I'm an experienced windsurfer, but new to raceboard sailing. I have a question about mark rounding techniques:

For a top mark rounding, should I retract the dagger board first and then move the mast track back? Or vice versa?

What is the order for a bottom mark rounding?

You should be doing those both at the same time. If I´m not able to do them simultaneosly, I kick daggerboard up first, cause if you do it the otherway round, you end up pointing upwind instead of downwind, that´ll cost you lot of time to get back to right direction again.
Fanatic Cat forexample has daggerboard built so, that when you step on top of daggerboard it presses the button that releases mast track. Being spesific: daggerboard comes up first in that system!
1001

Thanks for the feedback. What about for a bottom mark rounding?

Should I put the daggerboard down first or most the mast track forward first?

I´ll take bottom mark so that I keep daggerboard up until i ´ve gone around the bottom mark and then move mast track forvard first, in order to maintain speed and then kick daggerboard out. This technique is espesially good if you are in lead, but I you are not, it might be better to kick daggerboard out first and then you get upwind closer the bottom mark and little bit higher than your opponent, that is if everything goes ok, if not, you turn upwind too much, loose your speed and toss against bottom mark.
So it is also dependable of your tactics, and direction from where you approach the bottom mark, how you use your daggerboard.
Hope I didn´t just confuse you more.
1001

To me the answer to this question is very dependent on your skill level, wind strength and position in the fleet. Assuming that you are relatively competent have more than 12knots (that is on the plane as you come to the bottom mark) of breeze and are at the front end of the fleet I would round the mark with the track back and centre board up. Quickly after rounding I would do the two simultaneously or if not possible I would do the centre board first as you round up and put your foot on the pedal the mast track naturally will slide forward.

However, all of this advice changes if you are sailing in lighter winds where you would not have the track back. Moreover this could also change as pointed out in the previous post depending on your tactics. You may want to have a very tight rounding to squeeze in front of someone and may choose to get the centreboard down earlier.

Cheers
Pat

In the last couple of weeks (racing in strong gusty winds), I've had somewhat of a revelation in terms of top mark roundings in strong winds.

Previously, I was attempting to move the daggerboard forward and the mast track back before getting onto the plane. However, after a few words of advice from Chris T, I now use the following technique:

1. When rounding the top mark, I bear away slightly and then pull up the daggerboard.
2. Once the daggerboard is up, you will bear away easily and generate speed.
3. Once at speed, pull the mast track back, with the aid of a low apparent wind.
4. Then it is easy to get into the back footstraps.

I've found that this technique is by far the fastest and easiest in strong winds - low apparent wind is the key.

On a separate but related point, I've found that when sailing in gusty winds and small waves (eg DAC), it is not necessary to bring the mast all the way to the back of the track to have competitive speed downwind.