Aim to cross the line at full speed just as the starting signal is made, in clear air with space to leeward. A timed run, where you sail away from the line for a set time and back again, is a simple way to judge it.
A good start puts you in clear wind, at full speed, near the front of the fleet, heading the way you want to go. A poor one leaves you in the wind shadow of the boats ahead, which is very hard to recover from.
A timed run is a simple, reliable method:
- Decide where on the line you want to start.
- With a few minutes to go, sail away from that spot on a reach for a set time, for example one minute.
- Tack or gybe and sail back. The return takes about the same time, so you arrive close to the start.
- Adjust as you go: if early, ease the sails to slow down; if late, sheet in and sail fast.
- In the last 10 to 15 seconds, sheet in, bear away slightly to build speed, then come up to close-hauled and cross with the signal.
Other techniques that help:
- Know where the line is. Before the start, sight along the line from beyond one end and pick a landmark on the shore in line with it. During the start you can tell how close you are by looking at it.
- Keep a gap to leeward. Space below you lets you bear away to accelerate. Without it you are stuck slow and can be pushed over the line.
- Approach on starboard tack. Starboard-tack boats have right of way over port-tack boats, which keeps things simpler in a crowd.
- Practise holding position. Learn how slowly your boat can sail and still steer, with sails eased.
Common mistakes are arriving early and having to stall, sitting slow with no space to leeward, and being over the line. It is better to be a second late than a second early: being over means going back and losing far more.
Remember that the right-of-way rules apply before the start as well as after it, and a crowded start is where many incidents happen. Keep a good lookout, and make your intentions clear.
More in the book: Chapter 15, Your first race