How to outmanoeuvre your opponent at the mark

The boat to windward in the picture is at a lower angle than us. Their goal there is to get onto our wind and then head back up again. This is known as ‘killing someone early’.

In a more conventional boat downwind, it is the boat behind that sits on your wind. With foiling that can’t happen. That is one of the big differences with a boat this fast. To be on the wind of someone downwind, you need to be ahead of them just like you do upwind because the apparent wind is so far forward. In strong winds, if you pull off a proper gybe you will never have someone taking your wind down the run. You can roll another boat but only by overtaking them. Basically, this sort of sailing is about your own tactics and strategy, and executing the move well.

Balancing speed with safety

One of the key things about catamarans in particular, as opposed to fast boats in general, is that they have very little volume forwards – not much bow. This means a catamaran feels like it’s