KUROSH KIANI
One of the best things you can do is practice how to judge your distance and speed coming up to objects in the water. If you can dial that in, that will give you a massive advantage. When I am lining up to the start, sheeting in and going full power, I need to know when I will hit the line so I practice when to sheet in. I wait, wait, wait and then go for it. You need to pass the start line at full speed at zero to stay competitive. And you need to know the angles. How downwind is the mark, how does your gear work on a broad reach or do you go faster if you are pointing a little bit. Judging your distance to objects and your speed for me is the key. You need to have a sense of the situation around you and be aware of what the other guys are all doing. Make sure that you cross the line with no guys bothering you. Starts are a puzzle, it’s tough to get it right every time but if you know when to sheet in and go for it, that helps tremendously. I wish I would practice more starts, everywhere you go the starts change and the conditions are different. The boat can be a different size, the pin end buoy is a different shape or colour, the current can be stronger or it’s flat or choppy. All these things make a difference in the way you approach the start line. This imaginary line moves a little bit. The easiest places to judge where to start best are at the pin or the boat because you have objects to line up with. The middle is the hardest to judge. You are just looking at a piece of water and trusting your run up. You can have no clue what is going on. You can train all winter and then come to a place where you can’t sail your normal routine because of obstructions in the water, all of a sudden you have to adapt. You now have to do a 30 second run up. Every day is different and you can’t get it right all the time!
“ You need to have a sense of the situation around you and be aware of what the other guys are all doing. ”
