On Thursday Meka put on a viewing of the Movie Forks Over Knives. For those that don't know 

This article is written with Laser and other small sailboats in mind. In part one of this article series we talked about the four pieces of information that are important to know before each start. Knowing the favored end, line sight, current effect and the length of the line all help you figure where you might want to start and where the line is. But, once you have decided where on the line to start, how do you actually accelerate off the line successfully?

We have all heard the goal at the start is to hit the line with full speed at the gun, and that the result of a successful start is clear air with the ability to tack after one or two minutes of sailing. The other thing that we often hear is to create room to leeward as we approach the start line so we have a “hole” to accelerate into. Both of these are correct but both of these statements need to be a bit more specific.

First of all the goal at the start is to hit the line with full speed at the gun sailing close hauled. To put it simply, if you are still sheeting in when the gun goes off you are late for the start of the race! Think about a boat that is to leeward of you that accelerates and then sheets in and is sailing close hauled at the gun. If you are still sheeting in after the gun you are burning your leeward sailing area and simultaneously losing upwind distance. The chance of you sliding into the hip of the leeward boat and then being back winded is quite large. Similarly, think about a boat to windward of you hitting the line close hauled and you are still sheeting in after the gun. While you are burning leeward sailing area and losing upwind distance the windward boat's free leeward sailing area is growing. This windward boat could “put his bow down” at anytime, blanket your wind and roll you. Has this ever happened to you? I know that it has to me! Being closed hauled at the gun after accelerating fully is the secret that all great starters know. The question is: how do we do this?

There are four helpful things to know that may enable you to have a good start. They are the favored end of the line, a line sight, the current effect and the length of the starting line. These things are the starting “homework” that you should attempt to do prior to each race. The more you practice getting this information and including it in your pre-race routine the easier it becomes to recognize. Although you may get some good starts without doing the homework, consistently having this information will give you an advantage over your competitors. I can tell you from my coaching experience that the majority of sailors at most regattas do not make it a habit to find out this information. However, with a little practice it is easy to do. So, lets take a look at some of the ways to do our starting homework.

FAVORED END The favored end of the starting line is the end that is further upwind, but not always the end that is closer to the windward mark. Starting at the favored end can often give a huge advantage over the competitors that don't. There are several simple ways to find the favored end and I have described them here.

Center of the line head to wind: Sail to the center of the start line and steer your boat head to wind. Your bow will point nearer to the end that is favored and further upwind.

Pin end sighting perpendicular: Sail to the port side of the port starting buoy (pin) and steer head to wind. Site perpendicularly from your boat through the pin buoy. If your line of sight is ahead of the committee boat then the pin is further upwind. If your line of sight is behind the committee boat then the boat end is further upwind.

Sheet in at port and starboard ends: Sail across the line at the pin end on port tack. If the committee boat is aft of the window in your sail the pin is favored. At the boat end of the starting line, if the pin end is aft of your window then the boat is favored.

Compass: Take a head to wind reading and then a reading through both ends of the start line. The favored end is revealed where the difference in the readings is less than perpendicular (< 90 degrees).

Sheeting angle on port and starboard: Sail down the line on starboard and cleat or hold the mainsheet in place. Gibe and sail down the line on port. If your sail is luffing the boat is favored. If your sail is over sheeted the pin is favored. Similarly, when your sailing down the line the favored end requires a sheeting angle tighter than a beam reach. In a large fleet you can often know the favored end just by observing the sheeting angles of the port and starboard boats around the starting line.

Get a partner: Have a partner sail off the pin end while you sail off the boat end at the same time. The boat that crosses ahead reveals the favored end.

Coach tells you which end is favored: Have your coach use his compass and tell you which end is favored.

This article gives some tips on how to get upwind and downwind faster! It is written mainly for Laser® and small boat sailors, although many of the tips apply to all sailors.

Upwind speed in breeze and chop comes from having a good sail setup and good sheeting, steering and hiking. Pull the cunningham tight and match the tension on the luff with the breeze strength. If the breeze is 10 to 15 knots pull the cunningham grommet down between 3 and 2 inches above the boom. If the breeze is 15 to 20 pull the grommet down between 2 inches and 1 inch. If the breeze is 20 or more pull the grommet between 1 inch and pinned to the boom and if it seems very breezy pin it to the boom. On a newer sail these settings give a tight luff for the wind strength and when it is breezy it will be better to err on the tight side of the settings until you really get your hiking strength up.