Over The Horizon

Yachties on Right Tack

New Zealand's best sailors will be using ground-breaking fitness research from Massey University to carry them over the finish line first at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Senior lecturer at Massey's Department of Management Systems, Stephen Legg, and postgraduate assistant Hamish Mackie have completed a series of studies with this country's elite yachties for Yachting New Zealand.

The Massey pair's innovative research focused on the actual physical demands experienced aboard small yachts, such as the lasers, fins, 470s and even sailboards, and is helping yachties change tack on their fitness training.

Legg says while aerobic fitness is important, their tests showed muscular intensity was the key factor.

The physical forces involved in yachting were measured using custom-made force metres installed in the yachties' equipment and the information was collected during simulated race conditions. A transmitter attached to the yacht's mast sent the results to the pair who waited in chase boats behind. They also videoed the race so the strain could be measured over time.

These pioneering techniques mean New Zealand is leading the world in the sports science of yachting and with Yachting New Zealand spreading the word to this country's sailors, Legg hopes the advanced information will translate into gold at Sydney 2000.

Their results show for wind conditions in excess of 10 knots (normal race conditions), the sailors were using between 80% and 100% of their muscle capacity for 45 minutes of every hour on the water.

"Sailors proved to be very keyed into how hard they were working," says Legg. "But they found it a lot harder to pin down what specific muscles they were working and how to train for it.

"We believe these results show yachties must train very specific to the positions their bodies adopt in their boats. What we argue is that yachting primarily requires static muscular strength and the ability to maintain and repeat those actions over they majority of a race."

The Massey pair have prepared a training guide for Yachting New Zealand to provide the right tools for yachties to train properly. The pair's work, which has by now spanned several years, has also been supported by Sports Science New Zealand and will soon turn its focus on psychological aspects of yachties' performance .