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Starting...

Good starting requires practice, preparation, consistency, and a knowledge of when to be cautious and when to be daring. We'll look at all of these things in the articles in this section.

470s fighting to hold their lane off a Hyeres start
470s fighting to hold their lane off a Hyeres start

Featured Articles

  Paige Railey making the perfect pin-end start **
Paige RaileyIn this video, Paige Railey puts on a perfect demonstration of the classic 'win the pin, tack and cross the fleet' strategy. OffshoreRules.com's editor Justin Chisholm said it "was simply mesmerising to watch and all the more impressive given the near sixty boat fleet and the fact that this final start was under a black flag".....
  Holding Your Lane ***
470s fighting to hold their lane off the start lineHolding your position is one of those skills that separates the good from the average sailors. "He's good at holding his lane," is one of those phrases you'll hear about a really talented sailor. Etchells world champion Andy Beadsworth reveals some clues to this dark art...
  MP3: Recovering from a Bad Start with Iain Percy ***
Audio MP3: Double Olympic Gold Medallist Iain Percy offers a few tips on how to make the best of a bad job after you've made a poor start. Iain looks at the best options depending on whether you think right or left is the way to go up the first beat...
  For a start, make a game plan! **
Jon Emmett and 505 World Champion Morgan Larson talk about the importance of making a plan for the start of a race. Fail to plan, and you could well fail to start. Says Morgan: "We can address any weak areas before attending a major championship. Getting a good start doesn't guarantee a good finish, but it certainly helps. You are better off ticking all boxes (an OK position, OK acceleration and OK timing)..."
  MP3: Paul Goodison reveals his starting technique tips **
Laser Olympic Champion Paul Goodison tells Jon Emmett some of his secrets to starting consistently and securing a front-row position up the first beat... "If I'm in the middle of the line and I'm unsure, I'll point the bow of the boat directly at the pin end and line the tiller up in the middle of the boat to see where that's aiming, and look through the tiller to see where that's aiming..."
  Starting on the 'B' of Bang! **
Getting a good start in races is a crucial skill whatever our sailing aspirations. We look at developing some of the crucial skills that will help you plan the perfect build-up so that you get to start on the 'B' of Bang!!!
  Slow-speed boat control **
Ever seen those cycle couriers hold their bikes upright, even when they're stopped waiting for the lights to change? It takes great bike-handling to do that. And as Jon Emmett points out, it takes great boat-handling to sail slowly too. How is it the best sailors can sail faster than the rest of us, and sail slower than the rest of us too? It's a skill worth emulating...
  Calling the perfect start WITHOUT a transit ***
Jero Lomas, Kiwi America's Cup bowman, explains how he calls the start accurately without even using a transit on the shore. After all, as Dean Barker's front man points out, start marks swing back and forth in wind, waves and tide, so is a transit the ultimate way to get a good start? Jero reckons not...
  Video: Nik Pearson talks through his favourite technique for getting accurate transits and great starts ***
Video (3 minutes): America's Cup bowman Nik Pearson reveals his favourite (and almost foolproof) technique for making sure the boat hits the start line on the B of BANG! So simple, you'll be amazed you didn't think of it yourself...
  MP3: Pre-start Preparation in sportsboats - Justin Chisholm counts down to a great start **
Audio (9 minutes): The 30 minutes leading up to a start are critical times, especially when you're about to start in high quality big fleet. Melges 24 sailor Justin Chisholm is a creature of habit, and here he reveals his pre-start routine...