Starts - Revisited!!

In my usual ranting way I built some blogs at the end of the season about my knowledge and experience of starts. These became long rants, and so I tried to summarise and as usual that became another rant.

Here I take out my own key learning and goals for 2014

Prestart

The key fault correcting actions I will take are with calming down and getting closer to the pre-start line up so I can control lane, not be in the left overs. Also in getting the right shape of the lane : I often leave it open to windward or do not defend the gap in time by falling off over it.

1) Distance DDW from the line and speed - In the past I have been continually low of the real play area: this means I cannot control my destiny. Distance DDW from the line in a sporty or dinghy at 1 minute should not be much more than 2 boat legnths: 4 max.  Speed: keep it cool until you need to tack or bite into your lane.

2) Position for the lane ( your runway off the line) and your favoured exit strategy:

a) mid line to top third towards committee boat- this can be reaching in on port at 1min 30 at about 5 -6 boat legnths DDW from the line perpendicular. There is then a need to harden up if there is a space and not be too afraid of STB boats if they are ragging - to then get up to 3 to 4 boat legnths DDW and then even closer when you tack over into my lane.
  a.i.) Alternative is to reach in on STB at 1 minute - the time is shorter because you do not have the braking effect of the tack, and you want to hold boats up on the RHS so they either sail under you or wait for an RC boat end start.
a.i.i) an different alternative for a slower classic or cruiser racer is to beat up close hauled on a layline pretty much near the IDM. You can luff boats and choose your lane more easily. This begins latest at 1.45 about 10-15 boat legnths DDW of AN EXTENSION of the line at the RC end in this case.

b) Remember that you for a right hand end start either on the beat or reach and harden up, you need to be out to the right of the IDM / RC boat.

c) Get your nose in there!  Decide on the lane- come up to winward on the boat above you sooner, brake them down to avoid being rolled.

d) Late, early pack or space opening, or on time and line up controlling?

i) If the pack are late then you can slow the whole bunch up if you have a position near the IDM layline. In a series this can give some bad placings for many of your hotter competitors or right hand fly starters.

ii) if the pack are early then you can also have a controlling position, this time either by having a bigger space to leeward when you get your lane, or by hooking just the quarter of the boat to windward above you, with a good chance that the lane will remain open- thus you get a half boat length more to accelerate and the chance to get even more space to leeward

iii) if they pack are on time, then you can just line up on an average lane, defend it to windward and to leeward and once in lane luff the guy to windward, keeping your bow level until a reasonable count down of 15 to 30 seconds.

3) IDM / RHS strategy

a) You need to be on STB early, to the right hand extension of the line quite far out if you are holding to 3 boat lengths DDW rule of thumb. If you have the chance to brake the pack here or force them behind, low or over the top of you good: at 1 minute plus they will be too near to have a good start in any wind and you can re-appraise if you will own the IDM layline

b) Consider coming up close hauled from further back on a layline a little high of the IDM.

c) Remember the rules- the RC may be close enough to the IDM or with no IDM then you need to give room if there was space when your overlap was established or if other boats are piling in. If they can sail between the IDM and boat or are clear of the boat alone, then be a little cautious on revenge because you may be able to force them over at the expense then of a really messy start. Call them to bear off you will take them over, and shut the door on other interlopers by being a little lower meaning they have room to come up on the IDM but will go over early or stall if they do, instead of being able to call water for the RC.

d) in an HC fleet or for a long beat of more than a nautical mile with a RHS bias on the line or preferred side, or just you know you will get buried: then you can consider a port hand start, on a very safe Port IDM layline , dipping the sterns if there are no stragglers up on the RHS. This is a late start for you: for a fleet who are also a little late or bunched at the RHS; you may want to start late from STB and buy your IDM lane by timing and luffing, coming in though at enough speed from a reach or easy beat up to it in order to tack away as soon as you have pinned out any off the line port  tackers.

Prestart and on Start Boat Behaviour

5) know your fleet: some fleets are god awful for reaching along the line and it is therefore dangerous to try and be the traffic light, luffing at a stop at 30 seconds to go.

6) with a fleet who are always coming in at speed on the RHS IDM then this is a case of booking your space in the reaching pack and knowing your competition individaully.
i) At 1.15 minute out you have the chance to be brake man and you could call very loudly going up to rag so that the boat below you maybe also plays ball and you then have a nice little police action going on, stopping the RHS pack up.
ii) You may want to bail out and reach behind some sterns to then get a really, really fast start further down
iv) If there is a defined, small pack barging the IDM / RC at well over a minute and you have room, you may want to gybe round and go back in - 15 seconds for the byge, 15 seconds up to the layline, 15 seconds tack and then 15 seconds build of speed or pick a new lane or go a little late.

v) on this point, a 5 ' bias on a relatively short wednesday night or pursuit race start for example will be annulerated by the fleet piling up there.

7) Late to Start Area (or took a 720 )

i) consider the port tack start  ..:BUT ONLY IF you know the IDM Layline and tide on the RC end.

ii) Reach from STB to the boat who is still luffing at 15 seconds. Brake at the transom to the boat above him so he luffs even more, thinking you want to get in there, and then get the hook on at 10 seconds reaching into the enlarged leeward hole he has just amplified. This is on a typical start line smart alec who likes luffing and is poor at starting otherwise or due to this! Know your enemy!

ii) If you have to beat up to get back the distance to windward, power up early and get the boat smoking : judge the IDM layline; then judge where the early port tackers are- those with a boat on their leebow. Judge if you will go under them once you are on the IDM layline if they tack, ie you tack to port to go right and if they tack in that time you will be in your own wind, even though you are long down wind:  If they will sit on you, then  you need to go on their line if RHS is the place to go. If they are really far ahead and faster HC boats, then you want to get speed on, get a good tack over to the RHS when you are at best speed and just sail your own race until you can tack back to STB to pin boats out who are coming right on Port tack again.