Buoy racers go back to school

North Sails Race Clinics for competitive yachtsmen and women are going national, with a four-city tour to take place in July and August.

Eight clinics, organised by sailing website Crew.org.nz, have already been held in Auckland, covering advanced topics such weather and navigation, boat handling and speed, performance tactics, the rules of racing and sail trim (There is also an introductory course for those new to racing).

But now the full programme is being taken to other New Zealand cities over the winter.

Speakers include Volvo Ocean Race navigator Nick White, Team New Zealand sail designer Burns Fallow and high-performing amateur and national level sailors like Cameron Thorpe, Brian Trubovich, Mike Lanigan, John Rountree, Josh Tucker and others.

The national race clinic tour will be hosted by renowned American sailing coach Bill Gladstone.

"Sailing is definitely a sport in which the more you learn, the more you realise you don't know," says Zoe Wilde, who runs the www.Crew.org.nz website and founded the clinics a year ago.

"I have been lucky to crew with some extremely good sailors, who have never failed to help me to improve by sharing their knowledge and experience about the fundamentals and the finer elements of racing," she says.

Discovering the treasure trove of knowledge within the race fleets inspired Wilde to set up the clinics, which have so far been attended by several hundred sailors in Auckland, and under the North Sails' programme are being taken to Wellington, Christchurch and Tauranga.

Ray Haslar, 2005 New Zealand Sailor of the Year, who has a long string of victories to his name in local and offshore competitions racing his Laurie Davidson-designed keeler, Jive Talkin, emphasises knowledge as a big part of racing success.

Says Haslar: "If you are a tradesman, 80 per cent of doing the job is know-how, and the 20 per cent which lies in making a nice job of it, is skill between one carpenter and another.

"Likewise, when sailing on a yacht, preparation is most important, and the remainder of your success is attributed to good workmanship and having keen yachtsmen around you."

Richard Bicknell from tour sponsor North Sails, believes that while boat owners invest thousands of dollars in improving their equipment and getting all the latest bells and whistles, there is no substitute for knowledge which comes cheaply by comparison.

"This is why our company is bringing Bill Gladstone to New Zealand," he says.

Gladstone is the author and creator of the NorthU Racing Seminars on racing tactics, sail trim and boat speed

He believes part of the attraction of sailboat racing is the breadth of skills required for success. "You must know sails and sail trim, boat handling and crew work, tactics, rules, and weather.

"And you must be able to determine which of those many facets is critical to success at each moment in the race."

The North Sails' Race Clinics are being hosted by the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club in Wellington, Naval Point Yacht Club in Christchurch, Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club in the Bay of Plenty, and in Auckland, Bucklands Beach Yacht Club and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Sailors interested in registering for the clinics can visit the link below for more information or you can phone Zoe Wilde on 09 376 5100.