Spot the deliberate mistake...

Kristal

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Crystal.jpg


...maybe this is why we spent the first hour of the 2005 Frostbite race sailing backwards...

Thanks to Colin_S for the picture, taken from Nazca II - they came 6th on adjusted time, we came last after retiring from the first leg. I was fearful we might miss the fantastic chicken roast and beer at Erith YC...

/<
 
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You and the other boat forgot to unfurl your genoas' and your running backstays are still cranked in. And the courtsey flag is flying at half mast.
 

Kristal

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What looks like a courtesy flag are our orange race numbers, which were lashed to the shrouds.

I was thinking of the running backstays, as you mentioned. I think we were motorsailing at this point, to try and get up to the start line (we failed!) which is why the genoas aren't out. We kept ours furled for the up-river legs as it's a bugger to short-tack with, but unfurled it later when the race officials vessel told us not to be such wimps...

/<
 

Santana379

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Hi /<rystal

I'm not sure that the running backstay and the furled jib are the only factors contributing to sub-optimal speed. Unless the camera is lying, then it looks suspiciously as though the staysail is sheeted to windward and backed. This is very close to a technique most refer to as "heaving-to", and is of terrific value to us cruising yachtsmen. For whatever reason, it is uncommon to see it practised by racing helmsmen.

I was quite encouraged, nay thrilled, to see Crystal's image as the second boat past the cameraman, behind only a dumpy motor-sailer, but then brought back to earth by reading that the pictures have been put on the web in reverse order. Still, at least you're out there sailing. Bucky Lugger. (One of the best boat names I have seen - a Drascombe, obviously)

Hope it wasn't the new 8ft ash handled gun metal boathook that went overboard!

I note your complaints about St Kats. over on ITV. I think the location make up for almost any shortcomings, and I do think its both reasonably well run and good value. I would rather visit it than Limehouse, but of course would rather be based at Limehouse. Short pontoons are a common problem when you've got a bowsprit. I've tried the ones at Woodbridge Tidemill with Nancy B. - they're short, and wobble when I step on them (no comments please) - but the marina is great. The answer is to reverse in, unless your bumpkin is as long as your bowsprit.

Happy Easter! FF /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

PS, as I seem incapable of getting the image in question into my post, here is the link:

www.rivalranger.co.uk/Frostbite_2005/ppages/ppage32.htm
 

Kristal

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Well, it was my first race, and if anything, I can claim to have been too sporting in trying to get speed over the line under sail rather than motoring right up to the start. Even my non-sailing father admonished me so, watching over a pint from the Prospect Of Whitby, and of course I can't argue, but personally, I count it a triumph that we didn't hit anything - and that took a fair bit of effort in itself!!

Having spent the whole of last summer at St Kats, I can safely say it's gone chronically downhilll in the months that I've been at Limehouse - I really cannot honestly say that the one night we spent there was worth £37 - the person I thought would get off on the location (the reason for a trip upriver in the first place) merely said "It's too posh for us, and they're treating us like s**t", and it could only be the location that prompted that - the service was worse than Levington...

If the small jib was aback, it was probably Dave, the sail-trimmer, using a dinghy technique to tack quicker (it's a contraversial technique, I know, but he did it awfully well). The Genoa was furled because it's too difficult to sheet it between both forestays in a short-tacking situation to be safe, particularly when there are trip-boats about who love making life difficult for yachts. Once I've got a spare few grand, Messrs Lawrence will be rerigging Crystal as a Cutter (Yawl).

I don't suppose it makes things any better to say Crystal did much better on the 2nd leg, on Sunday, because we'd retired the previous evening in fear of missing the beer and roast.

It was indeed the brand new boathook that jumped ship. Which is why we went around for it! Had my girlfriend gone OB, I'd probably have judged it better to go on in the hope of winning...

In the end, we warped Crys round into a reversed position to fit onto the pontoon, although it was still rather close with the overhang from our mizzenboom. There was no possibility of safely backing her in with our 8 horses, and anyway, that's precisely my point - if they are going to charge us for our total overall length, they ought to give us a pontoon suitable. There were plenty of large enough ones. I think they were just being awkward, and my letter of complaint is already on it's way.

I'm planning to be in Woodbridge by the weekend, if you're working on FF come and have a beer.

/<
 

Santana379

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Methinks he does protest too much! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

(By the way, we can only get through the wind in FF by backing the headsail!)

Anyway - Crystal looked much nicer than all the other boats.

You can have a laugh at me in a few weeks. On 28 May, before the planned grand Pin Mill around Roughs challenge, I'm racing Nancy Blackett in the East Coast Hillyard Owners Association rally. Last year I arrived in a Golden Hind, having broken two of Nancy's engine mountings with a party of school children aboard the day before. Mrs FF and I shipped on another Hillyard, which came last by a considerable margin, whilst Miss FF shipped on Ragged Robin II, was kindly given the helm, and took line honours. How come she can sail better at 14 than I can after half a century?

Lets get together this weekend for an Adnams - I don't have your current mobile number - PM it to me. Mine is unchanged. No doubt Mirelle will enjoy a pint too.

Mirelle may be having second thoughts about letting me crew in the East Coast OGA race after reading this, and may invite daughter number two instead!
 

Santana379

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Just realised /<rystal, re-reading your post, that you refer to others gaining speed by motoring right up to the start.

On this forum ("Greetings Pop-pickers") we have learned the 1850's rules from Mirelle, i.e. start anchored on the line with all sails stowed. But max revs to the line - this must be 2005 rules. I thought the engine had to be sound asleep at the 10 minute gun?

Is it too late for you to hoist a protest flag - if so, I suggest you claim a moral victory, and may I be the first to congratulate you! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

FF

PS Clearly there is no moral high ground visible in the water, but the moral high water is yours.
 

Kristal

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I thought so too... the race is generally considered a friendly so I don't think they're too strict on it. Lodging a protest requires a £100 cheque made out to the RNLI to be presented at the same time as your protest - and believe me, I did see people prepared to pay it in the belief that their handicap was unfair.

Fortunately, it also meant that we could use our engine to avoid danger - we were the first to notify the Official's boat that we had used our engine to avoid collision with some moored pleasure boats, and had to do so again twice. Somebody did scoff at us for this, but considering that last year, one lovely little wooden boat was caught, windless, in the nasty current at the tip of the Isle Of Dogs, and hit Convoys Wharf, I feel quite justified. The vessel in question sustained a serious hole (5 planks) just above the waterline - I am not risking a trip to Burma to locate Teak for the sake of a friendly race!!

Amusingly, once we reported our use of the donkey, rather a lot of people followed suit, so at least we set one trend in the race!!

/<
 
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