Wandering Star
Well-known member
I’m guessing he used his Aries or Monitor windvane to do the hard graft while he cooked the breakfast for his crew.
RTI this Saturday
- Thread starter flaming
- Start date
dunedin
Well-known member
I would assume so. He did after all also heave-to off the Needles, presumably to put the kettle on ahead of the downwind section - although apparently this was less well received by the crew than he had hoped
mrming
Well-known member
Well that was hectic. Largest gust 39.5 knots. Top boat speed 17.4 knots.
flaming
Well-known member
In the end I did actually helm all the way around. I normally take a break, but there just never really was a good point, and to be honest I was having a lot of fun.
flaming
Well-known member
This is the contessa 26 that was 5th overall passing between the needles and the wreck.
Gulp.
stranded
Well-known member
There’s the bones of a good painting there.
ridgy
Well-known member
Replete with full main. I haven't read a co26 recently but I imagine it would contain the phrase "needs a bit of wind to get it going".
Mark-1
Well-known member
I'm struggling to quantify the risk of that. Perhaps they are the only people that really know.
If you did it 1000 times how many times would you end up in disaster?
Even the other boat looks too close to me.
I was thinking going all the way round bridge made sense and at least half way to bridge for some margin for error. (Academic 'cos we turned back half way between Hurst Castle and the needles LH.)
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MikeBz
Well-known member
There's a reef in that main.
I expect the pic was taken with a long lens which hugely forshortens the distances.
xcw
Active member
I was watching that live on the Needles webcam and thought they were heading for disaster, straight for the rocks. But as you say the long lens will have foreshortened the distance, something I didn't realise until you pointed it out!
Mark-1
Well-known member
NGTrack
It's not 100% clear but it looks like they, and the other boat in their class, went inside the Varvassi, which I assumed absolutely nobody would do. (I'm proud to say everyone else in their class retired having not gone as far as us.
)They were also very close to St Cats. I assumed that stretch of coast would be more or less a lee shore and that keeping well clear would be wise until past St Cats. Shows what I know!
Anyone have a source of historical wind data from south of the island? Windycator doesn't seem to store history.
I'm curious, how many went inside the Varvassi?
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flaming
Well-known member
I honestly cannot fathom the decision to go inside the Varvassi on Saturday. The margin for error in breaking waves is absolutely tiny, and the consequences huge.
St Cats was a slightly different matter. Although a lee shore on the approach, once you're round being in close gave significantly smaller waves and less contrary tide.
St Cats was a slightly different matter. Although a lee shore on the approach, once you're round being in close gave significantly smaller waves and less contrary tide.
mrming
Well-known member
We went right into St Cats for exactly the reason above. Agreed on the wreck. Didn’t even contemplate it.
flaming
Well-known member
The ISC have put out a statement that there were 9 incidents connected to the race, which is fewer than in previous years.
I think that illustrates that generally people made the right call, for them, as to whether or not to start or continue the race.
We had a chat in the pub that night, and decided that parts of that day had been well outside of our comfort zone, but not outside of what we or the boat could cope with.
If anyone in charge is listening, I quite like the wind direction, but for next year, could we dial it back a bit. Say generally 16-18 with some puffs to low 20s down the back of the Island. Thanks.
I think that illustrates that generally people made the right call, for them, as to whether or not to start or continue the race.
We had a chat in the pub that night, and decided that parts of that day had been well outside of our comfort zone, but not outside of what we or the boat could cope with.
If anyone in charge is listening, I quite like the wind direction, but for next year, could we dial it back a bit. Say generally 16-18 with some puffs to low 20s down the back of the Island. Thanks.
Mark-1
Well-known member
Plus those of us who chickened out of the turn to go East still had a great sail. I don't feel my Saturday was wasted at all. Grafting at a beat up to the Needles and a fast but easy downwind sail back would have been regarded as a great day on the water any other time.
A lot of people had a lot of fun on the water this weekend because of the race, it wasn't a waste of effort just because only 150 boats finished it.
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Never Grumble
Well-known member
We didn't leave our home berth and sailed no where this weekend. With an early start I paid £100 for a mooring outside of the breakwater that I didn't use, even if we had stayed Friday night I suspect it would have been rather uncomfortable. Add to that entry fees and a scrub then it's an awful lot of money spent to sit at home. We're not a race boat but a family cruising yacht, but we've enjoyed our past experiences of taking part, so if next years is another early start then I probably wont bother. And numbers this year I believe being sub 950 were down on previous.
Mark-1
Well-known member
Totally take your point, but just to be clear we were very much a family cruising boat. Nobody with significant recent racing experience. 3 pensioners, one person trying sailing for the first time and me. (I won't list all my failings for reasons of space!)
flaming
Well-known member
Sadly when you do a weather dependent sport you get used to there being days when you spend the money, do the preparation, but don't get to do the sport. So far this year we've lost 1 day out of 14 when racing was cancelled, which is a pretty good rate. I can understand why if it is 100% of your racing plans for the year that don't come off that you might have a slightly different perspective on it.
Never Grumble
Well-known member
also involved in dinghy racing so know all too well how the UK summer lets us down all too often. As you've identified this is my sole yacht race a year.
dunedin
Well-known member
How much extra does your insurance cost for racing? That is one big cost factor which previously stopped me considering doing a one off race (not round that island).
