Class Politics rules question at start

A few years ago at a V15 midwinters with light winds I watched virtually everyone (except me cause I hadn't seen it before) sharply heel the boat to leeward and then trim in and heel back to windward as they shot off the line.

Is this sort of kinetics legal at the start?
 
knot_moving said:
A few years ago at a V15 midwinters with light winds I watched virtually everyone (except me cause I hadn't seen it before) sharply heel the boat to leeward and then trim in and heel back to windward as they shot off the line.

Is this sort of kinetics legal at the start?

No.
 
IMHO, this is one of the grey areas of Rule 42.

I totally agree that more then one cycle of heel/flatten/trim off the line is against the rules, but I think a single cycle may be defensible along the following lines:

Prior to the start you are holding your spot on the line with your sail out and heeled to leeward (because that helps hold the boat up into the wind) When it's time to go, you assume your normal sailing position (let's assume it's sitting on the windward side) and sheet in to accellerate.
 
This particluar tecnique is an application of the exception to rule 42 that allows you to heel the boat to steer. If you are sitting on the line pointing in a certain direction (let's say close-hauled, for instance) and rock to leeward and flatten to accelerate, that is ILLEGAL AND SHOULD BE PROTESTED. However, if you are pointing significantly lower than close-hauled and heel to leeward TO HEAD UP and flatten to end the steering motion, that is legal.
 
If you do it in a Laser race it is illegal because you aren't supposed to have a jib
 

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