The Reach-Through Escape: How to Get a Better Lane

Ever find yourself stuck on the hip of a competitor off the start? We all have, and when we do, we find ourselves pinching to stay clear of that annoying “safe leeward” boat, losing speed with every second. You glance around and see too much traffic to tack away cleanly. What now?

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The above video illustration shows the steps of a proper reach-through escape. The windward boat (blue) is jammed up on the hip of the red boat and going slow. A viable escape option is to bear off and reach through the red boat’s wind shadow, passing behind and into a clear lane to leeward. To make it work, blue should aggressively reach, quickly passing close to the red boat’s stern where the wind shadow is narrowest. Once clear of red’s wind shadow, blue can head up again to its close-hauled course. As long as blue’s apparent-wind direction (as shown by its telltales) is pointing below and not at red, blue’s air is clear. This new clear lane below is surprisingly close, only a boatlength or so to leeward of red.

How to Escape

With a quick look, you see a gap below the leeward boat. This is where the reach-through escape becomes invaluable. Instead of suffering in dirty air or tacking into a mess,  you can bear off, pass behind the leeward boat, then reestablish yourself in a clean lane to leeward. 

Bearing off, you want to use that reaching speed to pop through quickly so you don’t linger in the leeward boat’s wind shadow too long.  Aggressively bear off with both tiller and body weight, make sure the vang is set right so that you don’t twist the mainsail too much, then ease the main and jib to match your sailing angle.  The whole process should take just a few boatlengths.

Timing is critical. You have to bear off while you can still duck close behind the other boat’s stern where the wind shadow is narrowest. If you hesitate and wait too long passing further back, you will need to sail through a much larger wind shadow. If you pass through close and quickly, you may lose only a half a boatlength. If you wait longer, the losses will be significant. If all goes well, you’ll end up approximately two boatlengths to leeward (the distance needed to clear the wind shadow) and about one and a half boatlengths behind.

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How do you know when you’ve successfully cleared the wind shadow? Your telltales, masthead fly, and the feel of the wind on your face provide the answer. What you care about is where your apparent wind is. If your apparent wind points below and in front of that boat, you’re free.

There are three options when you are stuck above a safe-leeward boat, and all of them have a loss associated with them.  Sticking it out is a slow burn loss.  Stay there for 30 seconds and maybe you lose a boatlength or two before.  A double tack, even executed perfectly without traffic considerations, could well cost you a boatlength each tack. Tack into traffic and you could lose many boatlengths.  The half boatlength loss of a well-executed reach through does not seem so bad in comparison.

Assuming you want to continue on, the strategic advantages of the reach-through extends beyond the immediate position gain. You clear your air quickly, avoid getting tangled in fleet traffic, and maintain your preferred strategic direction. Most importantly, you regain the ability to put your head down and sail at full speed.

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