Ian Pretty
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Sailing Participation & Achievements
2004-5 18’ Skiff - Sydney Flying Squadron – 1st Club Championships, 1st Season Pointscore on Synergy!, as sheethand
2005 10’ Skiff - Easter Regatta at Port Macquarie – 1st in class, 1st Flying Mile on Commonwealth II as skipper
2003-18’ Skiff - 4 Sydney Flying Squadron – 1st Club Championships, 2nd Season Pointscore, 1st summer series on Synergy! as sheethand
2002-18’ Skiff - 3 Sydney Flying Squadron – 1st Club Championships, 1st Season Pointscore on Synergy! as sheethand
2002 CYC Winter Series - 1st overall on Sea Rug, a Halvorsen 25 as co-skipper
2002 CYC Winter Series - 1st overall on Champagne on Ice, a Beneteau 50 as guest crew
2002 Pittwater-Coffs - 1st in division on Champagne on Ice, a Beneteau 50 as floater
2001-2 18’ Skiff - Sydney Flying Squadron – 1st Port Jackson Championships on Synergy! as skipper
2001 Offshore - Sydney-Gold Coast on Champagne on Ice, a Beneteau 50 as foredeck
1998 Dragon Sydney Spring Championships – 1st on Voyageur as skipper
1997 Dragon Prince Phillip Championships – 2nd on Magic as forward hand
1995 Dragon World Championships – in Freemantle on Magic as forward hand
1990 Windsurfer World Championships – 4th Lightwieght division
1988 Offshore - Miami-Bahamas Race on Billyson, a Shock 33’ as guest crew
1986 14 Japanese Championships – 1st as skipper
1985 14 World Championships – 14th as skipper
1984 Canadian Ten Provinces Dinghy Championships - 1st as team
1984 Ontario Laser Championships - 1st
1983 World Youth Championships – 12th on 470’s as forward hand
1983 Canadian Youth Championships - 1st as forward hand
1983 Canadian Laser II Championships - 1st as forward hand
1983 Ontario Youth Single-handed Championships – 1st in lasers
1980-85 Offshore - Lake Ontario Freeman Cup Races – 150-250 mile races sailed on Halinjon, a34’ racer/cruiser as crew
Qualifications
Australian Yachting Federation - TL3 Rescue - certificate 2003
Canadian Yachting Association - Level III Coach - certificate 1983
Canadian Yachting Association - Advanced Racing Coach - certificate 1982
Canadian Telecommunications Authority - VHF Radio Operator - certificate 1982
Canadian Yachting Association - Senior Sailing Instructor - certificate 1981
Voluntary & Administrative
International Sonar class - senior measurer involved in setting up the original class rules 1985-88.
E-22 class: - North American Measurer – ensuring that new boats complied with hull and deck measurements and templates 1985-88.
Oakville Yacht Squadron – Laser Fleet Captain 1979-80.
Sailing Questions & Answers
1. How long have you been sailing?
More than 28 years, starting at the age of 12. At 14 I bought my first boat, Laser #2924 (second hand, from paper route money). At first I hated sailing and then after a few months loved it. Never a regret since!
2. Some of your favourite sailing experiences?
- winning every race of the Canadian Youth Championships, with some wins finialising at only at the last tack or finish!
- helping coach a lot of quality sailors from many countries. I was the head racing coach at the Oakville Yacht Squadron, Kingston Yacht club (host of the '76 Olympics) and was the first full time director of the United States Olympic Sailing Centre in Miami
- making a lot of great friends all over the world
- skippering and winning in the same year both the Laser & J-24 club championships at my home club of Oakville Yacht Squadron
- helping to develop the Sonar and E-22 classes as chief & factory measurer
- getting stuck in slush ice sailing a Laser on New Year's day (Lake Ontario). It was damned cold when a wave dumped over my head when we were out sailing past the ice!
- sailing equal at times in one designs with Olympic medallists and beating them almost as much as they beat me
- finishing a race with more crew than we started with (in a Vintage 18' skiff), when we rescued someone from another vessel
- winning (on handicap) the last three races of the SFS 18' 2001 season
- "Owning" Sydney harbor several times, which means that I've been sailing the fastest boat on the harbour (unless there was a catamaran somewhere that I didn't know about)
- winning the Pittwater to Coff's race on Champaign on Ice 2002, working on the bow and steering & trimming hard for speed when I could
- having sailed at speeds of 30+ knots, sailing a slalom sailboard
- introducing a lot of nice people to a sport with many great people of all ages and character
What are some of your thoughts about sailing?
- I like to get boats sailing fast towards the appointed destinations. Usually this means powering them up with the trim and steering, and then fine tuning the camber and angle of attack to fly the boat high and fast when up to speed.
- As power & speed lessen you fatten up the power in the boat by steering deeper & easing trim. This is a never ending cycle.
- Think of the boat as a complex spring between the bouyancy in the
shape, the flow of water against the shape, the spring of the sails,
mast, rigging and air pressure all around the boat. Steer and trim
to flex this spring so as to bring the boat up to maximum speed in
the direction you wish.
Be careful with your tactics & strategy. - Strategy is about placing yourself great all around and sailing fast. Tactics is about doing well in tight situations, which can be a great part of racing when it turns out well.
- Unless you can roll tack & gybe competently, or you are match racing, minimise your tactical interchange so as to not compromise your strategy.
- Your most important mission is to sail the course you want, with as few turns as necessary, in clean air.
- Harmonic vibration is often the cause of obscure rig failure.
- Instruments can be of use and assistance in many situations. Their overall priority for most occasions, however, is down the list.
- In all my experience I've not seen many more than a few instances where the wind, waves, tide, swell and boat configuration were the same. That's millions of data sets!
- The best gauge is other good yachts near you in clear air. Pick fast yachts to pair up with clear air in the way you want to go, and work at sailing faster.
- Learn to be able to look at the wind and the waves and see what sail set is right (ie #1L, #1H, #2, #3, #4). Most people can learn this skill with desire and time on the water. To learn, sail more with people that can.
- Learn to be able to make sails very flat before reefing past a flattening reef.
- Use lots of forestay tension and rake upwind in a breeze. Downwind let the backstays out as much as possible. An angle of up to 30° difference in rake is ideal.
- Get the Heavy 1 to work between 5 and 20 knots apparent. Sheet back, out, and hard to sail fast in a breeze, like one-design and metre class sailors do.
- Set the sail area for the lulls, feather and trim the boat & sails for the gusts.
- Sail so as to build as much as possible balancing pressure on the hull shape & foils.
- I love racing against the unseen elements of the wind, with only its teltale signs and real outcomes.
- The people who don't win and are most disappointed are those that don't refine crew, skills and positions constantly (as in any other team sport).
- Half a knot of current can be worth $20,000 of sails!
- Be sensible and realise there is always luck and chance involved.
- All the megabucks of the sails and the above trim only match the drag and power of the underwater shape and fine detail. This both the best and most inexpensive improvement for most boats!
- Be wary of people who call to "dump the main". It should have been eased out before anyways! Usually this indicates poor steering combined with over-sheeted foresail trim and lack of wind & water watching.
- Steer the boat under the rig!
- Almost always (unless on a true work or increasing pressure) set as much sail as takes you 10 or more degrees low of the next mark. Then work as hard as you can to keep the bow and the course up. This should put a lot of distance between your boat and less aggressive boats.
- I prefer crewing in the spot of the boat where my skills and boat's overall desires meet best.
- When racing first you determine the seriousness and fun rations. Look at your class of boat, the fleet of boats you are sailing with and your crew, and pick a good balance.
- I always aim to have a positive time with my team. As I am not generally paid to sail (although I often pay great expense) I aim to achieve successful outcomes all around.
- The better you get and are prepared for sailing the more fun it gets!