Sailing faster involves optimising various factors, from boat handling and trim to technique. Here are some essential tips to help you increase your sailing speed:

1. Perfect Your Sail Trim

• Main Sail Trim: The main sail should be adjusted to maximise power while maintaining balance. Adjust the traveller or mainsheet for upwind sailing to keep the main sail flat. When going downwind, you may need to let the sail out more. Adjust your bottom tell-tales with your main sheet or traveller and the top tell-tales with your vang. More on tell-tales…
• Jib Trim: For upwind sailing, the jib should be trimmed so that its inside edge (leech) is close to the boat’s centreline. For downwind sailing, you can ease the jib slightly. Adjust the bottom tell-tales with your jib sheet and the top with your car. More on tell-tales…
• Cunningham and Outhaul: These control the shape of the sail. The outhaul flattens the sail in strong winds, and the Cunningham adjusts the tension on the luff (front) of the main sail.
• Vang: The vang controls the leech tension, especially in higher winds. A tighter vang will help maintain the shape and power of the sail. (See other controls)

2. Sailing Technique

• Heel the Boat: A slight heel (tipping the boat to one side) can help reduce drag and improve the boat’s speed, especially when going upwind. However, too much heel can slow you down, so strive for balance.
• Use the Wind: Always try to find the fastest point of sail for the current wind direction. Most boats are the fastest on a beam reach (wind coming directly from the side). You’ll want to adjust your angle for optimal speed on a broad reach or downwind.
• Steering Smoothly: Make smooth, small adjustments to the helm. Sudden or significant movements can slow the boat down.

3. Optimize Your Weight Distribution

• Crew Weight: The crew’s position is essential. For upwind sailing, shift weight to balance the boat, often to the windward side. In strong winds, get the crew to hike with their feet outside the boat facing outwards.  For downwind sailing, distributing weight forward helps you go faster.
• Weight Shifting: Adjust the weight depending on the wind conditions. In light winds, you may want to keep weight to the centre or slightly leeward to keep the main sail “full”. In strong winds, move weight further out to reduce heeling and maintain balance (hiking).

4. Maximise Efficiency

• Clean Bottom of the Boat: A smooth and clean hull reduces drag, so regularly check and clean the bottom of the boat, removing any barnacles, seaweed, or other fouling. A two-month growth may cost you a knot in speed.
• Use Modern Sails: Modern sails with better materials, shapes, and designs can offer significant performance gains. Ensure your sails are well-maintained and suited to your type of boat and conditions. Read more about different types of sail material.
• Minimise Drag: To reduce drag, make sure that everything on the boat is in the correct position and that any unnecessary items are stowed away. The heavier your boat, the more surface tension, so try to get most of your boat above the water line.

5. Tuning the Rigging

• Check Rig Tension: Regularly check your rigging and adjust tension for the wind conditions. Proper rig tension will allow your boat to sail more efficiently and reduce the effects of weather helm (where the boat wants to turn into the wind). Downwind, try to loosen your backstay a little to open up the main.
• Stay on the Right Course: Sailing slightly above or below the optimal course can slow you down. In upwind sailing, for example, try to maintain a consistent angle to the wind. In the end, it is a compromise between speed and distance.
• Creating lateral distance: When in front, reduce lateral distance and when behind, try to increase it. Read more about lateral distance.

6. Take Advantage of the Current

• Use the Current to Your Advantage: Plan your course on tides and currents. Sailing with the current will help increase your boat’s speed while sailing against it will slow you down. If you sail in inlets, realise that the current is strongest in the middle of the channel, so make it work in your favour.
• Look for Wind Shifts: On open water, look for changes in wind direction and adjust your course to take advantage of new shifts to maintain or increase speed.

7. Understand Your Boat’s Capabilities

• Know Your Boat: Different boats perform better under different conditions. Learn your boat’s best points of sail, when it accelerates, and when it’s most stable and efficient.
• Understand your maximum hull speed (MHS). Exceeding this speed becomes very hard, so understand what your boat’s MHS is. Read more.

By refining your skills and optimising your boat’s setup, you can improve your speed on the water.