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The starting line faces into the wind, and is located behind the downwind (leeward) mark. The positioning of boats on the starting line is determined by numbers drawn from a helmet before the start of the first race. The start line is divided in half: boats on the right side, called the port tack, must head off toward the right; while boats on the other side must head toward the left, or starboard tack. Starboard tack boats are called this because they are catching the wind from the starboard, or right side of their boat; port tack boats, located on the right side of the line, catch the wind from the port, or left, side. All boats must work their way down the course to the far course marker (windward), then go around it from the right side as viewed from the start line. The boats that started from the left side of the start line must do an extra tack at some point on the first leg of the course so that they can go around the windward mark from the proper direction. After this the yachts all pretty much travel on the same tacks and lines until the specified amount of laps are completed. In short, it’s kind of like an oval auto race track, where the cars travel counter clockwise; the difference is that the sail boats have to do tacks in different directions while navigating the course so that they can keep the wind in their sails. As with auto racing, the first across the finish line, located on the left side of the leeward mark, wins the race.
 The starting line of an ice yacht race is a sight of grandeur. Ten, twenty, and at the large events possibly fifty ice yachts will be lined up next to each other with sails taut and ready to go. A drop of the flag by an official signals the start: The boats on the right head out at about a 45 degree angle, while those on the left head out at about a 315 degree angle. Heading straight up the course would be going directly into the wind, therefore angles, or tacks, are necessary so that the wind can be used most efficiently. On a day with a reasonable breeze and clear ice, it takes no time for the yachts to get up to speed. To keep that speed, and win races, the pilots must stay keenly aware of a number of factors. There are changing wind speeds and wind directions, other boats that might have right-of-way, the limits of their equipment, the hardness or softness of the ice, and keeping track of where and when they want to change their tack. Taking too long to change a tack means wasted travel, too soon can mean lost speed.
The mental balancing act of racing an ice yacht, while having to be mindful of so much else, could be a turn off to some: for ice yacht racers this is a big part of the sport’s lure. Dave Fortier, an engineer in his mid-forties from Biddeford, Maine, is a long-time water (softwater) sailboat racer who found that ice yacht racing provided a greater package of thrills. "Compared to softwater racing, you’ve got only seconds to think of this stuff… I really like catamaran sailing, but ice boating has more speed; it’s more technically challenging." Fortier also prefers ice yacht racing to power sports because it constantly keeps him thinking " I personally don’t like jet skies, I don’t like them not for reasons that a lot of people would think. I don’t have anything against gasoline driven things…I don’t like the concept of just sitting on something and giving it the gas. It seems very boring to me."
Even the ice yachters who are not racers love the cerebral aspect of the sport. Doug Sharp, a career carpenter from Lakeville, Massachusetts prefers "cruising" rather than organized racing, but shares the excitement that most ice yachters express for having to be constantly thinking about how to get the most out of an ice yacht. "The thing about the ice boat is that it has a lot appeal because there is technique involved. You don’t just get in it and drive it. You have to figure out how to play the wind and how to best advantage yourself to whatever situation, the condition of the ice, the type of wind. They’re low to the ground and they’re very quick and they accelerate very quickly, like a go-cart almost. Being low to the ground, you have a bigger sensation of speed; they turn quick. They’re basically go-carts without motors. Strategy is important: When you’re chasing someone you can’t just run them down by stepping on the accelerator, you have to think about it."
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