FOREWORD

By Chips Howarth, 2005 Fireball World Champion

"Ryan Wriggleback is the alter ego of one of the best tactical sailors and coaches in the world, namely Mark Rushall.

Through the eyes of Ryan, ‘Tactics’ manages to explain the complexities of sailboat tactics in a fun and informative way. Racing tactics are both a science and an art and our friend Ryan perfectly captures this balance to allow sailors of all skill levels to understand, improve and even coach tactical sailing to a higher level.

Like no other sport, sailing tests both your physical and mental ability, and with so many tactical decisions needing to be made throughout a race, it is no wonder sailing has been described as ‘waterborne chess’. The cerebral side of our sport can be the most challenging, frustrating and rewarding aspect of sailing and a greater understanding will only enhance every race we sail.

This book has come about from years of sailing and coaching at the highest level by an extremely analytical person. Mark, a qualified Physics teacher, is one of those annoying people who learnt from every sailing/coaching experience and has built an extensive memory bank of tactical scenarios and understanding.

I first met Mark at a Lark National Championships many years ago (that he won with straight firsts in a fleet of ninety boats) and you could spot his boat as it was always on the lifted tack, but never appeared vulnerable when the next shift arrived. In the final shake down to the first mark, his boat was always ‘safe’, inevitably popping out in the front bunch. His regatta was sailed with a superior tactical performance that led to his success.   

We are all lucky enough to gain from this experience and knowledge, and via Ryan, we are guided through in a unique style that will improve our sailing.

Please read, enjoy, learn and when you see the improvements in your tactical thinking on the race course, remember to give a ‘nod’ to your tactic super coach, Ryan Wriggleback."