Strong wind forecast for RTIR - best way round St Cats?

[TallBuoy]

Still 3 days away but its looking like a SWly 6. Most of the fleet will be rounding St Cats against the ebb tide - big seas !! :nightmare:

What's the collective wisdom on the best route? Stay in close and hope for the best? Go off shore of the overfalls, and stay safe and lose lots of places?

 

[Judders]

You're pretty safe close in. It's deep. Just be careful of the odd gust rolling down the cliff there, got caught out badly there once and we're knocked down.

 

[Racecruiser]

Interesting if it is F6 and wind over tide at St Cats. As Judders says it is ok to go fairly close in but you need to keep options open and broaching close in or being compromised by another boat with nowhere to go suggests some caution.

Watch out for where others will end up if they round up or where you will if you do and avoid a gybe broach at all costs (strap the kite down if it's up and stay off dead downwind). Hopefully if everyone on board is focused you can drive down the waves on a deep broad reach and then choose your course for Bembridge Ledge while avoiding any mayhem.

Good luck - I'll be at an afternoon party instead!

Seem to remember Flaming posting some St Cats action on the last windy RTI.

There is an RTI trail over on Scuttlebutt - strange at this stage some don't seem to know what the tide will be doing?!

 

[Hadenough]

Ok, met a few of you nutters over the last few days, and happened to be at St Cats (on the land) a few days ago to witness a wind against tide cauldron. :disgust:
I'll be thinking of you :encouragement:

 

[Javelin]

Just been watching the tracker of our progress against the top boats in our class and it certainly shows that we chose the best path round the back of the Island.
In fact it appears we took at least half a mile out of the leader and ended up leading at one point.

If you feel like it have a look at the following at,
http://ngtrack2.ngresults.co.uk/webviewer/

Click the top right icon and then add boats.
Click on "Classic racing yacht 9.6m and over"
Select Montombi, Lady of Hamford (us), Illiria, Matambu, misty and Kiswala.

See we were pretty even up to the Hurst narrows.
Just after we had a reefing issue and lost a bit of time.
We took the North track and took a fair bit back.
But at st Caths we stayed close in with Matambu and look what happens!

Big lesson learnt there I thought I'd share...

 

[Racecruiser]

Nice work Javelin!