RTI tactics, did they work?

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After the thread about the best RTI tactics last week, I thought I'd share what we did, what worked, what didn't, and why we retired!

The start seemed to catch a lot of people out. There was a big bunch right up by the ODM, but that definitely wasn't the right call.
We started about 200 yards from the squadron, in the west going eddy.
Inshore the eddy was running harder, and initially looked like a winner, but the boats that started inshore of us had to tack to clear Gurnard and crossed behind us.

Here's the view about 30s after the start looking towards the ODM. Seatrack were the eventual class winners.



RTI032.jpg


We then just played the shifts all the way to Hurst, with a priority on clear air. Seatrack and another HOD hugged the island shore and we put half a mile on them, and a J109 that also started alongside us and went towards the mainland shore also fell back, though not so much.

So at Hurst we were leading the Green start. And catching a lot of supposedly faster boats. This is a Swan 55 that started 20 minutes before us.
RTI052.jpg


Took the outside of the wreck as inside looked to be lacking in wind. Kite up and looking for a lane to gybe back towards the island.
After the gybe Seatrack appeared inside. Given how far back they were at Hurst, and that this is the second year in a row this exact thing has happened, I assume he has some sort of pack with the Needles God!

Headed inshore as the wind shifted more and more to the west/south west, and were trailing Seatrack and one other, unidentified, green start boat at st Cats, but pretty comfortable about it as we knew we'd be faster upwind on the return from Bembridge.

Leg from St Cats to Bembridge was quite straightforward, although the pressure started becoming very patchy and a couple of 109s also caught us, but again we know we have the measure of the 109s upwind, so approached Bembridge feeling pretty good about a top 3 in class, with a shot at the win if we could get past Seatrack on the beat.

But then.... Total carnage, wind did 4 360s with everything from 0 to 15 knots, boats next to each other were in totally different winds, and then it died completely at the buoy. Our comfortable lead dissapeared instantly and we wound up going round the buoy on the inside with no steerage and fenders deployed.
I couldn't believe the number of boats parked up, never seen anything like it.

This was the final approach to the mark, we'd managed to get inshore a bit, but ended up having to join that mass of boats!
RTI125.jpg


Unfortunately we didn't get any pics whilst we were right in the bunch, we were all a bit busy! Got a couple looking back once we'd been unceremoniously shoved round the mark by that big swan though! I love this one, note the Sunsail boats pointing in totally opposite directions!
RTI132.jpg


After about an hour getting round Bembridge and 50 yards past it was clear our race was shot, and the class results would be a lottery. (with the exception of Seatrack, who did an excellent job of sneaking round ahead of the major raft and really deserve their class win.)

So with a few of the crew having pressing engagements for the evening, and an ETA of about half 6 we decided to call it a day and head back to Hamble.
Frustrating end to what had been, up to Bembridge, a very enjoyable race.
 
he retired .... only said it twice so I'm not surprised you missed it! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
We had a very similar race to you (J109 Just William, Green Start), starting about 400m out from Squadron, tacking inshore on the island all the way to Hurst, where we crossed to tack along the North edge of the channel, just outside the wreck, gybed as soon as possible and kept fairly close inshore all the way to St Cats, further gybing in and out to Dunnose, then a long port gybe all the way to Bembridge, we saw what was happening at the ledge from some distance and discussed the options: gybe out and go the long way around or stand on and then gybe in to the mark on stbd, which is what we did. We were very luck to keep our way and hold our kite right to the mark where we dropped rounded and hardened up into no wind at all. eventually found a few zephyrs and tacke right in shore toward bembridge harbour, then the wind increased and we short tacked all the way to the finish, getting some of the shifts, but missing some others. we changed the lead with the two other 109s that had managed to get around Bembridge and finished second in the class. A great sail, not without mistakes, including a horrible kite wrap south of the island (purple kite); but also included a lot of luck. Without exaggerating, we must have passed 200 boats at Bembridge.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Without exaggerating, we must have passed 200 boats at Bembridge.

[/ QUOTE ]

Including us no doubt!
 
We started close to the ODM just behind IDEC and managed to push one of our rivals up so they had to slow down to avoid missing the ODM.

IDEC soon pulled away, but we caught a couple of the open 60s by the time we reached Hurst. We were making 9 - 10 knots in about 12 knots of wind and gained a nice lift as we came through the narrows. As suggested we went for clear air even though the tide was less favourable.

After rounding the needles outside the wreck, we put the assymetric (150 sqm of very bright orange!) up and took off on the rhumb line to St Catherine's, chasing RKJ on Grey Power. This was perhaps the most fun bit, generally at 12 - 13 knots, occasionally hitting 14 knots with the upwind float flying high. Tactically we should have headed in on one of the wind shifts, but with a crew new to the boat and a couple of non-sailors, our gybes took a little while and we didn't want to mix it with the more nimble boats.

By St Catherine's we were a little far out as we'd elected to maintain speed rather than sail dead downwind, so we gybed in towards the point, gybing out again just behind Grey Power. One chap on a Dragonfly probably needed to change his underwear as we dipped him with the kite up at 14 knots.

We made good time on the leg to Bembridge then just stopped. The wind shifted 180 and dropped to nothing. This was a good place to know your racing rules, although rights changed by the minute as people gybed. We went for clear air by heading out and picked up a nice breeze after maybe 10 - 15 minutes. After that we raced up the mainland shore, mixing it with Grey Power and Toe in the Water. This was probably a good idea for us as tacking was not the fastest of manouvres and it was looking busy further inshore, but from a wind point of view it was wrong - the lift that the inshore boats got was a header for us as we tacked in to the finish line.

We crossed the line along with Grey Power, he was 10 secs ahead, but he started 10 mins before us, so we were pleased.

16th in our class, much liquid merriment was imbibed at the Folly.

Excellent fun, my first time and I'll be back.
 
Oh Dear, sorry to hear that it didn't work out better for you.
We were anchored up in Priory Bay: I did wonder what was going on...
 
As a first timer there's a couple of things I'd definitely change (and wish it was Groundhog Day.....)
I was in blue (last) group out by ODM - the thinking being that I felt it would be bunched nearer shore and didn't want to get caught out in any carnage plus we'd be on starboard tack. It was looking good for the start till the wind dropped and we floated the wrong side of ODM - took us another 40 minutes to cross the start line /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
After that we had a good sail up to the Needles - put the cruising chute up round the back and flew, passing quite a few boats till a couple of miles before St Cats when we took the chute down as it blew up a bit & the rolling waves made it a bit difficult to stop broaching.
Not much happened till Bembridge Ledge & then we had a great run up to Ryde.
Decided to keep out of the main fleet going near the shore round to Osborne Bay (expecting dirty air) & headed out. This proved a mistake and probably cost us over an hour at least in the light wind & tides
Ended up 85th overall but know we could have done a lot better – but as a novice am well pleased
Absolutely loved the day and will study the local tidal streams a lot more in depth for next year – can’t wait
 
Sorry to here you had to retire... certainly was a tricky race, very interesting and we had just about everything to deal with. Ours was more of a fun approach, we felt we did OK but lost the advantage past Bembridge, we tracked across to the mainland to avoid the snarl up, got a good draw down taking wind and clear water, unfortunately losing the advantage in the tack.

Superb day though, great fun.

Collection of photo's from our boat

http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h63/amarach/RTIR%202009/
 
We also retired but for different reasons.
Things were going pretty well all the way until we cleared the overfalls at St Catherines point. A mile further on the spinnaker pole tripped followed by a broach. Boat 60 degrees over. Foredeck crewmember who was trying to re-attach the pole did a back flip over the side.
To recover the casualty and with the spinnaker still up we did a 180 turn releasing the spinnaker halyard at the same time. main in tight. Came alongside the casualty on beam reach with spinnaker depowered, sailing on main, and engine in reverse to come side on and healed over making recovery easier.
Casualty was in the water for total 3 minutes but worry was other boats following in the race.
Safety boat was there within a minute.
Within 5 minutes after recovery the boat adjacent broached also loosing a crew member overboard.
Our crew member whilst in the water gave the divers signal for ok but immediately thought to himself I'm not ok. In the initial dipping he took a small amount of sea water into the back of his throat and couldn't breath for a moment or two and was gasping for air.
He felt his energy being drained very rapidly.
He also tried to swim closer to the boat but was only able to do 5 breast strokes until he realised it was futile.
He said having a hot shower on board made a world of difference.
The reason we retired was because at that point I had a concerned wife plus close friend of his seasick and in tears so it was no longer a fun day for them. The casualty was quite happy to carry on.
 
Things were going pretty well all the way until we cleared the overfalls at St Catherines point. A mile further on the spinnaker pole tripped followed by a broach. Boat 60 degrees over. Foredeck crewmember who was trying to re-attach the pole did a back flip over the side.



Nasty - I am delighted that the outcome was good.



To recover the casualty and with the spinnaker still up we did a 180 turn releasing the spinnaker halyard at the same time. main in tight. Came alongside the casualty on beam reach with spinnaker depowered, sailing on main, and engine in reverse to come side on and healed over making recovery easier.


Interesting method. I am not being in any way critical - unless you are there, I don't think you can appreciate all the circumstances - but do you, on reflection, feel it was appropriate to be approaching the MOB with the engine in gear?

BTW, I am not sure what I would have done in the circs you describe. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting method. I am not being in any way critical - unless you are there, I don't think you can appreciate all the circumstances - but do you, on reflection, feel it was appropriate to be approaching the MOB with the engine in gear?

[/ QUOTE ]

Engine out of gear once casualty alongside and being recovered.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting method. I am not being in any way critical - unless you are there, I don't think you can appreciate all the circumstances - but do you, on reflection, feel it was appropriate to be approaching the MOB with the engine in gear?

[/ QUOTE ]

Engine out of gear once casualty alongside and being recovered.

[/ QUOTE ]

There you are......I said unless you were there you would not appreciate all the circumstances!

Thanks for clarifying. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Glad all ended well.
 
Was a long long day, thats for certain!!!!

Apart from falling over a couple of occasions round the back, was fairly uneventful otherwise.

On a Beneteau 27.7...

Finished at 19:18:34, making a corrected time of 10:32:11.

Having left Sparkes at 04:20, and not returned to the boat in Shepherds before 00:00 (Cowes hospitality – love it!) and what with a busy Sunday. Now – its as much as I can do to keep my eyes open!!!
 
We had 08:30 start, grey/silver fleet. Started 300 metres from squadron end - agree this was correct end for most tide and shortest distance to Needles.
About Newtown our 2 class leaders spotted more breeze filling in from Mainland side of Solent and tacked across to get it before we did(only as far as Lepe buoys) but that was enough for them to pull away, and then we chased them for the rest of the day.
Inside the wreck, then fairly close along the cliffs for a while with a couple of gybes to stay in close (I think there was more breeze funnelling along the cliff line but a bit too exciting at times).
Kept inshore to St Cats and continued inshore until Dunnose - again correct compared with offshore boats.
At Dunnose we went slightly offshore, cos tide favourable now, and inshore in Sandown bay often seems a bit quiet- in retrospect not correct.
All ok until Bembridge Ledge - but then what a nightmare! Couldnt see what was happening, because of the press of boats, couldnt get inside of raft because wind disappeared, bigger boats came charging in with momentum, and fenders appeared from everywhere. flopped about for 15 - 20 minutes while the rest of the class caught up and most slipped past. Eventually managed to drift into shallower water on the ledge, and then the race restarted - firmly inshore all the way to Cowes, just outside of St Helens fort, and through the seaview moorings, bearing away a bit to go just inside the Ryde pile, again correct way to go, and we took a big bunch of our class again, hit the sand 4 times, but you expect that, but pretty fed up as you were with the Bembridge wind shut off - it was so dramatic solid force 4 to nothing. What I cant get my head round was what was the met reason for it?
 
well we didn't get it all right but didn't we do well? /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
None of us had ever raced a sailboat before and had never til last week flown a spinnaker.
Good old Twisters and good on you 'Malaprop for your great advice and help!
Starting when we did was a great help to our fleet, you know, the ones with the blue flags that went passed you all. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Seeing there was little wind up tight to the Island after Bembridge and everyone was crowding for the same bit of air. we went right out towards Gilkicker to get clear of it and into the shallows right up to Bramble out of the tide.

Twister 28 ....'Betty Dee' T66

http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk/web/cod...2&submit=Go
 
We decided to opt out of the mayhem that was the IOW coast between Bembridge and the finish so we just held her close-hauled and punched through the middle of the foul tide and ended up on the mainland coast passing Stokes and Lee. Tacked once off Hill-Head and t-boned the rest of the fleet near the finish. Ended up joining the boats that were a few hundred yards ahead at Bembridge.

Main reason for doing that was because we could not deal with the almost zero apparent wind that everyone was suffering with on stbd tack in the foul tide.

A loooong day but great fun. We always start in Purple, so 3 from the back, and this is the first time that we have witnessed the pack compression after Bembridge. Could not believe the amount of boats beating up the Solent. And the 3 outbound cruise liners and 2 inbound cargo ships…… Mayhem or what.

Ended up 360 o/a on corrected time so happy with that. Beat the only other Bav 33 across the line by a long way, even further on corrected time.

Roll on next year.

Edit. And this is why we did not do better. Have a look at the series of pics Here starting with the pic 090620-1359089PJM
 
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