Australian Sailing Better Sailing

Better Sailing is Australian Sailing's step up from the basics. It's for dinghy sailors who can already sail independently and now want to handle stronger winds and get real speed from the boat. The course introduces the spinnaker and trapeze, the two pieces of kit that make performance dinghies so fast and so much fun.

Who it suits

• Start Sailing 2 graduates who want more challenge
• Club sailors who can get around a course but feel out of their depth once the breeze builds
• Sailors thinking about moving into a two-person skiff or performance dinghy
• Anyone planning to start racing who wants solid boat handling first

The prerequisites are that you are water confident and have the skills from Start Sailing 2.

What you'll actually do

The recommended length is about 12 hours. You'll sail more often in moderate to fresh conditions, where the focus is on keeping the boat flat, fast and under control. Typical sessions include hoisting, flying and dropping a spinnaker, getting out on the trapeze and back in again, and practising tacks and gybes with the extra gear. You'll probably capsize more than on earlier courses. That's normal when you're learning at the edge of control, and your recovery skills will get sharper.

Key ideas explained

• Depowering: when the wind gets up, you reduce the power in the sails so you can keep the boat flat. You do this by easing the mainsheet in gusts, tightening the vang (kicker), cunningham and outhaul to flatten the sails, and hiking hard. Flat usually means fast.
• Apparent wind: the wind you feel on a moving boat is a mix of the true wind and the wind you create by moving. As a fast dinghy speeds up, the apparent wind moves forward, so you often need to trim the sails in, not out.
• Spinnaker basics: a spinnaker is a large, light sail for sailing off the wind. It's trimmed by easing the sheet until the front edge (the luff) just begins to curl, then pulling it in slightly. The pole height and guy (or the bowsprit on an asymmetric) keep it set.
• Trapezing: the crew hooks a harness onto a wire from the mast and stands on the side of the boat, using body weight far outboard to hold the boat upright. Good trapezing relies on smooth movements in and out, and on the helm and crew talking to each other.
• Bearing away in a gust: when sailing downwind in strong wind, turning further downwind in a gust (while easing the sails) reduces heeling and keeps you in control. Heading up suddenly is a common cause of capsizes.

Where it fits

Teenagers may also want to look at OutThere Sailing 1 and OutThere Sailing 2, Australian Sailing's social programs for 12 to 17 year olds.

Getting ready

• Before the course, make sure your basic tacking, gybing and capsize recovery are solid. Better Sailing adds complexity quickly.
• A wetsuit or spray top is worth having, as you'll be wetter and more exposed to wind chill. Sailing gloves save your hands from rope burn.
• Ask the centre whether it supplies trapeze harnesses and in which sizes. A harness that fits properly is safer and more comfortable.
• Some core and leg strength helps with hiking and trapezing, but technique matters more than strength.
• Ask which boats the course uses (for example, symmetric or asymmetric spinnaker). The handling is quite different.

Good to know in Australia

Afternoon sea breezes on many Australian waterways can build quickly. Always check the forecast and local conditions, and sail within your limits after the course.