You can read a lot of books (and you should) but you cannot replace time on the water. Early in my sailing life, before racing, I was told by one old salt, "You should race, you will learn more about sailing in one year of racing than in 10 years of cruising." So I looked for a racing class, found a used boat, found out when they raced, then got my butt handed to me for about 3 years. And I read a lot of books, mostly by Stuart Walker, Dave Perry, Buddy Melges, even Ted Turner and Denis Connor (his "No Excuse to Lose" is a classic, if you haven't read it, find it, do it, now!). But I have learned the most from other sailors, after the racing is done, talking about it at the keg. I have found if you get a cold beer into the hands of the winner, first, he will tell you how he does it, especially if you are no threat to him, which I was not (and am still not).

One thing I have found out from them, get your head out of the boat. Look around the course before each start. What is the wind doing, and what is it going to do in the next 5, 10, 30 minutes? Is there any current? Is the line square? Where is A mark? Which tack will be favored at the gun?

They don't seem to worry about an inch of mast rake or rotation, or lbs. of diamond tension. They worry about getting the best start, on the right end of the line, going fast in the right direction with clear air.

Second to that, their boat handling skills are excellent. They almost never muff a snuff or blow a tack. That only comes with time on the water and the best sailors are usually the ones with the most time spent on the water.

Then comes boat preparation. The fast guys are not driving old, beat up boats with 5 year old sails. And they don't usually break down while out on the race course. This is all covered in most of the good sailing books, but you have to go to regattas to see it for yourself, up close, and if you have a question, get him a beer and ask... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

And I really believe Garry Jobson nailed it when he said, "Sailboat races are not won, they are lost. Good moves don't win them, but bad moves will lose them." You have to make the least mistakes out there, consistantly, if you want to win, consistantly.