OPTIMIST STRATEGYDownwind Strategy
Soak Low vs Heat Up
Trade depth for speed with the breeze: soak low and deep when powered up in a puff, heat up and steer higher to keep moving in the lulls.
Downwind speed comes from matching your angle to the pressure you're in. When a puff powers you up, soak low and sail deep — almost straight at the mark — because the short line is fast when you have the wind to hold it. When the breeze dies in a lull, heat up and steer higher across the run to keep the boat moving; a dead-slow Optimist makes no progress at all. Read the water ahead and make the changes smoothly, then bear back down toward the mark as the pressure returns.
Opens the animation on the boat-length grid — run it well, then brief it from the same picture. Free, no account needed.
What to call out
- Soak low and deep when powered up in pressure — the short line is also the fast line then.
- Heat up and steer higher in lulls to keep the boat moving — a dead-slow Opti makes no progress.
- Make the changes smooth and read the water ahead so you're set up before the puff or lull arrives.
- Prioritise depth in light air and speed in more wind — that's the trade you're constantly balancing.
downwindsoakheat upvmgdepth vs speedpressure