Don't Overstand the Layline
Stay off the layline until you're close to the mark, and never sail past it — every length you overstand is extra distance reached down, and a boat that joins the layline late rounds ahead of one that got there early.
The layline is a dead end: the moment you're on it you've used up all your options, because tacking away only adds distance and a shift can't help you any more. A boat that reaches the layline far from the mark commits to a long, optionless grind in, and overstanding it makes things worse — every length past the layline is extra distance reached down for nothing. The smart play is to stay in the middle, keep playing shifts, and only join the layline within five to ten lengths of the mark. Do that and you round ahead of a boat that got to the layline early, even if you started level.
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 off the layline until you're close to the mark, because once you're on it you lose all your shift options.
- If you must hit it, do so within 5–10 lengths, because a short final approach keeps options alive the longest.
- Never overstand, because every length past the layline is extra distance reached down for no gain.
- Watch boats lee-bowing onto the layline ahead, because their bad air can force you to overstand to clear it.