Starting Tips

by Pam

Scott Young is a very talented sailor in Austin, TX.  He has won the Mallory Cup (US Men's National Championship) a record breaking 6 times (2 as crew and 4 as skipper).  He has an extraordinary talent for jumping on just about any boat with little to no time in the boat and rising to the top. 

I asked him if he would share some of his starting techniques to go with the video we recently posted: Scott Young Starting Video.  He reminded me that he's already written two articles on his blog on that exact subject:

The Start....Tips for Better Starting

In the sport of sailboat racing, the start is clearly the most important aspect of the race. The start generally separates the men from the boys (or women from the girls) and hopefully YOU from the rest of the fleet. Those who position themselves with clear air, good speed and put their boat at the favored end of the starting line greatly improves their chances for a successful race. [Read More]

Starting Tips II
Simply put, the START IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE RACE!!!! [Read More]


And here is a link to a video from 2006 of Scott starting at the pin.  As you can see, he's been very good at this for many years now.
http://www.sailingtexas.com/Movies/Start/startrace2.html