Stop & Go
Whistle drill: stop dead with sails luffing, then accelerate to full speed — the two halves of every good start.
The fleet sails close-hauled in open water. One whistle means STOP: ease everything, luff up just below head-to-wind and hold the boat parked and flat. The next whistle means GO: bear away a few degrees, sheet in smoothly and pump the boat back up to full speed in the fewest lengths possible. Alternate every 15–30 seconds. This isolates exactly what happens in the last 20 seconds before a start — holding station without drifting, then the trigger-pull — without needing a line or a sequence.
Setup
Open water, fleet spread on starboard tack with two lengths between boats. Coach calls alternating whistles from the RIB. Time each boat's acceleration (whistle to full speed) and count the lengths it takes; tighten the interval as they improve.
Opens the animation on the boat-length grid — run it well, then brief it from the same picture. Free, no account needed.
What to call out
- Stopped means STOPPED — flapping sails, tiller centred, boat flat. Drifting sideways is a capsize habit at a real start.
- Hold just below head-to-wind so you keep steerage; full head-to-wind and you're in irons.
- Accelerate by bearing away THEN sheeting — sheeting first just heels the boat.
- Race it: first boat back to full speed wins the rep.