Golden Globe Race

capnsensible said:
Painful day for Mark Slats. Couple of quick succession knock downs resulting in a cracked rib.
Click to expand...

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

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

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.
 
skua164 said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.....
 
Last edited:
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Seven Spades said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
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
 
Allan said:
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
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

capnsensible
Worlds toughest row. Atlandic Edition.
2
Replies
27
Views
657
ridgy
R

Share this page

Top