Why is racing cancelled at Cowes?
- Thread starter Ohlin Karcher
- Start date
Iain C
Well-Known Member
Re: Wimps!
Yep...I was seeing 30 across the deck so chuck in boatspeed and tide and it was probably blowing 40. The boat would undoubtedly take it, but the motion would have been horrible, and being a smallish boat all she would have done is go up and down waves with not much forward progress! And a teeny bit of genoa downwind is more useful shape than a teeny bit upwind!
Yep...I was seeing 30 across the deck so chuck in boatspeed and tide and it was probably blowing 40. The boat would undoubtedly take it, but the motion would have been horrible, and being a smallish boat all she would have done is go up and down waves with not much forward progress! And a teeny bit of genoa downwind is more useful shape than a teeny bit upwind!
dom
Well-Known Member
Re: Wimps!
Lol, went for a winter sail a few years ago for the purposes of testing in the mid-40s. Pompey, Nab, Newtown Creek. Going past Cowes in wind over tide was interesting. Waves a perfectly modest 1.5m max ...only someone forgot to attach their backs....
....bouncy, but not terrible, moored up, only to find that every beer and wine bottle in the fridge was bust! :disgust:
Lol, went for a winter sail a few years ago for the purposes of testing in the mid-40s. Pompey, Nab, Newtown Creek. Going past Cowes in wind over tide was interesting. Waves a perfectly modest 1.5m max ...only someone forgot to attach their backs....
....bouncy, but not terrible, moored up, only to find that every beer and wine bottle in the fridge was bust! :disgust:
Birdseye
Well-Known Member
In our case thats irrelevant. The races are round channel markers and the OD operates from the YC balcony so only the racers are affected.
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
Re: Wimps!
Well Ive certainly sailed Lake Solent in heavy airs a few times but its a diffent kind of fun bundle when you get more than 30 knots in proper waves.
Well Ive certainly sailed Lake Solent in heavy airs a few times but its a diffent kind of fun bundle when you get more than 30 knots in proper waves.
Resolution
Well-Known Member
ShinyShoe
Well-Known Member
One other point that I don't think has been made...
Normally your start line is 1.5 X LOA of the class X number of boats.
You can't assume that because it's blowing old boots half the class won't launch. So you probably need to consider increasing the line because the risks associated with forcing boats in close proximity will increase.
Boats will do a lap quicker. If you have fleets starting in sequence you don't want the lead boats completing lap 1 as a back fleet is starting...
So you need a bigger line, a bigger course (rather than more laps).
Even though some fleets may not launch at all and many others will reduce numbers. From a PRO perspective if you offer the race you need to keep it fair so the course needs to be workable for the full potential fleet.
Normally your start line is 1.5 X LOA of the class X number of boats.
You can't assume that because it's blowing old boots half the class won't launch. So you probably need to consider increasing the line because the risks associated with forcing boats in close proximity will increase.
Boats will do a lap quicker. If you have fleets starting in sequence you don't want the lead boats completing lap 1 as a back fleet is starting...
So you need a bigger line, a bigger course (rather than more laps).
Even though some fleets may not launch at all and many others will reduce numbers. From a PRO perspective if you offer the race you need to keep it fair so the course needs to be workable for the full potential fleet.
dom
Well-Known Member
Re: Wimps!
True, but as you know open seas are bigger, but usually ok with the exception of cross winds/currents.
Mind, i I did say Pompey-Nab-Lake Solent, so as you know the ‘sea’ gets a bit of a decent run at a nasty shallowing there, esp when the tide comes out to play too.......
Well Ive certainly sailed Lake Solent in heavy airs a few times but its a diffent kind of fun bundle when you get more than 30 knots in proper waves.
True, but as you know open seas are bigger, but usually ok with the exception of cross winds/currents.
Mind, i I did say Pompey-Nab-Lake Solent, so as you know the ‘sea’ gets a bit of a decent run at a nasty shallowing there, esp when the tide comes out to play too.......
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dom
Well-Known Member
Re: Wimps!
It was; worse, the boat smelled like I was I right old dipso for weeks afterwards
It was; worse, the boat smelled like I was I right old dipso for weeks afterwards
Resolution
Well-Known Member
It's a bit more complicated for Cowes Week when you have so many classes racing in the same waters and using - sometimes - the same marks. IIRC the race management teams have a computer program that models anticipated speeds around each potential course in given wind and tide conditions. When each day's courses are being set they try to avoid different classes rounding marks at similar times.
Famously used to be a chart with nails for the marks and lots of string to show the several courses that day.
weustace
Well-Known Member
Re: Wimps!
Out of Cowes? Hmm...
Slightly less exposed, but we set out from Emsworth for a little potter on Saturday morning, and retired after a few minutes on discovering how woefully inadequate our speed under engine was dead upwind against one of the larger gusts... went out in the evening though and stayed out 24hrs, a lovely weekend for it (in the harbour...). This in 24'er with a crew keener than it was sensible... Lots of Maydays/Pan pans during a big squall in the Solent on Sun around 1200, 5 or 6 at least, which I'd say confirms the race organisers' decision. My crew complained that there was less wind than promised on the Sunday, but I was rather relieved—you can't help some people!
Out of Cowes? Hmm...
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Iain C
Well-Known Member
Off topic, but reminds me of a very interesting situation at Rutland Water a few years ago when the 18 and 12 foot skiffs used to do the circuit together.
This is an 18...
This is a 12...
The course was always windward/leeward, with the committee boat halfway up the course, and to stop too much "corner banging" downwind, the 18s had to go back through the startline as a "gate" on the downwind leg. The 18s used to start first, with the 12s 5 minutes later. The PRO set quite a short course, and the second the 18s started, the wind really piped up and they all took off like stabbed rats. I think you can see where this is going...as our countdown is going 5,4,3,2,1,go, there's six 18s coming back down through the start line at 20 knots triple stringing with the kites up, and we're heading upwind fully planing off the start, and all boats are sporting long non-retracting carbon jousting poles!
There was definitely some "5p 50p" movement in my wetsuit that day but fortunately no collisions and no damage...
Bobc
Well-Known Member
Off topic, but reminds me of a very interesting situation at Rutland Water a few years ago when the 18 and 12 foot skiffs used to do the circuit together.
This is an 18...
This is a 12...
The course was always windward/leeward, with the committee boat halfway up the course, and to stop too much "corner banging" downwind, the 18s had to go back through the startline as a "gate" on the downwind leg. The 18s used to start first, with the 12s 5 minutes later. The PRO set quite a short course, and the second the 18s started, the wind really piped up and they all took off like stabbed rats. I think you can see where this is going...as our countdown is going 5,4,3,2,1,go, there's six 18s coming back down through the start line at 20 knots triple stringing with the kites up, and we're heading upwind fully planing off the start, and all boats are sporting long non-retracting carbon jousting poles!
There was definitely some "5p 50p" movement in my wetsuit that day but fortunately no collisions and no damage...
I remember that start. T'was a bit fruity.