Ouch! Big Tactical Mistake on YouTube

Certainly over my years sailboat racing, I have, on occasion, been very good at working my way to the back of the fleet. Now with the proliferation of onboard cameras, we have the luxury of watching others also making big tactical booboos and putting it online for all to see. From the onboard camera aboard an Ultimate 20 during one of their races at the East Coast Championships at Lake Norman, North Carolina.



Certainly our Ultimate 20 team looks to have a good start near the weather end but at the 2.33 mark, when going right, the skipper inexplicably tacks into the wind shadow of a starboard tacker. Another quick clearing tack and then they dig themselves out to the right side all by their very lonesome.

Part of the problem is they are only two crew when it looks like most of the other U20's have at least three. So they may be overpowered but the crew only hikes off the start line and then perches inboard for most of the rest of the first beat.

They certainly seem to be enjoying the race and the crew is certainly adept at getting all the jobs done, even though they are shorthanded. Gotta have fun and these two definitely seem to be doing that.