MP3: 'Planing' a Laser upwind with world champ Tom Slingsby ***

Double Olympic medallist Mitch Booth explains his approach to sailing catamarans upwind as rapidly as possible. "When you’re sailing a high-performance catamaran upwind, you’re looking to achieve neutral feel in the helm, perhaps a slight pull into the breeze. A good sign of ideal set-up is if you don’t have to move too much mainsheet...."

Rob Wilson, Round Texel Race winner and former Olympic squad member, talks through his approach to tuning a Formula 18 catamaran for top upwind speed, looking at the important stuff and some of the stuff that people THINK is important but can sometimes be just a distraction...

Holding your position is one of those skills that separates the good from the average sailors. "He's good at holding his lane," is one of those phrases you'll hear about a really talented sailor. Etchells world champion Andy Beadsworth reveals some clues to this dark art...