RTIR Kite Fest!

Iain C

Iain C

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So, looking at the relevant Met Office wind data forecast for both Cowes and St. Cats, the wind is doing this on Saturday...

0800 NE
1000 N
1300 S
1600 SW
1900 SSW

So If I'm reading that right, there's every chance that we might hoist the kite in Cowes, and take it down in, erm, Cowes.

Trust me having recently equipped my boat with a chute and bowsprit, only to have gone from the Solent to Falmouth into Westerlies, and then back against Easterlies, I am quite blooming excited about this!

Sun, downwind sailing and possibly (from usually a non-footie fan) a place in the semis...could it be?
 
Iain C said:
So, looking at the relevant Met Office wind data forecast for both Cowes and St. Cats, the wind is doing this on Saturday...

0800 NE
1000 N
1300 S
1600 SW
1900 SSW

So If I'm reading that right, there's every chance that we might hoist the kite in Cowes, and take it down in, erm, Cowes.

Trust me having recently equipped my boat with a chute and bowsprit, only to have gone from the Solent to Falmouth into Westerlies, and then back against Easterlies, I am quite blooming excited about this!

Sun, downwind sailing and possibly (from usually a non-footie fan) a place in the semis...could it be?
Click to expand...

My distinct impression is that we will get a downwind start, probably drop at the needles and rehoist somewhere on the approach to st Cats, or possibly a shy kite fetch. Then a big park up and kites up and down like a whore's drawers whilst the gradient wind and sea breeze fight, with a massive fleet compression as the sea breeze spreads along the course from behind, probably about 12:30 1, maybe later... so a restart most likely. Then a sail from somewhere between St Cats and Bembridge to the finish in a building sea breeze, classic Solent WSW 240-260 in the Eastern Solent.
 
Iain C said:
So, looking at the relevant Met Office wind data forecast for both Cowes and St. Cats, the wind is doing this on Saturday...

0800 NE
1000 N
1300 S
1600 SW
1900 SSW

So If I'm reading that right, there's every chance that we might hoist the kite in Cowes, and take it down in, erm, Cowes.

Trust me having recently equipped my boat with a chute and bowsprit, only to have gone from the Solent to Falmouth into Westerlies, and then back against Easterlies, I am quite blooming excited about this!

Sun, downwind sailing and possibly (from usually a non-footie fan) a place in the semis...could it be?
Click to expand...

What a great challenge! Best of luck with it.
Nearest we managed was to get round to within sight of Osborne Bay without tacking. Then the WSW that Flaming is predicting snuck in and we had to tack twice to lay the finishing line.
 
flaming said:
My distinct impression is that we will get a downwind start, probably drop at the needles and rehoist somewhere on the approach to st Cats, or possibly a shy kite fetch. Then a big park up and kites up and down like a whore's drawers whilst the gradient wind and sea breeze fight, with a massive fleet compression as the sea breeze spreads along the course from behind, probably about 12:30 1, maybe later... so a restart most likely. Then a sail from somewhere between St Cats and Bembridge to the finish in a building sea breeze, classic Solent WSW 240-260 in the Eastern Solent.
Click to expand...

I'm going to say that in my crew briefing tomorrow evening. It's going to make me sound like I really know what I'm on about. ;-)

I know snuffers are the work of Satan himself, but I suspect mine might be quite useful on Saturday after all!!
 
Iain C said:
I'm going to say that in my crew briefing tomorrow evening. It's going to make me sound like I really know what I'm on about. ;-)
Click to expand...

Hmmmm. Just don't blame me when it doesn't come true! Latest forecast is on the RTI site, and indicating that it's going to be key to get round the needles and tucked into the south coast of the island before the breeze shuts down, otherwise you're going to be swept off West....
 
burgundyben said:
I did RTI on a J120 about 15 years ago, we hoisted at the Needles and dropped it at Cowes.

Lovely!
Click to expand...

We did that one too. There was a panoramic photo of us coming back down the east Solent in the company of about half a dozen boats which was used on the front page of the next year's website.
 
blush2 said:
We did that one too. There was a panoramic photo of us coming back down the east Solent in the company of about half a dozen boats which was used on the front page of the next year's website.
Click to expand...

There was me flying the kite, the owner who was pissed, the helm and an old dame from the pub, I think our elapsed time was 6hrs 21 mins, I was knackered!
 
Where is the best place to watch the action?

Instinct says west of Tennyson's Down, from where both the Solent and open Channel are visible from an elevated position.

Thanks.
 
dancrane said:
Where is the best place to watch the action?

Instinct says west of Tennyson's Down, from where both the Solent and open Channel are visible from an elevated position.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm going do to the Squadron to watch the starts. Then I have some faffing about to do, but after an earlyish lunch, I'm going along the military road, I'll stop in the gravel car park by the Pearl place, view there will be good. Then perhaps Castle Haven. Not sure after that, Culver maybe?
 
A friend on the IOW has just ...0945 BST sent a piccie taken from the cliffs above the Needles. Not much wind, lots of coloured sails just filling.

Good luck everyone and enjoy your day!
 
With most boats still out and many having retired before the Needles, it looks as though it’s been one for the purists.
 
I think I read that "Triassic", (Farrier 27 trimaran) presumably the frequent contributor here, came in 36th place overall. Not bad going.
 
At 11 hours that’s the longest RTI I’ve ever done. 3 complete breeze shutdowns and fleet restarts. Crucially we did well out of the last one to take 3rd in class. Nowhere overall though, as the shutdowns just allowed the slower boats to catch up.

Hearing the cheering across the becalmed fleet when England scored was a good moment!
 
dancrane said:
I think I read that "Triassic", (Farrier 27 trimaran) presumably the frequent contributor here, came in 36th place overall. Not bad going.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, we were 36th over the line, but on corrected time the multihulls came nowhere. For my first RTI it was a brilliant (and long) experience. We had a tacking duel all the way up to the Needles, put the kite up and then a Gybing match pretty much all the way to Ryde sands where the westerly filled in and be beat up to the line. Apart from falling into a wind hole and going nowhere for twenty minutes off Bembridge (lost my lead as a result) it was all brilliant sailing. Looking forward to next year already.....
 
I moored at Seaview and watched you guys come through - a spectacular sight. I’ve never seen so many yachts in close quarters, was very surprised how little shouting there was!
 
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