Light Weather Racing and Mobos

[savageseadog]

We were out racing the other week in zephyrs for several hours, I mean zephrs too, probably between a couple of tenths to half a knot. It was very light but at least reasonably consistent wind in strength but not direction which required absolute concentration. The course took us within half a mile of the harbour entrance, the terrible wash from one high speed mobo stopped us dead for about ten minutes, we were the worst affected, it was very frustrating. One or two mobo owners seem to know what's happening and slow down but most seemed oblivious. I did consider trying to call them up on the VHF but has anyone ever done it? Successfully? I guess light air racing will remain a very little understood art form for anyone who isn't involved.

 

[lpdsn]

It's infuriating when it happens but I think light airs sailing is a closed book to most yachties never mind moboers.

 

[lw395]

It could be said to be poor course setting? When yachts don't have enough wind to cope, it's best to keep them away from other traffic.

There is a fine line where asking mobos to alter course becomes outside assistance.

 

[lpdsn]

There is a fine line where asking mobos to alter course becomes outside assistance.

Asking them to pass astern at full speed for a bit of surfing might qualify as outside assistance.

 

[Iain C]

What's properly annoying is when they throttle back from being properly on the plane to semi displacement...

 

[Judders]

It happened to us the other week. For a while I thought we were going to be run down but in truth, the knuckle draggers know not what they do in the main. My crew were livid but these crayon-eaters don't really understand the consequences of their actions and I am sure would not do it if they did. Sadly they just want to go and look at the pretty saily boat.

 

[savageseadog]

I'll add that because of the extremely light winds the 10 minutes we were dead in the water actually only lost us 100m. The problem was getting going again, absolutely zero feel on the helm, we were on a beat but couldn't induce the boat to come back up into the wind. In six hours I think we did 5 miles, three of which were in the last hour when the wind finally blasted up to four knots with a more favourable point of sail.

 

[flaming]

In six hours I think we did 5 miles, three of which were in the last hour when the wind finally blasted up to four knots with a more favourable point of sail.

I like sailing, but I'd have given up and gone to the pub an awful long time before that.

 

[savageseadog]

I like sailing, but I'd have given up and gone to the pub an awful long time before that.

A Sailexit

 

[lpdsn]

The problem was getting going again, absolutely zero feel on the helm, we were on a beat but couldn't induce the boat to come back up into the wind.

That's why it is so annoying. Especially if you've just managed to start sailing faster than the opposition when the moboer appears.

The big thing is to get the boat moving again somehow even if in the wrong direction, then worry about coming up to close hauled. If you can't slowly count the individual clicks of the pawls as the crew bring the sheet in they're being heavy-handed.

 

[dunedin]

This is just one of the many reasons why places like Portland are better for serious racing than characterful venues like the Solent which aren’t ideal racing venues - due to shipping, other boats, tides etc

 

[Iain C]

I like sailing, but I'd have given up and gone to the pub an awful long time before that.

^This 100%. I have an absolute rule on racing, if I can swim faster than I can sail it's RTD and G&T.

 

[savageseadog]

We did retire. It was a 30 odd mile short offshore and we would have been stuck out till late night if we'd carried on. The wind had picked up and I would normally have carried on but there were other considerations. As it happened the wind died again and the boats that continued ended up sailing till about 9-10PM anyway.

 

[Keen_Ed]

This is just one of the many reasons why places like Portland are better for serious racing than characterful venues like the Solent which aren’t ideal racing venues - due to shipping, other boats, tides etc

I actually like the tide in the Solent for racing. Always keeps it interesting- especially without instruments. Also means that you never race in near-zero wind, as you can’t make it up-tide with less than about five knots. Drifting isn’t saling, in my book.

 

[michael_w]

Sail a small boat and roll tack/gybe your way round the course?

 

[t21]

As sometime raggie victim and othertimes moboer on not-my mobo ... I must say i found the nav tactics of some mobo drivers understandably un-nerving and thoughtless: there seems to be a tendency to aim towards "that yacht over there" and then veer off at the last moment ... not aim towards an open space. I eventually persuaded more than one mobo driver NOT to aim at slow-moving (or in this case almost static) yots in this way - not to hold any single yot on a collision course for sometimes minutes at a time. Solent surrounded both sidrs so they can't go the hell offshore. Yeah they could go off the plane and then slower again to avoid dragging huge wash. But there again, the raggies could have bought a bigger boat and/or not be so grumpy all the time to every mobo even when at anchor - some raggies deserve a special RNLI division of sailing-only rescue boats, which would obviously take lots longer but grant their dearest wish of there being no mobos at all in the Solent, ever. I reckon this post has great balance in that it's gonna wind up stinkies and raggies about the same. Sorry in advance, a bit.

 

[flaming]

Well the big mobos were out in force this weekend in the Solent. Mostly well behaved, but with one notable exception, the guy in a large flybridge type who came out of Cowes and turned west and accelerated along the line of the moorings towards Gurnard, whilst a whole line of boats were sailing in not much breeze against a stack of tide with kites up to the JOG finish at Gurnard cardinal. Our kite was collapsed by his wash as he passed about 60 foot in front of us at speed, cost us a bit and we lost by 40s on corrected. Did it make that much difference? Probably not, but it definitely didn't endear him to us.

 

[[2068]]

I'll add that because of the extremely light winds the 10 minutes we were dead in the water actually only lost us 100m. The problem was getting going again, absolutely zero feel on the helm, we were on a beat but couldn't induce the boat to come back up into the wind. In six hours I think we did 5 miles, three of which were in the last hour when the wind finally blasted up to four knots with a more favourable point of sail.

Which Harbour?

If Cowes, if a Mobo doesn't get you, the wake from the Red Jet, Red Funnel or from any one of a number of large commercial vessels most probably will instead.

 

[savageseadog]

Pwllheli (North Wales, just in case)

 

[[2068]]

Pwllheli (North Wales, just in case)

Hmm, you'd like to think that there was enough water there so that close encounters were not a regular occurrence.