BLOCKING AND HERDING

AND HOW IT RELATES TO M-SCOW RACING

BYSCOTTCALLAHAN

In yacht racing, when it is an individual sport, the aid or assistance from other boats is little to none; it's an "Every man for himself" mentality. Often sailboat races are not won by just the fastest boat out there or even by the boat that has the best strategy. Races can be won by the boat with the best tactics. Tactics are your boats relationship with the other boats in the race. Things like buoy room, port/starboard, inside overlap and mast a-beam are rules and are part of tactics. Using them properly will help you finish well. This article will, hopefully, illustrate a more advanced technique of tactics where you are using an unsuspecting "Victim" .

Using a blocker boat can aid in your own performance. A blocker boat can make a hole for you on the starting line which you can them slip into, or they can assist you by blocking starboard tackers prior to their getting to you. A blocker boat can also assist you in a mark rounding, by opening up a space which you can fit into so that you can take advantage of the situation. Blocker boats can also be used off the wind, as well as upwind, to "herd" the fleet one way or the other to suit your needs. The best blocker boat for you is one that doesn't know he's being used. Let's look at some examples of using a blocker.

Example #1 - It's a couple of minutes before the starting gun on a crowded starting line. MR22 begins to luff up 3 boats to windward, saying "Keep it up, guys!". In this case, MR22 is a blocker who is making a hole to leeward for himself. But, seeing this and having the right timing, you can steal away MR22's spot on the line.

Example #2 - You are in good position in the race; you are covering all the boats behind you. All of you are presently on starboard tack, when suddenly BH37 tacks to port. The thing to do in this situation is to "herd" BH37 back towards the bulk of the fleet. You then want to tack to cover, provided that the winds are in your favor. When BH37 tacks back to starboard, you want to give him plenty of space before tacking to cover. By not tacking on BH37's air, this will "herd" him back towards the bulk of the fleet, thereby enabling you to stay ahead of them all and preventing the fleet from getting too spread out.

Example #3 - You're sailing upwind, and are the boat most to the left. The boat next to you, LE11, who is slightly behind and to windward, tacks to port. This is a good opportunity to use LE11 as a blocker to consolidate the fleet, so tack with him. When starboard boats begin to converge on LE11, he will be blocking for you. One of 3 things will happen: he'll hold his course; he'll bear off; he'll tack. LE11, as a blocker, will have things happening to him before they happen to you. Seeing what happens to him first will give you the opportunity to anticipate rather than react.

These are just a few examples of blocking and herding. The idea behind it all is to anticipate, plan and predict your position, rather than reacting to another boats action. Keeping the fleet behind you and going your way is a sure way of beating them.