#RacingTopTip – An Okay Start: To Pinch or To Tack

Situation:

The start gun goes off and you have an okay start, but a competitor is starting to pinch up from under you. Do you pinch with them or tack away?

Determine Your Options

When you’re in this position, it can be tempting to leap into action without seriously considering the consequences.  The first step is to quickly determine your options and what their impacts will be.

Work with your crew to determine the following:

• What is the favored side of the course and what direction do you anticipate the next shift will be from?
• How much slower are you going as a result of pinching?
• If you stay in your lane how long will you have to pinch for? In order to stay up-speed you never want to be in ‘high mode’ for longer than 3-4 boat lengths
• If you tack can you cross and extend to the right? How long will you be able to hold your lane on port before you have to tack back?
• How many sterns will you take if you tack and duck?
• How shifty is it? If you only anticipate one or two shifts on the leg, a double-tack may be the best option to help you protect your side.  If there are lots of shifts on the leg, it is more important to stay in phase than to avoid a high mode.

*Pro Tip*
If you are sailing in a shifty venue, you may be able to optimize your VMG by keeping your boat in a high-mode and pinching through a brief header, essentially setting your boat up for the next shift.

Typically a swift run through these questions will quickly give you a clear answer as to what is the best move for your boat.  If no clear answer can be determined it is recommended that you hold your course rather than tack. In most boats tacking is slow – in the graphic above see the black line placed in front of 3a compared to where the boat is in 3b. To ensure you are making the best decision as circumstances change on the racecourse you should periodically reevaluate the answers to these questions.

Download the image by clicking here.

What else to think about after an okay start:

• Think Big Picture
• Execute

Mark Loe of Ullman Sails Trinidad

Mark Loe (Owner, Ullman Sails Trinidad)
Mark is the owner of Ullman Sails Trinidad and has been a sailmaker since 1995 with a special focus on servicing the Caribbean racing and cruising communities. Mark has an extensive resume that includes racing on various keelboats and sports boats that have won every major regatta in the Caribbean. He has also raced further afield in U.S. regattas at Block Island Race Week, Key West Race Week and local regattas throughout Florida.

Learn more about Mark’s racing experience and more on his profile here: http://ullmansails.com/team/mark-loe