Clear your air — tack out
Slow in the dirty air of two boats ahead, with nobody behind — the simplest fix is to tack onto the other side into clean air.
Just after the start you've ended up close behind two boats. Their wind shadows fall straight downwind onto you, so you lose speed and start sliding backwards through the fleet (watch the 'dirty air' tag). Because there is no one on your tail, the cheapest fix is the best one: tack onto port and sail out into clean, undisturbed air, where you get your speed straight back. The rule of thumb: when you're in bad air and clear behind, take the tack — a few clean lengths beats a long slow drift in the blanket.
Opens the animation on the boat-length grid — scrub it, edit it, or use it as a starting point. Free, no account needed.
How it interacts with other rules
- Rule Tactics — Clear your air — double-tack right · see also
When one tack isn't enough to find a lane.
- Rule Tactics — Clear your air — pinned, foot off · see also
What to do when you CAN'T tack out.