Have finished reading Matthew Symonds "intimate protrait" of Larry Ellison called Softwar (Simon & Schuster, www.simonsays.com. To say that the book is frank and revealing would be an understatement.

A unique feature of the book is Larry's "right of reply" throughout the book. While he did not have the right to alter the author's words, it was agreed that he could add footnoted commentary to express a counterpoint to the author's conclusions or to amplify points Larry felt important.

In one such footnote (page 462), I found the following nugget which, to my mind, is as clear and concise a description of a match race start as I have read anywhere:

The start is critical in match racing. Winning the start does not necessarily mean that [one yacht] has started in front of [the other]; it means [winning] the side of the race course you want. Five minutes before the race begins, both boats decide which side of the race course has the better wind conditions: more wind and/or a favorable shift up the course. If both boats pick the same side of the course, they fight for it by executing a complex set of manuevers with each boat trying to gain a right-of-way advantage against the other. This five-minute maneuvering period before the start is called the pre-start. It's the most exciting part of match racing."

Overall a very interesting read, especially Larry's perspective on the 2003 campaign. Highly recommend it to anyone connected with our team.