##Getting stuck at the start could be cause for chaos, but not for this one skipper... Photos by Will Keyworth
Small Boat Scene
No Drama Llama By Kim Couranz
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Why “drama” and “fast sailing” don’t usually mix.
ast month at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Annapolis Regatta, I had a front-row seat to 37 starts over the course of three days from my position on the pin boat on the Severn Sailing Association race course. Most were packed with action, and it’s a bit of a blur of fiberglass and Dacron. But one start stands out in my memory, not for the action it included, but the calm of one skipper. The U.S. Albacore National Championships were held as part of the regatta, and 21 of these 15-foot, two-person dinghies were on course for the event. The experience these sailors have was evident at most starts, when the vast majority of the fleet was just about right on the line. For the start that sticks in my mind, there was a clump of five or six boats aiming to start down near the pin end of the line. With about 10 seconds to go, it became clear that the leeward-most boat 82 June 2025 SpinSheet.com
was not quite going to make it. They weren’t quite laying the pin but had become solidly overlapped with the RHIB that was serving as platform for the pin end. And of course, they had a clump of a few more boats on their hip. “Stuck” might be the word that best describes their situation. For many sailors that could be cause for chaos, but not for that skipper. He very calmly, but clearly, noted to the crew, “we’ve got to slow; luff the jib.” He luffed the boat toward head to wind; their forward speed eased, and the boat hesitated, stopping a few feet before running into the front of our RHIB. I imagine there was a quick look over his right shoulder before the next instruction, also delivered in regular speaking voice: “Back the jib to help us through the wind.” If we hadn’t been right next to his boat, I doubt we would have heard his voice. I noted that not only did he say
what needed to be done, he also identified why. That “why” can be very helpful for a crew, whose head may be in a different space than the skipper’s. The boat tacked to port, ducked a starboard tack boat quite closely, and continued on toward the righthand side of the course, taking a bunch of transoms, but staying out of any further trouble. It was not the best of starts. I’m sure they were not where they wanted to be 30 seconds after the start (which is my gold standard for achieving a good start). But they were out of trouble, rolling, and looking forward to clawing back some boats. This evolution is an example of one of my favorite mantras: “no drama llama.” Drama is rarely fast, for several reasons. It takes energy that you could use for other things. A day of sailboat racing takes a lot of energy. Diverting even some of that energy to yelling, foot stomping, or just general whining diminishes what