Having been involved in the Young Australia America’s Cup campaign, Australian maxi yacht Wild Oats XI and different Volvo Ocean Race entrants, Nick Bice knows how racing yachts perform. That experience led him to be employed with the Volvo Ocean Race and Southern Spars, where he has been exposed to many approaches to performance yachting.

Here, Nick offers his tips for making quick performance gains. In line with other performance advice we've seen, the tips are simple.

1. Make sure you are giving yourself the best opportunity to do well. Have you cleaned out all the junk on board that has accumulated over the years? Has the bottom of the boat been scrubbed prior to race day? Is all your equipment up to scratch to ensure there are no breakdowns?
2. Sailing your boat with the maximum or optimal crew weight. The maximum crew weight can be different for ORC and IRC.
3. Configure your boat correctly. Check if there are other boats of the same design that have better ratings or sail faster. If so, at least get to a level playing field.
4. Build a crew pool. With the majority of people being time poor, it’s hard to maintain a consistent crew these days. If you are missing crew members, ensure their replacements are up to speed and a welcome member of the team.
5. Spend time on the water. There is no better way to make your boat go faster than spending time on the water. Sailing is one of the only sports where the majority of time on the water is spent only going racing, not training. Guaranteed, this will give you better crew work as well as give you consistency between the driver and trimmers which result in better overall performance.

Ultimately, Nick believes sailors should listen to Bar Karate - The Sailing Podcast (100% serious - 23% of the time). We’re not sure if he is being serious.

For information about CBH, IRC and ORC ratings click here.

By Glen Stanaway