A note on this race's data

The boat's through-water speed sensor recorded 0.0 kn all race, and the wind numbers on this page are apparent wind, not true wind (true wind can't be calculated without boat speed). Everything below is therefore reconstructed: boat speed comes from the Vakaros unit's GPS speed over ground, and true wind is recalculated from the recorded apparent wind and that GPS speed. Speed over ground can include a small current effect that through-water speed wouldn't, and any error in it carries into the true wind and angle figures, so treat the numbers as good estimates rather than exact readings. Tacks vs. gybes are inferred from the reconstructed wind angle at each Vakaros-detected turn, and mark roundings are only detected against the club's usual marks, so regatta marks that aren't on that list won't appear as roundings.

Wind & Comparable Races

This was a long distance-style regatta rather than the usual club laps: about 2h50 on the water and roughly 12 nm covered over the ground (GPS speed averaged 4.2 kn, peaking near 7.5 kn). Reconstructed true wind ranged 0.2–15.7 kn (avg 7.1 kn), building from about 6.2 kn over the first third to 8.3 kn in the middle and easing to 6.6 kn at the end. The closest comparable is race 25 (2026-09-23): almost identical wind (avg 7.0 kn) and the same GPS-based reconstruction, so the two are directly comparable on wind and method — though race 25 had 2 crew against today's 3, so some of any speed difference may simply reflect the extra weight aboard.

More than half the underway time was spent reaching (average TWA about 97°), so the reach is the number that matters most here. It came in at 71.2% of polar target, ahead of race 25's 62.2%. Downwind was the weakest point of sail at 66.5% of target (race 25: 78.1%), with TWA averaging 137.5° against a 147.3° target — about 10° tighter than the target depth, the same "sailing high downwind" habit seen in several recent races. The upwind-zone figure (77.1% of target) needs care: those samples averaged a 60.5° TWA, which is a close reach rather than true close-hauled sailing, so its angle gap to the beat target (18.9° wide) isn't a beating-angle problem and shouldn't be compared with earlier windward-leeward races. Heel stayed modest throughout (11.7° upwind-zone, 9.9° reaching, 5.9° downwind).

Only 11 turns were logged over nearly three hours — 3 tacks, no gybes, 2 detected mark roundings (marks 12 and 11) and 6 turns in the reach zone where tack vs. gybe can't be told apart, most likely rounding or course-change turns onto regatta marks that aren't on the club mark list (that last part is an inference). The three tacks averaged 12.0s and 15.3% speed loss, very clean; the six reach-zone turns averaged 13.2s and 31.7% loss.

Coaching Recommendations

1. Most of a regatta like this is reaching, and the reach came in at 71.2% of target — better than race 25 but still the biggest lever, because small gains there compound over roughly half the race. It's the first place to look for trim or angle improvements on a long-course day.
2. Downwind was the weakest leg (66.5% of target) while sailing about 10° higher than the target depth. This tight-downwind habit has now shown up in several races; it may be a deliberate speed-vs-depth trade, but it's worth testing a deeper angle in the puffs to see if VMG improves.
3. Boat handling was clean: three tacks at 15% loss over nearly three hours is excellent. The reach-zone turns (about 32% loss each) are where speed bleeds, so smoother, wider turns onto the next mark are the practical place to save time.