North U Race Tour Seminar

North U will be holding one of its seminars at the RStLYC again this year. The North U "Race Tour" consists of both the North U. Racing Trim Seminar and the North U Racing Tactics Seminar. The Trim Seminar will focus on boat speed and boat handling. The Tactics Seminar will focus on Strategy, Tactics and Rules. For full course descriptions, outlines, prices, and how to sign up, click on the title. Sign up for one or both seminars being held Saturday, March 24th and Sunday, March 25th. I can tell you that the material is organized on the principle that winning races follows preparedness on different fronts. Those levels of preparedness can be viewed as a pyramid with the foundation being preparation. going up the pyramid the ingredients for success are boat handling, boat speed, and tactics. Within that structure the course covers starting, the different race course legs, trim for different wind conditions and so on. I remember it as being a lot of material crammed in, much of it the basics. It was an excellent review for most people. North rep, Geoff Moore will be giving the seminar again this year.

The instructors are very good, but I like the reading material best. The costs are high, but the texts are simple to read with plenty of graphics. Of course you can go back to the texts at any time, and I do. Here is an excerpt from the text on "Defending your Position" on the downwind leg:

"There are several techniques you can use to protect your position and to prevent others from passing you... Establish a windward position... As you start down the leg, immediately establish a position a boat length or two to weather. This can save you many boat lengths and lots of hassling later. It is much more effective than waiting to see if anyone attacks, and then responding. Setting up early sends the message: you aren't going by, at least not on the windward side...."