The hidden complexities to getting to the start line.

 Why is getting on the start line so difficult? Even without the distraction of other boats and the pressure a man in a boat scrutinising your position and the ever present threat of OCS on your score card presents, a lot of perfectly decent sailors really struggle to get to where they want to be on a start line when the gun goes. One area that I have been coaching a lot on over the summer is that no two start lines are the same. Minor changes in the angle of the line to the wind can have major repercussions on how the line should be approached, however a lot of racers seem to perform the same start for all occasions and the first time they try their approach to the line is when the start gun is about to go.

I had quite a bit of fun while coaching starting over the summer. Playing with start line bias had a big and predictable effect on how a fleet managed to get to the line. A square line generally meant one or two boats were over, and most of the boats crossed the line within 15 seconds of the start signal. Dropping the start boat back a bit to induce a slight port end bias led to generally all boats being behind the line and about a quarter of the fleet struggling to cross the line within 20 seconds. A moderate port bias would normally mean the first boats crossed the line 5-10 seconds after the go and it would take about 30 seconds for over 50% of the fleet to get on course side. Change this to a slight starboard bias and no such issues with getting to the start line existed, quite the opposite. When setting a line with moderate starboard bias I frequently had to turn away and cringe as boats would pile into the back of my rib while other sailors reached down the line completely unable to slow down. Inevitably lots of boats would be over when the gun went and few managed to stay even remotely near the favoured end of the line.

Why was this happening? The kids I was coaching had developed one procedure for starting that sort of worked when the line was very slightly port biased but not for anything else. It seems obvious when you look at it, but changing bias of a start line means the sailor needs to change their approach to the line, not just to get to the favoured end but merely to get to/ not be over the line.

The first thing to consider is how to control your speed and direction. At a very basic level, to sail slowly the sail needs to be able to completely flap. This will only happen when sailing on a close reach or higher. The closer to the wind a boat turns, the less the boat will move forwards, however as the boat turns closer to the wind the ability to control direction diminishes and the boat will tend to drift sideways and if the sailor isn’t vigilant, backwards.

To put it in crude terms a sailor must approach the position they intend to start at on a start line on a close reach to close hauled course in order to control their speed, while still being able to control where the boat goes.

Now if I put this ideal route on a few different diagrams of a start line it becomes obvious why the same approach to all lines can’t work.

Fig 1: Shows a boat approaching a square line. It is fairly easy for the boat to reach the line on starboard tack. However if the sailor gets to the line a little early it can be difficult to slow down sufficiently to avoid being OCS 

Fig 2: Shows a boat approaching a port biased line. Now it is far harder for the boat to cross the line and in order to be on the line at go the sailor must position the boat a lot closer to the line in the pre start than in Fig 1. Dirty wind from other boats on the start line will have the effect of reducing how high the boat can sail meaning if you are in the second row it can take a frustratingly long time to cross the line. On the plus side it will be a lot easier to slow down if you are on the line early. 

Fig 3: Shows a boat approaching a line with starboard bias.  Now the boat will have little difficulty covering the distance to the line. However if they get there too early bearing away along the line will give the sailor no way of slowing down leading to being away from the favoured end or being pushed over the line early.

While line bias may influence the end of the start line you choose to start at, these diagrams also show that it has a fundamental effect on how you need to plan your run in to the line, and where you need to position your boat pre-start.

While other boats will strongly effect how you perform your start, in order to have a fighting chance of pulling off the start you would like to, I very strongly recommend working out the ideal line of approach to where you want be on the line, when the gun goes. This ideal line of approach will be slightly class and wind dependent but will ultimately be as described above, somewhere around a close reach. If it is as high as a close hauled course you are likely to drift sideways away from where you want to start, while if it is broader than a close reach slowing down will be tricky and you will be susceptible to boats to leeward luffing you and preventing you from getting to where you want to be.

Find this line into the start and try sailing into the start line a few times, controlling your speed on each run in. Work out how far away from the line you want to be at 1min and 30 seconds then be prepared to adjust this depending on boats around you.

Fig 4: For example to be at X on go find the red line in to start, then have an idea where on the line you want to be at set times before go, then work on being confident you can adjust your speed to adapt to other boats. 

Last year I was lucky enough to be helping out at an event at Queen Mary SC where a handful of Olympic squad sailors came to offer coaching advice to the club sailors. After videoing the Sunday racing a few of the squad did a video debrief, one of whom was Alexandra Rickman the Paralympic bronze medal Skud sailor. After watching the Laser start on video she turned to the club sailors and said incredulously, ‘why don’t any of you guys do run in’s before the start?’ (Or at least that is what I remember her saying…..) She couldn’t understand why none of the sailors practised their approach to the line, preferring instead to haphazardly approach the line for the first time as the gun went. Needless to say most of the starts in the video were far from Olympic standard.

Add working out your approach to the line part of your pre-start routine. It doesn’t take long and is a massive step into pulling off consistently good starts. It’s what Olympic sailors do and they are quite good at it. While there is a lot more to getting the perfect start by ticking this box you will be on the right path.