Four High-Level Starting Moves

There are those who wait for a good start and those who take matters into their own hands. Report by Steve Hunt for Sailing World:

Charlotte Rose, a ­two-time youth world champion and US Sailing Team athlete, has boat-handling skills that are off the charts, which gives her the ability to quickly shift left or right on the starting line to get into an optimal position. While observing her at a recent clinic, I learned that she has four key starting moves: high build, double-­tack, half-tack and reverse.

After watching her execute these moves with ease, I wondered how effective they’d be in boats other than ILCAs, so I brought them to the 2023 J/70 Worlds. My teammates and I spent a few days practicing them, and discovered that they worked well, even in a J/70. These four approaches can be used in almost any small boat—and in bigger boats, to a degree. – Full report