Anna Tunnicliffe, Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, and one of the best racers in the world, man or woman. I first saw her use this Laser hiking tactic during this event. Adjusting the sails or other controls on the mast or boom while racing upwind in a Laser in a strong breeze, while maintaining both speed and direction is extremely difficult, especially for a lighter sailor.

In the maneuver shown in this shot, instead of simply leaning in to adjust the controls, which would reduce leverage and speed, Tunnicliffe moves her back leg out for stability and leverage as she moves her torso in to make adjustments. The move is quick, smooth and effective, with no apparent loss of speed or boat trim. Tunnicliffe makes it look easy, but since she's the only Laser racer I've ever seen do it, my guess is that it took a lot of practice and trial-and-error to get it right. ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Tunnicliffe