Keay,
Starting is probably the most difficult part of racing. It's usually
the most crowded, it calls for timing, get your race off to a decent
start - or it screws things up so badly that you can't concentrate on
the first leg. Here are some ideas based on your diagram.
A lot depends on what kind of boats. If it's One Design Santana 22,
they should all be moving and pointing about the same. If it's PHRF
Start with mixed boats, there will be different speeds and angles of
sail.
How the line is set also comes into play. The "closest" end might
not be the "best" end. Prior to "Warning" get your boat in the
middle of the line and come head to wind. If the bow points directly
at the next mark, the RC has done its job. If the bow points at an
angle to the next mark, one side of the course is favored since a
beat up that side will bring you closer to the mark since you're
sailing "higher" on that tack.
If the line is set square to the wind, each tack up to the first mark
should be equal. Of course in SF Bay you also have to take into
account the current and what it's doing, but equal tacks is the theory.
In a mixed fleet, Tunas are often the small boat, with shorter masts,
so it's easy to get blanketed by the larger boats, who are often
moving faster since they're bigger. The pack at the committee boat/
favored end of the line is not a good place to be small and slow.
1. A port-tack start is very tricky if the line is set square to the
wind. You'll encounter all the other boats right at the Start Line
and have to duck them all - bad air, sailing low, end up to windward
of the entire fleet. It looks like that's what you did in this race.
If the line isn't set squarely, you might be able to "port tack" the
fleet and cross in front of them since you'd be sailing higher than
boats starting on starboard. Or, if the fleet is mixed, you might be
able to sail through "holes" at the starboard boats spread out.
Talk with Frank or Cathy about doing that on the Knox Course when the
line is set badly and there's a heavy flood current!
2. If the line is set square, and if the line really is as long as
you say, and if the starters all bunch up at the committee boat end
of the line, you might want to pick a "hole" part way down the line
instead of joining the pack and getting blanketed by their sails.
Run along the line a few yards back, being careful about leeward
boats, pick a hole just before the gun, and get a good clean Start.
Tack to Port when things there's a clear path if the right side is
the favored side.
3. Another way is to latch on to a boat that's about your size/speed
that you think does well. Check results of the previous races.
Follow them around, trailing them by a few yards. It will drive them
crazy, but if you pay attention to what they do in the pre-start and
Start you can learn.
Pat Broderick
ex-Tuner
On Nov 29, 2010, at 4:47 PM, Keay Edwards wrote:
> All,
>> I have been running over in my head how I can do better in my next
> mid-winters race. I made several errors in both the start as well
> as my sail trim. I know I turn to you guys, maybe a little too
> often, for information, but hope you might still pass along any
> thoughts you might have on a diagram I have posted to my santana page.
>> Thanks Much,
>> Keay
>>http://keay3.blogspot.com/2010/11/stratageecal-thinking.html> _______________________________________________
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