Wouter, they usually start the faster boats first to avoid the clog at the first mark, like you said. If the fast ones started last, they would be overtaking the slower boats at every mark, and all the fleets could end up finishing at the same time, talk about a mess!

If you start 3 minutes behind other boats, you will have plenty of clear air, but if you start right under a big boat, you won't have any air, until he goes by. I know these guys on the Inter 20's racing at Tradewinds, you can bet they are not mid fleet slackers. I'm the mid fleet slacker and I won't be there. You will not sail through their lee on ANY other boat, let alone a 16 footer. They will not be tacking away, they will drive right over the F18's and F16's, no problem. The F16's will be waiting for them to go by, then tacking away. Seen it, done it, at Wildcat, with Matt and Chuck on the new Blades, and some F18's, and 6 Inter 20's, all on the same line. The way they (F16's) got ahead of anyone was to tack away and find a new wind shift, not by outrunning the I20's, that won't happen, upwind or down, and Matt and Chuck will tell you that.

To me it sounds like you want to have one big start just to piss off the longer boats. I have been on both sides of the issue, on a 5.5 starting with Inter 20's and an Inter 20 starting with F18's and F16's. In a small local race, no big deal. In a bigger regatta where you spend alot of time and money, it is a big deal, to me.

If I'm "fleet racing" then I want a separate start. If there are not enough to make a fleet, then they can lump them together for one start. Most of the guys I have talked to do not want boats they are not racing against on their starting line, bigger or smaller, unless it's only about 2-3 other boats.