# Rabbit Start Race Tomorrow



## Fau (May 13, 2012)

I have my first gate/rabbit start race tomorrow. The organizers are saying it is a very fair and easy way to start. I'm interested to see how it goes.


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## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

Is that a staggered start handicap race. We do one end of every season all things being equal its a strategy race.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

A Rabbit start is one where you have no committee/start boat, one of the competitors is designated the rabbit and runs the line at the designated time, the fleet crosses the rabbit's transom as soon as they can, after which the rabbit is free to tack with them.

We tried it a number of years back but managed to get a skiff and each racer had to take a turn as 'start officer'. But the Rabbit start is kind of interesting.


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## Hudsonian (Apr 3, 2008)

Frequently, if there are a series of short races, the winner of the previous race serves as the rabbit and starts the next as soon as the last boat finishes. It minimizes waiting.

Al B: That is a pursuit race. They have two advantages: you immediately know how you finished and theoretically everybody gets to the part at the same time.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Hudsonian said:


> ........
> 
> Al B: That is a pursuit race. They have two advantages: you immediately know how you finished and theoretically everybody gets to the part at the same time.


Another 'advantage' of a pursuit race is that it allows the slower rated boats (who are typically trailing the fleet and hoping corrected time helps them out) get to 'mix it up' with the faster boats as they inevitably catch up.

In a perfect world with a pursuit start every boat would be on the finish line together, but of course it doesn't often work out that way.


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## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

Hudsonian said:


> Frequently, if there are a series of short races, the winner of the previous race serves as the rabbit and starts the next as soon as the last boat finishes. It minimizes waiting.
> 
> Al B: That is a pursuit race. They have two advantages: you immediately know how you finished and theoretically everybody gets to the part at the same time.


Yea that's it, we just called it something else.


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