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How to set the start line when 1st leg is a fetch
Geoff Turner
Nationality: United Kingdom
Certifications:
Regional Race Officer
Club Race Officer
1
The start is for a long-distance dinghy race with 30 boats in mixed classes. The wind is 135° and the first leg is 170°. Little tidal current;
Chartlet from Navionics (c)
If the line is set square to the wind (045°), the committee boat end will be favoured too much.
If it's set square to the course (080°), the pin end will be favoured, and boats on starboard will only just be able to cross the line – so some boats may try a port tack start, with much confusion.
In the event, I set the course by eye, on a bearing of about 065°, which gave the line a moderate pin end bias. Everyone started on starboard and they were reasonably well spread out along the line, with no bunching at either end (they were a well-behaved fleet!). So I got away with it!
But how should I have determined the best bearing for the line?
Created: 21-Jul-12 11:06
Comments
P
Paul Zupan
Certifications:
International Judge
National Judge
0
Sorry. For some reason the images attached to the previous comments would not process properly and I had to delete them. You can repost them if you like.
Created: 21-Jul-12 12:47
Matt Bounds
Certifications:
International Race Officer
National Judge
1
In the event, I set the course by eye, on a bearing of about 065°, which gave the line a moderate pin end bias. Everyone started on starboard and they were reasonably well spread out along the line, with no bunching at either end (they were a well-behaved fleet!).
There's your answer right there.
Created: 21-Jul-12 12:53
P
Angelo Guarino
Certifications:
Regional Judge
Fleet Measurer
2
Here is something I wrote in 2018 an after-action dialog following a pursuit race.
“Also below is an illustration of what I was trying to say regarding the starting line. I was able to run the line on STB under jib and main .. so the starting line was closer to the far left than the middle.
The left and center starting lines make the RC 100% favored ... especially in a pursuit race where staying high of boats ahead as you over take is a priority. To spread-out the fleet, it's better to sweeten the pin-end.”
One can continue to “game out” the start, thinking about which end would be favored if you were a competitor. Once you get to the point that either end had “reasonable trade-offs” (thinking about wind-blanketing, ladder-rung, etc), you have a much fairer line that will naturally spread the fleet on the line.
Ang
Created: 21-Jul-12 12:56
Greg Dargavel
Nationality: Canada
Certifications:
National Judge
0
You are an RC rockstar. Fair line, spread out starters....what more could a competitor want. All the RC guidelines on setting the line are about trying to achieve this goal. You coloured "outside the guidelines" in order to achieve the desired result. Good on ya.
Created: 21-Jul-12 14:20
David Allsebrook
Nationality: Canada
0
Can you add a mark directly upwind from the starting line and have the fleet round it to starboard and head to the next mark?
Created: 21-Jul-12 18:02
Mark Townsend
Nationality: United States
Certifications:
International Race Officer
International Umpire
International Judge
1
2019 Transpac Start. Reaching start, first mark Catalina Island to port.
Setting reaching start lines is more of an art than a science. You need to think about as if you were a competitor.
2019 Transpac Start
Created: 21-Jul-12 18:23
Ewan McEwan
Nationality: United Kingdom
Certifications:
Regional Race Officer
International Judge
International Umpire
0
During the Extreme Sailing Series, with the GC32 fleet on a reaching start, the Pin end (downwind of the RCV) was biased roughly 30 degrees forward of dead downwind. That was a good rule of thumb to give everyone a clean start. The fleet size was about 8-10 boats and the first leg about 400 meters in length.
There's your answer right there.
One can continue to “game out” the start, thinking about which end would be favored if you were a competitor. Once you get to the point that either end had “reasonable trade-offs” (thinking about wind-blanketing, ladder-rung, etc), you have a much fairer line that will naturally spread the fleet on the line.
Setting reaching start lines is more of an art than a science. You need to think about as if you were a competitor.