Makes you go....

[Davidasailor26]

This is what happens when new racers compete with more experienced racers. Some try to follow one of the frequent racers. This tends to concentrate boats on one of the ends. That end maybe favored but if the crowd is there then you’ll be blanketed and most go no where. Look at the boats at the far end. All are going near max speed. Look at the space in the middle of the line. That’s where you might find clear air. Clean air means speed.

Watch the starts of national level races. All racers are looking for clear air

Definitely does look like the middle would be a nice place to be in this case. The only problem is that the line is so offset that starting near the pin end puts you about 10 boat lengths back right off the start (unless they're fetching the first mark). In national level competitions you're not likely to see a start line set like that.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

This is what happens when new racers compete with more experienced racers.
Watch the starts of national level races. All racers are looking for clear air

I don't think it can be concluded that this is the case under this circumstance. The guys in the blue boat are obviously experienced. I'd guess it is a little more likely that their experience led to over-confidence that they could sneak back on the starting line and avoid the other boats. If anybody looked inexperienced, it was that little boat that caused the whole mess by turning up, stalling, and luffing the sails. I did not understand their maneuver at all. It looked like they were in a better position before they turned. (It can't be said that they tacked because they never passed through the wind and they were on stbd reach to begin with) I'm guessing they had the jitters because of all the leeward boats.

An experienced organization wouldn't have messed up the start line like that, so you wouldn't see that in a national race anyways. I'm guessing that for Wednesday night club racing, perhaps they just don't adjust their course for wind direction.

 

[Davidasailor26]

If anybody looked inexperienced, it was that little boat that caused the whole mess by turning up, stalling, and luffing the sails. I did not understand their maneuver at all. It looked like they were in a better position before they turned. (It can't be said that they tacked because they never passed through the wind and they were on stbd reach to begin with) I'm guessing they had the jitters because of all the leeward boats.

My guess is that they realized they were early and were hoping to scrub enough time off. With a more square line that probably would have worked. In this case the line was so offset that they had to bear off before going up into the committee, so they ended up early anyway. Yes they ended up in the way of the blue boat, who looked like they wanted to bear off and run the line if the small boat weren't there, but that's the risk blue took by having the whole fleet to leeward of him.

 

[Hayden Watson]

As for the layout of the start line, this looks just like the start line for the Round Whidbey Race. The first mark is Partridge point about 13 miles SSW. The line is always set at 90º to the heading to Partridge point because to square to the wind would result in an extremely skewed favored end. That looks like it could be the case in this situation.

 

[jssailem]

Hayden. With the Round Whidbey and 13 miles to the first mark, I always felt there were more issues than just the start location on the line.

We’ve started down wind and on a reach, but never upwind, yet.

My last race, couple of years ago, we were in the first 1/3 of the pack to round Partridge Point even hthough we were near the back 1/3rd at the start. Been working with the crew to make better starts in the local Everett races. perhaps the boat owner will do the Whidbey again.

 

[Hayden Watson]

It is a "Do not miss" for me. Last year I did it with a couple of other C30 owners who wanted to gain experience in big water/big current and night sailing. Last year the start was a close-hauled starboard tack and for the first 10-20 minutes everyone was pointing the mark but then the veer came in and we needed to start making that painful short tack at 80º to mark to stay out of the light air on the beach. When and where you tacked made for some big gains and losses.
My point on the RWR is that sometimes there are other factors that overcome setting the line square to the wind. That only works if you can put the first mark more or less upwind of the start. If the first mark is a fixed point, then the start line needs to be square to the mark.

 

[jssailem]

The year I too the start helm I surveyed the time and tides. The fleet went to the center channel near Smith island. I hugged the beach. The wind was out of the north with every one flying spinnakers at the start. We had a grand race downt to Possession Sound. Then the locals took over. I suggested a wide berth of the point. They chose a tight line and turn at the marker we foundered in no wind and a foul tide. Causing the boat to spin in place. The race is about navigating the tides, back currents, and tidal riffs that are the sound. That’s the fun of the race. Knowing what is going on at night up Saratoga Passage is the difference in finishing and timing out.
Would be nice this year to have a serious breeze.