Talk:Team racing

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Team Racing is most often sailed on either a "box course"; consisting of 1 beat to windward, 2 reaches and a down wind leg, or a "Digital N" course.

I want to address the accuracy of the example given in the 1st section of the article:

If one boat is in 1st place and his teammates are in 5th & 6th... the boat in 1st will have to try and maneuver his vessel in such a way as to hinder the other team's progress to let his teammates overtake them.

In some such occasions the 1st place boat may need to engage the opposing team, but until she is sure that her teammates cannot catch up on their own, she generally wants to ensure that she stays in 1st. Trying to compress the race with opponents in 2nd and 3rd is dangerous and what little slowing effect it may have on the boats is not justified by the risk of losing 1st.

While the example is an easy way for non-sailors to begin to understand team racing, it is misleading and counterproductive for a sailor who is beginning or trying to improve upon his or her team racing.

24.218.220.28 08:17, 9 December 2006 (UTC)Chris Love

In the 1-5-6 situation, slowing the race is actually a necessity. If the 1 does not do anything, the race is almost certainly lost. He must take a risk in trying to slow the 2 and/or 3 in order to bring the 5-6 up.

-Wolfe