Written after a disappointing British showing at the 1985 Worlds in Douarnenez, this piece argues that British Dragon sailors lose most at the start in large, biased-line fleets. Nick Streeter gives a nine-point starting checklist: log the wind direction early in writing, choose the favoured side, find a transit for the line, check bias at about six minutes, and with a port bias come in on port from beyond the pin and tack into a gap at about 1½ minutes. He also covers starting a little down the line or late when the committee end is crowded, accelerating from 45–30 seconds with sheets not pinned in, and using the crew to call distance to the line. […]
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John Heyes sets out five starting skills – measuring line bias, choosing an end, taking a transit, creating and protecting a gap to leeward, and time-on-distance judgement – and a pre-start routine that begins at least an hour before the gun. He shows how to measure bias by taking a bearing along the line and comparing it with the wind direction plus 90°, and how much it matters: with 5° start a third up from the favoured end or ignore it for a favoured side, with 10° start a third up from the pin, and with 15–20° start right at the pin. Two worked situations cover parking on the line with a 10° port bias (allowing 30–40 seconds to reach full speed in 8 knots) and a light-air, foul-tide start at the committee boat, followed by advice to sail low and fast off the line rather than pinching. […]
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A short checklist for a team’s pre-start routine. It lists the data to gather before choosing where to start: line bearing, regular wind-direction checks, line bias (a wind bearing 90 degrees to the line means a square line; less than that favours port, and vice versa), a line transit through the pin end or a back transit through the committee boat to avoid the mid-line sag, and the bearings of the windward and leeward marks. The point is to use the same system at every start until it becomes second nature. […]
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How to match the risk you take at the start to your situation in the race and series. Dellenbaugh separates strategic risk (losing out to wind or current changes because you cannot be everywhere at once) from tactical risk (relating to other boats), and lists situations that call for low risk (first race of a big series, fastest boat, a 10-point lead in the last race, a large fleet, windy or wavy conditions) or high risk. To manage risk he advises staying away from packs, avoiding the edges of the fleet, using a line sight and using a consistent starting technique; diagrams show that both ends of the line are the riskiest places to start. […]
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