Pairing Up at the Start
Man-marking before the gun: each boat owns one opponent, and a leeward hook at the boat end can luff a rival out of the start entirely.
Team-race pre-starts are man-on-man, not fleet-style hunting for space. In the entry each blue boat picks up one yellow boat and stays engaged with it. The sharpest version is the boat-end takeout: B3 hooks in to leeward of Y3 in the final minute and luffs — as right-of-way leeward boat she can carry Y3 head to wind, drift them both past the committee boat, and hold her there through the gun. Y3 has to gybe out and restart; B3 bears away and starts seconds late but in clear air. Blue trades an even start for 1-2-late against 5-6-deep — a winning combination before the first beat has begun.
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
- Engage early: pick your opponent in the entry and never let them sail to a free spot on the line.
- The hook is from leeward and overlapped — luff slowly and keep clear ahead of rule 16; give them room to respond.
- Watch the clock while you control: release in time to bear away and start yourself.
- If you lose your pair, take the best line spot you can and start fast — a controller who misses the start gifts the combo back.