Originally Posted by scooby_simon

So are you saying the N20 kites are cut too full and so cannot be carried high enough?

Yes the F18's have less sail and similar RM so will be able to carry their kites higher is the wind gets to the critical band; however, I was very surprised in the footage I saw that the F18's were twin wiring with the kite up and the 20's were just sitting in with the kite in the sock, why did the 20's not pop the kite, drop the halyard 18 inches (flattens most kites except really bad ones) and continue the fight, maybe with dumping some traveller?


I'll tell you why. In those conditions you pop the kite on the N20 and you hold it for a minute. The littlest puff comes through and suddenly you have to turn 50 degrees downwind to keep from flipping dragging you into shore where you are just going to have to drop it immediately to come back up. So instead you reach high and fast gaining height without any loss in speed. Then when you are high enough you pop the chute and try to hold it high as long as you can. Rinse and repeat. That's what Steve did and he won the leg.

This was definitely F18 condition with the high reaching. Heavy air upwind the F18's will kill also. The N20 comes alive in the 8-12knots dead down wind condition. If and when they get that you will see the opposite result of what they had yesterday with all the N20's killing the F18's.

Mike Hill
N20 #1005