How to Count Down to the Start in Sailboat Racing

Too often racers are beaten early or miss the start entirely due to poor timekeeping. Stay on top of the starting sequence, and you're more likely to be on the line and at full speed when you hear the gun.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Race Instructions
• Sailboat Racing Rule Book
• Binoculars
• Air Horns
• Sailboats
• Stopwatches

1. Read the race starting sequence instructions. Pay attention to where your class lies in the sequence of starts, the length of the warning guns and the time between starts.
2. Communicate this information to your crew, and appoint one person to call out the time in regular increments.
3. Use a stopwatch with a digital countdown that automatically resets itself when it hits zero. Start the countdown when the 5-minute warning gun sounds.
4. Know roughly how many seconds it will take you to travel the length of the line at full speed, taking into account your present position and which side of the line you want to be on when the gun goes off.
5. Send your bowman forward - if weight is not a problem - to call out traffic and the distance to the starting line.
6. Announce the time out loud every 10 seconds at 1 minute remaining. Then at 30 seconds, announce the time every 5 seconds. With 10 seconds remaining, count down each second out loud.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid last-minute sail changes and rigging, as they are likely to cause you to miss a warning gun or the start itself.