Lessons learned at Arco

• Tacking on the lay-line:  Although you had to foot of the line, it paid off not to oversail the first mark.  Especially Chris and Scott tacked at the right places and kept going very fast without doing the extra meters.
• Tacking in strong breeze (near the rocks): Do not go to the back of the boat, the boat will go into the air instead of going through the wind. If you go in over the daggerboard, the boat turns on its daggerboards and you will turn very quickly. Slow the boat down till 11-12 knots before you tack.
• Gybing: keep the bows up and the boat turns super fast. Ease the sheet to get the pressure of the bow, turn quicky and get it going again. Once the bow digs in the boat stops and you loose all momentum.
• Wildthing: Keep the boat on the boards! Once the nose goes in, ease sheet, luff, use a wave to get the nose up and accelerate again. Once you recognize when the boat is on the boards you can start to play with it. Chris works his sheet a lot.
• Wildthing 2: If the wind picks up and you are not trapezing, pull some cunningham for more control, especially if you are under 80kgs.
• Wildthing 3: Do not oversheet!!
• Trapezing downwind: Practice your weak side. Most people have a preference for one tack.
• Trapezing downwind 2: Pull up the boards a little if the boat flips out of the water too often.
• Trapezing downwind 3: Watch your telltales, many people sail too high, if the telltales on the weatherside are fluffing it does not makes sense to seek extra pressure by luffing, just bend your knees.
• Trapezing downwind 4: steer around the waves, even the small ones (I ignored a small wave  and pitchpoled)
• Trapezing downwind 5: Turn your boat into a apparent windmachine by flattening out the main sail Brad-style by pulling the sheet hard. It leads to more control and higher endspeeds.
• Markroundings: Practice your markroundings and optimize your boat lay-out for it. Many meters can be won or lost here.
• Increase the purchase on your mainsheet system. 9,5:1 is minimum, we see more and more sailors sailing with 10:1, 11:1 and 12:1
• Prepare your boards and rudders. Polish these before the regatta and use either Waxsealer or Hullkote to make the foils as smooth as possible 
• Mastrake: We sailed with slightly more mastrake then at home due to the short waves. It makes the boat easier to sail both upwind and downwind.
• Copy the set-up/settings of the topsailors. They have sorted it out and you lack the time to sort it out yourself.
• Get more time on the water. This is easier said then done. Better more short sails then a few long ones.
• Practice with a GPS. With a GPS you can train alone and still improve yourself. (more consistent speeds en higher endspeeds)