Tactical sailing gives you the edge
The direction never stays the same for long and sailors make use of changes in the wind direction to reduce the distance they sail. This is especially useful on upwind legs where significant gains can be made by sailing on the right tack. A 10° lift will take you 1m to windward for every 10m you travel forwards but sailing in a 10° header will do the opposite. Sailing on the right tack really makes a difference.
Sailteck has arrows printed on the bezel as a memory jogger: the upward arrow tells you tack on increasing numbers and the downward arrow tells you to tack on falling numbers.
You can either read the shifts from the compass or you can use the Tactic display to simplify the number reading. With the Tactic display, Sailteck does some of the mental math for you, adding half the tack angle to the starboard display and subtracting half the tack angle from the port display. This means you are effectively reading the wind direction so you only have one number to track regardless of which tack you are on.
Sailteck helps keep me ahead of the competition:
- Upwind: I spot wind shifts instantly with the Tactic displayed on the upper line, maximizing time spent sailing in the lifts and minimizing distance to the mark.
- Downwind: I use the compass displayed on the lower line to find the fastest route, keeping me in the knocks and on course to the leeward mark.
- Prestart: I nail the start with the intuitive countdown timer which lets me sync minute by minute for precise timing.
I find Sailteck clear, accurate, and race-ready, and the solar-powered battery stays charged even in the gloomiest conditions!
Thea Cheesman (Canada) 2024 Corinthian Cup winner
Whilst tacking upwind, the Tactic display converts heading into wind direction. It does this by adding half the tack angle to the starboard display and subtracting half the tack angle from the port display.
Upwind: I set the upper display to Tactic so I only need to remember the wind direction - one number, the same on starboard and port tacks. This allows me to work without complicated calculations and the simplicity really helps in the event of a course change following a permanent wind shift. The gain or loss due to a wind shift can be significant, for example 5° on a 300m leg takes me 30m further to windward if I’m on the lifted vs headed tack.
Downwind: The compass display allows me to know if I’m on the most direct route to the downwind mark. My focus moves from the wind direction (upper line) to the compass (lower line) when I pass the top mark which means I sail the entire race without having to press any buttons.
Prestart: To setup the Sailteck I first enter the tack angle which for the Finn is in the range 76° to 80° and I typically use 78°. The tack angle varies with the wind, the waves and your unique way of sailing. The compass display is useful for checking the tack angle and locating the favorable side of a starting line. To check the wind, I either sail close hauled and read the Tactic display or luA head-to-wind and read the compass. The Sailteck countdown is really easy to use.
Overall: The readability of the numbers is excellent. The Sailteck and its battery have been 100% reliable.
Laurent Hay,2024 world champion Finn master
