This time our racing tip comes from Tony Bull of Bull Sails in Geelong. Tony's diverse sailing resume includes successfully representing Australia in many World Championships as well as competing in almost every ocean race on the Australian eastern seaboard. More recently he finds himself in demand as a 'speed doctor' as a sail designer and trimmer, helmsman, race tactician and sailing educator.

Gybing in heavy airs

Reproduced by kind permission - Tony Bull

It is justifiably the most harrowing maneuver to undertake on a yacht. A lot can and often does go wrong. Anecdotes and imagery abound of horrendous wipe-outs and roundups from gybes gone awry on windy days. No wonder so many sailors approach it with trepidation.

Every sailor of any experience has been involved in these mishaps – they are an everyday facet of sailing. But there are a few rules that can make it a lot more feasible to perform these gybes with a strong chance of success. There are two components in gybing a boat – [more]