Dave Dellenbaugh visits Port Credit
Mar 8, 2018
Dave Dellenbaugh
On February 10, Ontario Sailing, introduced by Thomas Fogh, presented Speed & Smarts by Dave Dellenbaugh at the Port Credit Yacht Club sponsored by local loft UK Sailmakers.
Dave has an accomplished sailing career. He was the tactician and starting helmsman on America3 during her successful defense of the America’s Cup in 1992 and sailed in three other America’s Cup campaigns. David is also a Lightning world champion, two-time Congressional Cup winner, six-time Thistle national champion, two-time winner of the Canada’s Cup, two-time Prince of Wales U.S. match racing champion, past winner of the U.S. team racing championships for the Hinman Trophy, and more recently US Sailing rules guru supporting USA the team competing at the Rio Olympics. Dave is the author of Speed & Smarts Newsletter and located in Connecticut.
A very diverse group of racers, Ontario Sailing coaches, and even some race management attended the one-day seminar that focused on the first two segments of the Playbook Series. Starting and Upwind strategies and tactics. A mix of ages, keelboat/dinghy sailors spent the day working through developing pre-race strategy or “gameplan” and then the tactics and gambits to execute. The interactive day included lots of video, graphics as the risk and reward of plays were discussed by the group. Starting line positions based on the line, anticipating the first wind shift were part of some 33 plays included in the newsletter. The Upwind session included the importance of continuing to monitor the data on wind direction/velocity, current, waves post start. Without giving away too much avoiding the laylines and corners and keeping the options open is the place to be.
We hope that Dave can find his way back to the Toronto area soon to get us all the way around the course and to the Finish line. And as Dave would say…
“You can’t always win the race, but you can always learn something that will give you a better chance of winning the next race.”
Paul Clissold
Sail Canada – National Race Officer
@PGC_Racing
