Using Regattas in Year One to Benchmark Progress: A Strategic Approach

The first year of any Olympic campaign is a foundational phase, and its success often hinges on the clarity of the goals set for this crucial period. For sailors navigating year one, international regattas are less about perfecting racing tactics and more about using these events as critical benchmarks to measure progress in the areas they are focusing on at home—especially boat handling and fundamental skills.

Why Benchmarking Matters in Year One

The demands of international competition expose sailors to the rigors of elite-level racing. These regattas, while not the primary driver of skill development early on, provide an invaluable lens to assess the efficacy of training programs and highlight areas that require fine-tuning. At this stage, success isn’t defined by podium finishes but by how well the progress in practice translates to high-pressure racing environments.

For sailors focused on improving their boat-handling repertoire, frequent attendance at international events is not necessary. What matters most is the quality of instruction and coaching between regattas. With a robust training program led by world-class coaches, teams can minimize international appearances during year one while maximizing the value of each event they do attend.

Maximizing the Value of International Events

Because these regattas are fewer in number during the initial stages of a program, the stakes for making the most of them are higher. Each event should be approached with meticulous preparation and purpose. To ensure sailors and teams are performing at their best:

• Training Should Peak Ahead of Regattas: Arrive ready to "fire on all cylinders," with boat handling, decision-making, and mental preparation refined in advance.

• Data-Driven Evaluation: Events offering advanced tracking systems, such as SAP Analytics, are ideal during this stage. These tools provide a wealth of data that allows sailors to evaluate performance metrics and compare their skills with the rest of the fleet. This quantitative feedback is essential for tracking progress and identifying specific areas to address back home.

Striking the Right Balance

Overexposure to international regattas in year one can dilute the focus on fundamentals and lead to burnout. Instead, teams should prioritize a balanced schedule that allocates ample time for targeted training while integrating just enough competition to validate and refine skills. By year two, when the focus shifts more toward speed requiring more time around other boats, and more time on the race course. The foundation laid in year one will allow sailors to excel.

Key Takeaways

International regattas in year one are not about accumulating victories but about validating progress. Thoughtful preparation and strategic event selection will ensure sailors gain meaningful insights while maintaining the focus on their long-term development. Prioritize quality over quantity, use every opportunity to benchmark, and return to the training base ready to build on the lessons learned.

With this approach, sailors can make steady, deliberate strides toward excellence, ensuring they are ready to shine on the world stage when the time comes.

2024 ACR Showcases Growing Depth in U.S. 49er Fleet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

American Coach's Regatta Showcases Growing Depth in U.S. 49er Fleet

[Miami, FL] — December 7, 2024

Entering the US Sailing Center on day three of the 2024 American Coach's Regatta sponsored by 49er.ca and Racing Alpha, the competitive spirit and motivation of the North American 49er fleet is evident from the moment you set foot in the boat park. Nevin Snow arrives on bicycle from a morning bike race to the end of Key Biscayne, mind focused on the goals of the day. Grant Janov swaps his gym bag for sailing gear after his daily 6am lift. By 8:30am, dollies sit empty by the launch ramp; the fleet is already out, putting in training reps before a 10am first warning. While the fleet here is small, the aspirations of all eight athletes competing are huge, and following in the footsteps of 2024 Bronze medalists, Ian Barrows and Hans Henken, the fleet has a sense of how much hard work it will take to realize those goals in 2028.

Sunday wrapped up a weekend of grass roots racing in Miami, featuring four talented teams, including three from the United States and one from Puerto Rico. The event highlighted the motivation of the North American skiff fleet to build on the momentum of the 2024 US Bronze medal in the 49er class as the fleet prepares for a home Olympic Games.

Returning skiff class veterans, Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid claimed victory in the 11 race series, but their win came through grit and determination in challenging conditions. The regatta featured intense battles and moments of brilliance from every team, with all four crews leading races at different times. Snow and MacDiarmid’s ability to recover from challenging situations and adapt under pressure proved key to their success.

“This is the first step on our path together as a team, and it was exciting to see things falling into place so quickly,” Snow shared, reflecting on his recent pairing with Ian MacDiarmid, who along with his previous helmsman, Andrew Mollerus was ranked in the top 5 teams worldwide for much of the last four years. “While the fleet was small this weekend, the intensity was high. Everyone put some money into a prize purse to raise the stakes a little bit, and the environment was a perfect opportunity to push our limits as a team in a scrimmage setting before heading to Europe for the competition season.”

Nevin and Ian represent an international standard of excellence that has set a stake in the ground for younger teams, and the generational handoff of knowledge is bearing fruits even in this early stage of the four year cycle, with the younger teams taking race wins and applying pressure throughout the event. At 18 years old, Jordan Janov had the best US finish ever at a Europe-based 49er Junior Worlds last summer, and with over 50 training hours per month logged on Racing Alpha since launching a full-time 49er campaign three months ago with brother, Grant Janov, their dedication is paying off as they continue to close the gap on the leaders.

“Nevin and Ian have been super helpful in ramping up our learning curve,” commented 18 year old, Jordan. “We don’t have the big fleet opportunities in our backyard that the Europeans have, but sailing against Nevin and Ian shows us where the bar is, and our goal is to make their lives a little bit harder every week!”

Highlighting the fun, but intense culture of competition, Jordan and Nevin have an ongoing side deal: “The ice cream bet is between Nevin and us; whoever wins the day, the looser has to buy them ice cream. Each day we’ve been tied going into the last race, and I’ve lost each day… but we’ve got one more left!”

The 2024 American Coach’s Regatta reflects the legacy of U.S. 49er sailing success, with Ian Barrows and Hans Henken’s bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics and the McKee brothers’ bronze at the Sydney 2000 Games inspiring the current generation. Liam Walz and Abie Griggs were exposed to the 2024 effort for much of the last quad, training with the top teams in Miami, but this season they are reinvigorated, and the motivation shows. The teammates have been putting time in at the gym and on the water to prepare for their first international event in March. As the organizer of the event, Coach Willie McBride emphasized the importance of connecting training with real-world racing in small domestic regattas like this one. “This obviously isn’t a big international event, but we ran this event to give teams the opportunity to put their skills into practice,” McBride explained. “We spend so much time in the winters working on boat handling and speed, so it’s crucial to stay in touch with racing and remember how those skills apply on the course. This weekend was about benchmarking our skills in a racing environment and learning as a group. My goal as a coach is to get one of these on the calendar each month or so, and I expect that they will only get more competitive over the next year.”

Puerto Rico’s Andre Reguero and Andre Guaragna brought a dynamic international presence, leading around several mark roundings, and showing resilience despite a few setbacks with equipment malfunctions. The duo represents a growing interest from North American teams, that coach McBride hopes to cultivate as part of a long term vision. “With the level of commitment we’re seeing, the future of American 49er sailing is incredibly exciting,” McBride said. “These sailors are putting in the hours and creating a culture of excellence that will carry them forward on the international stage. The opportunity of 2028 is a strong motivator, but if we can leverage that to create a fun, healthy ecosystem of skiff racing in North America, it is just the start!”

The U.S. 49er teams now turn their focus to intensive training through December, January and February before the first major competitions of the 2028 quad kick off in March. This regatta served as a vital step in their journey, reinforcing the value of teamwork, adaptability, and a relentless pursuit of improvement.

The Art of the Olympic Quad: Building Toward Excellence Over Four Years

Every four years, the Olympic Games offer sailors the chance to achieve greatness on a global stage. Yet, this opportunity demands more than raw talent and hard work—it requires a carefully orchestrated plan. The path to peak performance in the Olympic Quadrennial (or "quad") is a journey of strategic growth, where each year builds upon the last to deliver athletes ready to shine at the highest level.

While some nations have mastered long-term athlete development, others have yet to fully embrace systematic approaches to training. Victor Kovalenko, often called the “Medal Maker” for his extraordinary success coaching Olympic teams, introduced a renowned four-year training model that divides the quad into distinct phases, each with specific focuses and goals. While Kovalenko no longer coaches, his framework remains a gold standard for planning, providing a blueprint that can be adapted to suit the needs of any team.

The Four Phases of the Quad

1. Year of Learning: Boat Handling Mastery
The first year is a foundation-building phase, where athletes emphasize technical proficiency. Boat handling, including maneuver execution, balance, and sail control, takes center stage. The goal is to accumulate as much time as possible on the water, particularly in challenging conditions that force rapid adaptation and skill refinement.

Teams often benchmark their progress at key regattas, combining these experiences with structured evaluations to track improvements. Expert input and partnerships with training groups enhance learning, ensuring the work done this year serves as a springboard for future development.

2. Year of Improvement: Building Speed
Speed separates top sailors from the rest. Year two is dedicated to refining this critical component. Through a systematic approach—testing equipment, developing tuning guides, and focusing on technique—teams unlock marginal gains that add up to significant improvements.

Regular opportunities to sail with faster competitors provide invaluable insights into what it takes to be competitive. The emphasis on speed also dovetails with physical conditioning, ensuring athletes are fit and ready to handle the demands of high-performance sailing.

3. Year of Success: Racing Focus
By the third year, the focus shifts to competition. Teams aim to race as often as possible in international fleets, putting their skills and speed to the test under pressure. This phase prioritizes execution—delivering consistent, strong performances across a variety of conditions and venues.

Extensive documentation, including GPS tracking, video debriefs, and detailed playbooks, becomes critical. These tools help athletes analyze their racing, identify trends, and make targeted adjustments to refine their competitive edge.

4. Year of Domination: Peaking for the Games
The final year is about consolidation and peak performance. The hard work of the preceding years culminates in targeted preparation for Olympic trials and, ultimately, the Games themselves. Training shifts toward quality over quantity, with a focus on replicating race-day conditions and fine-tuning mental and physical readiness.

For teams that qualify for the Olympics, every decision centers on ensuring they arrive at the Games in peak form. For those who do not, this year offers opportunities to pivot toward other elite racing circuits, ensuring the momentum of the quad is not lost.

Challenges and Strengths in North America

While the quad offers a clear roadmap for success, the unique challenges of competing from North America require thoughtful planning. Unlike Europe, which serves as the hub of Olympic-class sailing, North America’s geography and event density can make it difficult to access the same level of international competition.

The Challenges

1. Distance from Key Events: The majority of high-level regattas, training camps, and fleets are concentrated in Europe, creating logistical and financial hurdles for North American teams.

2. Limited Domestic Racing: Compared to Europe, the U.S. and Canada offer fewer large-scale, Olympic-class events, which can make it harder to stay race-ready throughout the season.

3. Smaller Training Fleets: Access to consistent, high-caliber training partners is critical, yet in North America, finding multiple boats to train with regularly can be a challenge.

Crafting a Plan to Leverage Strengths
Despite these obstacles, North America has unique advantages that can be maximized:

1. Homefield Advantage for 2028: With the 2028 Olympics in Long Beach, U.S.-based sailors have a rare opportunity to train regularly at the Olympic venue. This allows teams to become intimately familiar with the conditions—currents, wave patterns, and thermal breezes—that will define the Games.

2. High-Caliber Training Venues: North America boasts world-class venues like Miami, Long Beach, and San Francisco, offering a range of conditions to hone skills and prepare for any scenario.

3. Access to Diverse Conditions: From the heavy-air conditions on the West Coast to the flat waters and light winds of the Gulf Coast, North American sailors can train in an array of environments without traveling internationally.

4. Emerging Communities: By building relationships with developing teams across the Americas, North American sailors can create new training partnerships and strengthen regional competition.

The Path Forward
To overcome the geographic and logistical challenges of this quad, North American teams should prioritize the following:

• Strategic Travel: Identify key European regattas and plan extended training blocks abroad to minimize back-and-forth travel while maximizing exposure to international fleets.

• Regional Hubs: Establish more robust regional training centers, encouraging collaboration among Olympic-class sailors and fostering larger training groups.

• Leverage Technology: Use GPS tracking, video debriefs, and remote coaching tools to supplement in-person competition and maintain progress when racing abroad isn’t feasible.

• Fundraising and Partnerships: Develop strong sponsorship and fundraising programs to offset the costs of international travel and equipment acquisition, ensuring teams can compete on equal footing with their European counterparts.

Bringing It All Together

The Olympic quad is a marathon, not a sprint. By embracing a phased approach—rooted in learning, improving, competing, and peaking—sailing teams can navigate the four-year journey with clarity and purpose. In North America, this journey requires extra creativity to overcome logistical challenges, but the proximity of the 2028 Olympics presents an unparalleled opportunity to level the playing field and thrive.

As teams embark on their path to Long Beach, those who craft thoughtful plans, adapt to challenges, and capitalize on their strengths will be best positioned to seize their moment on the world’s biggest stage.

How to Get Started in the 49er: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Skills and Creating a Training Plan

Diving into 49er sailing is exciting and challenging—it’s a boat that rewards self reliance, careful preparation, and time on the water. Throughout this article I cannot emphasize enough that successful 49er programs put in place plans that are not dependent on other circumstances. They don’t rely on other people telling them when they can and cannot train. They find ways to get on the water, to connect with the fleet, and leverage the resources that they start with, however modest. Here’s a step-by-step approach to help you get started, develop your skills, and set yourself up for a successful 49er journey.

Step 1: Create a Training Plan

The first and most crucial step is to create a well-structured training plan. Even if you’re new and don’t yet have a boat, a teammate, or know the specifics of what to work on, a plan will help you make the most of your time and demonstrate commitment when seeking support.

1. Define Your Time Commitment: Decide on the number of hours you can dedicate over the coming season. For example, if you’re aiming for 250 hours, break it down monthly or weekly to keep yourself on track. If you can, you should go as far as to schedule the days that you’ll be on the water and the number of hours that you plan to get on those days. This will help you and your support team understand where the plan is working and where you’re missing.

2. Set Dates and Goals: Mark your availability on a calendar and set initial goals, even if they’re general (like gaining confidence in specific conditions or improving boat handling).

3. Prepare to Share: Having a concrete plan shows coaches or other sailors that you’re serious. If you go to a coach with your schedule and ask, “I have this time available—what should I work on first?” they’ll be able to give more targeted advice and possibly connect you with others training on a similar schedule.

Starting with a plan allows you to organize your approach and positions you well for the next step: building connections.

For a more in depth look at how to shape your plan, check out our article on building a strong campaign plan, here.

Hot Tip: As a coach, one of the most confidence inspiring attributes that I see from some athletes, is the drive to create and execute a plan regardless of what circumstances arise. The best young teams that I have worked with create a plan that aligns with coaching whenever possible, but even if that coaching gets cancelled or rescheduled, they stick to the original plan. This demonstrates that you are reliable, and it impacts everyone around you by creating an environment that is easier to plan around in the future.

Step 2: Connect with the 49er Community

Once you have a plan in place, the next step is to connect with other 49er sailors and see if your schedule can align with theirs. The US 49er community is a valuable resource, with most sailors willing to share tips, advice, and sometimes even time on the water for newcomers.

• Check Training Hotspots: In the winter, many US-based 49er sailors train in Miami, while in the summer, training camp locations will depend on the fleet goals for that summer. In the next four years leading up to LA 2028, I expect that a lot of summer time will be dedicated to sailing in Long Beach.

• Evaluate Your Plan: With a clear schedule, you can see if your training time lines up with any organized camps, clinics, or even informal practice days. Training alongside others, even if you aren’t directly sailing with the top teams, offers an opportunity to observe, ask questions, and gain insights from experienced sailors.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to people in the boat park. Often, just being around will lead to opportunities to join in on drills, races, or even just discussions that help you pick up key tips.

Step 3: Get on the Water Independently

Once you’re connected with the community, it’s time to start putting in your hours on the water. Solo practice is where you’ll gain the confidence and familiarity with the 49er’s unique handling. Start in manageable conditions (lighter winds and flat water), and gradually increase the difficulty as your comfort grows.

• Find a Training Partner: If you can find another team at your level, training together can increase your range of safe conditions and make sessions more productive. Even informal check-ins with other new sailors can keep you motivated and provide insights. It helps to bring vhf radios on the water for safety.

• Seek Coaching if Possible: If you have access to a coach, even occasionally, it will accelerate your learning. A coach can give specific feedback and help you focus on key skills to improve your boat handling.

As you progress, practice more advanced maneuvers and handling techniques. The 49er is demanding, and developing proficiency typically takes around 500 hours of dedicated practice.

Step 4: Use Video for Feedback and Improvement

Video is one of the most powerful tools for improving in the 49er. Capturing your sessions, either with a GoPro mounted on the boat or through a friend or coach onshore, allows you to analyze your form and technique.

• Review Your Footage: Watching yourself sail helps you spot areas for improvement, from body positioning to timing of maneuvers.

• Ask for Feedback: Share your videos with coaches or experienced sailors who can provide pointers. Even remote feedback from someone familiar with the 49er can be invaluable, giving you specific areas to focus on in your next session.

• Watch Video From Other Teams: there is lots of super high level footage on youtube if you do some digging. Study this.

Step 5: Track Your Progress with GPS Data

To stay focused and track improvements, use a GPS watch to record each sailing session. Websites like Racing Alpha let you upload and analyze data, giving you insight into your speed, consistency, and handling in different conditions. Over time, tracking your performance will help you set new goals and measure your progress, and if you use Racing Alpha, I’ll be able to follow along!

Additional Tips: Logging, Learning, and Making Adjustments

The more organized you are about tracking your progress and planning your sessions, the better prepared you’ll be to take on new challenges. Consistently logging your sessions helps you track your journey and recognize areas for improvement. Also, stay flexible—if you discover you need more time on a particular skill, adjust your plan accordingly.

For more guidance on crafting your own campaign plan, or to see a sample plan in action, check out our Unofficial Skiff Campaign Manual.