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Post by tilo on May 17, 2017 19:57:00 GMT
Hoppy,
I only just realized you have an RMYS sail number. For some reason I had placed you in Geelong. In any case, I used to race 12ft cadet dinghies out of RMYS off the St. Kilda breakwater, back in the mid-60's. That's where I learned to sail, and learned to love the sport. I have very fond memories of that time. You won't find my name on any plaques, though.
Have fun out there, Tilo
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Post by hoppy on May 17, 2017 23:44:42 GMT
Hoppy, I only just realized you have an RMYS sail number. For some reason I had placed you in Geelong. In any case, I used to race 12ft cadet dinghies out of RMYS off the St. Kilda breakwater, back in the mid-60's. That's where I learned to sail, and learned to love the sport. I have very fond memories of that time. You won't find my name on any plaques, though. Have fun out there, Tilo That explains the "Wombat" boat name Ok, I won't look for your name...
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Post by hoppy on May 21, 2017 0:02:15 GMT
Yesterday was our first pursuit race. Aside from the fresh bottom, I had a rigger give the boat a quick tune up (he was too busy for a full tune before this race) and both made a huge difference. There was no noticeable speed differences between tacks The forecast was for a 10-15knots northerly but it was blowing 18-23 knots the whole race. The flat water from the northerly meant that the wind speed was perfect for full sails with Jessabbe's 135% genoa. And we finished 22nd of 27 22nd does not sound good in "perfect" conditions but we took a lot of positives out of the day and had an absolute blast Positives.... The boat "Sunshine" an Adams 10.6 which left us for dead in the previous race but came 2nd last and became my yardstick, started this race 2 minutes behind us and finished 1:27 behind us We started at the same times as "Red Dog" which is an Adams 10 Cruising. On the first leg we were neck and neck on a windward print straight to the mark, but a slight wind change and we fell short of the mark and had to tack 50m. Downwind they pulled away a little more and by the bottom mark they were perhaps 300m ahead. At the mark we had to drop the pole (DDW for genoa) and gybe but the genoa went in front of the forestay and we lost more than a minute. On the windward leg to the finish we lost sight of Red Dog but 2/3rds along that leg we found ourselves crossing tacks with Red Dog. We were on starboard and if we were 1 boat length further forward they would have had to pass behind us. They beat us by 19 seconds. Another boat "Silhouette" started one minute after us and only beat us by 19 seconds. A huge "positive" was that whilst many of the yachts had 4, 5 or 6 crew, we were only two on board. I decided to let my uncle helm the whole race (ensures I at least always have one crew if I don't hog the wheel) but that meant I got exhausted with the tacking and in the wind conditions and a lot of healing we really needed 2 on the genoa sheet, one pulling the sheet during the tack and the other at the winch ready to trim. At the downwind mark our headsail problem occurred because I was so busy dropping the pole and securing it that by the time we reached the mark I was still coming back to the cockpit to do the main and as we were only meters off the tail of a Bavaria 38 match, my uncle was concentrating, so the genoa was a little bit forgotten. I suspect that the lack of a crew cost us 2 minutes which would have put us at about 14th. Adding a few fat guys on the rail like many other boats had, would have also helped yesterday I am very happy with our 0.810 handicap as something to work on and that we were so close to others on our handicap made the day super fun. Not looking forward to light wind racing though.
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Post by hoppy on Jun 1, 2017 22:32:51 GMT
Just saw the start list for this weekends race and Jessabbe's handicap has dropped from 0.810 down to 0.798 and we will start two minutes earlier Scratching around for crew so I'm not sure if we'll get to race
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Post by MartyB on Jun 2, 2017 3:23:09 GMT
Lets see, If I leave now in my boat sailing to Oz........I may get there in time for next years race.......does that help? A silver bird might get me there a bit quicker.....but probably a bit late none the less.....
Marty
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Post by hoppy on Jun 2, 2017 4:57:55 GMT
Lets see, If I leave now in my boat sailing to Oz........I may get there in time for next years race.......does that help? A silver bird might get me there a bit quicker.....but probably a bit late none the less..... Marty Great... you can crew in the first race after you arrive regardless of your mode of transport BTW have you heard of the RaceQs app I posted about in another thread? Looks like it could be a fun thing for clubs and competitors to use.
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Post by MartyB on Jun 4, 2017 17:25:57 GMT
Hippy, I have to my knowledge not heard of that tool. BUT, with that said, I do know that many exist doing as advertised to look back and see what you did good bad or otherwise in a race. To me, no different than sports teams looking at tape of competitors, seeing what and how offense and defense behaves in different situations. Any, Sunday mid morning here on left coast of NA. How is Monday shaping up down under? Marty
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Post by hoppy on Jun 4, 2017 22:16:50 GMT
Saturday's pursuit race was in light winds with a max of 10 knots and due to conditions we had a short course. There were 24 yachts and we came 22nd With our heavy cruising 135% we were never going to do well. We did however have a good race agains one of our benchmark boats including a long sail side by side downwind and a good chat. I had a post race play with RaceQs and recorded a video of the race
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Post by hoppy on Oct 9, 2017 2:29:00 GMT
We had our first combined fleet race yesterday. Normally we just race pursuits so starting with 26 other yachts was a challenging experience. It was a very mixed fleet that even included a Reichel Pugh 51, Primitive Cool which is the fastest yacht in Melbourne these days. We had a shocking start, totally misjudging it by not even thinking about the impact of 26 sets of sails would have on us, so we crossed the line one tack and about 10 minutes after the gun The course was an up and back 2.5 times into the wind and a DDW run, or at least that was the plan. The wind was light and by the time we rounded the first mark (after several minutes parked) the wind had done nearly a 180. Approaching the 1st mark I setup the North G2 for the run back, then took it down and put up the Code 1 for a light wind windward sail. Then the wind completed its 180 swing and picked up. Before we finished the 2nd leg, Primitive Cool had finished the race (legs 3, 4 & 5 were shortened). The 3rd leg, which was the same direction as the 1st but shortened, was now a DDW run. I had no energy to put the North G2 up again so we goose winged the Code 1. The rest of the race was uneventful and for the 5th and final leg I got the North G2 up and tried goose winging it for the first time. There was a SO35 in the race and was the only other yacht with a roller headsail. They had an equally crappy start and we thankfully smoked them Unfortunately the SO35 and one other yacht behind us pulled out of the race and with one boat in front of us also pulling out, we crossed the line 24th and last. With our crappy handicap that was allocated to us early in the year and not adjusted because we have not had any spinnaker races to bring it down, we were last on handicap by 20 minutes. Our finished time was about 2 hrs 18min, one hour after the RP51. A fun race but forgettable result
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Post by Don Reaves on Oct 9, 2017 19:52:06 GMT
Getting a good start is, in my opinion, the most important part of a race. It takes experience, teamwork, and luck.
Talk to and learn from those with more experience. Read everything you can about it. And above all, keep trying.
Don
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Post by MartyB on Oct 15, 2017 4:43:08 GMT
Been there done that a few times.........
Practice starting, ie go across the line a few times before the race starts, then you might be able to jusdge the distance to the start and know where to be at the 1 minute gun.........Usually works for me.......sometimes it dont..........
As some folks I know quote, if you don't go over early a few times, you're not pushing yourself to make the gun just before the line! You are not usually as bad off as you were from a start time.......not to say going over and restarting as not hurt me..........
Marty
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Post by hoppy on Oct 15, 2017 10:51:52 GMT
Our biggest problem at the start was that we were planning for it like we do for a pursuit race start when there are only one or two other sets of sails. As a result we were running for the line in disturbed air which slowed us greatly and messed up our pointing. Will be better prepared next time, I hope.
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Post by so36idavid on Oct 16, 2017 3:25:03 GMT
Hoppy, Don't beat yourself up over your finish in light air. Fluky conditions turn the race into a crapshoot and tend to favor the boats with the lower handicaps ("the rich get richer"). Starts are by far the most dynamic and difficult part of sailboat racing. There are all kinds of static issues to deal with (line, wind, current, obstructions, course etc.) make sure you have those sorted out well before the start. Then there are the dynamic problems, i.e. issues caused by other boats and changing conditions. There are lots of strategies you can adopt so think through what you'd like to do but be flexible and alter the plan at short notice if necessary. I recommend doing some reading or watch some videos online to give you some ideas. For example this one. If you're not confident in your ability to execute and even more so that of your crew then I would take a conservative approach. Particularly if you're racing in a competitive fleet where guys are not shy to push you around and do some yelling. This boils down to - Figure out which end of the line is favored. Often the line will be biased 10 degrees or so to the pin end so that the people on the committee boat don't have to worry about you smashing into them. If there is a start before yours watch where the better boats want to start. That's where you want to cross the line. - Figure out which side of the course you want to be on on the first beat. Look up the course and if there are boats out try to figure out which boats are lifted. - Don't try elbow your way into a front-row start. Start in the second row on the favored end and tack early if you want the right hand side of the course. - Don't get too wrapped up in what the other boats are doing after the start. Just focus on sailing your race and above all keep clear air. Minimize your tacks and look for shifts. - Know the rule book. Know when you can be assertive and when you need to develop contingencies because there is a potential problem coming. Your first twenty starts are going to seem fast and scary and overwhelming. As you do more of it you'll become less task loaded and everything will slow down. Ultimately the only way to get good at it is to do a lot of it so try and get in as many races as you can, preferably with the same crew. The least experienced guy on my crew has probably 150 races in the boat, it takes something exceptional to raise our heart rates . Good luck! David
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Post by so36idavid on Oct 16, 2017 3:40:14 GMT
P.S. Here's a couple of basic strategies to think about
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Post by hoppy on Oct 18, 2017 10:56:29 GMT
Just home after the Wednesday twilight pursuit race in perfect conditions. 20 knots offshore breeze, sunny and about 30 degrees C. The sort of wind conditions I've been waiting for all year. The start was a bit of a mess as we could not hear the horn and I never got the countdown clock set, so we were a little bit late. But the race was fantastic, we reeled in all but 4 boats, finishing 5th and no boats behind caught us. In elapsed time we were the 12th fastest out of 34 yachts... I might have to get the broker to add "competitive racer" to the sales ad...
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Post by MalcolmP on Oct 20, 2017 16:47:20 GMT
Well done Hoppy, getting into your stride
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Post by petermc on Oct 21, 2017 1:32:23 GMT
Just home after the Wednesday twilight pursuit race in perfect conditions. 20 knots offshore breeze, sunny and about 30 degrees C. The sort of wind conditions I've been waiting for all year. The start was a bit of a mess as we could not hear the horn and I never got the countdown clock set, so we were a little bit late. But the race was fantastic, we reeled in all but 4 boats, finishing 5th and no boats behind caught us. In elapsed time we were the 12th fastest out of 34 yachts... I might have to get the broker to add "competitive racer" to the sales ad... hey Hoppy I was in Melb for work this week and was looking out of our office tower at the racing going on around St Kilda around mid afternoon - at the time I thought you might be out there! Beautiful day and breeze, was frankly a little jealous Pete
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Post by hoppy on Oct 21, 2017 8:25:21 GMT
Just home after the Wednesday twilight pursuit race in perfect conditions. 20 knots offshore breeze, sunny and about 30 degrees C. The sort of wind conditions I've been waiting for all year. The start was a bit of a mess as we could not hear the horn and I never got the countdown clock set, so we were a little bit late. But the race was fantastic, we reeled in all but 4 boats, finishing 5th and no boats behind caught us. In elapsed time we were the 12th fastest out of 34 yachts... I might have to get the broker to add "competitive racer" to the sales ad... hey Hoppy I was in Melb for work this week and was looking out of our office tower at the racing going on around St Kilda around mid afternoon - at the time I thought you might be out there! Beautiful day and breeze, was frankly a little jealous Pete The club had the last of the lunchtime series and a twilight. During our twilight we crossed paths with another race fleet, so there were quite a few boats out. If you're working again here send me a message.
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Post by hoppy on Dec 13, 2017 11:13:44 GMT
Woooo hoooo, the first glass for our trophy cabinet We came second in tonights twilight. If we did not have 6 months growth on the bottom, then it should have been an easy first. Unfortunately because of recent bad weather the water visibility has been shocking so the diver has not had a chance to go down since I contacted him last week. Also we broke or at least found out that the end of the spinnaker pole where it connects to the mast was broken. So no polling out DDW. With 20 to maybe 30 knots and flat seas (speed log was cleaned but still wont work so I don't know the true wind speed) it was perfect conditions for us. A SF3200 "Femme Fatal" has joined our fleet and was in tonights race and we beat them by 1:55 around the course.
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Post by MalcolmP on Dec 13, 2017 11:50:16 GMT
Woooo hoooo, the first glass for our trophy cabinet Excellent, great result, glad the prep paid off at last
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Post by hoppy on Dec 13, 2017 12:32:52 GMT
With all of my solo sailing, I always assumed that a 20 knots northerly would be what we need for racing. The northerly gives us a flat sea and 20 is about the max before we get overpowered. But today we saw 36 apparent when close hauled with 4 guys on the rail (and 700kg lighter from the weight loss earlier in the year) and were were still pointing high and going fast. I guess the true was up to 28 knots (log not working because of the bottom)
I need to get my two brothers in law coming on races. They are useless as crew, but will make excellent ballast.
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Post by hoppy on Dec 14, 2017 6:38:14 GMT
Last nights breakage
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Post by hoppy on Feb 2, 2018 2:07:26 GMT
Last nights breakage You wouldn't f....g believe it, but 2 nights ago, we broke the replacement I don't know how we managed it but it's clearly something about the way I have my crew handling the pole during gybes of the poled out genoa. When I get a replacement, we will try it a new way, or maybe I'll hand over the helm and get up to the mast. Anyway, it was a pretty exciting race as we started in over 32 knots wind with a double reef in the main and a full 135% genoa. We were in a reasonable position for the DW leg but lost a lot of time trying to shake out the reefs from the main and then when the pole broke. Whilst we lost a lot of speed DW were still in a good position for the final windward leg. We got hit a couple of times with 38 knots with full sails but after I made a change to the main trim, we started pulling away from the other boats and caught quite a few boats, finishing 4th. We were close enough to second that I think we would have beaten them if we had a non-drama DW leg. BTW she is still for sale. I have engaged a new broker and he came down to get some action shots during the race.
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Post by hoppy on Mar 3, 2018 21:33:26 GMT
Had an interesting pursuit race yesterday. The start was delayed due to there being no wind and once the race started there was not much wind and lots of wind holes during the race. It was only only a small fleet (8 boats) and we started 5th at 10 minutes. Despite missing our start by 1 minute, luck with the conditions saw us rounding the first mark in first place. The first leg was 0.4nm long We were passed by a couple of smaller and lighter boats that got away from us, then a mixture of luck, good reading of the wind, avoidance of some wind holes and not loosing focus on the 2nd mark saw us getting back in front and rounding the make with a handy lead. We maintained our lead for quite a while but once there was a steady light wind we got over run finishing 6th of 8. On the whole it was a great race for us as we were the biggest and heaviest boat in the fleet, totally unsuited to light winds. It was the first light wind race where we did not spend the whole race not catching anyone and being passed from the start
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Post by so36idavid on Mar 4, 2018 3:13:40 GMT
luck, good reading of the wind, avoidance of some wind holes and not loosing focus on the 2nd mark saw us getting back in front and rounding the make with a handy lead. The more you practice the luckier you get! Congratulations on a great race. It sounds like you and your crew are getting up the learning curve. David
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