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#11
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
"Scotty" wrote in message
. .. "Thom Stewart" wrote in message ... Richard, I raced in the Cruising Class for years, finishing as high as third BUT I never had as much fun as when I had a novice female crew. They didn't give a **** where we finished as long as they where sailing and relaxing. There were times when the Tender had to wait for us to turn a mark so that they could pick up the buoy. My advice, for what's it worth is; ENJOY YOURSELF, train your crew but be a easy captain to sail with. Some Downwind tips. In light air, set your Jib & Main wing on wing; Isn't W-W the slowest sail set one can make? Scotty Not down wind... -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com |
#12
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
"Capt. JG" wrote in message ... "Scotty" wrote in message . .. Isn't W-W the slowest sail set one can make? Scotty Not down wind... Well Duh! I didn't think he meant W-W close hauled! SBV |
#13
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
Isn't W-W the slowest sail set one can make?
Not down wind... Well Duh! I didn't think he meant W-W close hauled! Jax could do it! DSK |
#14
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
Doug,
If you Set a Spinn. there isn't a need to Wing out but in the Cruising Class you aren't allowed a Spinn. Scotty, W-W doesn't mean you have to sail Dead Downwind. If you have your sails set properly you can increase Downwind Speed by Broad reaching with your Jib drawing with the wind coming over the leech as the leading edge going Downwind. If you've never done it you've got a surprise waiting for you. Try it! |
#15
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
Doug,
Ice Boats sail faster than the wind and they're apparent wind is always behind them when they are in a groove. They are always sailing downwind. The wind doesn't shift foreward it shift aft. This doesn't happen with a displacement hull but if you get the Displ. hull going you do get an increase in the Apparent Wind, which will exceed the speed of the true wind. If you don't have to go to far off course to build this higher apparent wind, you can get to the Leeward Mark quicker. Even the America's Cupper, with Spinn. steer off line and Gybe to the opposite Broad reach going downwind. Its faster. |
#16
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
Doug,
I said it wrong. The Apparent wind does swing forward. The Ice Boat never see a run when in the groove. Sorry |
#17
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
Richard wrote:
It's a handicap race. I remember our skipper working hard to cross the finish less than 3-1/2 mins behind the guy in front. We were about 3 mins behind, so beat him. By that time, the other boat had already had their fun. You can see what I mean about one-design racing being a better learning venue, though... imagaine running a foot race against a guy 3 1/2 minutes ahead of you... you can't tell if you're gaining or losing ground; no feedback. Furthermore, sailing against different types of boats will not show you the best trim & pointing angles at which to sail your own boat. In a one-design class, when somebody is beating you, you copy him. In a handicap class, you might not be better off emulating another's sailing techniques. Difficult. But then that is not helpful advice here, sorry I had to vent a little. ..... I do have access to two different marinas with weekly classes at several levels, so a flyer or ad on their bulletin bords seems a good idea. That will be a good way to get people on the boat. One suggestion I have for practice sails- have some definite drills & goals, but also mix it up and have fun. Rotate positions on the boat. You'll learn a lot by standing back, giving somebody else the helm, and watching what happens either good or bad. Another thing that may be possible is to get a winning skipper to come for a few sails with you as an informal coach. I'm getting a feel for rigging and getting in a groove upwind Pointing versus footing? Shifting gears for lulls, waves, traffic? Depowering when it's gusty? Let me rephrase: On a beginner *Sailing 101* level, I've got the idea. But in this area, I'm nowhere near ready for the big time. Pointing means to go at a tighter angle into the wind; footing means to bear away a little and let the boat go faster (but at a wider angle). Somewhere between is the fastest course upwind. From a dead-in-water stop, obviously the boat will accelerate more on a reach than pointed up onto a tight close-hauled course. Intuitive! But it also reveals a good way to get upwind the fastest... accelerate the boat then slowly trim slightly tighter and point slightly higher while trying to lose no speed. When the boat slows a tiny bit, bear away a little and re-accelerate the boat, repeat the proces of 'squeezing' the boat upwind. It takes constant attention to helm and sail trim, which is the difference between racing sailing and daysailing... but it's also many boatlengths of distance at the windward mark. When you hit a lull in the wind, or some bigger waves, again- acclerate the boat then bring it to a higher pointing angle in tiny increments. Most beginning sailing classes teach to pull the sails in tight, cleat them, then point the boat upwind until they luff slightly, then bear away until they stop luffing. That will in fact get you upwind, but in a race you'll be looking at a lot of transoms. Constant easing & trimming also gives the crew something to do. but have no clue what I'm doing downwind. (If the strategy is anything but head for the downwind mark, I'm not sure what course(s) to steer and why.) Again, a complex subject. Basically you maximize VMG according to what options the apparent wind gives you. It's the opposite of sailing upwind (duh) in that you *want* to go into a header. You go up in the lulls, down in the gusts. When the is powered up just aim at the mark. And I've read this, but know that I don't "feel" it yet. Working on this. Have you heard "when in doubt, let it out?" Age-old rule of thumb for downwind sailing. A more advanced technique is to sail upwind the reverse of the way you sail downwind. Instead of looking for lifts, you follow headers. You bring the boat to a reach for acceleration, then try to get the boat aimed as much downwind as you can without losing that speed. Going upwind, when you hit a lull, you bear away. Going downwind, when you hit a lull, you head up.... in both cases you are looking for speed which you can then turn into VMG towards the next mark or bouy. A big difference in upwind vs downwind sailing is that this little game of zig-zag never stops when beating; for going downwind it gets easier the stronger the wind blows. When the boat can go hull speed DDW then you will be looking for waves to surf and thinking about reefing, not reaching up for better VMG. Again, thanks for your time and insights! You're welcome. The next best thing to sailing is talking about it. Ringmaster wrote: You read the rules. That's more than most people do before they show up the first time. Like Doug said you sound like an organized person. Remember it will probably take you an entire season to get the boat up to speed. Don't get frustrated. Don't motor back to the dock ****ed off. Have fun. WINNING IS FUN, DAMMIT! But you're right, enjoy the whole experience. There is absolutely nothing that is half so much worth doing as piddling around racing sailboats. BTW Richard, you could do well to get Ringmater's advice on finding & training a crew. C'mon Loco helo the guy out! DSK |
#18
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
"Scotty" wrote in message
. .. "Capt. JG" wrote in message ... "Scotty" wrote in message . .. Isn't W-W the slowest sail set one can make? Scotty Not down wind... Well Duh! I didn't think he meant W-W close hauled! SBV You didn't? -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com |
#19
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 06:49:24 -0700, wrote this
crap: even the America's Cup guys are happy to just aim the boat straight downwind.... never seen one go wing-and-wing but they probably would Never! They use spinnakers. I'm Horvath and I approve of this post. |
#20
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Requesting advice on my sailboat racing plan
"Thom Stewart" wrote in message ... Doug, Ice Boats sail faster than the wind and they're apparent wind is always behind them when they are in a groove. They are always sailing downwind. The wind doesn't shift foreward it shift aft. This doesn't happen with a displacement hull but if you get the Displ. hull going you do get an increase in the Apparent Wind, which will exceed the speed of the true wind. If you don't have to go to far off course to build this higher apparent wind, you can get to the Leeward Mark quicker. Even the America's Cupper, with Spinn. steer off line and Gybe to the opposite Broad reach going downwind. Its faster. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaha hahahahhahahahahahahahah! What a retard. Claims to have sailed 67 years and never managed to realize what apparent wind is. No wonder a pilothouse motor sailer was the boat of choice. Only in Thom's world is the wind always coming from behind. In other words - La la land! Wilbur Hubbard JML Sigs |
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