The Time and Place for Aggressive Positioning

[caption id="attachment_18077" align="alignnone" width=""]The view from a sailboat is always great... but a little less so when someone tacks on you. Our friends here didn't actually tack on us, but they participated in this photo shoot to give you an idea of that situation.[/caption]by Kim Couranz - Spinsheet magazine Just because you can do something doesn't always mean you should. That "just one more" rum and coke, just because there's an already-opened can of soda? Maybe not a good idea. Polishing off the tray of lasagna, because you're "just helping to clean up"? Not if you're trying to be healthy. Tacking on a random competitor halfway up the first beat, just because they're there? Nope, not okay. ...

by Kim Couranz 04/19/2017

The Time and Place for Aggressive Positioning Image — The view from a sailboat is always great... but a little less so when someone tacks on you. Our friends here didn't actually tack on us, but they participated in this photo shoot to give you an idea of that situation.

The view from a sailboat is always great... but a little less so when someone tacks on you. Our friends here didn't actually tack on us, but they participated in this photo shoot to give you an idea of that situation.

by Kim Couranz – Spinsheet magazine

Just because you can do something doesn’t always mean you should. That “just one more” rum and coke, just because there’s an already-opened can of soda? Maybe not a good idea. Polishing off the tray of lasagna, because you’re “just helping to clean up”? Not if you’re trying to be healthy. Tacking on a random competitor halfway up the first beat, just because they’re there? Nope, not okay.

…

While there are some types of sailing that encourage aggressive positioning (like tacking on top of your competitors’ air, sitting on their breeze downwind, or using the rules as a sword rather than a shield), for the most part, in classic fleet racing, that kind of sailing can get you a reputation. And not a good one.