Higher and Faster

Andy Nicholson reviews the new coaching DVD for high performance asymmetric dinghy sailors

If you are a little to pressed for time to read this review, then don’t worry. I can recommend that anyone who sails a high performance asymmetric dinghy should buy it.

If you do have the time, then let me explain just why this new DVD is worth every penny of it’s £24.95 cover price. The clue was in the previous sentence.

The DVD is aimed at all levels of sailor, and will prove inspiration for those wanting to move into this type of sailing, all the way through to those sailor’s who haven’t won a medal yet. ‘Unlock the secrets of boat handling’ is the film’s strapline and it does this in a methodical and logical way, with expert commentary by coach Harvey Hillary and ably demonstrated by 49er duo Alister Richardson and Pete Greenhalgh.

Hillary is one of the RYA’s coaches and looks after the 29er squad, with eight out of the top ten teams at the 29er Worlds having been under his tutelage. He now also coaches the American and Swiss 29er teams. Richardson and Greenhalgh have been in the top group of British 49er sailors for several years.

Below L to R: Harvey Hillary, Alister Richardson and Producer Ian May


The film touches on the balls-out thrills of this type of sailing, but thankfully the direction of the film is strictly maintained as the viewer’s personal coaching guide. It is mostly filmed at one of Neilson’s Mediterranean holiday centres, which could prove a distraction, but again the focus is on the content.

It has been eight years since asymmetric sailing has been covered in any reasonable way. The last being John Merricks and Ian Walker’s ‘High Performance Sailing’ video. During these eight years these classes have exploded in popularity and the sailing techniques have matured into a series of ‘best practices’. Higher and Faster does not ram techniques down the viewers throat, but different styles of manoeuvre are discussed and demonstrated.

Richardson and Greenhalgh are masters of the 49er and in the film they also get their feet wet in the single wire 29er and the twin trapeze RS800. The on the water footage is very good, mostly with the camera boat following closely astern. This perspective is also maintained on the shore where dry runs are demonstrated. There are also good close up and detail shots of key aspects of the technique being explained.


In terms of running order, Higher and Faster is broken into the following areas:
Boat Handling
The Rig
Upwind
Downwind
Mark Rounding
Pre-Start
Practise race

Under each area, all permutations of manoeuvre are explored, each having their own section. This is where modern technology takes over and the power of the film being on DVD wins hands down as each section is indexed as part of a chapter. So the viewer can find exactly what he/she wants to watch instantly and can pause, rewind, fast forward with ease.

The entire film is 90 minutes long and I am sure will be watched straight through, but it is intended that the viewer will return to specific parts of the film as and when they need to. I can imagine sailors coming back from an open meeting with a capsize or poor hoist still fresh in their mind, putting the DVD on and finding exactly the right piece of footage and explanation to learn from.

The pace of the film is very fast and it is easy to think that you are missing key points and techniques are being glossed over. However a quick pause, or brief rewind of the DVD will make sure you don’t miss a trick.

The navigation possibilities of a DVD, however, haven’t been fully exploited. It would have been good to see a navigation bar at the bottom of the screen explaining just what section and subsection you are in. Hillary said this is the first major release and is likely to be followed up by 'Coaches' copy, which will include extra material in the form of a Powerpoint presentation and various literature, all of which will be added onto the DVD.

The Pre Start chapter takes five separate starting techniques and goes through each one in detail. The commentary doesn’t go into why you should choose any one particular start but again focuses on the question How? Greenhalgh may need to buy a new watch, but the interaction between the helm and crew is interesting and how various starts are achieved.

There are a couple of diversions in the film that don’t necessarily fit within the overall scheme of things. The cartoon ‘Guru’ pops up a couple of times to help explain a couple of theories in depth, assisted by ‘Scrapheap Challenge’ style animations. While good, they do seem a little out of place. There are also various bits of boatwork explained, these are covered quickly and will not really be of any use to most sailors who walk around the dinghy park with their eyes open.

There is also a section where Hillary demonstrates in depth all the different mainsail controls. Again a useful exercise, but other aspects of rig control are not given enough space and conclusions for the viewer are difficult to make.

In my opinion the best part of the film is the last ‘Practise Race’ session. A small course is set up and Richardson and Greenhalgh do three laps with the camera boat following them every step of the way. Radio microphones are fitted to the sailors and you watch the pair going around the race track with the sensation that you are on the wire next to them. This is truly excellent. The differing personalities of the two sailors finally comes across, with Richardson the optimist and Greenhalgh the super fit.



Listening to their communication as they come up to the start line, the first beat, the leeward mark… If you are to learn anything from the film then it is here. Their slickness around the boat is no fluke, neither are they showing off. This is what a top 49er crew have been perfecting for years and the viewer is treated to a front row seat.

Early screenings of the film have provided the team with some very positive feedback. A classroom full of teenage 29er sailors, silent for 90 minutes while they watched it, is a good indication of just how well Higher and Faster has been received.

Higher and Faster is being distributed by Holt and your usual Holt chandler will have copies, or you can buy through the majority of online chandleries. Click here to use Holt's 'Find a Stockist'. It will also be on sale at the London boatshow. International distribution has also been put in place.