Theory MC
By Andy Burdick
Editor's Note: Andy is a 1989 graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Public Relations. He is Sales Manager at Melges Boat Works and a Sales Rep for Melges Sails. Andy is currently MC National Champion and in 1990 he won the WMYA Regatta, the ILYA MC Invitational and Championship, and the Orlando Webb and Hoosier Classic MC Regattas.
[This article was first published in the January and April 1991 issues of the MC Newsletter. It was edited and re-published in the January and April 1994 issues.]
1991 has brought new sailors, new winds, new regattas, new equipment and a new racing season. Everyone has a fresh new start. 1990 has been forgotten. It is now time to reach new levels with your MC. This can be accomplished through the use of THEORY MC. Your 1991 MC season can be successful through the use of THEORY MC. The three basic steps an MC sailor must use in order to become successful out on the water are:
Step 1 Boat Handling
Step 2 Tuning
Step 3 Preparation To Use Skills
Some may say that these steps are backwards or not in the correct order. However, after reading THEORY MC I think you will realize that each step will progress you upward to your final destination.
This final destination is different for many sailors. Some want to just improve on last year's results, some want to beat the local club hot shot - just once, some want to win the National Championship. All of these goals can be reached, but not until you memorize and practice these three steps.
STEP 1 - BOAT HANDLING
Boat handling is by far the most important thing in the MC class. Race after race you see people struggle around the course with poor tacks, poor jibes, poor starts. With all of these things against you, how can you possibly worry about a windshift or race course position? Your first step to improvement in winning is through boat handling. As soon as the clock struck midnight on January 1st everyone did not automatically inherit this important skill. It is done through PRACTICE.
Tacking must be second nature. You should not have to think about how to do it. It should instantly happen. So, what is a good tack? What should I practice? Practice being smoother. The tiller, mainsheet and boards along with your body must make a smoother, cat-like transition. The tiller is the leader of the tack. This controls the response of the boat on the new tack. This is where people have so many problems. Start pushing your tiller slowly. This allows your MC to gain ground to windward. Then as the sail begins to luff along the mast, push the boat through the wind quickly. Transition your body to the other side of the boat. As the boat starts to reach the new tack, slow your steering down. Now you should be on the wind. Your tiller should still be in your original hand, and is behind your back. Now, as you move to the new windward side, bring your main sheet hand back to the tiller and hold both the main sheet and the tiller with that hand. During this process you will find you have free hand. This is great! Pull your board up now. Pull it up with authority because these seconds determine a good tack or a bad one. Now take the tiller with your old mainsheet hand. Example: On port tack your left hand is holding the mainsheet, and the right is on the tiller. As you come head to wind, move your left hand back to the tiller and steer and holding the tiller with the left hand. Then you can pull the board with your right hand. After you have done that, reach across and take the mainsheet with your right hand. And, of course, the tiller is now in your left hand.
So often the boat goes up on its ear, the sail is in and you are fumbling to get the board up. The most important thing is to get the boat under control after the tack so you do not lose speed. I actually sail with the tiller behind my back for around ten seconds when there is a good breeze. I make sure that right after my tack the boat is in the water and going fast, then I do my switching of hands and get the board up. This must be practiced over and over again in order to get good at it. When the ice goes out this Spring, get out in your boat and do a tacking drill. I do sets of 20. 1 tack, concentrating on my technique (as described above) and speed. I do not do my next tack until my board is up and I am in a racing position going fast. I then think about what I did right and wrong. Then I correct these things on the next tack. In the middle of the set I do five quick tacks in a row. This practice will help you in a tacking duel when you are in second place and want to win. This will also help you get out of tough positions at starts and buoys, etc. You can see how important the simple tack is.
Now that you have done your 20 tacks, bear off and do 20 jibes. Practice your board technique and your steering. When reverse heeling your MC, a common jibe should begin with steering your boat slowly. Only pull your tiller toward you a maximum of two feet. Allow your weight to steer the boat. Grab your mainsheet at the center traveler position. Throw the main over with authority and have your body on the new side by the time the main is on the other side of the boat. Drop your new board one-quarter of the way down and then pull your old board up with a big lean to weather so you can get your MC on the proper sailing angle. This must be practiced to perfection also. In a normal race you should be jibing five to seven times downwind at least, otherwise you are not sailing the shifts or chasing the fresh breeze. Thus, you may jibe 20 to 30 times in a single race! Good jibes will improve your race results.
As you improve your basic boat handling, you will also want to improve your starting technique. The best way to do this is once again, practice. How? Use your regular stop watch and time yourself at two minutes segments. Find a local buoy. Pretend that the buoy is the starting line. Practice starting and stopping your boat at the buoy. When your watch goes off for your pretend start you should be moving fast and on the imaginary line. If you keep practicing this your starts will improve.
If you will practice these three steps of boat handling, your MC sailing will begin to reach a new level of competence. These descriptions are very, very basic, However, when practiced these basic skills will move you around the course much faster.
STEP 2: TUNING
Now that you have practiced your boat handling, you are now ready to worry about boat speed. This step is only helpful when your boat handling skills are solid. With these skills being second nature to you, you can now got your head out of the boat and concentrate on speed, course position, wind, waves, etc. The tuning step in Theory MC is the easiest. These are the guidelines I have used for three years now. The changes in tuning your rig are based on wind strength.
0-10 MPH
Mast rake = 28'-3" (Measured by hooking a tape measure into the halyard and hoisting it and locking it as you do the sail and then measuring to the centerline of the transom of your boat). Sidestays = taut. Outhaul pulled tight along the foot of the sail. Cunningham off. Vang off except downwind apply slight pressure around the 10 mph range. Traveler on centerline.
10-20 MPH
Mast rake, sidestays, and traveler should remain the same. With the increase in wind, one must adjust the Cunningham, outhaul and vang to their size and weight. I am 6 feet tall and weight 165 lb. With this size I am able to sail light, but also pretend I am heavy when the increases! How? When the boat becomes overpowered the first thing I reach for is the outhaul. This must be very tight. Then immediately after this I reach for my favorite control -- the vang. This is my stabilizer upwind and down. With my sail trimmed in I have the option of steering with my foot and applying pressure with two hands if the wind is up and I am light. Very often I will do this when I see a big puff coming. Then I hike out before the puff arrives and I will have the mainsheet in my hand. When the puff hits I will ease the sheet slightly to reduce the pressure. When the puff begins to move away I sheet back in hard. While doing this, I head the boat up and hike hard. Now I am going fast and pointing high. I am sailing heavy. This is all done through timing and practice. This is why you first need Step #1 - Boat Handling. Although any size person has the potential of sailing heavy, a crew in the 15-20 MPH range is a life saver, especially if you are sailing two or more races in a day (and there is a party that night).
20-30 MPH
Mast rake and sidestays remain the same. Obviously, one must increase pressure on all controls. Now drop your traveler down a maximum of 6 inches. Do this only when you want to foot around a boat, waves, or you are so far out in front that you do not need to worry about pointing. This is the best situation.
The bottom line is that the tuning step is the easiest to perform. The point is that time should be spent on boat handling and our next step -- Preparation. Tune your boat and leave it.
STEP 3: P REPARATION TO WIN
I have also said that a regatta or race is won before the racing ever begins. At the top level of the fleet this is very true. Now that you have your first two steps of Theory MC mastered, you must practice the final step -- Preparation to Win.
You will find that preparation is sometimes most difficult and most frustrating usually because a lot of us do not have the time to prepare for a regatta or a race. However, just like anything else that you really want, you will make the time. For this step of Theory MC I will use an example of a previous regatta.
I call this getting my head in the game. Before the 1990 Nationals at Clear Lake, Iowa I had spent a lot of time thinking of how I could totally prepare for this regatta. A week before the regatta I actually made out a schedule of events for the week of the Nationals. Sunday afternoon and Monday evening were practice days. I did everything in Step #1 and then some. I made sure all my maneuvers were second nature. Then I practiced sailing lifts, watching the wind and sailing the shifts downwind. I wish I had more time, however, I made the best out of the time I had. Tuesday I took my boat out of the water and prepared it thoroughly. I checked every shackle, pin and fitting on the boat. The rudder and boards were wet sanded with 600 grit wet sandpaper. I washed the deck and bottom with Soft Scrub and Dawn dishwashing liquid. This is the real secret to speed. After that the boat was prepared to go down the road. When I arrived in Iowa I immediately re-cleaned the boat. I cleaned it once before just to get "psyched up." the only new thing that I did was to acetone the mast with paper toweling. This gets all the road dirt off the spars. Otherwise I just set my boat up and then try to relax. The best way to so this for me is by going around and talking to all the other sailors. This will always calm my nerves.
The final step is not that complex, but it is difficult. There are many psychological factors that affect a person's everyday performance. Try and remain on a constant "psyche." This will certainly help.
Try Theory MC for this coming season. It is a basic theory on improving your MC sailing skills. Boat Handling, Tuning and Preparation To Win all are essential to a championship season in 1991.
So when the ice goes out, start using these steps and "good luck."