NORTH U AT COLUMBIA YACHT CLUB

Bill Gladstone Shares Advice on Tactics & Speed

It was great to have our old friend & former Evanston resident Bill Gladstone back in Chicago at Columbia Yacht Club for the first of our winter seminars. In conjunction with CASRA and Columbia Yacht Club, our objective this winter is to give all involved sailors the opportunity to invest time in the development of their sailing knowledge base.

"If nothing else, it helps keep the memory of warmer sailing days alive as we wait for the next season on the water. We are inspired when knowledgeable sailors let us know they came away with a few bits of clarification or a deeper knowledge of tactics at these events."

We had 80+ participants on a cold, snowy Wednesday night for Bill’s introductory North U. survey seminar on “Tactics Tips & Go Fast Topics”. The North U courses take a full day, each discussing Speed and then Tactics, so Bill had his work cut out trying to fit as much as he could into two hours. Bill began his seminar with the “pyramid of success” for sailboat racing. Starting with a foundation of Boat Handling, he emphasized the importance of practicing with specific drills and tips on increasing proficiency of captain and crew alike. With better Boat Handling, you can then start to focus on increasing your Boat Speed, which in turn will allow you spend more effort on maximizing your Position on the race course. Sailboat racing is a bit like chess, in that the maximum enjoyment comes from mastering the mental aspects of the game; but you cannot get to that point until you first know how all the pieces can move! Those sailing components include boat handling, crew teamwork, boat & equipment prep, understanding sail shape & trim, steering, & more – all topics that are dealt with, in detail, at the full North U Speed course. Thank you, Bill, for a very enjoyable learning experience. We hope to see in March at another event! Upcoming events include: March 2: Chicago March 3: Milwaukee March 3: Chicago - CYC Monroe Meet'n'Greet March 13: Chicago - Chicago Mac Strategy Seminar