This presentation is about ways that you can offer drills that will improve your practices,

and what pitfalls to avoid when running these drills. This video is off of sailgroove.com and
shows the Hobart/William Smith Sailing Team and their coach Scott Ilke.
1. In the video we saw that 2 of 3 drills focused on starts.
2. Often times having imperfect conditions/set up will mirror what your sailors actually
see, especially in high school regattas
As we developed this presentation we asked sailors and coaches for ideas for the drills
(what better source?). This was what we specifically asked for, although we didn’t always
get this specifically. Our goal was to make this as straight forward for you as possible.
Please also keep in mind that you may know a drill under a different name or a variation on
one of these. These are just a few that we’ve found successful.
We’ve tried to break the drills down into a few categories.
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 3+
Equipment required: Whistle, 1 (optional) mark, powerboat
Goal/Focus: To create an even start for all competitors
Running the Drill: Pick one boat to be “the rabbit” and have them prepare to do EITHER a starboard or port tack approach. All other
competitors will assume a position opposite to that of the rabbit. Run a three minute starting sequence and at go have “the rabbit” sail
in front of the fleet at full speed. All the other competitors should duck the rabbits stern. Once all boats have sailed past the rabbit,
he/she is allowed to tack.
Things to keep in mind:
You can use a mark to indicate one end of the mark if the rabbit is having trouble starting. The rabbit
should round the mark to leeward, essentially making it a starting line guide mark.
Make sure that all sailors are clear that they must sail BEHIND the rabbit.
MYSTERY STARTS
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 1+
Equipment required: Whistle, 3 marks (4 if you set a windward mark), powerboat
Goal/Focus: Staying close to the starting line, accelerating quickly, holding a spot
Running the Drill: Setup a starting line (one end can be your powerboat if you choose). Begin a three minute starting sequence but any
time after you reach 1 minute you can blow go. This means that you can start the race at :50 seconds or at 4 minutes AFTER when go
would have been.
Things to keep in mind:
Make sure sailors are aware of how current effects them trying to hold a position.
This drill works very well for the sailors who have a difficult time holding a position on the line, or are
in perpetual motion.
BOX STARTS
Ideal Wind condition: Less than 15 kts
Number of boats: 2+
Equipment required: 4 marks (5 if you set a windward mark), whistle, powerboat
Goal/Focus: Teach kids to stay close to the starting line, operate in tight spaces and be on (or close to) the starting line at go.
Running the Drill: Set a starting line using 2 marks. Drop a mark directly below the port end mark (approximately 200 feet). Set the
fourth mark parallel with mark # 3 but approximately 50-75 feet past the point where it would be perpendicular with the starboard end
of the starting line. Run a 3 minute starting sequence. Any sailor who goes outside the box during the 3 minutes must do either a 360 or
720.
Things to keep in mind:
Depending on wind and number of boats you can adjust the size of the box. Sailors must be aware of
where everyone else is.
This can be mixed in with a mystery start for added effect.
TIMED STARTS
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 1+
Equipment required: Whistle, 4 marks (5 if you choose to have windward mark), powerboat
Goal/Focus: Starting with speed, being on the starting line on time
Running the Drill: Set up two identical starting lines, one of which should be :20 seconds upwind from the other (will vary depending on
wind). The lines should be positioned so that sailors can make the further upwind line on a close hauled course. Start a 3 minute
sequence. At :20 seconds, the sailors can start sailing towards that upwind line, which is the ACTUAL starting line.
Things to keep in mind:
Sailors must be aware of how much time is left until the start and be able to hit the line with speed.
The distance between lines will vary depending on the wind conditions.
The drill is very useful but sometimes tough to set up.
TRANSIT DRILL
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 1+
Equipment required: Whistle, 1 mark, powerboat
Goal/Focus: Identifying when your boat is on the starting line
Running the Drill: Set up a starting line which is long enough to mimic whatever the size at an upcoming regatta will be (longer for bigger
fleets, shorter for high school races). Have the sailors sail through the middle of the line and raise their hand (or shout) when they think
their boat is on the line.
Things to keep in mind:
The coach can blow the whistle when they are ACTUALLY on the line.
Works better with many boats otherwise the “down time” makes the drill get boring quickly.
Sailors can set up on one end of the starting line and find something on land to use as an indicator,
or transit, of when they’re on the line.
HOLD POSITION DRILL
Ideal Wind condition: 8-12 knots (current can be a big factor on this one)
Number of boats: 2 (must be done in pairs)
Equipment required: Whistle, 1 mark
Goal/Focus: Holding position, boat handling
Running the Drill: Drop a mark in the water and have each boat set up, about 1 boat width away, on either side of the mark. Starting at
the same time, both boats should try to hold their position next to the mark and keep themselves in line with the other boat.
Things to keep in mind:
The mark in this drill simulates a space on a starting line while the other boat simulates the
competitor.
Sailors should use all means possible to keep their boats in position including sail trim, weight
placement and rudder movement.
Having a little bit of wind and a very small amount of current is helpful for running this drill.
LATE SHIFT DRILL
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 2+
Equipment required: Whistle, 6 marks, powerboat
Goal/Focus: Teaching sailors to avoid going to laylines too early; Handling wind shifts.
Running the Drill: Set up a starting line and a windward mark square to the line directly upwind. Then place 2 marks on either side of the
initial upwind mark. Designate the marks 1 to 5 from left to right. Run a 3 minute sequence and immediately before the :30 second
whistle, announce which mark you will be using.
Things to keep in mind:
If you are limited on marks you can use 3 windward marks instead of 5.
You can announce a change in the windward mark AFTER the start to simulate a wind shift.
20 POINT DRILL
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 3+
Equipment required: 4
Goal/Focus: Boat handing in close quarters and practicing penalty turns
Running the Drill: Set up a medium sized triangle course. Run a 3 minute start (can be done with two marks or a rabbit start). The 1st
boat to reach the windward mark must do a 720 but gains 3 points, the 2nd boat must do a 360 but gains 2 points, and the 3rd boat gets 1
point but does not have to do any penalty turns. The drill continues on a continuous loop until someone reaches 20 points.
Things to keep in mind:
Remind sailors that are doing turns to stay clear of the fleet.
If you have 6 or more boats, the drill can be broken down into groups of (approximately) three boats
to ensure lead changes.
CONE DRILL
Ideal Wind condition: 5+
Number of boats: 2+
Equipment required: Two marks, powerboat, whistle
Goal/Focus: Identifying laylines
Running the Drill: Set up a starting line between two marks and place your coach boat in the center of the line, approximately 2 to 3
boat lengths to windward. Your boat will BE the windward mark in this drill. Run a three minute sequence and then accelerate far
enough up the course where the farthest boat away cannot make the “layline” between the start line and the back of your engine. As
sailors approach the laylines you’ve created, they will have to tack more frequently creating congestion at the top of the “cone.”
Things to keep in mind:
Sailors who sail past the layline will force you to drive your powerboat up the course.
If you have sailors who are well ahead, you can send them back into the drill.
SUICIDE SLALOM
Ideal Wind condition: More is better
Number of boats: 1+
Equipment required: 4 or more marks
Goal/Focus: Handling buoy room, close reaching high/low situations and off the wind boat speed
Running the Drill: Set up 4 (or how ever many marks you have) in a row running windward to leeward, offset for tight reaching. Have all
sailors line up at either the top or bottom and through the course.
Things to keep in mind:
This drill works better with heavier wind, however, the more wind you have the farther apart the
marks should be.
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 1
Equipment required: 4 marks
Goal/Focus: Improving starts and mimicking tight mark roundings.
Running the Drill: Set up a medium sized modified triangle course. Run a 3 minute start (the starboard end can be a mark or your coach
boat). After the start the coach will call “UP”, “Down” or “Out.” Up indicates that sailors should sail for the windward mark, Down
indicates the leeward and Out means they should sail to the reach mark. Sailors will complete a race from whatever mark they are first
sent to.
Things to keep in mind:
This drill is excellent at producing pinwheels.
Remind sailors that any collisions still require penalty turns.
Ideal Wind condition: 10 knots+ (more is better)
Number of boats: 2+
Equipment required: 4 marks
Goal/Focus: Perform gybes under control
Running the Drill: Set up 4 marks so they look like a diamond. Sailors should sail around the course clockwise, gybing at each reach mark.
The mark that they gybe around is the most important one because a bad gybe will lead to not coming out high enough to lay the top
mark. The marks need to be square enough so that sailors can make the marks on the next upwind closehauled course.
Things to keep in mind:
The drill should be set up so that a sailor who has a bad gybe cannot make the next mark without tacking.
Adjusting the marks is key to this drill staying fun and productive
Sailors must be aware that in this drill boats will be tacking and gybing AT EACH OTHER and therefore they must
remember that the rules still apply.
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 1 (but a larger number is better)
Equipment required: Whistle
Goal/Focus: Boat-handling downwind on reaches and runs
Running the Drill: Drill can start in almost any location, but is usually started from a downwind start. Boats all start out on one gybe
(usually starboard). One whistle is a transition from run to reach or reach to run and two whistles is a gybe (reach to reach or run to run
depending on what point of sail their on).
Things to keep in mind:
As a variation you can add three whistles which means to do a 360.
Sailors should work on not having too big of a gybing angle.
DOWNWIND LEAPFROG
Ideal Wind condition: 8+
Number of boats: 4+
Equipment required: 2 powerboats
Goal/Focus: Improving mark rounding skills and acceleration on reach legs
Running the Drill: Line up all boats in a row facing upwind on either port or starboard tack. One coach boat sets up at the end of the line
on the side that all the boats are facing. The other coach boat sets up on the other end of the line but 3-5 boat lengths directly
downwind. The coach that is further upwind blows a whistle to start the drill at which point the sailors will bear off and round the coach
boat as if it were a reach mark. After rounding the 1st boat, the sailors will head for the transom of the next coach boat, in turn rounding
that boat.
Things to keep in mind:
Can be done with multiple types of boats (lasers & 420s) but they should be approximately the same speed.
Any sailor who hits a coach boat must sail off, do a 360 and return to the drill.
PIG IN THE MIDDLE
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 3 (or any number as long as they’re in groups of 3)
Equipment required: Three Marks
Goal/Focus: Practicing passback
Running the Drill: Set up a medium size triangle. Determine which 2 boats are teammates and which boat will be the “pig.” The pig starts
the drill in 2nd place. As all three boats start sailing upwind, the goal of the first boat is to find a way to get his partner, in 3rd, in front of
the “pig.”
Things to keep in mind:
If you have an odd number of boats you can keep them going on a rotation whereby you have one
“Pig in the Middle” drill going while the other two match race, then switch.
Other variations on this: 3 vs 2 or 2 vs. 2 (last boat loses). When running 2 vs. 2 it often is easier to
run an actual start to begin the drill, then rotate the teams frequently (at every 2 marks).
GEOGRAPHIC STARTS
Ideal Wind condition: Any
Number of boats: 6 (split into two groups of 3)
Equipment required: Three Marks
Goal/Focus: Controlling an area
Running the Drill: Set up a modified windward/leeward course using the committee boat as one end of the starting line. Split the
starting line into three sections- Pin, Middle, Boat. Have each team of 3 assign one section of the starting line to a member of their team.
Run a 3 minute start and at go the assigned boat should be in their designated space.
Things to keep in mind:
Boats are not “locked in” to the specific location until the start. Sailors should be encouraged to use
the skills learned in other drills (like the Hot Box) to force their opponent off the starting line.