A Typical Race Day

In this extract from his new book, Ben Ainslie gives us his approach to the big day...

The following is an extract from Ben Ainslie's new book, the Laser campaign manual - winning secrets from the Olympic Gold medallist published by Fernhurst Books Price: £19.95 (ISBN 1 898660 90 5). Tel: +44 (0) 1903 882277

This is an example of a normal race day at a major regatta.

Wake up and go for a slow/medium jog for 10-30 minutes with the emphasis being on stretching as much as possible to loosen you up for the day's racing.

Have a decent breakfast and read the paper or a book to help you relax. Pack your sailing kit and accessories. It might be useful to have a check list so that you don't forget anything vital, like your brain.

Try to arrive at the boat park about two hours before the start time of the first race. This will give you about an hour to sort out your boat before going afloat. Firstly turn your boat over and give it a wash and tip it up to check for water inside the hull (even if it was clean it is still reassuring to check). Rig up your boat making sure to double check fittings and ropes.

Once you are happy that the boat is all set, go and check the noticeboard and try to get hold of the weather forecast. A decent weather forecast may help you decide on how to approach the day's racing and may answer questions like 'Do I need a raincoat to keep me warm between races?' 'Do I need heavy or light air hiking shorts, or both?' 'Should I have my light or heavy mainsheet?' The weather forecast will also help you to start running through the race strategy in your head. If you have a coach go through the forecast with them as they may have some good suggestions. Try to keep to yourself to give yourself time to think about the day's racing and check that both you and the boat are ready.

Unless the race course is either very far away or very close you should probably launch around an hour before the warning signal. There is always someone who wants to launch first and people who will give you a hard time for launching early, but just stick to your routine. In '96 I was always one of the first to leave the shore at around an hour before the race. Then at the Olympics I was suddenly the last to launch - it was really strange but showed how anxious we all were. I was happier sticking to my routine.

One the way out to the course try to get a feel for the wind and the waves. If it is a beat then sail close-hauled so that you can start to get in phase with the shifts. If the course is downwind and you are sailing near the position of the windward mark then stop and get a feel for how the wind is at the top of the course and take a wind bearing if you have a compass.

Once you are at the bottom of the course then sail an imaginary first beat at 80% effort so that you are sailing at proper angles to the wind while not exhausting yourself if it is windy. This should give you a better idea of the conditions, help you get in phase with the windshifts and pick up any current or tide out on the course area. Sailing properly upwind will also enable you to tune the boat and get an idea of what settings you will need for the race.

When you are happy with the conditions, sail back down to the start and again make use of the time. Sail fast to get an idea of the techniques needed in the relevant conditions. Also try different gybes as you may find it faster on one gybe compared to the other. Try your absolute hardest not to capsize by pushing it too bard before the start as a wet sail and mast full of water is not at all fast.

Once the warning signal has gone then get your watch set for the preparatory signal.

After finishing the last race of the day, try to sail or get towed in as quickly as possible, making sure you are warm enough and have something to eat to help re-build your energy levels.

Pack up the boat being sure to double-check all fittings and ropes. Then turn the boat over to check for any damage. If there are any problems fix them as soon as you are changed as it will never get done in the morning. If you have a protest then make sure you have the form ready to hand in well before the end of the protest time.

Before you leave the boat park make sure you have checked the protest board (even if you were not involved in an incident someone might have made a mistake and involved you). Check to see if there are any changes to the sailing instructions and start times for the next day - almost everyone has been caught out by the start time for the next day being brought forward. Also check the results, even if you have had a terrible day it might get worse if your boat number was confused with another which was over the line in a race. It could also not be as bad as you feared. In the Danish Spring Cup in '99 there was one race where almost the whole fleet was over the line but the race was continued. I for one thought I had got away with it as I was well covered by other boats. We got ashore to find that the race officer had cunningly taken the number of the boats behind the line and disqualified the rest of the fleet, so you never know.

If it has been a really hard day physically I suggest going for a jog and then have a good stretch to help loosen still muscles. Otherwise don't party too hard, and get some decent sleep.