Blocking at the Finish
First place that crosses early helps nobody: park on the line, hold the opponent out, and feed your teammates across first.
The finish is the last place a combination can flip — and a boat that has finished can no longer do anything about it. So when B1 reaches the line with the race still in the balance, she doesn't cross: she parks a length short, head up, and controls the gap at the committee boat. Y1 has to go through her — and as leeward right-of-way boat B1 luffs her up and carries her past the wrong side of the committee boat. While Yellow untangles, B2 reaches the pin and finishes free; only then does B1 spin down and take the gun herself. Blue converts a fragile lead into a banked 1-2. The clock matters: hold court too long and a third yellow boat arrives to even the numbers.
Opens the animation on the boat-length grid — run it well, then brief it from the same picture. Free, no account needed.
What to drill
- Count the combo BEFORE the line: if crossing locks the win, cross — block only when the race is still live.
- Park to leeward of the opponent's approach lane with rights; make the only way through a luffing match you control.
- Use the committee boat as a wall: carrying an opponent past it costs them a full circle to return.
- Finish yourself the moment the teammates are safe — style points for holding court are how 1-2 becomes 1-5.