Yeah Ray, it's what I call a long shot gamble - it's really your only hope when your trying to take on class boats with your little trailer sailor.
You COULD try to stay in with the pack and do all the stuff by the book and try to time your tacks just right when the other guy tacks and deal with all the barging and not to mention everyone cutting off everyone elses wind and the fighting and the whole mess that you will be in doing a traditional race strategy - and really, if your in a D boat with a working jib thats exactly what you need to do because your odds at placing are higher if you slug it out with the rest of the fleet.
But in a cruiser you can't do that - they will leave you in the dust and every time you turn you will fall back even further - not to mention the embarrassment of trying to keep up with them. Nope, been there done that and never placed.
The only thing you can do is go for the long shot.
You gamble that all the in-fighting in the pack will slow down the fleet while you go long and sail in nice open air with no interference. Sail fast and sail hard - as fast as you can go. That means not trying to point too high. As you get smaller on the horizon they will forget about you and concentrate on each other and they will make too many turns and that leads to mistakes - the more turns you make the more your odds for a mistake - as they all try to match each other turn for turn you play a different game they hopefully are not aware of - that's your hope - that they ignore you. They won't even notice that they are going 4 knots in the same wind your doing 6.5 - all they will see is each other and be madly turning back and forth because one other guy tacked - they will make the mistakes. The more mistakes they make the better your odds.
As long as you pass them to the rear when you tack they will ignore you no matter how fast your going. Don't let them know what your doing until the end.
Then, on the all important lay line - that main tack that get's you past the committee boat - the really important tack - you will be far out and able to calculate it better because you won't have the interference of the other boats. Once you make that turn sail for hull or high water with everything you have and don't back down for ANYTHING - barge the line with everything you got and put the boat right about 3 feet from one of the committee boats so it forces the other guy to bear off to keep from ramming you (they are less likely to play chicken if the committee boat is staring right down on them), if the other skippers were not paying attention until now you just might place. If you hear a horn blast as you cross the line expect to hear a LOT of protests at the awards banquet! Those protests are the sweetest sounds a cruiser can hear at the awards dinner!
BOAT wrote:If you hear a horn blast as you cross the line expect to hear a LOT of protests at the awards banquet! Those protests are the sweetest sounds a cruiser can hear at the awards dinner!
Protests based on what exactly, BOAT? I don't race, so I really have no clue as to what they could possibly protest. It's sounds like clean sailing, far from the crowd for most of the race, so what could you have possibly done wrong, in their view?
I had a protest logged against me once for using a motor when I was far off - but that was quickly dismissed - the guy was just trying to make up an excuse for flying a red flag after he crossed the line BEHIND ME!
Another time I had a protest for barging another boat into the rocks in a narrow passage where there was no wind - he could not figure out how my dad and I continued to make forward motion when he was dead stalled. He had to turn behind me to avoid rocks. (Truth be told - I was indeed down low in the cockpit sculling the rudder while my dad sat at the helm with his hands down appearing like he was manning the tiller - he was not - I was hiding on the floor sculling the rudder to gain forward motion.) Yes, I was cheating - but sculling never occurred to the other skipper - he just knew something was wrong so he lodged a protest - but it was dismissed without cause - that one was a battle for a 4th place trophy - I got the trophy. (Hey, when your competing with class boats you take every advantage you have! The A23 had an in hull rudder that was well below the boat and easy to scull without notice - everyone with rudders under the hull were doing it - it's just that it's impossible to prove without underwater cameras. Later model A23's were rigged with a rudder behind the transom like a MAC - so that was the end of that tactic for those guys!
Several times red flags went up on me for barging the finish line - guys had to veer off and cross the line behind me because I would not give way - on those I won three hearings and lost one resulting a third and second.
Regatta racing is all about strategy, speed is great but you need to assume that the other guy is always faster. Think that way and you will start to place in some races.
In mixed fleet racing being up with the field hardly matters as its normally based on some sort of handicap system, here we run CBH (class based handicap) which is a number given to the boat from results of previous races that type of boat has sailed in, or there is PBH (Personal Base Handicap) which is based on your personal previous results.
We are never going to be in the game for Outright Line Honours, thats for those horrible super light weight, way tippy, cant swing a mouse in the cabin (never mind a cat) type boats with their sails that cost each as much as we can buy a full set for, and good luck to them, they can jam that.
The Mac X doesnt have a specific CBH here as there need to be class rules and a association to have your class rules ratified, then the handicappers will do some voodoo calculation based on weight, sail area etc. to work out your CBH.
So I figure I will get a generous handicap as according to the racing elite the Mac isnt a REAL SAILBOAT, so they should be more than happy to give me a nice fat handicap to prove that, of course if they dont they are admitting that she is a REAL SAILBOAT and that will never do
I know I cant run with many of them, but I sure can give them some curry off the wind as long as we dont get involved in their game.
Haha, yes to all that Mike, that's my situation in my M. I'm in the "Handicap Cabin Boat" class; they give us a figure (1014 for me) called a FAY (Falmouth Area Yardstick) based on various key boat specs.
The super fast boats are in other classes; my class has Beneteau First 235 and 25.7 plus a Nordic Folkboat (which, being only 20 foot gets a real leg-up). However, unlike me, they all have spinnakers.
I'm sure it will be fun; just got to work out the dress code for the prize-giving at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club. BOAT can you help with that? Oh yes, and do you think I'll be allowed to use the autopilot? I read the RRS but I'm not sure. Edit: ok finally got to Rule 52 so no AP. Guess they make exceptions on longer/offshore races.
MikeFloutier wrote:Haha, yes to all that Mike, that's my situation in my M. I'm in the "Handicap Cabin Boat" class; they give us a figure (1014 for me) called a FAY (Falmouth Area Yardstick) based on various key boat specs.
The super fast boats are in other classes; my class has Beneteau First 235 and 25.7 plus a Nordic Folkboat (which, being only 20 foot gets a real leg-up). However, unlike me, they all have spinnakers.
I'm sure it will be fun; just got to work out the dress code for the prize-giving at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club. BOAT can you help with that? Oh yes, and do you think I'll be allowed to use the autopilot? I read the RRS but I'm not sure. Edit: ok finally got to Rule 52 so no AP. Guess they make exceptions on longer/offshore races.
In the Vendeglobe they would not be able to even hold that race without auto pilots. Usually the rules allow for single or double handed boats but in general electric motorized devices are NOT allowed in a regatta.
Electronic devices like computers, chartplotters, and wind indicators are allowed, but motorized devices of any kind are usually not allowed - this is why all the crews have grinders - if electric motors were allowed then all the winches would be electric and there would be no need for the grinders. Since a AP is considered a motor it's usually not allowed. They don't like anything that replaces muscle power - but they do allow things that replace brain power. It helps keep the sport more "democratic".
If your attending the awards dinner you are to take a shower and wear clean clothing. If you placed in the race you should wear nice cloths, if you WON the race you show up as dirty and grubby and stinky as you possibly can - but not in the same shirt you wore when you won the race - your expected to put a Club Jacket with he appropriate insignia on over your dirty racing clothing to accept your trophy. If you win make sure you don't comb your hair.
If your accepting a trophy under protest or red flag don't wear a club jacket.
Save up your pennies and buy a BWY spinnaker, mine cost less than $1000Au delivered and she looks a beauty, maybe not up to standard of the Hyde Sails unit maybe I cant comment on that as I have not seen the Hyde sails spinnaker to confirm that.
Hope to have the boat back together this weekend and ready for the rest of the winter series if the weather allows, only one race of the four scheduled so far has been held the rest have been called due to wind warnings
Haha BOAT, you're priceless, good thing I've got no spinnaker cos I've got no jacket; when I retired I trashed all my smart gear.
Mike, you got me looking at sails; now, as well as a spinnaker, I want one of those flat topped jobbies with two reefs and loose footed.
Ok, down to business, the race is tomorrow and the wind forecast is 11kts gusting 17kts; am I ok with full main plus furling genoa? I only have a one-reef main so I want to keep it full if poss.
In those conditions I would be running the jib rather than the genoa, but thats my personal preference anyway, windward will be you weak point and using the genoa will just make it that much harder as when its furled in its not as effective as a jib and make you have to come off the wind more for speed, others who specifically own a M may disagree with this, and Im happy to bow to their greater knowledge of how the boat sails under what sail plan
Thanks to all your advice and encouragement Race Day dawned with great excitement and my good lady sent me off early with a full Cornish breakfast to sustain me through the day.
I'd pre-programmed all the potential marks into my plotter and practiced entering routes for when they were announced - something that could be delayed until only 10 minutes before the start - eek!
I then got some practice tacking around marks and generally gauging the the wind strength - it was stronger than predicted so I settled for my single reef plus a few turns on the furling genoa (no, I don't have a jib; although was wishing I did for this scenario).
I soon realised that, even with full daggerboard, there was an awful lot of weather helm - yes I know, I need one of those 1500 US$ flat-topped mains with two reefs plus a jib. Racing certainly brings one's boat's, and one's own strengths into sharp relief.
Anyway, I started trying to locate the committee boat amongst the 400 plus boats that were milling around but the potential course area was pretty big and I couldn't spot it; hmm, ok "I'll just follow the rest".
Then one of the nice ladies that organise these things came on the radio to introduce the day's proceedings and told us she'd give us our courses as soon as she got them from the course planners.
I'm getting a little nervous at this stage; haven't got the course and can't find the start line. Very soon she's back again and starts reeling off courses. I'm ready for this, double check it, set up the route in the plotter and pencil it on the hard copy chart with marks pre-printed.
Feeling better now I get out my Steiners and start scanning the horizon for the grey hulled "Noon Hi" parked near a yellow buoy which is where we start apparently. I spot it and run for the start side but get a little freaked as I get closer and find myself in amongst all these race-hardened veterans with no idea how I can get where I want to without running into someone.
There are two other classes to start before mine and I soon get the feel of proceedings. Warning signal (class flag) at Start minus 5, Preparatory signal at -4, Prep down at -1, Class flag down at Zero - Go-go-go.
Ok I've got the hang of this. I plan what tack I want to start on, given the wind and the location of the first mark - and, more importantly, to be in view of Mrs F who has planned a dog walk along a high point where we watched some starts a few days earlier.
Ten minutes to go and I begin my approach to the line. I tack a couple of times when I realise the magnitude of the leeway, set and drift but am cautious about being over the line early, you know, like in Bermuda.
Here I go! .....hmm, I'm not charging up to the line quite as fast as I thought I would. At least I won't be early.....ok it's looking like I might be around a minute late. I then get the first glimpse of one of my class competitor boats and imagine myself passing him as I close the line, but it's not happening (that was the last I saw of him:))
Why is the line not getting closer quicker? (I still haven't reached the stage of figuring out what I did wrong). I might even be two minutes late, I think....three minutes maybe.
Suddenly I remember there is a rule which says; "If you're 4 minutes late you're out". I start to see the sense of this as the Preparatory flag drops on the following class and I look to starboard and see this huge fleet of flying Sunbeams charging the line.
"I can still make it" I think, optimistically. "30 seconds" she says, over the radio. I might just make it. "15 seconds, 10 seconds" ok it's looking like I'm going to need a plan B, these guys must be wondering what on earth I'm doing. I feel like I'm driving a long trailer over a railroad crossing and the express train is approaching.
I haven't wanted to admit defeat before having even started but the writing is now clearly on the wall and I tack away from the start line feeling a complete idiot and wishing my class flag would somehow vaporize.
Anyway, I get over this, get well clear of the succeeding class fleets, and decide to have a go at completing the course anyway, even if it won't count.
After about an hour of beating towards the first mark it dawns on me that there's no way I'm going to complete the course so I decide to take in a few local marks before heading back to our mooring. At least l now have the leisure to watch the racing from a great vantage point; the Falmouth Work Boats are truly spectacular, as are the Sunbeams.
I take the opportunity afforded by the gap in radio comms between the sets of race groups to let the race committee boat know that I've retired although, judging by their response, I'm not sure they noticed me missing the start...anyway it was quite fun later to see our details recorded in the "results" section. Interestingly most of the daily entrants (like me) failed to complete.
I'm getting pretty tired by this stage, not to mention bloodied and bruised from various scrapes. At one stage I very nearly went overboard. With the genoa partly furled, one of its sheets was occasionally getting trapped by one of the mast cleats when I tacked. This time I went up to free it and a fluky wind shift (Falmouth's like that) swung the boom across and knocked me over. I was hanging onto the guard wire and just managed to haul myself inboard, much to my relief. I now have a huge lump and bruise on my thigh as a reminder to be more careful.
I finally make it back to the mooring but I've misjudged the state of the tide and find myself having to raise the rudders, db and motor to avoid the mud. I escape grounding, just, and head off back down the river to try to pick up a spare, deeper-water mooring. However, with my reefed main still up and the katabatic Penryn river winds extra strong, this takes me half an hour.
But it passes the time and finally, main-sail down and everything tidied away I can easily get onto my own mooring and,,, breathe!
Unbelievably I was on the water for nearly 9 hours and didn't even manage to start. However much was learnt and I definitely felt more confident from the benefit of all your advice and encouragement so thank you!
Bad luck, seems you got plenty from the exercise anyway, next time out you can use the lessons learnt, I dont think I would like to be put there with a couple of hundred boats,
You can use your motor up to 5 minutes before you start, so could be handy help to position yourself prestart
