Starting

I'm absolutely not an expert, but let me share what I learned when I was being taught this in coaching sessions (in fully-battened trapezey boats)

- Useful basic start-handling exercise #1 - imagine a rectangular box 2 lengths deep, one edge of which is the start line, the other edge is 2 lengths back.  Practice getting yourself inside the box, on any tack, but under control, 10 seconds before a start signal, and stay there.  Sounds ludicrously simple, but hard to do at first in a high-performance boat.  You could do a version of this on your own, just using a mark - aim to position yourself within 2 lengths to leeward, close-hauled, to a countdown.

- Useful exercise #2 - do short-cycle starts over & over again - find a friend who will set a short line and run '2min-1min-go' starts, and get them to tell you just how close to the line you are every time

- Boat handling when semi-stalled, to hold a position close to the line - this is easy in a heavy boat with soft sails & short battens; much harder in a lightweight boat with fully-battened mylars.  There were some fiendish exercises in Y&Y earlier this year for practicing this,  A key skill is avoiding the 'flip' where the boat tacks involuntarily - to avoid this, the crew needs to be alert and have the lazy jibsheet in their hand all the time for a quick 'backing'

- watch the 'higher & faster' video for some other starting techniques, including double-tacking and sailing backwards

HTH

Being a responsible adult I've started a new thread, but this relates to dicussion on http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1 286, which ranks starting as possibly the most important factor in doing well at events

Please, please, please can I have some top tips for starting well ... mainly hitting the line on the gun with boatspeed ... two man trapeze boat, inland still water ... I never get the timing right