My view of start strategy, which disagrees with TT:

A start out the top is always the most efficient. Any start out the side will necessarily be less than MSH unless you're really lucky to have a thermal right near the edge. If you start out the top, you are at the maximum energy you can get.

If the thermal is at least as strong as what you'd take on course at similar altitude, keep going. (To find such thermals, it's best to scout 1000' below MSH, so you can effectively core it and evaluate it before hitting the top. That also avoids all the gaggles we've been talking about.)

Most of the time, MSH is near the top where thermals are weak. In that case, just poke your nose above the top enough that you're sure you have a fix up there and head off on course. (A logger with altitude display is helpful, your altimeter may be 200 feet off) It doesn't matter if you sink back in the start cylinder, you've marked a start at maximum possible energy.

Start location should be at the upwind part of the start semicircle. A lot of people miss this. If your first leg is cross wind, all the way to the upwind edge is the best place to start. If your first leg is downwind, poking out the top in the middle of the cylider is the best place to start.

Of course, lining up with clouds, ridges, or gaggles is helpful too.

John Cochrane