Expert tips: How to hold a lane upwind

Keelboat and dinghy champion Henry Wetherell shares tips on how to hold a lane upwind with Andy Rice for Yachting World:

Learning to live in a thin lane is one of the key skills that separate the great from the good. As Henry Wetherell explains, having boats tight to windward and to leeward of you requires everyone in the crew to work in synchronisation.

Although Wetherell has sailed for a number of seasons with helmsman John Pollard, Australian sailor David Chapman was a new addition to Team Xcellent for the SB20 Worlds in Singapore. “We put in as much time as possible before sailing the Worlds together, a winter series event in Cascais, and some good training time in Singapore including the Pre-Worlds,” says Henry.

“You can’t really just turn up and win, you’ve got to put the time in together, and living in a thin lane is one of those areas that really tests your teamwork and coordination.” Here are Henry’s five best tips for surviving and thriving in a tight spot. – Full report