My very first post disqualified light air as a consideration. I have
always maintained that the conditions were air sufficient to drive
the vessel to hull speed. Why else would I have mentioned cats
and tris excluded? It's because tris and cats don't have a constraint
of a hull speed like displacement boats.


"Jeff Morris" jeffmo@NoSpam-sv-lokiDOTcom wrote in message ...
A very subtle backpedal, Neal. Everyone that posted stipulated that gybing downwind is
especially appropriate in light air. Now you're claiming that your argument only holds
when you can get to hull speed on a dead run. The Cat 36 polars I posted showed that in
10 knots of wind the optimum run angle is gybing through 64 degrees; in 12 knots its still
36 degrees. It doesn't take a planing boat - the strategy holds for most boats.

Its typical of you to boast that you attain hull speed in 10 knots of wind, but the record
shows otherwise. From your own trip log of your Gulf Stream crossings last year:

--------------------------------
Outbound:
The crossing was slower than I had anticipated because the winds seemed to
lighten as the day progressed. They were having a hard time reaching ten knots.
We did, however, manage to make a sixty dregree compass heading most of the day.
The current in the Gulf Stream was strong and moved us north at a faster pace
than anticipated. Ended up motorsailing thru the afternoon because the winds
became too light to make the rhum line against the flow of the Stream and we did
not wish to end up north of West End. The ocean was about like Hawk Channel -
not much wave action at all ...

Inbound:
Too bad the winds were so light. They started out at around ten knots from the
east which made it almost a run to West Palm Beach. Ended up having to start the
motor at sunrise after only making good about twelve miles ...
---------------------------------

It looks like rather than going a hull speed, you were motoring!

BTW, I can sympathize - below 10 knots of wind I sometimes succumb to the temptation of
starting the engine. Of course, in 10 knots I can do your hull speed.


"Simple Simon" wrote in message
...
I think I need to start racing. I could humiliate these clods.
These racers are really stupid to think given wind enough to
reach hull speed on a downwind run that they can go faster
than hull speed by jybing downwind. Sorry, unless your
boat planes off you will take longer to the leeward mark
fooling around with lay lines, polars and any other crap
that you want to come up with than if you just popped a
chute and ran straight to the mark.

Consider this. It only takes ten or twelve knots to drive
my fine vessel to hull speed downwind using a cruising
spinnaker poled out. If these racing wimps only race in
lighter winds than that then they are sissies and bums not
worthy of the name sailor.


"Capt. Mooron" wrote in message
...

"Thomas Stewart" wrote in message

| Boy, what a downwind leg it would be between you and CM!!! Oh Yeah!!!!

Thom it wouldn't even be a contest... I would be so far ahead of Neal he
would be checking to make sure he had unhitched his mooring painters. In a
DDW leg racing in light to moderate winds I'll broad reach and gybe.... in
really gusty winds or wind speeds in excess of 30 knots it's just plain
safer, quicker and easier to wing on wing and avoid not only the stress on
the rig from a gybe but the loss in momentum and speed from the action
itself.

Nonetheless... I so rarely race anymore that it's a non issue. I'll take the
hassle free goose winged set any day.

CM