After having done my pre-game research and having a good idea of where I want to start, I set up on the line, then use the remaining time (usually between 1 minute to 1:30 left) to create a bigger hole to leeward, and defend from poachers. The skills to increase your hole are known as "downspeed moves" and they can be classified as:
The most common is shooting up. This requires a very strong ability in sculling. Use your tiller to pivot your boat down while sheeting out. As long as your sail is completely luffing, you should be able to pivot around your daggerboard without moving forward. From a near close-hauled course, add leeward heel and sheet in slightly and sit back & out to swing your bow back into the wind while minimizing forward movement.
It is important to gain distance to windward to remain "bow even" with the other boats, but never too much to risk going over the line early or forcing the boats around you to do the same. Having "shot up" into the wind, there will be several moments when your boat is NOT slipping sideways towards the port end of the line. This is where you make gains. Once you start going backward again, you need to re-gain control by sculling your downspeed moves again. Having repeated this several times, you will open up a gap to leeward and allow for the other boats to drift away. You can also use the technique to make your hole look unappealing to poachers. Be careful not to break Rule 42. The jury is watching for your tiller to cross the centerline; so scull down to close-hauled on starboard tack, then make sure you initiate your turn back up with just your sail & bodyweight and let the tiller follow the boat.
Sailing backward requires you to avoid other boats. Think of this skill as a ‘reset’ for entering a hole. If you’ve either fallen back from being bow even with the other boats around you, or gotten too close to the boat to leeward, or essentially just too crammed in - sail backward so that you can re-approach the line with better control and space. The steering is the hardest part. Getting used to steering backward is crucial (an easy one to practice on your own, though!). Once you have really good control of the downspeed moves and where the boat is going, you should be able to reverse out of the lineup with ease. Here are the basic steps:
Once you’ve reversed out, you can now decide whether you want to sail back into the same hole, or bail out and go find another one further down the line.
Only when you have enough space to windward, should you attempt the double tack. The double tack means that you will momentarily be losing your rights, and sailing back towards a group of angry starboard tackers. However, this is an absolute game-changer if you can pull it off. It is important to effectively complete 2 tacks without any acceleration. You do this by simply some downspeed moves for backwinding and luffing.
Initiate a shoot up then backwind your sail immediately by pressing the boom away from you. If you have any forward movement, this should tack you onto port fairly easily.
Once on the port, luff your sail and quickly switch your hands on the tiller, so that you can scull if needed. Now you need to do a port tack shoot-up to reverse the process. Do it quickly before the boats to windward notice!
scull down, shoot up, push the boom away from you, and you should be on starboard tack before you know it.
Voila! you have created a bigger hole to leeward of you that you can use to accelerate!
