How to start a sailing race: timing, the favoured end and the last minute
The 5-4-1-0 sequence, syncing your countdown to the committee, finding the favoured end, time and distance to the line, the last minute, and how to review your start afterwards.
By the Waterspeed team
A good start comes down to three things: knowing exactly how much time is left, being on the favoured end of the line, and crossing it at full speed as the gun goes. Sync your countdown to the committee’s signals, check which end is favoured before the warning signal, then work backwards from the gun so you accelerate in the last 10 to 15 seconds.
What is the 5-4-1-0 start sequence?
Most races use the standard sequence in rule 26 of the Racing Rules of Sailing:
| Time to start | Signal | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | Warning: class flag up, one sound | The countdown begins |
| 4 minutes | Preparatory: P, I, Z, U or black flag up, one sound | Start rules apply; the flag sets the penalty for being early |
| 1 minute | Preparatory flag down, one long sound | Last minute |
| 0 | Class flag down, one sound | Start |
Time the flags, not the sounds: if a sound fails or comes late, the visual signal counts. Always read the sailing instructions, which can change the sequence.
How do I sync my countdown?
Start the countdown on the five-minute warning, then check it at four and one minute. In Waterspeed’s Race Countdown (Pro), on iOS, Android or Apple Watch:
- Sync - sets the countdown to the lower minute and Sync + to the upper minute, so one tap on each signal keeps you exact; + / - change the minutes even while it runs.
- On Apple Watch Ultra, the Action Button starts the countdown and a second press does Sync -.
- Alerts sound and vibrate at 4 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds and for the final 10 seconds.
- Recording starts by itself at zero. Stop the countdown early and nothing is saved.
How do I find the favoured end?
A line is rarely square to the wind; one end is closer to the windward mark.
- Head to wind: sail to the middle of the line and point straight into the wind. The end your bow points closer to is favoured.
- Check again in the last minutes: a shift changes the answer.
- Take a transit: line up the pin or the committee boat with something on shore, so you can tell from mid-line whether you’re over.
Line bias is one input, not the whole decision: pressure, current and your first-beat plan matter too.
Time and distance
The hardest part is knowing how long it takes you to reach the line at full speed.
- Practise before the warning signal: from a set distance below the line, time your run to the line.
- Keep a gap to leeward: it’s the room you need to bear away and accelerate.
- Start accelerating 10 to 15 seconds before the gun, more in a heavy boat and less in a light dinghy.
The last minute
- Hold your position, protect the gap to leeward and keep the boat moving slowly enough to steer.
- At 30 seconds, check your transit and your gap.
- At about 15 seconds, sheet in, bear away slightly and go.
- If you’re over early, watch for flag X (individual recall) and clear yourself as the sailing instructions require.
How do I review my start?
After the race, find the gun on your track (in Waterspeed the countdown part of the track is shown in cyan) and ask: were you at full speed, where on the line did you start, and could you sail your first-leg plan? The five-question review in Race analysis with GPS replay turns this into a routine across a regatta.
Related: Race timers compared, How to prepare for a race.
