Race Start Incident

[TernVI]

Thanks for your reply. An interesting analysis of the situation, below is a photo from the rear, moments after boat D impacted with boat A, which I think subsequently pushed boat A onto boat C. If you zoom in on the photo you can just make out the mast and spreaders of boat D between the mast area of boat A. It can be seen that boat B wasn't overluffing boat C and boat C wasn't particularly over luffing boat A (boat C, is a Jeanneau 36i and boat A is a First 40.7 which can point higher, and has a habit of almost heading into wind at the start before putting the bow down)

View attachment 101042

Right at the start of the video, the camera boat appear to me to be well above the lay line for the committee boat, and not keeping clear of the boat which goes to leeward. Camera boat and all those to his WW side are basically barging. Their only legal course of action is tack off or slow down and form an orderly queue behind the boats which are laying the start line close hauled.

 

[flaming]

Right at the start of the video, the camera boat appear to me to be well above the lay line for the committee boat, and not keeping clear of the boat which goes to leeward. Camera boat and all those to his WW side are basically barging. Their only legal course of action is tack off or slow down and form an orderly queue behind the boats which are laying the start line close hauled.

Not sure how you reach that conclusion when the camera boat is seen luffing and is only then pointing at the committee boat....

 

[Bobc]

Windward boat has no rights. You have every right to sail as high as you want to and to push him over the line. Looks like amateur hour to me.

 

[Neil_Y]

Rule number one stay out of trouble.
By stopping or going that slowly he was asking for trouble with all the boats behind coming in with speed. But sometimes you just end up in what is the wrong place with no where to go. Or I know the feeling.

 

[jordanbasset]

I only helped crew on a friends boat when racing once. This thread brigs back some of the reasons I never went again

 

[Bobc]

Rule number one stay out of trouble.
By stopping or going that slowly he was asking for trouble with all the boats behind coming in with speed. But sometimes you just end up in what is the wrong place with no where to go. Or I know the feeling.

It was the windward boat's job to stay out of trouble. He was to windward and overtaking, and had no rights to bear down of the yacht below.

 

[Bobc]

This is exactly why I gave up doing things like RTIR. A start line and race course full of people who don't understand the rules.

 

[Bobc]

I bet the infringing yacht thought the hoot was the start, and hence bore away for the line, whereas it was actually the 1 minute signal.

 

[Mudisox]

I find it difficult to judge especially as we cannot see the other end of the line, although there seems to be the normal bunch up at the committee boat end with what seems to be plenty of room between the boats and the committee boat at the start.

As this is the ?second? video of the boats/area it is obviously a problem.

More Port bias should permit them to spread them out a bit.

On mentoring ROs at the start line, I ask "Which end would you start and why?' so " Encourage boats to go to the other end, by adjusting bias." It often means dropping back on the anchor line.

 

[flaming]

As this is the ?second? video of the boats/area it is obviously a problem.

I'll admit I had that thought too...

 

[TernVI]

This is exactly why I gave up doing things like RTIR. A start line and race course full of people who don't understand the rules.

And what's more, they don't care about the rules.

 

[TernVI]

Not sure how you reach that conclusion when the camera boat is seen luffing and is only then pointing at the committee boat....

Videos can be very deceptive, but it looked to me like at the time camera boat was pointing at the committee boat, the jib is out over the leeward side somewhat.
It's not the kind of video which will make good evidence.

 

[Whitlock]

As an aside, how can we let the world know that if they hold their camera phones on their side when filming it will be possible to see much more of the action?

 

[Tomahawk]

As an observation about handicap racing..

Clean air wins.

Never get involved with other boats at the start. Let them slow each other down playing for the pin end.. You will be third boat across the line and going faster if you keep away from the mass.. After the first mark it's all down to simple sailing to above your handicap.

 

[Promper]

Difficult to tell from only that angle, but looked as if the camera boat was being squeezed by the one to windward.

I would agree, Camera boat couldn't do much to minimise the situation