RS Tera National Squads 25/26 Weekend 1 - Rutland SC

Dylan Collingbourne
Nov 8
2 min read

The first Rutland weekend of the winter brought some great racing and learnings, giving everyone the chance to focus on tactical decision-making and how to create opportunities when behind.

When behind - how to get ahead

Sometimes, there will be reasons why we may get behind such as poor starts, penalties, or bad decisions. The key is knowing how to gain back from it. We used the Upwind diamonds framework to map out the racecourse and identify small, structured gains — from clearing air and resetting speed and how to gain leverage.

Upwind & downwind diamonds

The diamond concept carried through both upwind and downwind. Upwind, sailors practised spotting where they were within the “diamond” to make proactive calls before the next shift or where the fleet were. Downwind, the focus flipped to efficiency — keeping clean air, sailing the shortest distance, and knowing when to change plan or to cover other boats.

The 'Corridor of opportunity'

A key takeaway from the weekend was the corridor of opportunity — roughly four to five boat lengths below the layline and three boat lengths wide. Staying in this zone keeps your options open rather than committing too early to laylines and getting stuck.

Covering and control

We rounded off by revisiting covering techniques. Loose covers help maintain leverage and pressure control; tight covers limit other boat's freedom and gives them dirty air.