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Roy Smith
 
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Default Obstruction - Start / Finish Line

"R. G. Newbury" wrote:
A closed line only makes sense where the line lies between the
windward and leeward marks. To avoid the problem entirely, just ensure
that leeward mark is either upwind of the line, level with the line,
or uses the non-RC end as the leeward mark.


This is good advice, but assumes it's possible. Some fleets race in
constricted waters where geography (hydrography?) force you to set
courses that you might otherwise prefer not to, especially when using
fixed marks.

I've become a big fan of the setup R.G. suggests, when it's possible.
We set a start/finish line square to the wind and a windward mark dead
upwind. Then, we drop the leeward mark about 100 yards to windward of
the RC boat, and have a downwind finish. This gives you a couple of
advantages:

1) If the wind shifts, you only have to move one mark (the windward
one). Unless the shift is really radical, the leeward mark can stay
where it is, and it's not critical that it gets set exactly. The chase
boat can just toss it over the side on the way up to set the windward
mark and forget about it. This really helps out when the RC is
shorthanded and you've only got a single chase boat.

2) The spinnaker drops all happen right in front of the RC boat. This
not only adds to the RC's entertainment factor, but makes for great
photography as well.