Big Boats vs. Dinghies

US Sailing's 2007 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship was won by Sally Barkow and her crew (including Debbie Capozzi of Bayport LI) for the third year in a row.

But we think the comments by Anna Tunnicliffe, who took third place, are of special interest to the junior big boat sailors in JSALIS.

Anna normally sails the Laser Radial dinghy and won the U.S. Olympic Team Singlehanded Trials last month. “I use these events for tactical sailing,” she said of sailing with a team. “The Laser is very physical, and if you’re mad you hike harder and catch somebody with your strength. With these keelboats everyone goes a similar speed, so you have to be able to outsmart somebody and set your boat position up right. That’s why I enjoy these events because it’s a different type of sailing than Laser sailing.”

On making the transition from singlehanded sailing to being part of a team, Tunnicliffe said, “I think it’s about the trust. You have to trust yourself in the Laser and trust your crewmembers in the keelboat. If you don’t have the trust, you can’t work together as one. We did well toward the end of the event, working together as one.”

See full details from US Sailing at http://www.sailing.org/21496.php and a super tack-by-tack wrap up at http://www.nautica.it/service/notizie.htm?2007-11-268