S-22 Annual Start Clinic

When: Sunday, March 22 at 11:00 hours

Where: Treasure Island Cove

What: A series of timed starts, each followed by a short beat to windward and a downwind finish. Included is a potluck dockside lunch break and a discussion of starting strategies.

How: To enable more starts, we will use only a 3-minute countdown. The sound signals will be at: 3:00 2:00 1:00 0:00

Boats will be notified approximately 60 seconds before each impending start on Ch. 71. Tackful will be the committee boat.

Pertinent Rules:

Besides the obvious port/starboard, it is suggested that the rules governing an overlap and windward/leeward be reviewed.

Suggestions for a successful start:

1) Stay close! If you begin your final approach from two minutes out and your timing is off by 20%, you will be 24 seconds late for the start. From one minute out you would be 12 seconds off, but from 30 seconds out, only 6 seconds late.

2) Time the line! Know how long it takes your boat to sail down the line from committee boat end to the pin end. If, for example, it takes 30 seconds, then should you pass by the committee boat with more than 0:30 remaining on the countdown, you will know that you must slow down so as to not run out of line (pass beyond the pin end) before time expires.

3) Review and understand the rules regarding overlap and windward/leeward. Before the start there is always the danger that a boat below you could head up and force you above the line. In this situation you want to be very clear about when boats are overlapped and when they are not. All this is leading up to the importance of keeping your leeward quarter clear. Try not to let a boat coming up from below gain an overlap and luffing rights.

4) A port tack start should only be attempted by experienced sailors who are confident in their boat handling skills. This is where having timed the line is most important. As in our earlier example, if the line is 30 seconds long and no starboard tack boats have reached the committee boat end with 0:30 remaining, you then know that at 0:00 the pin end will be clear. I recommend that you be on starboard near or at the pin when you make your decision so that you need only a well-timed tack onto port to put you back at the pin when the gun goes off.

What if you see boats at or beyond the committee boat at 0:30 and you have to give up on a port start and go to Plan B? You still have enough time to tack onto port and sail back down the line, looking to tack back to starboard when you find enough space between approaching boats to do so. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Questions: Feel free to contact me at tackful@hotmail.com or at 415-331-5578.

We have done this for several years now and it has always been fun as well as instructive. Please join us!

Request: Although not absolutely necessary, it’s always handy to have a mark boat in case the buoys have to be reset. It also enables the driver and crew to follow boats and note their sail trim for discussion during lunch break.