STARBOAAAAAAARD!

[BrendanS]

Oops!

The problem with so many boats, is trying to find everyone else. I did find Morgana and Fireball at one point, but can't find them again now. They were headed quite bit to port of me.

 

[Dipper]

I'm hugging the coast hoping to find a bit more wind.

 

[Dipper]

As I was heading inshore, I crossed very close to the stern of Tangosailingnu who is the top ranked sailor. I see he is now first. I should have followed him! Damn.

 

[BrendanS]

If I get anywhere near him, I'll stick behind him, and just do what he does! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Dipper]

Maybe it's working. I've just passed Fireball. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Dipper]

It looks like the wind is soon going to die for the next 36 hours which is going to make it VERY frustrating. All the Mobos will be out creating enormous washes and upsetting our sails.

I think we will still be in the Med this time tomorrow. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[BrendanS]

Yes, I've been agonising about whether to tack up now or later, so I've just tacked

 

[Dipper]

Speaks very quietly "When the wind is behind you, it's called gybing". /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

You can teach me about trim tabs later. Is that when you cut a pill in half? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[BrendanS]

I did warn you all I had no idea what I was doing! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Dipper]

The trouble is, you are beating most of us!

Morgana just posted a message asking if anyone has seen his boat as he's too pissed to find it himself. He obviously can't even find the button that centres the screen on his boat.

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

what button... what screen?

Hee hee... here I am at anchor enjoying another bottle of Rioja... and all you can do is take the piss..... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

As it happens.... I appear to just overtaken ybw_victorious.... and have made up 61 places since 15:00..... so there!

 

[BrendanS]

I've just seen that message! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BrendanS]

Oh dear! I'm losing about a place a minute now I've 'gybed'!

 

[fireball]

That's ok then - gives the rest of us a chance to catch up!! Not quite sure what I did, but when i checked from the boat earlier I was in 350th or summint .... got it down to 250 and now back up to 267ish ... mind you, sneeze and you loose a place ... so keep the gybes down!!

 

[BrendanS]

I don't want to change directions too often, so been looking at the wind speed and directions, and wanted to be further North before the winds die down. Like I keep saying, no experience of this type of thing, so probably making huge elementary mistakes, as most of the front runners I was up with, are keeping on the course I was originally on. I'll probably kick myself later when I see what they do.

 

[Dipper]

You are doing OK strategy wise but with the predicted winds I think it is going to be a lottery.

Your course looks as though you could edge a bit to starboard and still gain some VMG. The VMG reading refers to the gains towards or away from the wind so in your case the number will become more negative. If you change it 1 degree at a time and watch the VMG on the polar diagram (give it time to change) you may be able to add a few tenths. This doesn't seem to 'damage' the boat.

If you don't need to go up or down wind, the VMG reading is irrelevant.

 

[Dipper]

It's not easy at the moment to judge the best VMG as the wind is dying so the readings are going down steadily anyway.

 

[BrendanS]

There are a few others in the 'main pack' taking the same decision as me to head more North, but not many, which makes me doubt I've done the sensible thing. I've found the same thing, you can alter course by a degree or two to 'tweak' performance, with no appreciable loss.

 

[fireball]

you can do it by fractions of a degree as well....

off to the boat again tomorrow - so expecting to loose loads of places again .... night night!

 

[Dipper]

Since I am just up wind of you, my advice would be to follow me but of course I could very easily be wrong. The wind is going to shift in the next hour which will head you off but lift me towards the next mark.

In the end, it will be a lottery. When the wind eventually fills in again, those boats lucky enough to be in the right place will catch it first and take off at high speed leaving the others behind. It can make an enormous difference in a race.

I think I'll leave the good ship Dipper to her own devices now and head for bed. I don't think I could hit land now even if I wanted to. See you in the morning.