Most likely, he's using GPS time. Synch your watch to a GPS (to the second), and you won't need a timer for the first race. If he's using even minutes for all starts, you won't need a timer at all.

Starting on even GPS minutes is one of the more subtle sailor-friendly things a good RC can do. Rock star RC will always time the initial warning/start on an even 5.

As a PRO, I can do this, but will admit to using the timer as a crutch when racing myself. Life would be much simpler if I could break that habit. You never have to worry about missing the flags, or synching a backup when (not if) the primary timer gets bumped and stops during the sequence.

Mike