The following article is reprinted by kind permission of Ian Pinnell of Pinnell and Bax Sails, 4-8 Talbot Road, Northampton, NN1 4JB.
It sounds so obvious, but the first rule of making the crucially important good start is to get out to the start area early - preferably first. This will give you time to track the mean wind and look for any tidal influences.
If its a line start, a compass is the easiest, quickest and most accurate way to check line bias. Put the boat head to wind and take a reading, checking this several times to establish a mean direction. Then sail down the line on starboard to take a bearing of the line. Add 90 degrees to this reading. If the result is greater than the wind bearing there is a port end bias. If it is less, the starboard end is favoured. If the starting area is close to the shore - or if you are sailing inland - it really pays to get a good transit. In case you lose sight of either end of the line, and long lines always have a sag in the centre which you may be able to take advantage of.
By the time the 5-minute signal is given, you should have made up your mind completely about which end to be - and start as close to it as possible. The only time I’m a little wary of these tactics are when there is a five minute disqualification rule in force and the competition is very high. In these circumstances we tend to choose a slot a little further away from the pin so that if we are slightly early - we are more likely to be hidden.
When there is a one-minute, round the ends rule and you are over - you can still get away with a reasonable start by gybing and tacking round the pin.
Get the crew to provide the countdown to give the helm full powers of concentration on positioning the boat. And always make sure before the start that the sails and rig are set and tuned for the conditions prevailing.
Boat control and pre-start manoeuvres are vital, and it takes a great deal of practice and experience to always pull off a good start.
The ideal situation to try and create is one in which - with 10 seconds to go - you have created a boats length of space to leeward of you by sailing slowly towards the line as close to the wind as possible. With 3 seconds to go you should have powered off into the leeward space to hit the line at full speed on the gun with your nose clear ahead of the boats above and below you.
Gate starts are, of course, very different - although the rules about getting to the area early still apply. It is usually fairly obvious whether starting early or late will pay off but it is sensible to be more reluctant to ‘go for it’ on gates and better to play the fleet and come out of the gate in good shape somewhere near the middle. It is again important to work hard to create the gap to leeward by sailing close-hauled and clip the back of the gate boat as close as possible sailing at full speed.
Finally, aiways read the sailing instructions very carefully - with particular regard to the time when the Pathfinder is released. Even if it is obviously right to start late - don’t be greedy! A conservative approach is the most reliable; you won’t win championships by taking risks.
Editors Note: This article is from Reflections No. 105 Summer 1995, page 7. It has been captured by OCR, so typos & errors are possible.
