We got an awesome start free and clear ahead of the whole fleet by being a little early. Usually that's the death of a good start, but we leverage the room that we have to slow the boat down and get us there on time Come see how we got it done! Part of why this works so well is that when you finally commit to going full speed, you're much closer to the start line and it's easier to judge. The big trick is to know that you're early and slow down early and often. Don't get surprised and try to do it all at the end, or all at once. You'll over-correct for sure and have a bad start.
We chose this approach for a few reasons. Firstly, we felt the pin-end was favoured and more upwind than the committee boat end, so we needed the time to get there and we had to be there first to win it. Secondly, if we waited until the right time to tack, the rest of the fleet would have been rolling past us to windward, likely impeding our ability to turn when we wanted to, and leaving us in a bad position for sure. We'd also be stuck in the turbulent air coming off their sails and masts, and one of the most important things to do when starting is to get clear air! Position on the start line is much less important than getting clear air, though it's easy to forget that when your heart is pumping and you're feeling competitive in the start sequence.
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