And they’re off! The start and the first windward leg are the most important stages of any race and will set the stage for things to come.

So, you got a good start, or perhaps your didn’t. Either way the first windward leg of any race is critically important and no matter where you find yourself in the fleet there are ways to be among the leaders by the windward mark. Let’s look at the start and the first 15 minutes of any race to develop an overall strategy of how to attack the windward leg.

You’ll want know which side of the course to favor and which competitors are the most important to watch. These should have been discussed between you and your crew long before the start gun fired so that once racing your game plan becomes your guiding plan. But first you need to concentrate on boat speed.

Many good starts are squandered because the helmsman is looking around and not concentrating on sailing fast. There are usually two or three rows in any fleet; the first row consists of the boats that got the best start and are sailing in good, clean air. The second row are the boats that are getting gassed by the boats ahead of them, suffering in their dirty air. They are locked out of options because of the boats coming up from behind on starboard tack. They cannot tack away to find a better lane of clean air until the back markers either fall further back, or tack away themselves. It’s very easy to slip from the first row into the second if you do not concentrate on boat speed so it’s important to keep the boat going as fast as possible. Have your tactician look at the boats nearest you to ensure that you are sailing as fast and pointing as well as your immediate competition. You do not want to fall down on the boat to leeward or sail up into the bad air of the boat to windward. Keep in your lane and keep your sails trimmed for optimum performance. It doesn’t take long for gaps to open up between the boats, allowing you the opportunity to put your game plan into action.

Sometimes it’s inevitable, especially in a mixed fleet, that you find yourself sailing in bad air. Unless you have a very strong reason for wanting to go a particular way, like covering the only boat that can beat you in the regatta, you do not want to sail in bad air for more than a few seconds. Your speed will be suffering and you will be losing ground on every other boat that is sailing in clean air. If you are racing a nimble boat, one that accelerates quickly, throwing in two quick tacks to clear your air may be your best option. If, on the other hand, the boat you are racing is slow to tack and accelerate, consider sitting it out until the boat that is robbing you of clean air moves away. If it’s a larger, faster boat this may not take much time. If you’re keeping a close eye on the fleet, there are a few things you can do to be proactive. For example, if a larger boat is going to roll over you to windward, consider footing off for speed before the boats gets to you to keep in clean air. This will stave off the inevitable for a while longer by which time the boat to windward may well tack away, or at the very least it will put some distance between you and its wind shadow. You may also consider pinching up into a lee bow situation forcing the boat to windward to tack away. In any event, the worst thing you can do is sit helplessly by and wait to be gassed. Be proactive and aggressive.

Boats in other classes that start before you can tell you a lot about what to expect from the wind on the upwind leg. Keep a close eye on boats on the edges of the course.

This kind of proactive thinking can also apply when you are the starboard tack boat with a boat approaching on port. The best outcome is if they duck behind your transom. The worst option, for you, is if they tack immediately to leeward and force you to tack away, especially if you are heading for your favored side of the course. The same may apply if they get by your bow and tack to windward on your air. By being proactive you may want to signal to the helmsman that even though they may not be able to make it through ahead of you, that you are going to let them go. This small gesture allows you to continue with your strategy and not, for the sake of a rule, put yourself in an undesirable situation.

Your next move is largely dictated both the strategy you’re following and the wind conditions and given those parameters you need to set priorities. For example, if the wind is light your main priority should be to sail in clean air. While it may also be important to get over to the right hand side of the course, you may end up giving too much away if you tack over into bad air. On the other hand if the wind is blowing strong and tending in a certain direction, by all means get over to the favored side of the course as quickly as you can. There are other factors to consider and there are no hard and fast rules to follow. You need to consider them all and act accordingly. If the wind is consistently oscillating back and forth your main priority will be to get into sync with the shifts and forget covering the competition or relentlessly searching for clean air. You should also avoid the edges of the course for as long as possible. Once you get out to the layline the options for sailing on a favored tack get usurped by the need to tack for the mark. In fact, in almost all conditions avoid getting pinned near the edges of the race course until as far up the windward leg as possible.

Happiness is being to windward with the competition crossing astern.

Once you are well into the race it’s time to reassess your game plan. That’s not to say you should second guess yourself, but rather take a look at the fleet and either reconfirm that your strategy was sound, or perhaps consider modifying it a little. Your game plan was based on your best estimation of what you thought the wind would do. Now, with the whole fleet sailing up the windward leg you have a perfect visual map of precisely what the wind is doing. Look for the boats on the edge of the race course. They are the first indicators of an approaching shift in wind direction. Perhaps there is a competitor that has remained on starboard tack since the start and is now all the way to leeward and ahead and getting lifted. While it’s bad for that boat, you can learn a lot from it by simply looking at the angle it’s sailing relative to your own. On the other hand, if they are in a big header you may want to ease sheets slightly and foot off toward to approaching shift.

As you approach the windward mark the options inevitably get fewer. At some point you have to round the mark even if it means sailing on an unfavorable tack. As you begin to get into the range of the windward mark it’s time to plan for the rounding. In a packed fleet you probably want to approach the mark on starboard to avoid getting locked out. If there are only a few boats with gaps between them, approaching on port, if it’s favored, is not a problem. Keep in sync with the wind shifts for as long as possible while keeping a wary eye on the starboard tackers to ensure that you have an opening once you get to the layline.

Remember, consistency is what wins regattas. If you got a good start, remained flexible in your strategy and kept a clean nose for the windward leg, you will end up at the windward mark near the top of the fleet. The two most critical stages of the race are behind you, as hopefully is most of your competition. You now have to plan how to pass the boats ahead of you on the downwind stage of the race, but at least you are in the hunt and secure in the knowledge that it’s easier to attack from behind going downwind than it is to protect your lead.