Right From the Start

The start of a boat race is where you can set up your whole race, get into clear air and going the right way initially and the rest of the day can fall into place fairly easy.
A good start preparation begins a long time before the race commences. We need to develop a plan and in order to implement that plan we need to accumulate as much pre start data as possible.
Begin by reading the starting instructions, look at the mark descriptions, the starting sequence, the recall procedures and the appropriate division flags. Out on the water we need to look at the bigger picture and what we think will eventuate on the first leg as this will have the biggest bearing on our starting strategy. Is one side of the course favoured by breeze, land mass or tide, is the wind building or dying, is the wind direction fairly regular or oscillating? These are all factors we need to consider when putting our start process together. To my way of thinking the definition of a successful start is not where or how you cross the line but if you are exactly where you choose to be when you make your first tack. This means you are right on your plan and sailing the race the way you intended to, being proactive and not reactive.
Assessing the starting line.
Taking into account the above factors we need then to look at whereabouts we intend to cross or start on the line. If we feel that one side or the other is favoured by what is going to happen further up the race track, then it would be in our best interests to start towards that end of the line so we can get to that favoured side quickly and get our race plan underway.
Firstly when the race committee sets the line we need to ascertain if that line is square to the wind, if the line is skewed then one end will be favoured above the other as the end further to windward will be closer to the top mark. It is quite simple to work this out poke your boat head to wind and take a reading of the wind direction, then sail along the start line and get a compass course on that. If the angle to either end is less than ninety degrees than that end is favoured over the other. There are some excellent comp cards available at chandleries that make this a lot easier. On larger boats they have the navigation data to “pin” the end of the line by GPS and have constant updates on the computer as to the favoured end. One point though is when doing a mark pin, try and go as slow as possible so as to get the most accurate reading, I see some boats screaming around at rate of knots whilst pinning the line and this is woefully inaccurate. Another thing to remember is keep updating the wind direction as it will likely be moving at regular intervals and thus minimising or making more pronounced the favoured end of the starting line or even changing it completely.
So if we have decided the port side of the course is favoured by either angle bias or factors likely to affect the fleet further up the course and that is the way we want to go then it would be most advantageous to start down toward the pin or buoy end of the line. In this case it will be in our best interests to continue on starboard tack after starting (most boats will nearly always start on starboard tack with its right of way advantage unless the line is very biased) and head quickly to our preferred left side. So our priorities must be clear air and the room to sail unimpeded on starboard tack. To this end whilst jockeying for position in the last few minutes it is important to try and keep a clear gap in the area immediately under our bow, if we let another similar or faster boat into this hole then he is going to cause us issues by lee bowing us once the gun has gone and forcing us to tack away, sometimes only after an excruciating lengthy wait for rest of the fleet to open up and allow us enough room to do the tack. Once we have to make this reactive tack our game plan has gone astray. So work very hard to get this clear space under you bow and protect it, so many times I have seen a boat work very hard to get into a really good spot and then throw it away in the last twenty seconds by sailing down the line towards the boats underneath them and ending up too close. We can use up a little of this gap in a speed build but not too much so we cause ourselves issues by getting too close to those boats under us. When doing a preferred pin end start, I am a fan of approaching the line on port tack and looking for the most advantageous spot to tack into i.e. in a gap with a nice space to leeward and away from the negative influence of bigger boats if possible. Whilst sailing in on port tack it provides a view of the whole fleet and where they are all setting up, if it looks like a lot of congestion is developing at the bottom end then sail past these boats and tack in clear up on their hip and let them fight each other while you concentrate on clear air and a good start, there is a fair chance that as they disrupt each other you will sail over the top of them and away to your preferred side. If on the other hand the pin is relatively clear then tack in front of the fleet and stake your claim early. It is a great feeling to be on the pin mark at the gun going to the favoured side of the course with the whole fleet on your hip and you safe in the lee bow position.
If the boat end is favoured then we will need to orientate our starting position to that end of the line and this presents a whole new set of challenges. As we now prefer the right side of the course we need to be able to tack out relatively early (assuming we will start on starboard tack) and get over toward that side. To do this it is very important to deduce where exactly the starboard tack layline to the starting boat or distance mark is. It is worth doing a few runs at the committee boat prestart to try and gauge this, if we happen to be near land it is a good idea to sight up on the shore to a point where we can see that we are approaching the start on the lay line. The reason we need to pay a great deal of attention to this layline is that if we try and come down from above it we have no rights and are barging in that the start. This approach is fraught with danger and probably causes more collisions than any other situation in sailing, so be very wary and remember the boats below you have every right to push you out. However as we are looking to tack away as soon as possible we need to be close to this layline as we can. The further away down the line we end up positioned the longer we will have to wait before we can tack away as we will likely have several starboard tack boats on our hip preventing this. It is quite common for this end of the line to become quite congested as well and so sometimes vigilance is required; if the situation is such that it is imperative to tack away to starboard as soon as possible it can be ok to come in just behind the main group and quickly tack away and get over to the favoured side. It goes against the grain a bit to hang back but gets you going the way you want earlier than being hemmed in by other boats. If it is not imperative to tack away too early then a nice conservative start just below the main group can work well, sail in clear air for a while and wait for the gaps to open up before tacking over.
If we find we have a square line with no discernible bias then it is often best to start in the middle of the line. A mid line start can be advantageous when we need to keep our options open, if the breeze is oscillating randomly then a nice clear lane in the middle means we can exploit the wind shifts as they become apparent to us. Generally speaking the fleet as a whole are less aggressive and less tightly bunched midline and it can be a good safe place to start, particularly in heavy winds. Many top Steerers like to start mid line regularly so as not to be too hemmed into one side of the course and have a better chance of getting a clearer lane to sail in.
Coming into a start can be a pretty volatile situation with lots of flapping sails, yelling crews and boats in very close proximity. It is no place for the fainthearted or ignorant. On larger boats it can be very hard to maintain a line of communication between helm and tactician, it is far better to let the helmsman take over the primary positioning of the boat for the last minute or so. So it is imperative that the helmsman has a good understanding of the rules and the ability to handle the boat in tight situations in order to grab opportunities when they present themselves and avoid predicaments that develop quickly.
Another point in starting a yacht race is the fleet size and type; we can naturally be a lot more adventurous on a smaller sized fleet where there are fewer competitors to hinder us. In larger fleets we need to take a more conservative approach with so many more boats around. If we find ourselves in a mixed fleet aboard one of the slower boats it would be silly to position ourselves at a starting point where once the race is underway we will be rolled over and gassed by all the larger faster boats, so once again a conservative approach is best.
The way we start a yacht race is usually critical to our chances of success. So take the time to get it right and your success rate will be greatly enhanced.