Hi Donk,
I am interested too. I currently use the countdown timer on a mast mounted tacktick display, and just love it for its ability to improve my starts.
Regards functions, there are two features I use:
You plot either end of the line by pushing the button as you sail past. First feature I find handy is it tells you the favored end on wind shift( this needs wind input, so no good for a watch only of course)
Second feature is time/distance to start line. Tells me if i am going to be early or late by displaying a negative/ positive value in distance or time. This shouldn't need any input other than a good gps function on the watch.
Just thought I'd throw it in there , would be interested to see what others think.
SB

Hi all

Thanks for the replies so far

On the boat i race on i trim the headsail and i am normally responsible for letting the skipper on the helm know how much time we have to go and he steers the boat to cross the line at the correct time and normally our starts are pretty good (he has been doing it for a long time) so a good countdown timer with a syncro function is probably the most important function as sometimes the horn goes off mid tack

I thought about the Garmin with the GPS function and plotting the start line and advising him if we are going to fast or slow but i think it might get confusing and be a distraction to him

I am tending towards one of the Ronstan watches (i like the race timer but the face is massive and i might look like a bit of a dick) so i might go for a clearstart www.ronstan.com.au/marine5/error.asp?admin=&fail=yes as i wouldn't mind wearing it as a everyday watch as well

I would not mind a flash one like Bananabender posted but it is a bit out of my price range

Regards Don

Hi Donk,
Bugger the look mate,as long as it works. Throw it in your kitbag before going up to the bar.
I agree if your skipper is pretty good at starts, you don't need to worry about too many numbers.
Get something that is easy to read, and has an audible minute and last 10 sec warnings and countdown, so you can have eyes out if needed.
SB

Shaggybaxter said..
Hi Donk,
Bugger the look mate,as long as it works. Throw it in your kitbag before going up to the bar.
I agree if your skipper is pretty good at starts, you don't need to worry about too many numbers.
Get something that is easy to read, and has an audible minute and last 10 sec warnings and countdown, so you can have eyes out if needed.
SB

Hi Shaggy

I still think i might go with the Clear Start as it is a bit more normal watch size compared to the oversize Race Timer and the numbers are still a decent size (16mm on the Race Timer against 13mm on the Clear Start)

I also wonder if the Race Timer might be a bit more prone to getting knocked and damaged due to its large size

Regards Don

cisco said..

I think the best watches to have on a yacht in passage are 4 hours on, 8 hours off with the first 4 hours of off watch spent dozing in the cockpit keeping the oncoming watch company and in case you are needed and then going below to stir the next oncoming watch. That is for the dark hours for a three watch crew.

During the day of course all watches are expected to spend at least 4 hours up and about, be it morning or afternoon depending on the watch schedule.

Strewth!! I should have read the previous posts to this thread. You are talking about wrist watches not steering watches. Silly me.

Yeah, cisco you speak nostalgic note of what "watch" in nautital term is. Those, who our succesors are, they have got every pice of nautical experance in their I-Phones. They are not asking us "how too". They just enter fiev digits into wirstwach thingy to estimate their time to cross start line.
Im partner with you: what is the watch on boat? Fancy thingh on your wirst or your obligation to fullfill you duty, to the best of your ability by your own?.
Nuances of the "england lingo", in other lingos "duty" and "chronometer" are easy defined.

I used to have a Rolex Submariner in life before divorce!

RiffRaff said..
I think everyone should be careful answering especially after the icy cold reception this poor fellow got for even suggesting such a thing.
Not the friendliest forum on the net is it.
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Pebbles-on-Board/

Yes that was a shame now I have re-read it , it could be a interesting topic! I was going to say 4 hours down 2 up I like that watch !

Nothing wrong with 4 hours off and 2 on if she's from Latvia!

The smartest (not the laziest) Captains I have worked with choose a standing "Evening Watch", 20:00 to 23:59 and tend to have their Second Officer take the Middle Watch and their First Officer take the Morning Watch. It just makes complete sense.