Pre-start

The hot phase in Match Racing begins five minutes before the actual race and is initiated by a shot from a starting gun from the starting ship. From this point in time onwards the boats may enter the starting area, i.e. each boat enters the start box from the course side at opposite ends, thus facing eachother (one yacht sails around the Race Committee boat, the other one sails around the starting mark).

And this is where the battle for the better starting position begins. Whoever has the better start, has an excellent chance of ultimately winning the race. In about 75 percent of the cases, the winner of the race is the boat that won the start.

There are generally two options during the endless circling and tactical maneuvers which now follow: One aim of a skippers tactics during the pre-start may be to get into a controlling position in order to be first over the starting and thus to be able to control the movements of the opponent, or, as the case may be, to gain the side of the course that seems to hold the greatest advantage. The second option is to induce your opponent to cross the starting line before the start or to violate another rule with the result that the opponent must carry out a penalty maneuver and thus will lose a lot of time.

The side which is at that time most advantageous depends mostly on the winds. To be more precise, the favored side is the one from which the first wind shift is expected. If it is expected that there will be a wind shift to the right, the right hand side is more favorable - and vice versa.

Advantage

The central area of the start box is defined by (imagined) lines that corresponds to the laylines (direct course without having to tack) to both ends of the starting line. The area that is left to the left layline is called the coffin corner because from there you only can start on port tack (therefore, no right of way).

In certain situations one boat (red) always has an advantage (Graphic 2). At the side endings of the start box, the boat that is further on the inside has an advantage because it can hinder the opponent to cross the starting line. Beyond the starting line the lee boat has an advantage because it can control and push away the opponent from the starting line.

Dial-up

After the warning signal the boats enter the start box from the end which has been assigned to them. Yellow comes from the right hand side on starboard tack, therefore, it has the right of way at the beginning.

Although the rules say that the boats have two minutes to enter the start box, it is important to be on time, especially for Blue. If Blue is late, there is a chance that Yellow, thanks to its right of way, might hinder Blue from crossing the starting line within the two minutes. If this is the case, a penalty will be imposed on the Blue boat. Usually the boats are on time and go on a collision course. Blue has to keep clear and has two possibilities.

Option 1 is to bear away and distance the boat from the starting line - or to gybe. Only if Blue entered the start box before Yellow, bearing away is a good idea. Blue can escape and does not have to worry about being chased or forced into the coffin corner.

The second possibility is to luff. This option is safer if both boats have been just as quick in getting into the starting area. This is a very standard manoever: The dial up.

Yellow maintains a collision course with Blue, and with Blue being on port tack, Blue must keep clear; Rule 10 applies.

Since Yellow is continually altering her course Rule 16 also applies and she must give Blue room to keep clear. As long as Blue does all that she can to keep clear then there will be no penalty. If Blue hesitates or doesn't try hard enough to keep clear then she is to be penalised.

If there is a collision then Yellow will probably receive the penalty for not giving Blue room to keep clear. If there is no collision, both boats are head to wind on starboard tack. Yellow, being the windward boat becomes the give way boat under Rule 11.

After the Dial-up

The boats try to stay as long as possible head to wind, without losing control over the rudder.

Yellow has the possibility to bear away to the right hand side. This is especially risky if, in the dial up, Yellow has come to a complete stop later than Blue. Blue could pass behind Yellow`s stern and chase Yellow since Blue now has the right of way.

If both boats` bows are level with each other, Yellow can bear away without taking any great risks and move the action to the safe right hand side of the box.

Blue can try to escape to the left hand side by bearing away and gybing. Blue bears away, Yellow follows.

Now Blue wants to escape towards the center of the start-box by gybing. Enough distance to Yellow's bow is required. This is a difficult maneuver to achieve because Blue would become the give way boat on Port (Rule 10) if she gybed and also is not required to be given room to keep clear as she gave up her rights under Rule 15.

Only option once it doesn't work is to luff up again as shown and try to reposition. The result is a new dial up.

The Beat

- Source: Oracle BMW Racing