Surfing: The Hidden Engine of Offshore Speed

The Moment Everything Changes

You’re running in 20 knots TWS Boat speed is good. Everything feels under control.

Then the stern lifts.

The boat hesitates for a fraction of a second—then accelerates.

Spray builds. The helm lightens. The apparent wind swings forward.

And suddenly, you’re no longer sailing through the water.

You’re riding it.

That moment—when the hull releases and the boat starts to surf—is where offshore races are won.

This Is Not Downwind Sailing as It Used to Be

There was a time when offshore downwind performance was about minimising loss.

Boats like Sparkman & Stephens yachts were elegant, balanced, and efficient—but fundamentally limited by displacement hull speed.

Modern offshore boats are different animals entirely.

Designs such as the Sun Fast 3600 and JPK 1180 are built for something else:

• Wide, powerful sterns

• Flat aft sections

• High form stability

• Reduced drag when accelerating

They are not trying to cope with waves.

They are designed to use them.

The Real Game: Connecting Energy, Not Angles

A wave is a moving energy system.

Your job is not simply to sail the correct angle to the wind.

Your job is to position the boat so gravity does the work.

The cycle is always the same:

Climb → Release → Surf → Decay → Repeat

• The stern lifts

• The bow tips forward

• The boat accelerates down the face

• Speed builds rapidly

• Then it fades

The crews who win offshore races are not just sailing.

They are linking these cycles together, over and over again.

Apparent Wind: The Trap Most Crews Fall Into

As the boat accelerates:

• Apparent wind moves forward

• Apparent wind speed increases

This changes everything.

Most crews get this wrong.

They bear away… but leave the sails eased.

The result?

• Flow detaches

• Power disappears

• Boat falls off the surf

The fast boats do the opposite.

They keep trimming in as they accelerate.

This is one of the biggest mindset shifts in modern offshore sailing:

The faster you go, the more you trim.

The Hull Unlocks the Speed

This is where design becomes decisive.

Modern hulls are designed to transition from displacement to semi-planing modes.

At low speed:

• Waterline length dominates

• Drag rises sharply with speed

At higher speed:

• Dynamic lift increases

• Wetted surface reduces

• Effective resistance drops

This is why the acceleration feels so dramatic.

You are not just going faster.

You are entering a different hydrodynamic regime.

Helming: The Difference Between Average and Elite and why autohelms can’t do it

A good offshore helm:

1. Reads the wave before it arrives

2. Anticipates stern lift

3. Times the bear away with the energy release

4. Drives the acceleration phase aggressively—but in control

The technique is subtle but decisive:

• Head up slightly to climb

• Bear away to engage

• Tighten as speed builds

• Control the exit

Get it right—and the boat takes off.

Get it wrong—and you stall, or worse, broach.

Night Sailing: Where It Really Shows

At night, everything changes.

You cannot see the wave clearly. You cannot rely on visual cues.

So you switch systems.

You sail by:

• Pressure on your face

• Load on the helm

• Movement under your feet

• Sound of the wake

The best offshore sailors don’t lose performance at night.

They become more precise.

Because they stop reacting—and start feeling.

Double-Handed Reality

In double-handed racing, this becomes critical.

Yes, the autopilot is essential.

But it cannot:

• Link wave sequences

• Anticipate surf entry

• Maximise acceleration

So the reality is simple:

If you want to go fast in waves, you have to drive the boat.

Manually. Actively. Continuously.

The Reality Over a 600-Mile Race

This is where it becomes decisive.

A crew that surfs properly will:

• Spend more time above target speeds

• Maintain higher averages

• Stay in pressure bands longer

The gain?

Often just 0.5–1.5 knots.

But compounded over 300–600 miles…

It’s the difference between mid-fleet and the podium.

The Truth

You are not racing the wind alone.

You are racing:

• The wave pattern

• The timing

• The transitions

And the teams who learn to connect wave to wave—

Don’t just go faster. They break away.