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Light Air Sailing
It starts in the rigging area – the looks out to the water where there is scant evidence of any wind activity, the mumbled opinions about whether the race committee should postpone, a low-energy level prevails instead of the usual anxiety tinged pace.
Launching involves no flapping sails or empty boats careening around at the launch area as racers try to get the clews hooked on or tied down. Each boat sits like a well trained dog and waits for the rudder to be cleated down and the centerboard shock cord to be tensioned. And the sail to the race course is often a parade of rocking Lasers being kinetically powered out of the land’s wind shadow to where there is the hint of a wind line created by the tiniest ripples.
Lasers are often thought synonymous with racers who love the adrenaline rush of heavy air and rolling waves. But the average sailing condition in the eastern United States is moderate to light winds, so Laser sailors better be ready to spend a lot of time sitting in the middle of the boat trying to keep the sails drawing with as much power as is available.
There certainly are a lot of Laser sailors who love the wild rides, but there are a lot of us who know that we can kick a few butts in light air and that sharpens our anticipation. My experience says that when the wind drops smiles start showing up on the faces of the Master sailors, we now have a chance to compete one on one with the young ones.
Managing the light stuff is as much a learned skill as boat handling in the heavy stuff. Managing your emotional temperature in a good blow means quieting down your anxiety and not letting the excitement get you moving too fast. In light air you need to cultivate a slow deliberate emotional pitch; it’s all about patience.
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