5 Tips to Prepare For Your Dinghy Race

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. So, don’t capsize at the first corner, get properly prepared for your next dinghy race with these helpful tips…

Maintenance

Before doing anything, you want to ensure that your dinghy is well maintained leading up to your race. That means making sure it's regularly cleaned,  always knowing where your gear is, and regularly examine your sails and other equipment including rig, foils, fittings and hull for any damage, or more importantly any potential damage so you have time to repair or sort out new ones before the race. Find out more about what else you could start doing to keep your dinghy well-maintained and ready for race day.

Venue

Take some time before your race to research and really get to know the waters you’ll be racing in. Are you in a lake or out on the sea? Is it a tidal venue? Are the waters quiet this time of year? Has this venue been known to produce small or big waves? All questions you should be asking to find out what kind of race you need to start preparing yourself, and your dinghy, for - making sure you’ve got the correct equipment and the right strategies to help you through the race.

Weather

Reviewing the weather forecast is best practice whether participating in a race or just heading out for a brief sail. What will the weather be like? Is there a probability of rain or even a storm? How strong is the wind today? Which types of waves have been predicted such as short chop or rolling sea? These will all affect your race and how you choose to sail it. You can watch or listen to forecasters on the television and radio, or many choose to use a weather app on their smartphones. By purchasing an annual subscription on the savvy navvy app you’ll receive features such as navigational charts, tidal data from over 8,000 stations around the world, and detailed weather forecasts which show both the changing wind speed and direction - a great tool to help you research and prepare before your race.

Your goals

It’s also important to mentally prepare yourself before a race. And we’re not just talking about psyching yourself up... Consider your goals for this event. Is this your first race? Do you want to win? Are you happy to place within the top five? Or are you simply here to have some fun out on the water? Think about what this race means and what you want to achieve from it.

Re-calculate

Numerous things can happen during a race that you just can’t control or prepare for. You can research the weather, but you can’t control it if it changes. You don’t know what the other boats are going to do and you can’t predict what might happen during a race so you always have to be prepared to recalculate your plan, update your strategy and keep on top of your dinghy (literally). 

For more handy tips and advice on dinghies, check out our helpful advice page here. And remember, whether your goal is to win or just to take part in your very first dinghy race, have fun and stay safe out on the water.

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