The online sailing magazine NO FRILLS SAILING ran a terrific interview with Martin Menzner on successful starting strategies last March. Menzner brings up a lot of good points about how to get safe starts and top starts. I have always said that getting a good start requires a helms person to be a fast reacting opportunist. Holes open and close quickly as the count down clock ticks away. Menzner agrees:
“In order to be successful (on the starting line) it is absolutely essential to control your boat without thinking. You see, if you have to think of how you tack, or gybe or how to trim your boat, you´re lost. This is something, I mean, controlling the boat, is something you and your crew need to be able to do without thinking because then you can concentrate more on bringing up solutions for tactical problems of the race itself. Being creative, being spontaneous.”
For the whole interview, click on this link: http://no-frills-sailing.com/the-art-of-the-start-martin-m…/
—Adam Loory
