Paul Eldrid offers some quickfire tips for racing under IRC or ORC.

An accomplished sailor and coach with numerous victories including State, National & World Championships, Paul Eldrid now runs OneSails Australasia providing sails for IRC and ORC boat owners. Paul offers some quick advice to make quick gains when racing under a rating rule.

1.    Pick your battles. Don’t defend your position on the racetrack with a faster boat. Find the fastest route to sail in clean air and water.
2.    Focus on sailing your boat at 100% polar. The race is your boat and team against the clock. Your rating shouldn’t compensate poor sailing.
3.    Seconds count! Analyse your performance and be critical of the seconds you left on the track. If you manage this, the minutes will take care of themselves.

For information on ratings go to https://www.sailingresources.org.au/ratingshome_2021_22ud/

By Glen Stanaway https://www.sailing.org.au/about/ourstaff/