomas is the only one who has sailed enough races to qualify for a trophy, but she has gone to New Jersey for the rest of the summer. However, here are the RWB standings after four weeks:

RWB: 1, Stephan VerHulst, 12; 2, Alicia Muscato, 20; 3, Garrett Lawlor, 24; 4, Cara Patete, 25; 5, Aubrey Khachetoorian, 29; 6, Stefan Johnson, 32; 7, Evan Langer, 34; 8, Sami Tornese, 34; 9, Chloe Dietrich, 39; 10, Ashlyn Weed, 40; 11, Andrew Sosa, 42.

• Since Capt. John has gone to New Jersey, Emily Rom will be coaching Saturday along with Kyle D'Arcangelis. Both are Sunfish sailors and will conduct the series races. And remember, this Saturday's sailing starts at 10 a.m. because of the parent orientation which will be at 9 a.m. Ashlyn Weed will be the demonstrator. For the following two weeks, July 19 and July 26, Jackie Sims (another Sunfish skipper) will work with Emily. Jabbo will be gone part of next week and therefore, we may not have a 'Tell Tales'. Also he will out of state the weekend of July 26.

• The joy on her face made the whole trip worthwhile. If you have never seen a young person when they see their first boat, it is worth the price of admission. Such was the case when Jabbo brought Chloe Dietrich's new Laser down from Sarasota yesterday. She was on Cloud 9.

• At the regular monthly meeting last night, the board decided that we will definitely attend the two Sarasota regattas Ð Labor Day and Sailfest. For other regattas, at least half of our fleet must sign up (including a parent's initials) two weeks before the event. Otherwise, people can check out their assigned IODs, but will be responsible for the boat's transportation as well as its care.

• Since there is not much else happening, here are some more good tips from 'Sailing World':

+ Sail your own race as best you can. Enter a battle (read tacking duel) with another boat only if you think you can win it. Forget arguing with some other skipper over some foul at the start.

+ It is very difficult to sail fast in disturbed wind, especially on crowded courses. Unfortunately, some skippers don't realize how disturbed their wind really is and continue to follow the leader.

+ The worst blanketing effect extends from the stern to about five boat lengths to leeward.

+ Thus, find clear lanes and hold onto them as long as you can. Stay away from packs of boats.

+ Remember that the faster you sail, it's easier to maneuver, tack or jibe.

+ We teach you to keep your boat as upright as possible. Going upwind in a stiff breeze, for example, may cause your vessel to heel. When it heels, your daggerboard is not as deep and you will start to side slip Ð sliding to leeward. You can stay on track better if you depower a little by easing the mainsheet slightly. You can always pull it back in after the gust goes past you.

+ One place where you can pick up some time and distance is in the turns. Because they seem so simple, tacks are often overlooked. However, the average skipper will do more tacks than any other maneuver during a regular race. Improving your tacks by two or three seconds can save you 30 or 40 seconds around the racecourse. That can mean the difference first, second or third.

+ One of the biggest ways to make tacks faster is by minimizing the flapping of the sail, which creates a tremendous amount of drag. The ideal tack is one during which the sail never actually flaps. It just goes from full on the old tack to full on the new tack. This may sound difficult, but it can be achieved with the proper timing and techniques that are used in roll tacks.