AT THE FRONT The Harken Newsletter

don't go to a masters event thinking it's going to be a cakewalk

What do you get when you mix Olympic-level talent, decades of experience, and a grin that says, “I still love this”? You get Augie Diaz! In this video, Harken caught up with Augie to chat about his lifelong passion for racing, staying sharp in the Lightning, Star, and Snipe classes, and what really matters out on the water. Spoiler: it’s not just about the trophies.

Photo: Marco Oquendo

speed doesn't retire: john dane III

A longtime fixture of the sailing scene, with Olympic experience, countless championship podiums, and a lifetime of instincts, John Dane III embodies what it means to be a "Master". As Masters Divisions thrive across many fleets, they're doing more than giving veteran sailors a reason to keep racing, they're fueling the future of the sport through mentorship, leadership, and camaraderie.

So, how does someone like John Dane III prepare for a regatta today? And how has time and experience reshaped that process?

Can you walk us through what a full race day looks like for you now, and how you set yourself up for success before the first gun sounds?

My routine in the Star has been pretty constant since I got back into it in 2016, after not traveling to regattas after the 2008 Olympics. Now that I'm back, I have a routine of preparing the boat prior to shipping to the regatta—that way, we are ready to sail as soon as we get to the site.

Now, I have a day of coaching on the water before racing and generally have a tow in and out to the racing area.

We try to get to the area 35-40 minutes ahead of the first gun to sail halfway up the beat to check headings, we look for current on marks, and then we do a few practice time on distance starting runs. Finally, we chill and try to decide overall which side of the course looks better and which end of the line we want to favor.

How has your approach to racing and regatta prep evolved over the years?

Over the years, the biggest change has been getting coaching, a great tuning partner, and weather forecasting set up before the regattas. The coaching is great at ensuring we and our tuning partner have good boat speed and the starting and mark rounding drills help us perform better. I can't tell you how many Etchells starts we have practiced, and yet, we probably have good starts only two-thirds of the time! Sometimes, we get the timing off, or it can go sideways if someone screws up that really good approach.

In my youth, we would tow the boat all night and show up and work on the boat at the regatta site getting it race ready (Editor's note: now, doesn't that sound familiar!). I also enjoyed preparing the bottom and blades as well as doing all the rigging myself. Now, it looks a little different - I have the luxury of having someone tow the boat to regattas and do that prep for me.

Being semi-retired, I am constantly preparing work lists, parts boxes, and notes to ensure we are ready for the next regatta. People laugh because I have multiple parts, lines, electronic compasses, or VHFs...but, at almost every regatta, people ask to borrow something!

The Star and Etchells are known for their technical demands. What's your approach to mastering setup and boat speed?

They are technical boats to sail. On the Star, we have so many variables to play with. Starting with the mast and its tune, the sails (limited to two of each per regatta), mast rake, sail trim, and crew weight and movements. It's not uncommon to see very different setups going the same speed.

While people think the Etchells has less to play with, on our boat, we are constantly adjusting the side stay tension, mast rake, mast butt, and battens in both the jibs and main. With my crew's experience, we always seem to have good boat speed!

However, one of the main differences between the Star and Etchells is that in the Star, the skipper has to do much more. For example, on our Etchells, Bill does tactics, main trim and concentrates on boat speed, while I really concentrate on steering upwind. Downwind is a little different. I play the main and work with Eric in the middle on the spinnaker trim and heading to make sure we have the best VMG toward the mark.

Masters Divisions bring together seasoned talent and long-standing rivals. In your view, what makes these regattas so important, not just for sailors, but for the sport as a whole?

I really enjoy the Masters regattas because so many of the people we race against have been competitors and friends since college sailing days or earlier. We laugh and reminisce about sleeping on a floor or couches when we were bumming our ways to regattas and just hoping to get a new sail that year.

Then, we all cheer each other on when we win or do well, beating those younger competitors! That's why I'm sailing more now than I did three or four years ago. These regattas are a reason to keep going to the gym and trying to stay fit. It definitely gets harder trying to hike and pump as you get older. Plus, needing to meet the weight limit has kept me lighter than I would be otherwise.

Veteran sailors like you play a huge role in fleet culture and the sustainability of the classes. How do you see the older generation helping to lift the next generation of competitors?

We give back to the class by helping the younger competitors with sails, meals, or housing. The Star Class is doing a great job of this with its fleet of boats for sailors under 30.

JONATHAN MCKEe ALWAYS LOOKS FORWARD

Jonathan McKee was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2022. He’s a three-time Collegiate All-American and won an Olympic medal at 40. He’s won World Championships in boats as chronologically diverse as the Flying Dutchman and the 49er and also in the timeless Taser. He’s also done a mini Transat, the Barcelona World Race, and The Ocean Race. For years, he has developed a culture aboard his own boat, the Paul Bieker-designed Dark Star, that readily accepts individuals of all ages and talents and finds a way to bring out the best in all. At 60+, Jonathan is drawing from that experience as he looks forward. His perspective on continuing to sail at a high level is well worth your time.

Photo: Julien Champolion - polaRYSE / DRHEAM-CUP

nick craig on Masters Finn Sailing

There may be no class out there where mentoring is so important.

Why are Masters Divisions in sailing so important? Because they offer a way to stay sharp, return to the fleet after a few years, and still find the racing as tough and rewarding as ever. You may not be gunning for a spot on the foiling AC75, but you can keep your fitness and competitive edge alive while participating in the sport you love. Just ask Nick Craig, one of the UK's most accomplished dinghy sailors, who's showing no signs of slowing down.

What drew you back to the Finn class and what's kept you in it?

I sailed the Finn from 2005-2007 as an amateur sailor chasing the Olympians around. It was hard, but a really good learning experience and challenge. The fleets were big with quality higher than anything I had enjoyed before, so competing at this level really helped my sailing. I came back to the Finn in 2023, attracted by the huge fleets at Masters events and a strong international circuit.

A healthy mix of competitive racing with good camaraderie and friendly sailors off the water makes the class special. The boat is also both demanding and interesting to sail! There's a good sense of mentorship between the older and younger sailors, sharing advice and making the class accessible. I've had lots of helpful advice as I've jumped back in the Finn after a 16-year break.

What is it about the Finn's design or fleet that allows such longevity in the class, where sailors can compete well into the Masters division age?

The Finn is easy to sail but hard and highly physical to sail well. So sailors of pretty much any age can get a Finn round the racecourse. Sailing it fast is very demanding, both physically and technically, all while trying to feel the boat and giving it beans! And the sheer physicality is a good reason to try to stay fit as we age.

With the Finn no longer in the Olympic lineup, it could have lost momentum - but it hasn't. How is the class continuing to thrive and draw in top-tier talent?

There are quite a few returning Olympians or Olympic campaigners which is great to see and really raises the standard. There are also sailing clubs with strong fleets which draw people in as fleet racing is always better racing than handicap sailing. And there aren't many dinghies which can be sailed competitively by people 90 kg+ (⁓200lbs+), so the Finn has a good niche.

Editor's note: The Finn Masters World Championship broke entry records for the 2025 regatta before the entry was even 'open'! That's a healthy fleet. Read more about it in the Finn Class's article here.

The Finn is known for its tunable rig setup. Can you walk us through your approach to using the chock system and adjusting mast base depending on conditions?

There are adjustable chocks at deck level, ranging from 1mm for fine-tuning to 10mm for big adjustments. The foot has an adjustable screw with 1 turn equating to around 1lb of leech tension movement.

As the wind increases, the flow stays on the mainsail for longer, so the "push point" of the boat moves back. To keep her balanced, the rig is moved forward both at the foot and the deck. In lighter winds, the rig is moved back and also to generate more lift off the foils. Leech tension can then be adjusted through the deck level chocks with most leech tension in flat water, light/moderate winds, and least when it is really windy.

You could spend a lot of time adjusting the rig between races and then worrying that you're on the "wrong" setting when the wind changes during the race, which it often does. So I have a good all-around setting that I use most of the time, then a more radical light and windy weather setting, which I'll shift to if conditions are clearly stable. I play with these settings and try to refine them at the smaller events, but keep it simple at the main events.

Custom rigs play a big part in Finn performance. Where do these rigs come from, and how are they tailored to individual sailors?

The carbon rig is one of the amazing features of the Finn. It is highly refined, having been through so many rounds of Olympic testing. It is very powerful, so little me is fully hiked in 8 knots, but the rig works so effectively that the Finn is still sailable upwind in 30 knots+.

Most Finn rigs are coming from Wilke in Switzerland or Hit Masts in the Netherlands. They are custom-built to the sailor's weight, fitness, and preferences, which is one of the nice features of the Finn. It also means a relatively wide weight range can compete with skippers at the sharp end, ranging from 85-120kg (⁓187-265lbs).

With so many control lines on a Finn, which is the most impactful on the boat?

Upwind, the inhaul and outhaul are key for controlling power and height. With such a big sail, these controls are adjusted a lot in mid-range winds. When it is windier, the cunningham and traveller come more into play to depower. Upwind, kicker is only really used in light winds, but kicker and centreboard are key downwind to balance speed vs. stability, depending on the wind and sea state.

You've got an exciting season lined up. How do you manage the logistics of getting your boat to so many international events and what does that travel schedule look like?

I am planning on sailing in most of the main regattas this year including the upcoming Europeans in Naples, Finn UK Master Nationals and Masters Worlds in Medemblik, Worlds in Cascais and Spanish Nationals in Ibiza. An excellent season! I am tight on holiday so I am lucky to have helpful friends going to these events who are taking my boat and I am flying in. I don't always have this luxury, I am driving 4 OKs to the Worlds in Garda!

STAYING COMPETITIVE, CONNECTED, & CURIOUS

Meet Sally Garrett – sailor, scientist, and a firm believer that there’s always more to learn on the water. She brings a deep well of sailing experience to the table. From double-handed offshore races and the Rolex Sydney Hobart to match racing and one-design keelboat fleets, she’s sailed it all. Lately, she’s been focused on the Flying Fifteen class. In this conversation, Sally shares what makes the class special and why it suits sailors at any stage of life.

Photo: Suellen Hurling / Live Sail Die

VAKAROS: RACESENSE FOR ALL GENERATIONS

A Master Class in technological advancement. The International Lightning Class is almost 80 years old. It stays up to date by balancing its traditions while mixing in new ideas and new technology. Recently, the Class teamed up with Vakaros to help its members experience Race Sense early. The Masters members might have enjoyed it best of all! They were among the most excited to dive into a future that is already here. New tech…it’s something great to evaluate and adopt at any age…any level of experience.