Golden Globe Race

[zoidberg]

Painful day for Mark Slats. Couple of quick succession knock downs resulting in a cracked rib.

Looks this morning to be heading around Tasmania 'the wrong way'.....

He very nearly 'cut the corner' of the 42°S exclusion zone. One's beginning to wonder at his navigation. Is something else broken?

 

[capnsensible]

Take two sextants.....

Will be watching his track with interest.

 

[skua164]

He very nearly 'cut the corner' of the 42°S exclusion zone. One's beginning to wonder at his navigation. Is something else broken?

This was explained on the recent Q & A session. They send them a message with their exact position when 30 miles away from the exclusion zone.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

people were advised to head north away from the storms which you can understand but not really true to the original race.

The lastest facebook update says Susie was advised to head north immediately (yesterday). As before, you might as well let them have satphones and GPS with up to date weather if they're going to get a call when the barometer drops or they sail too close to exclusion zones.

Same with boat modifications, free for all, open it up, just keep the rules for safety (hull size/type). People will go their own way.

But enough of my thought, I'll never get to do it.

 

[zoidberg]

This was explained on the recent Q & A session. They send them a message with their exact position when 30 miles away from the exclusion zone.

Interesting. When I looked at the popup box for Mark Slats, which triggered the original post, his data indicated he was south of 41° 53'S and still heading SSE i.e an hour from infringing the Zone and earning a penalty.

It seems rather silly to me the GGR management team making these rules, then not sticking to them. It rather seems as though Peche's bitching about HIS penalties has cowed them.

I'm sure they'll justify it to themselves somehow.


Edit: This morning, Mark Slats - nursing some damaged ribs - seems to be heading around the north of Tasmania..... for now. And why not.....

 

[zoidberg]

For those interested in such things, Brit girl Susie Goodall is right now taking a pasting in another of those vicious Southern Ocean storms that has already seen off 4 other competitors - while a fifth is now limping toward Hobart with crushed ribs.


https://goldengloberace.com/livetracker/


It must be hell there right now, with more of the same hard on the heels of this one.

 

[capnsensible]

It certainly sounds somewhat vigorous.....:ambivalence:

 

[zoidberg]

"Now where did I leave that 'Beam me up, Scottie' badge......"

 

[SV Kittiwake]

It looks from the tracker and Windy overlay that she's skirted the worst of it. Hopefully she didn't have it too bad last night.

I agree with Yellow Ballad that it's pushing the boundaries of the 'retro sailing' to have satellite warnings of storms. It's a bit designer-danger. I guess a well organised race team could have radio operators sat in boats in marinas around the course giving weather information (maybe some of them have?). I'm not sure of the moral implications for the GGR organisers if they knew that she was going to be clobbered by a storm and they hadn't said anything.

 

[Seajet]

When I first heard of this race I thought ' how are they going to make it authentic to the original Golden Globe then ? ' And plainly they haven't - very admirable but maybe the PR was skewed to begin with.

Also I'm of the opinion I'll have every aid I can ta' very much ( but expect it to fail ), not doing so would be an insult to the thousands, millions of sailors who have died gaining the knowledge and kit we have now.

I do take my hat off to the sailors, not something I'm ever likely to do.

 

[ridgy]

I think they've made it as authentic as they reasonably can whilst avoiding the absolute worst of the weather. I'm sure that they only intervene when they feel that they absolutely have to.

 

[Sybarite]

The boat looks amazing, you would think he has just done a cruise to the west country not sailed ½ way around the world.

VDH followed the Southern limit which must have reduced the distance sailed by a huge amount and I do not understand why no other compettitors have done the same.

VDH is using a special cut down rig meaning that he has fewer sail changes and reefing to do. He reckons that that will pay off for the anticipated conditions.

 

[Wandering Star]

Not followng this too closely but I notice Susie’s track shows a complete loop yesterday - what was the reason for that? Weather? She’s still in 4th place so pretty good going.

 

[capnsensible]

Another dismasting Loic Lepage. Might need a rescue as his boat is taking on water.

https://goldengloberace.com/loic-lepage-dismasted-600-miles-sw-of-perth-australia/

 

[SV Kittiwake]

Looks like Loic has now been rescued. Photos here:

https://100255-my.sharepoint.com/pe...CTID=0x012000383C97204D2C2645828C7C9A07D50CEA

Must be heartbreaking to abandon the boat after so much effort's been poured into it. I guess it'll sink in time as it was taking on water, no report of it being actively scuttled.

 

[Wandering Star]

Thanks for the update & pictures but unable to view the pictures as user id & password required. Any chance of an alternative method for viewing?

 

[Robert Wilson]

Looks like Loic has now been rescued. Photos here:

https://100255-my.sharepoint.com/pe...CTID=0x012000383C97204D2C2645828C7C9A07D50CEA

Must be heartbreaking to abandon the boat after so much effort's been poured into it. I guess it'll sink in time as it was taking on water, no report of it being actively scuttled.

That's sad.
It must be awful to lose one's boat; especially as you say, after so much personal effort

 

[Allan]

I'm a big fan of long keels and plan to buy one in a couple of years. The GGR has got me thinking. Are the keels contributing to, what appears to be, a large number of knockdowns? Shorter keels are more likely to slip sideways if the boat is hit by wave.
Allan

 

[Kukri]

I'm a big fan of long keels and plan to buy one in a couple of years. The GGR has got me thinking. Are the keels contributing to, what appears to be, a large number of knockdowns? Shorter keels are more likely to slip sideways if the boat is hit by wave.
Allan

It's a complicated question, and the best discussion of it that I have seen is in Tony Marchaj's book "Seaworthiness", which argues the question out and comes down in favour of a full keel, mainly on grounds of damping. But I may well be rehearsing out of date ideas, though the latest "Heavy Weather Sailing" doesn't seem to differ.

 

[SV Kittiwake]

I think whether long or fin keel, what stops it going over sideways is the leverage of the ballast I would think? So a deep draft with a tonne of lead right at the bottom would give the best resistance? A tonne of lead at the bottom of a skinny fin keel would be difficult to attach to the boat unless it's a metal or carbon fibre hull maybe? Interesting question! I know the Heavenly Twins catamaran is notoriously hard to capsize because the low rig and shallow draft means it skids sideways as you say.