Fleet Race Playbook

Explore

Sections of the Course

Start

Ultimate Goal: Able to start in the middle, on the line, close hauled, at full speed, with a lane at go.

In College Dinghy Sailing we always use a 3 minute starting sequence, this is relayed via whistles: 1 long whistle = 1 minute, 1 short whistle = 10 seconds

Sequence Notifications

Race Warning - several short whistles

3 minutes - 3 long whistles

2 minutes - 2 long whistles

1 minute 30 seconds - 1 long whistle and 3 short whistles

1 minute - 1 long whistle

30 seconds - 3 short whistles

20 seconds - 2 short whistles

10 seconds - 1 short whistle

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - 1 short whistle each

Go - 1 long whistle

Starting Routine

A starting routine is a reliable, repeatable routine that allows you to get information about the course and have a solid start

A solid start is one where at Go you are:

close to full speed

on the line

close hauled

have a lane you can hold at full speed

A routine should include checking

MOST IMPORTANT: line sight

A line sight is used to determine whether you are under or over the line

Since the line is invisible between two points, you must approximate where you are compared to it

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You cannot just look down the line from the flag to the pin because both the driver and the crew sit further back than the bow

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To obtain a line sight go to the back of the race committee boat and look through the pin and find a stationary object that you can use as a reference point

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Always looking at that object, if the pin is to the right of the object, you are under the line

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If the pin is to the left of the object, you are over the line

The goal is to have your reference point lined up or just to the left of the pin at Go

Boat and Pin Lay lines

Boat and pin lay lines are the minimum positions that will get you over the line, they are used to have general idea of the positions you need to be in to cross the line

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Green lines are your starboard tack lay lines and your starboard corridor, red lines are your port tack lay lines and your port corridor

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The easier way to find a lay line it to go to the point you would like the lay line off of, sail close hauled and look behind to find a stationary point on land to use as a reference point

Which side of the line is favored?

The wind rarely is squared up with the line, whether it be from line skew or a wind shift

This can be important because if you can get off cleanly on the favored side of the line you can start ahead of the rest of the fleet

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Pin side skew is the most common form of line skew, the boats on the pin side of the line start further up the course than those at the boat

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The most reliable way to test which side of the line is favored and to sail close hauled on both sides of the line on their respective tacks, whichever tack points you closer to the mark, that side of the line is favored. This accounts for both line skew and wind shifts

in the case above the port side of the line is favored

Which side of the course is favored?

This will most likely be talked about on land with coach, looking for trends and thinking about previous tendencies

What goes into thinking about which side is favored is whether the course is open or closed

If the course is open, both sides will work

If it is closed you must take current and wind into account and determine the type of closed course

Are any marks skewed?

This is something that should not be thought about only during the prestart but also during the race because marks can be moved during the race

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Above, the top marks are skewed to course right, this is a good indicator that you will spend more time on port

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Above the gates are skewed, the course left mark is further upwind, rounding that mark would mean sailing less distance

Are the wind patterns still what is expected?

Before each race its good to look around to see if conditions have changed

Has the wind shifted?

Has the wind strength changed?

Is the current still going the same way?

Have the marks moved?

A general time to begin your final approach to the line

Final approach to the line is usually based off of personal preference

In general as the wind gets lighter, the earlier you should approach the line because it takes longer to get around

You should never begin your final approach after 30 seconds

Example Starting Routine

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During the warning signals be hovering around the start boat so once 3 minutes sounds you can get an accurate time, the further you are away the more likely you are to be off on time

especially in heavy wind, if you are far away when you hear the sound of the whistles you could be up to 2 seconds off the actual time

as soon as you get three minutes, you are already in position to grab a line sight for that race

As you get the line sight turn up to close hauled and test the right side of the line to see which end is skewed

After skew test, sail to the pin, you can time this to see how long it will be to sail down the line

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At 2 minutes, round the pin at close hauled to test the left side of the line for line skew, that test should now be complete

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Between 1:30 and 1 minute (depending on the wind) set up on the windward side of the starboard tack corridor, this gives you options to stay on the boat side of the line or to move down toward the pin, depending on how packs are forming and where you want to start

The final approach should be completely focused on managing speed, distance to the line, and maintaining a lane, using your line sight constantly to manage your distance to the line

In Depth Starting Details

80% of your race is dictated from your start- the more conservative and solid your start is, the better chance of having a “base hit” race

You can start at the extreme unfavored end of the line, as long as you have a solid start you will be better than half the fleet because not everyone will have a good acceleration or lane off the line

Starting toward the favored end of the line will help you start in front of more of the fleet but is usually crowded and has more variables, making a sold start more difficult

Usually the least crowded area of the line is the middle because it can be difficult to know where the line is unless you are close to an end, that is why mastering the midline start can be so powerful

On your final approach to the line, never completely stop your boat, for the acceleration the boat needs to have steady flow over all foils

If there is a boat between you and the windward mark you are not on the line

Where and how you start can also dictate how you will go up the first beat, in general:

Starting at the pin means you will go left unless you can tack and cross the fleet quickly

Starting in the middle gives you options, you can continue left or tack off with the right pack when they go

Starting at the boat gives you more options to go right but you can go left at the risk of being on the inside of a lefty

If you lose your lane or have to duck the fleet, you most likely are going to end up going right

Crew Communications

Help to discuss ideas about race course strategy and what the wind is doing

Call puffs as they are coming down the course and give a general idea of what the wind will be like at Go and the first half of the beat

Distance to the line

How much time is left

Constant updates of where other boats are and if they are coming to try to take your hole, actively pointing and saying what they are doing is extremely helping to your driver

Off the line:

speed compared to other boats around you

angle compared to other boats around you

try to map out where boats are going early to start thinking about numbers quickly

If you say everything you can, cycle through the list again, there is no bad information, anything a driver does not need, they will ignore

Positive talk: if you have a bad race or two and your driver seems a little shaken, the way the crew reacts to this can strongly affect how well the boat races. In downtime, talking about anything other than sailing is a good way to pull everyone out of the situation before taking a deep breath and refocusing

Important skills to practice

Accelerations

Holding your lane

Identify forming packs and how to stay away

Drills

Practice Starts

normal full length practice starts, it is important to practice your full starting routine every start, practice like you race

Gated Starts

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Two marks will be placed on a very long line, you will still do your same starting routine but at Go you must start between the two marks

This practices starting in a pack, line sights, and time and distance to a certain area of the line

Sharks and Minnows

2 minute starting sequence, fleet will be split in two, one half being sharks, the other minnows

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There will be 2 marks set below the line, at 1 minute the minnows need to be above those marks on their final approach to the line, sharks will be below the marks ready to cross

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At 30 seconds the sharks will be released to cross the marks, their goal is to get to the line by attacking the holes of the minnows

For the minnows, their objective is to successfully defend their hole and get off the line cleanly

Hold your Lane

Regular practice start, at Go there is no tacking, you must attempt to keep the lane you have until called back. If you lose your lane and fall into bad air, practice ways to keep your speed up and get out of bad air ASAP without tacking

Stair Step Starts

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5 minute starting sequence and the leeward line, you will do a full 3 minute sequence then start at that line. 4 minutes will be Go at the middle line, and 5 minutes will be go at the windward line

This is to practice your final approach to the line, sometimes after starting on one line you will not be able to make the next line and you have to quickly bail and find a new spot

Raise your Hand

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Long line set, 1 at a time boat will accelerate from around the mark set to leeward of the line. When you think you are crossing the line raise your hand

This practices having an open acceleration and testing your line sight

Group Accelerations

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Set up from a rabbit, alternating whistles mean stop and accelerate. Every time you stop be sure the boats further back pull forward to bow even

This practices accelerations in close proximity to other boats

Individual Accelerations

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Several marks will be placed along the same ladder rung, go up to each of these marks and do an acceleration

This works on accelerations without other boats pressuring you, this is a drill that you get out what you put into it

10 second starts

2 minute start, set up so that you can accelerate and be full speed at 10 seconds. You must be full speed by 10 seconds left in the sequence and aim to hit the line on time.

This works on time and distance

Mystery starts

2 minute start, must be set up by 1 minute. Any time after a minute, the 10 second whistle can be blown. Must be ready at any point past a minute, 10 seconds could be blown right at 1 minute, or 2 minutes after.

This works on your ability to hold a spot, keep flow and manage distance to the line.

Tennis ball starts

You will be given a random strategy on a tennis ball; it may tell you where to start, or what part of the course you need to sail.

Videos

Hour long presentation by Steph Roble and Maggie Shea (US Olympic 49er FX Representatives) about their thoughts on starting. Many good visuals to go with their explanations

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Starting Strategy with Roble / Shea Sailing⁠

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College Sailing Open Fleet Race Nationals 2023

1A Final Approach-

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxl_cVlFba2Lh8gHfInzQ2Df0_36Ztb0aM?feature=shared⁠

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1A(again) Final 20 seconds-

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxZSVlunm3H7yG9asCV54l6gDlZP-nNMPT?feature=shared⁠

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3A Final 30 seconds, good example of the risk at starting on the favored end of the line

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxxQGAFBcrRzmJIvRJrLuiSDJCAn8Vagsu?feature=shared⁠

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3B Final 30 seconds

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxphCgkP-fpUsWo3cP-X1DvIj3GNSjMOm3?feature=shared⁠

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4A Final 10 seconds

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxMn3zr0ITYusohCpTeyATXik2W3EgVq5B?feature=shared⁠

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4B Final 40 + First 20

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxgIrayPMdb1aRcPbdjjjwhlCMpw6IH7uu?feature=shared⁠

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7A Final 50 + First 10

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx4KZQW_M6GbQK18breZq6tiL_HzMDcKMv?feature=shared⁠

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8A Final 20 + First 40, extremely even start

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx2n0STz5zKXIVFHPKRC2eJue3Ey9EgV0T?feature=shared⁠

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