A Quick Guide to Pursuit Racing

New to Pursuit Racing? Here's What to Expect

If you've never taken part in a pursuit race before, don't worry here's a quick guide to help you understand how it works.

Unlike traditional handicap racing, where all boats start together and results are calculated afterward, a pursuit race uses staggered start times based on each boat's handicap. The slowest boat starts first, and the faster boats follow at timed intervals, with the goal being for everyone to finish together after a set race duration.

In our fleet, the slowest boat currently is the Access Dinghy. To accommodate this, the Racing Sub-Committee has slightly adjusted the standard procedure: The Access Dinghy will start on the 5-minute warning signal. All other boats will start at their allocated Start + time, which indicates how many minutes and seconds after Go they should begin. The Race Officer (RO) will sound a hooter for each starting class that is participating, but only for those boats actually racing. So, no boat will start on the traditional "Go" signal. The start will be between the two orange buoys as usual, and you must go through the start line on each lap.

Examples of Start Times:

• RS Tera Sport - Start at +00:36
• Lightning - Start at +12:06
• Laser - Start at +14:46

This means some of you will have a bit of a wait before your start but keep an eye on your watch or the hooter, as your start time can arrive sooner than you think!

Once you start, your job is simple: catch and overtake the slower boats ahead. If you pass them on the water and stay in front by the end of the race, you beat them.

The race will end after 60 minutes. The Race Officer will sound several hoots and raise the shorten course flag to signal the finish. There's no need to cross a specific finish line just hold your position as best you can so the race team can record everyone's final places.