Perfecting a time on distance start

by Andy Rice, Yachting World
“When I go out on the Solent to go racing, I often see a lot of boats not even doing a single practice run before the start,” says Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams. “And if you don’t do a practice run, you’ve got pretty much zero chance of getting your time on distance right.”

To a match racing helmsman like Williams, time on distance is part of his religion, although he understands why some sailors might be loath to practice such a critical part of the race. “Practicing a timed run does require a little bit of planning. Maybe you’re late off the dock, you’ve got other priorities competing for limited time on the water, maybe getting the rig set up, practicing your tacks and gybes – so I get it.”

But there’s really very little excuse for not working on your time on distance judgement. “It’s a learned skill. To some people it might come naturally, but for me, I do it much more mathematically. I’ve done enough of it that I think I can judge the distance quite well now,” he says with typical understatement.

“There’s no doubt that whoever you are, the more you practice it, the better you’ll get.” Here are Ian’s best tips for nailing your time on distance. – Full report