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Where's the Line
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Author:  brucebateman [ Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Where's the Line

Wednesday evening I thought I had a great start. But apparently I was over early and I was called back. So where is the end of the line, at the committee end, that is? (What part of the committe boat is the committee end of the line?)

Author:  MBounds [ Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Where's the Line

brucebateman wrote:
Wednesday evening I thought I had a great start. But apparently I was over early and I was called back. So where is the end of the line, at the committee end, that is? (What part of the committe boat is the committee end of the line?)
The answer is found in the sailing instructions for the race. Usually, it's a staff with an orange flag, or some other vertical feature (like the mast on a sailboat). It must be described in the sailing instructions.

You can avoid being early (most of the time) by taking a line sight - I like to line up the stern of the signal boat with the pin and a feature on the far shore (distinctive tree, house, landmark, etc.). Then, when you're on the line, you can judge where you are by looking at the pin and your line sight. By sighting off the stern of the signal boat, you allow a bit of buffer, since you're sitting back from the bow of your boat.

Author:  Tom King [ Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Where's the Line

LIne sights are useful things for sailboat racing. Line sights are from any point, whether moving or not, to some point on land beyond.

Sometime before the start, I luff up beside the committee boat and get a line sight from where the person sighting the line is on the boat. By luffing head to wind doing this, it also shows you which end of the line is favored and by how much. Then back up downwind, and go get other line sights for starboard and port tack lines to line ends. I'll sail one of those lines several times during the start sequence and judge how much the wind is shifting, and how far apart the shifts are. If there is no land in your line of sight, you judge by wave direction, which doesn't change much in short periods of time.

Line sights are useful during a race too. You can tell if another boat on the course will cross you or you will cross him all the way across the lake, by whether you are "making land" on him, or if he is "making land" on you. This by how any land beyond him is moving relative to his bow and your boat, and even if you are on opposite tacks.

Current can be judged by how it swirls under the committee boat, of how it churns at marks.

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