BUILD TUNE RACE RC YACHTS
A practice session program
Don't waste time just sailing up and down the lake. This program helps you to develop all your skills.

IOM Practice Day Checklist
Pre-Sailing:
• Check battery levels (Tx & Rx fully charged)
• Inspect rigging (shrouds, forestay, sheets, etc.)
• Confirm correct sail setup (A rig, B rig, etc.)
• Quick hull/rudder/keel cleaning
• Set transmitter trims to neutral
• Wind check: note direction, strength, gustiness
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Warm-up:
• 5–10 minutes upwind sailing
• 5–10 minutes downwind sailing
• Adjust sail trim if needed (especially camber & twist)
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Drills:
• Start Practice
• Time runs to the line
• Low-speed accelerations
• Tacking Drill
• Quick, smooth tacks
• Minimal speed loss
• Mark Roundings
• Tight, efficient turns
• Full power out of rounding
• Downwind Gybing
• Smooth gybes
• Maintain speed through maneuvers
• Mini Races (if possible)
• Good start
• Hit shifts
• Smart mark approaches
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Post-Sailing:
• Write down today’s tuning settings
• Note what worked / didn’t work
• Rinse boat (especially after saltwater)
• Charge batteries
• Plan next practice focus
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Today’s Focus:
(e.g., “starts,” “gybing control,” “light air tuning”)
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Notes:
(good/bad, lessons learned, gear tweaks needed)
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Tip:
Keep a little notebook (or use your phone) to log tuning settings and practice observations. You’ll build a personal tuning guide over time that makes race days way easier.
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Perfect! Here’s a sample IOM practice session you can use — it’s about 2 hours, but you can stretch or shorten it depending on how much time you’ve got:
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Sample IOM Training Session
Warm-up (15 min)
• Sail upwind and downwind casually.
• Focus on feeling the boat — is the balance right? Helm neutral?
• Make quick sail trim adjustments if needed.
• Do a few relaxed tacks and gybes to get your reactions tuned up.
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Drill 1: Starts and Acceleration (20 min)
• Set a small starting line (or imagine one).
• Practice 0.5 minute “mini starts” — time it so you hit the line at full speed.
• Mix it up: practice low-speed builds and fast-paced punchy starts.
• Key focus: positioning, timing, acceleration.
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Drill 2: Short Upwind Course with Whistle Tacks (20 min)
• Sail a 30–40 meter upwind course between two buoys.
• Have someone blow a whistle (or self-time every 10–15 seconds).
• Tack on command without losing boat speed.
• Key focus: speed through tacks and quick trimming after tacking.
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Drill 3: Mark Rounding Practice (20 min)
• Set one buoy to use as a leeward or windward mark.
• Sail in, round the mark tight, and exit on a good course.
• Do 10–15 roundings — focus on tight radius, no contact, full power out of turn.
• Alternate between windward and leeward rounding.
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Drill 4: Downwind Gybing Challenge (20 min)
• Set two downwind buoys about 50–70 meters apart.
• Sail back and forth, gybing on command or every few boat lengths.
• Focus on smooth rudder movement and keeping the boat powered up during the gybe.
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Mini-Races (20 min)
• If you have a buddy or two, set up a quick windward-leeward course.
• Do 2-3 short sprint races (5–7 minutes each).
• Focus on putting all the skills together: start, boat speed, tacks, laylines, roundings.
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Cool-down / Tuning Check (10 min)
• Relaxed sailing upwind/downwind.
• Fine-tune rig tension, sail shape for conditions.
• Note anything you want to adjust for next time.
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Session Goals Summary:
• Fast starts.
• Smooth and fast tacks/gybes.
• Tight, efficient mark roundings.
• Keeping the boat moving fast all the time.