TECHNIQUE All the secrets to a perfect start in regattas

Winning a regatta, whether on a dinghy, monotype, or offshore boat racing in compensated time, is a recipe that has within it many “ingredients” that are not easy to mix. The crew is like an orchestra, and the regatta is its score, everyone has to play his or her part, and all together participate in the symphony. Leaving aside the culinary/musical metaphors, we can say that in the success of a crew, practice certainly matters a great deal, but an important component is also given by theory and especially method. The latter is needed to have a rational and organized approach to the competition we are facing, and to avoid that there may be factors left to chance. We will cover all this in a series of technical insights dedicated to racing enthusiasts and, for convenience, we will divide the regatta into several parts by addressing them individually. We will go a bit further than just teaching tips on how to conduct the boat well; in fact, this can be considered an “upgrade” for those who already have a good knowledge base in terms of adjustments and conducting. As a matter of course we will start from the beginning, from the beginning. Or rather, everything will start a little earlier.

THE GROUND BRIEFING

It is not enough to be a group of friends to have fellowship on the boat, that at best is good for beers once you get to the dock. Boating requires what might be called technical alchemy. And to create it starts from the dock, the pre-race briefing is a crucial moment. The tactician or skipper keeps it (so even the owner if he or she does not fit these roles must listen patiently). It is not a debate, but the moment when the crew member recognized as the leader on board explains the day ahead of us at sea, communicates the choice of sails to board based on the weather forecast, and in what formation we will face the race. The listener should do this carefully, in silence, using this time to seek concentration, to go over what their tasks will be, and to figure out which clothing to wear and which to leave in a bag on the floor.

THE PRE-DEPARTURE

The basis for a good start arises in the 30-45 minutes prior to it and then materializes during the 5-minute procedure to which one must arrive with a clear idea of what to do. Therefore, it is essential to leave our berth on time and go to the race course to study the wind situation and prepare our choices. When we arrive at the race course, it is essential to turn on our senses and especially our eyesight with keen observation. It is necessary to understand how far the field is from the coast, and to study this to note any orographic conformations that may influence the wind in intensity and direction especially if it is blowing from land. The second aspect to study is obviously the wind itself: are we sailing with a local wind or a synoptic wind? For example, the former is the case of seasonal thermal breezes, which have definite rhythms according to the times of day; the latter, to simplify, is that brought by a pertubation. Understanding the difference between these two different situations will help predict fluctuations in direction and intensity. Finally, a more practical observation of the water surface will be made to identify areas of increased pressure. The combination of this work will give us an initial idea about the “call” to make for a side of the field that is assumed to be favorable.

THE DEPARTURE.

At this point it is time to evaluate the line to see if the line is “neutral” or if instead one side is favored. Each crew has its own method, and you don’t need who knows what instrument to have a sufficiently accurate survey, even a simple compass is enough. We need to note the course we hold upwind tightly on starboard tack, and check how many degrees the line is set for(running it from the committee to the buoy). If, for example, we have a windward mark for 345 degrees, make an average windward mark for 300 degrees and survey the starting mark for 245, the second number (300), minus the third (245), gives us an angle greater than 45 degrees, 55 to be precise, which means the mark is low and the line is favored in committee by 10 degrees. Conversely, if less than 45 degrees, the buoy is favored. This is a simple empirical finding and a trivial mathematical calculation. An assessment that will give us an indication if not as precise as that of an electronic instrument, at least acceptable. To this can be added a survey of the wind angle at three points on the line: at committee, center and buoy. It will help to see if the direction is homogeneous or if there are fluctuations already in the beginning. But it is not enough to get the full picture: walking a piece upwind, sailing on both walls, will serve to give us a sense of what kind of directional swings there are on the course to get an idea of whether the trend of wind shifts is more to the right or left. The combination of all these things will make us make the decisive choice as to which side of the field to prefer, weighing which of these elements has the greatest impact at that moment.

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Then there is the so-called “banana” phenomenon. What is it all about? It happens that in strong winds the fleet, if we look at it from above or from the extremes, in the middle is quite far from the line while the crews at the extremes, who have the committee boat and the buoy as reference, manage to be more accurate in their approach. This is because in high winds many crews, perhaps having the visual references of the two extremes covered from view, tend, for fear of accelerating too fast, to stay upwind longer than they should in order to avoid finding themselves out of line at the start and often end up self-penalizing. That is why with sustained air starting well in the middle of the line is more difficult, and it may be convenient to approach the start from the extremes by managing to stay higher, but be careful. By now with the tools that many crews have at their disposal, such as Velocitek or other similar applications, everyone can know exactly how far they are from the line, and getting very high in advance exposes us to the risk of seeing a boat coming from downwind that will undoubtedly push us off the line.

THE TIMING.

This term refers to the time it takes us to cover a given distance. That’s basically what we have to try to do as we approach the line: burn time and arrive launched, on the line, at the start. Easy to say, very difficult to put into practice. Starting with a distance of no more than two lengths from the line, when we have not yet refined our technique, is already a decent achievement. It is a balance between speed and time, all based on the sensitivity of the helmsman and the ability of the crew to follow him in “noses” into the wind or sudden rests to re-accelerate, obviously in constant communication with the tactician. Here theory is of little use: one must try one’s hand at it, take risks, make mistakes, try and try again.

Mauro Giuffrè

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