2025 is upon us. If you are like me you’ve probably been thinking about what you’d like to accomplish in the coming year in sailing wise. Hopefully this short post can help you think about your goals for the year and set you and your team up for success.

Being deliberate about setting goals is the way to achieve them.

Aspirational vs. Waypoint goals:

Say you wanted to go on a powerboat cruise from a place like Newport, R.I. to Camden, ME. In today’s world, you’d turn on your chartplotter which would show you your present location. Then you’d pick the spot on the screen where you wanted to end up. On the plotter I use often, I’d might then press “go to”. Immediately the machine would draw a straight line from where I am to where I want to go. Almost certainly the line would go across land. If I chose to follow it my journey would soon be over as I run hard aground and come to a complete stop!

In order to get to my goal I would need to use the “route to” function. This has me to set my starting and end points and then modify the straight line from point A to point B to avoid any obstacles ahead. The route is a lot longer than a straight line but if I follow it I will eventually end up where I want to be.

So while I aspire to drive my boat to Camden, the reality is I need to go through multiple waypoints to make that happen. Thinking about goal setting for sport in a similar way is a healthy and effective way to actually accomplish goals rather than just talk about them.

Aspirational goals

Aspirational goals are our hopes and dreams for the future. They are the dreams that cause us to get up in the morning and make things happen to positively affect our lives and the lives of others.

Some examples:

Send my kids to a good college
Purchase a boat and go cruising with my family
Buy a sports car
Live in a good neighborhood with good schools
Retire comfortably

Some examples that might apply to sailing:

Finish in the top half of my local fleet championships
Win the Nationals in my class
Win the Worlds in my class
Compete in my first long distance race
Win a long distance race

Aspirational goals are the end result we are hoping for. I want to go by water to Camden, ME from Newport, R.I., that’s my aspiration. How I am going to get there is a different story. The requires setting what might be be called “waypoint” goals, or the steps and turns I need to take on my journey to my destination. Over the course of the trip there will be many turns, stops and starts and even pauses along the way (perhaps to wait for weather). Progressing in sailboat racing is a similar process.

While this might seem overly simplistic I feel it is important as you frame your approach to improving or setting a goal in sailing. Sailboat racing is a enormously complicated sport, that’s why many of us love it so much. However improvement rarely comes quickly and it is very easy to get discouraged and lose focus. Thinking about setting interim goals on the path to your aspirational goal is key to staying motivated and making the most use of your time. Reaching the next “waypoint” on your journey will keep you motivated to reach for the next one and if you have mapped your route correctly will put you ever closer to your final goal.

Mapping out a path and plan is the key and should start with the very basics. A whole book could be written on this but suffice it to say the key to success is having good boat speed. Good boat speed in all conditions is an absolute necessity and should be the primary initial focus. It is the hardest thing to achieve, takes the most time and yes, costs the most money. Without speed there is no hope of good tactics. With this in mind here is a potential list of “waypoint” goals in your journey to improving. Whether you sail one design or handicap these same ideas can be applied.

Evaluate present boat and equipment—is it the best? If not make goal to own a boat and gear that is the best.
Crew—do I have the best and optimal crew I can get to sail with me? Goal-sail with people that are better than you.
Boathandling—-Goal is to have all manuvers down in all conditions… Goal-dedicate time and resources to practicing boat handling.
Boatspeed—-Is it getting better?—If not why and how do we improve it? Goal-dedicate time and resources to boatspeed training.
Tactics/Rules—Do we have a full understanding of the RRS and are we tactically competent? Goal-become a “student of the game” by reading, attending seminars and more to become fully comfortable on the rules.
Racing—Is the schedule set so we can set ourselves up for incremental improvement? Jumping right into the top events in a class might be a a way to see what level you are at, however know that starting at home and having a goal to win locally is also a good plan. Goal-develop a well thought out schedule for building up to larger and more competitive events.

Set yourself up for success by racing a boat where you can afford the absolute best equipment. Compromises here will often up in frustration. From there, the next very important step is choosing your team. Your team is only going to as good as its weakest link. If your goal is to do well link might be you. If possible, try and enlist sailors that are better than you or at least on par with your talents. It certainly is possible to “grow” a team from the ground up, it will take time and patience. Perfection is not possible when choosing a team but keeping these ideas in mind when organizing one will help. The most successful skippers I know bury their ego when picking team and work to make their teammates shine.

A focus on developing boatspeed makes everything else easier.

Taking some time to clearly think about what your goals are and then developing a path of steps or points you are going to go through on that journey is not only a way to succeed but can be really rewarding. If you would like to discuss your goals please send me a note at chris@thefavoredend.com. Here’s to a great 2025!

Start 2025 off right. Be deliberate in your goal setting.

Aspirational vs. Waypoint goals:

Aspirational goals

A girl named Sonny.

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