Gary Jobson’s Rules for Coaching from the Back of the Boat

Navy Offshore Sailing’s 44-footers provide a platform for team building and coaching. Eva White/Navy Sailing

Over the past several months I spent an afternoon each week with the U.S. Naval Academy Offshore Sailing Team aboard their fleet of 44-foot sloops. Each crew consists of nine midshipmen and a volunteer coach. There is a full roster of volunteer coaches who participate during the fall and spring sailing seasons. The midshipmen are wonderful to work with; everyone is polite, they welcome advice, they show up for practice on time and have a strong appetite to improve their sailing skills.

A good percentage of the offshore sailing team members only started sailing when they arrived in Annapolis, in contrast to the intercollegiate dinghy team, which includes midshipmen who have been racing since their youth. The weekly coaching routine was an opportunity for me to learn what coaching techniques are effective. There were many lessons I learned and I believe they can be useful when self-coaching or when helping new sailors in your fleet get up to speed.

A few times I found myself getting emotionally involved in the racing. A better practice as a volunteer coach is to think of yourself as an observer or adviser. I found it was better to stay quiet during the heat of battle and offer my observations, comments and suggestions between races or during quiet moments while racing.

Stuck in the back of my mind was a phrase I often heard the late Ted Turner say during a bad race; “We’re not losing, we are just learning how to win.” That philosophy served Turner well in his business career, and as the owner of the Atlanta Braves, which were perpetually in the cellar in the National League until they eventually won the World Series.

The first thing to do as a coach before each practice session or race is to hold a crew meeting and discuss the plan of the day and the goals that need to be achieved. Everyone will eventually understand their role. Progress might be slow. The weather is always a factor. Light wind, for example, doesn’t test a crew’s resolve as much as a strong breeze. So, it is important to embrace all wind conditions. Patience is the key attribute and at other times pure grit is the answer to sailing well.

During times of adversity I found it helpful to go back to the basics and have the team “sail by the numbers.” When behind early in a race I would make say aloud, “Well, just for fun let’s see if we can catch a few boats.”

Composure is important no matter how many egregious mistakes are made. I kept having to remind myself that I was not a member of the crew and soon I realized that it was most helpful to work on just one or two things at a time. Questions were always welcome but rarely do Midshipmen ask about things. I think they enjoy being self-sufficient. When the boat is quiet, however, I find moments to speak up at the appropriate time. While the sailors tend to be reserved, they are receptive to advice. I found that giving suggestions in a logical order worked best. For example, I would start with explaining the fundamental goal of having a fast, smooth and efficient spinnaker set, then work on the specifics including packing the sail carefully by following the luff and foot tapes, making sure the halyard is ready for hoisting, start hoisting after the boat starts turning downwind, set the pole 90 degrees to the mast, head on the desired course as the spinnaker begins to fill. Each crew involved in the set will think about their specific job during the maneuver.

The next step is to demonstrate the routine at a slow pace. After a practice set, talk through the steps again before setting the spinnaker at full speed. Once a sailor understands the cadence of the mechanics, the maneuver will go smoothly.

I encouraged the sailors to keep a logbook by making notes every sailing day. The narrative will build and become a helpful reference to read. My logbooks date back to my early teenage years. To this day, I still find helpful notes. Sometimes I find it better to ask a sailor what happened and let them explain their actions. The correct method will usually surface during these discussions. When a sailor recognizes the correct method, mistakes are eliminated. The final step in cementing the lesson is to write it in a logbook.

Offering congratulations in a sincere manner when things go well is always well received by sailors, especially after a series of mistakes. I avoid sarcasm at all cost. The most effective coaches offer straight forward advice. Keep the negative energy out of the narrative. During a race, I work to stay out of being a tactician, but occasionally I will ask a question prompt like, “How are we looking on the layline? Or, “How far from the leeward gate do you plan to drop the spinnaker?” Subtle questions get the sailors thinking about the next move and what the steps are.

Ten Tips For Impactful Onboard Coaching

1.         Be positive

2.         Give specific suggestions

3.         Take notes for later reference

4.         Ask sailors to think through their actions in advance so they are prepared

5.         Never yell

6.         Keep emotions in check

7.         Pick the most appropriate time to discuss things and make suggestions

8.         Study the actions on every part of the boat

9.         Remind everyone that the most important goal is to have fun

10.       Thank everyone for being invited to be on board

If there is a sensitive issue it is better to discuss the problem directly with the sailor and not in front of the whole crew. On one practice day, for example the helmsman and the tactician were not on the same page. The tactician wanted to call the shots during every moment of the starting sequence while the helmsman only wanted information like distance to the line and time to the start. As a coach, it felt untidy and uncomfortable. The result was an OCS and a quiet crew. We discussed the situation at the end of the day. In the end it was decided that the helmsman would take ownership of the starting line tactics at the 2-minute signal. After a few days of practice, the sailors were in sync and went on to win the regatta the next weekend.

It easy to spend time coaching from the back of the boat but I find it helpful to also watch from the mid-deck area to get a better sense of what is going on up forward. Stress careful communications. Get sailors to look at each other when they speak. Give commands in short sentences with precise lingo. For example, “Ease the headsail sheet four inches” is better than, “ease the jib a little.” It is hard to define “a little.” Be precise. At all times stress the importance of safety routines. Insist that sailor where shoes, sunglasses, hats, stay hydrated and apply adequate sunscreen. Such seemingly unimportant things can make a big difference.

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