Stay Between Fleet and Mark
Leading downwind, sit between the chasers and the leeward mark and loosely mirror their gybes — defend the whole pack and take the inside at the mark.
When you lead a run, your job is to control the position the fleet must get through: the line between the chasers and the leeward mark. Sit up-course of that line so whichever way the pack goes, you're still between them and the mark. When a chaser gybes off to try a new lane, gybe loosely to stay in front of it rather than tightly covering one boat — you're defending all of them at once. Hold the inside route and you'll arrive with clear air and the overlap that wins the rounding.
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
- Stay between the chasers and the mark — that's the position they all have to get through.
- Keep your wind clear of the boats behind, because downwind their wind shadow can roll right over you.
- Loosely mirror the pack's gybes rather than tight-covering one boat — you're defending the whole fleet.
- Set up for the inside overlap at the mark, because the inside boat rounds first and exits ahead.