Starting at the Weather End

In watching thousands of different starts, I’ve seen too many people hang back or put themselves in dangerous positions too often. Becoming a good starter obviously comes from experience, but it’s the experience of getting in there, mixing it up and fighting for a front row seat that makes people better. This chapter is the first of a three-chapter look at starting.

There are two primary reasons why people hang back. First, they are unsure of the racing rules. This causes them to be overcautious and to stay away from the other boats, as they don’t want to mess up their fellow sailors’ starts. There are two excellent and quick ways to overcome this lack of knowledge. First, read the Racing Rules of Sailing, and in particular the rules in Part 2 of the RRS. Preferably read them with a friend who really understands the rules. Supplement your reading with my text, Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing.

Then enter a race as crew for someone who fully understands the rules. Have them point out rule situations as they occur, discussing the different rights and obligations as they change. Ask questions and get together after the race to refresh your memory. You’ll find that the rules for any given situation are very understandable; it’s the situations themselves that change rapidly. In a short time you’ll be familiar with most of the situations as they happen and be able to apply the rules immediately.

Now, if someone tries to challenge you for your weather end start, here’s what to do. It all revolves around the layline to the weather starting mark. You’re set up ready to come reaching in for the perfect start and another boat sets itself up in front of you. If you go to windward of them, they’ll hold you up and force you on the wrong side of the starting mark. But what would happen if you started to sail to leeward of the boat? If they let you go through them, you will come up under them, become the leeward boat, and force them above the weather end. So naturally they will bear off so as not to let you get to leeward of them. If they don’t, simply sail behind them, give them room and opportunity to keep clear, then luff them above the mark. If they do bear off to defend against your intrusion on their leeward side, keep making it seem as if you are going to leeward of them, until they have sailed down past the layline to the mark (see diagram below). Once they’re past the layline they can no longer physically shut you out. Then you can harden up to close-hauled on the layline and take the start. When tailing, be extremely careful not to overlap them to leeward unless you are 100 percent sure you can break through their bad air. If not, slow your boat down and stay on their transom. The key here is the layline, and you want to set yourself up so that, when you finally do get to the layline, you can head up to close-hauled and start without slowing down. In this way, anyone trying to duck your stern will not have enough time to break through your lee and will wind up in your bad air.

(End)

Read additional excerpts from Winning in One-Designs by visiting http://www.ussailing.org/member/library/wiodindex.htm.

Order Dave Perry's Winning in One-Designs by visiting http://www.ussailing.org/merchandise/detail.asp?product_id=71019.