I have been looking at my GPS tracks from the last couple of races and am noticing a oversteer "hook" at the end of my tacks that are costing me some time. Looks like it happens every time I tack to port. Any comments on this? Its happening in both light and mid winds.
I have found that we can stay pretty close to most people in straight line speed. The good teams though will gain a boat length or so on us in the tacks and jibes, and several boat lengths with their mark roundings.
Good SMOOTH boat handling skills can not be over stated.
If you are comparing tracks, make sure to note the conditions. You will seldome have a wave pattern that lines up with the wind, so 1 tack will ususally be right into the waves and the other not. It is a lot harder to maintain good boat speed when tacking into chop and waves, especialy if the wind is very strong or very light. If you lose boat speed in the tack you will need to over stear some to get it back sooner. If you can keep up good boat speed with a smooth turn, then it is possible to run through a tack with almost no loss in velocity and no hook.
M
