Catalina Tuesday March 18,2014

Since I was not present for this night (darn vacations), I can't give a blow by blow description of what happened.  I heard that there were 13 boats out.  What an awesome turnout, let's keep it up.

Starting tactics:
Obviously, many of the boats have experienced sailors and racers on board.  This is demonstrated by many of the starts where many boats are crossing the line right on time.  Some of this may seem pretty simple to the experienced.

 I was talking to one of our newer participants in the harbor.  He had a boat full of eager sailors.  The skipper was enthusiastic and said they were coming out so the other boats wouldn't have to be last.  I told him we all start at the bottom and work our way up.  To me, and I think I speak for many sailors, it's not who is first or last that is important.  What is important is what we learn in the process!  I once heard a sailor say 'all sailing is is doing a thousand things exactly right'. Maybe a little exaggeration, but there is an awful lot to learn.

When preparing for a start, there are several choices that need to be considered.  Which end of the line is favored? Is a starboard tack preferred over a port tack approach?
Which side of the course is favored?

To determine the favored end of the line, luff your boat head to wind on the line: the end of the line your boat is pointing toward is the favored end.  This is because it is closer to your destination, actually starting ahead of everyone else.  There are very few times that the line is square to wind and neither side is favored.  This is pretty elementary to racing sailors, so it is not uncommon to see crowds at the favored end of the line.  Rather than mix it up with this crowd and get stuck in everyone's dirty wind, it is often preferable to start a little down the line in CLEAR AIR.  Clear air trumps line position any day if your boat speed is good enough to get out in front of your competition.

Starboard versus port tack start.  Since starboard tack has right of way over port tack, most people choose to start on starboard.  Very accomplished sailors that can accurately judge crossing situations have been known to cross entire fleets on port tack!  Suffice it to say, the safest tack is starboard tack on a crowded line.

Which side of the course is favored is determined by the amount of wind and also the direction of the wind.  If you see more wind on the right side of the course and you have started on starboard tack, you want to tack over to port at your first opportunity.  The direction of wind is also important.  Often one side of the course will create a lift that will pull you closer to the mark.

There are other considerations when starting, but these three will get you started on the right tack.

I got a little sailing in today on princess cay in the Bahamas.  Crystal clear, warm water.  It was pretty nice even though it was a Hobie Wave Lisa and I were sailing on.  FYI Hobie Waves are not high performance boats, but the conditions more than made up for the boat performance.

I will not be out next Tuesday either, but you guys have fun!

Barry