Racing tactics: starts, shifts and laylines.

Starts

Finding line bias

Stuart Walker (Sailing World) gives a method for finding which end of the line is favored: compare the compass bearing of the line with the wind direction, which you find by luffing head to wind. Keep watching the committee boat too, since the race committee may adjust the line.

Which end to start at

The upwind (favored) end is not automatically the right choice. Walker says it suits a course where neither side is favored, but it is the wrong call when one side of the course is clearly better, or on short legs where shifts are infrequent. His guidance:

• Short legs: start toward the side the next shift will come from.
• Long legs with frequent shifts: start on the lifted tack.

Timing is the reason. Walker notes that at about 5 knots a half-mile beat takes 8 to 9 minutes, and oscillating shifts often come every 5 to 8 minutes, so on a short beat you may see only one shift.

Lifts and headers

A lift is a wind shift that lets you point higher toward the mark. A header forces you to point lower. Mike Ingham (Sailing World, 2025) points out that a shift's effect is doubled, because the alternative to tacking on a header is sailing in it. He also compares shifts with pressure: in medium air a 5-degree shift needs about a 3-knot puff to offset it, and once a boat is above hull speed no puff offsets even a 5-degree shift.

Oscillating shifts

In an oscillating breeze, David Dellenbaugh (Sailing World) says to tack when you are headed well below your median heading and stay on the tack when you are at or above it.

Persistent shifts

In a persistent shift, Dellenbaugh says do not tack on the header. Sail into it instead, while being careful not to reach the layline too early.

When you are unsure

Dellenbaugh's fallback: sail the longer tack first, meaning the tack that points closer to the mark.

Seeing shifts coming

Moose McClintock (Sailing World) says darker water usually means more breeze and flat, ripple-free water means a lull. His angle guide for puffs upwind: a puff from aft of about 60 degrees to your course will lift you, one between about 60 and 45 degrees is roughly median, and one from forward of 45 degrees will head you. He says a good puff call from crew gives the side, duration, a countdown and expected strength, plus the lull that follows. Carpenter (US Sailing) adds that the leading edge of a puff is the least stable wind and the gust core is steadier.

Laylines

Dellenbaugh advises staying off laylines until late: if you get lifted on the layline, you overstand; if you get headed, there is no room left to gain from the shift.

He lists six ways to judge a layline:

1. Eyeballing the mark
2. Compass bearing
3. A range on shore
4. Other boats' angles
5. Tacking lines marked on deck
6. Telltale angle (downwind only)

For boats that tack through about 80 to 90 degrees, Dellenbaugh says you are on the layline when the mark sits slightly forward of abeam. His advice is to get close to the mark before calling it and to cross-check with at least two methods.

Downwind and reaching

Dellenbaugh's downwind rules are to gybe on the lifts and sail toward the puffs. On reaches he suggests sailing low in puffs and high in lulls to keep the apparent wind angle roughly constant. McClintock adds that downwind you should scan astern for dark patches you can reach. More on angles is on downwind.

Current

Dellenbaugh (WindCheck) says current matters most to strategy when it varies across the course, when the wind is steady, or when the air is light. Check it against fixed objects such as the committee boat, marks, navigation buoys and lobster-pot buoys. In a favorable current, he says the most common mistake is overstanding the layline, and he says pinching to put the current on the lee bow gains nothing.

Who makes the calls

On crewed keelboats, Reed Baldridge (North Sails) says the tactician leads the afterguard, sets the plan, decides where the boat goes, and works directly with the helmsman at starts and mark roundings. The primary trimmers control the boat in a straight line. His golden rule is that too much communication beats too little. Quantum's main trimmer Luke Lawrence recommends consistent pressure calls and short key words for modes, such as "high build" and "speed build."

Getting started

The RYA says you need to be at Level 2 or Stage 3 in its dinghy scheme before starting to race, and it runs racing courses from Start Racing up to Championship Racing. How to find a fleet is on getting into racing, and the rules themselves are on racing rules.