Sailfaster under handicap racing

Pete Boland hosts Sailfaster, a podcast series where racing sailors discuss what it takes to sail faster and how races are won. In this episode, Boland looks at handicap racing and how to sail faster without dwelling on your boat’s rating.

Racing under handicap can feel frustrating—but is your rating really the problem? After joining the J/105 Javelin for the IRC Europeans, I came away convinced that the best teams don’t spend their weekends complaining about the rule. They focus on preparation, communication, boat handling and relentless improvement.

Drawing on conversations with owner Richard Newsom and navigator Tony Owen, this episode explores how top crews play to their strengths, trust their race plan, build repeatable systems, and keep searching for the next tenth of a knot. Whether you race IRC, ORC or one-design, these lessons will make your team faster.