DON’T WASTE TIME IN
THE START AREA BY
SITTING THERE WITH
YOUR SAILS FLAPPINGTOP TIP
- PRE-START
The start is possibly the most crucial part of the race. A good start can give you that
all-important jump on your competitors, allowing you to sail away in clear air with
options to follow your first beat strategy, take the first shift and, most importantly,
concentrate on sailing fast rather than looking for clear lanes and avoiding boats.
Simply sitting in the start area with your sails flogging is not the best use
of time. Firstly you will be watching ten pound notes disappearing into the
wind as your sails take a battering, and secondly there is vital information
you need to gather to help you have the best chance of a good start!
A good starting point is to make sure you are aware of the time left to the start.
Have a watch with a good clear countdown function and make sure you know which
buttons to press. Sync your watch at the four minute signal to ensure perfect timing.
Next, suss out exactly where that imaginary line on the water is. This is where
transits are invaluable and getting more than just the one on the line can really help
with your time and distance approach. If there is not a transit exactly on the line
or it is very dicult to distinguish, pick something that does stand out and decide
how many boat lengths it is back from the line. Believe me it’s much better than
nothing; often you can see it and you know you can either inch forward or pull the
trigger early. Don’t pick animals, boats or cars as they have the habit of moving! - AT THE BRIEFING
When you arrive at the venue you will either have to sign on if it’s a club race,
or enter at registration if it’s an open meeting or championship. Typically you
will be issued with a set of sailing instructions which contain a lot of useful
information - as do the briefings - and you need to know it! This includes:
Where your race area will be
What your startline is between
Which starting sequence will be used
What the course is
Colour of the marks
Number of laps
If the course is complicated or there are a number of courses the race
ocer can use, making a note on your boat using a chinagraph pencil or
jotting them down in a wet notes book can be really helpful. Not sure on your
flags? Having a sticker with them on stuck on to your boat is really handy.
The briefing is very useful as often additional information will be
given and this is your chance to ask the race ocer any questions
you may have or raise any queries on the sailing instructions.
Lastly, check the safety regulations in the sailing instructions: do you need to
sign on and of? Is there a tally system? This is something so easily and often
forgotten and it can be such a disappointment when you come ashore and
find you have a penalty – either extra score points, or a donation to the RNLI.
DO READ THE SAILING
INSTRUCTIONS AND
ATTEND THE BRIEFINGTOP TIP
- LAUNCHING
The period of time you have on the water
before the start is very important. This is your
chance to gather as much information as you
can about the venue, wind and startline.
Resist that second cup of tea and bacon roll in the
clubhouse and give yourself plenty of time to get to
the race area. Sail upwind, set your boat up for the
conditions and if you have a compass note down your
angles. Practice some tacks and gybes and, if you have
a kite, hoist it and check it’s rigged correctly. Then
head back to the startline to check the course and
number of laps on the committee boat - if displayed
- and the compass bearing to the windward mark.
If for any reason you are late arriving to the race area
so don’t have time to sail upwind and the committee boat
is displaying the compass bearing to the windward mark,
you can use this to get an idea of what your average
numbers could be upwind by adding and subtracting
your tacking angle. This is normally around 40 degrees,
but it’s worth knowing more accurately for your class.
DON’T LEAVE THE
SHORE LATETOP TIP
CARLO BORLENGHI/ROLEX; RYA/MARC TURNER; C/O RS SAILING54 Yachts & Yachting July 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk