Hi all,

just to keep you off season sailors dreaming, thought I would give you this morsel of sailing report from last week end, sorry there are no photo's. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Sailed at Port Melbourne Y.C. on Port Phillip Bay last Saturday. Wind 12 to 15 kts. from the south. Which makes it very lumpy for the wind strength and by the end of the second race there where some rolling breakers on the course. Courses all windward leeward.

Had some wild trapeze rides with the kite up, absolutly on the edge of control and beyond, standing on the back corner, flying a hull. Spent most of the time driving up the backs of the waves and leaping off the top into the trough. Only had one nose dive which stopped the Blade enough to throw me forward off trap <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />, but I was able to regain my feet and keep going. It was adrenalin pumping sailing at it's best <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> Keeping the boat in the water was realy more of a control problem than the odd wave the bow went into the back of. As at the speed I was doing sailing so deep, I was bouncing around a lot, great fun <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. Each run by the time I came to gybe everything that could get off the tramp was hanging out the back, including the mainsheet <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />, the biggest problem. Ropes where in a mess every where, so getting organised on the next gybe took some time.

Just to get some debate going, in these conditions trapping proved to be outstandingly better VMG wise than sitting in, as I did decided to chicken out one leeward sitting on the side hiking insted of trapezing and hardly caught the boats I had passed easily before and after that return, whilst trapping. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hi Gary,

No problem with beam bolts then ? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Somers also had its share of swell and breaking waves as well. Couldn't help but think of you as we waited for the start.

For those in the Northern hemisphere water temp: 20 deg C air temp: 27 deg C 12:00 am. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Hi Gary,

How tight do you sheet the spin in with that wind and choppy waves?
On the Global Challege and on other occasions I always nose-dive my Blade and I find it hard to gain speed with the spin up.

We have been experimenting a little in those conditions and trapping seemed to help although it's quite challenging.
I also found that sheeting in the spi more than neccesary (harder than the 'kilgrens' -> Dutch guys help me out here) stopped the boat also from nosediving.

All ideas are welcome.

Regards,
Gill

Gilo
I too have little X-treme sailing experience yet. One thought I had seeing this pic (yes, I'm dredging it up again) is that another reason one doesn't want to travel out/ease the main is that the top of the sail is now right angled to the wind. There must be a heck of a lot of pitchpole force up there.

Gary, have any Vipers shown up in your vicinity yet?

that pic is nauseating! but I guess it shows how far it can go without breaking

Hi Bobcat,

You should indeed sheet in the main and let the traveller in, in that kind of conditions.

But I also have the feeling that sheeting in the spinsheet more then necessary (the sail is still full if you loosen the sheet) helps to not nosedive the boat. Once you're quite sure the boat won't nosedive that easily, trapping is not an issue anymore ;-)

Regards,
Gill

I believe that tilting the mast of a blade more backwards should cure the problem of nosediving.

Hi Peter,

hope to be at Somers soon, what do the summer cup races consist of 27, 29, 30th Dec? Will you be there? Many cats expected? Don't worry Blade has real beam bolts. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Hi Gill,

avoiding the nose dive to me is all about keeping the pressure out of the rig. So I keep the boat moving as fast as possible at all times and ease the spin sheet as much as possible so I can sail deeper (better VMG).

Sheeting the spinnaker tight can be used to depower it, but that slows you down, making you more susceptible to being knocked over by gusts. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I did sheet the spinnaker tighter once on this day, but that was when I came off a wave flying the hull to high and ventilated the rudders, sheeting the spinnaker tighter made the bow stay down wind, until I could get flow back on the rudders. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

Hi Mark,

none yet. Greg said he hoped to get one to Vic and one to S.A. before Xmas. But was running out of time.

Can't wait to race against one, as long as they are also one up if it is windy. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Gary,

27th and 30th are standard size course Summer cup races.
29th is 2 back to back short course races. Division 1 will be either 5 windward/return races or 4 windward/return plus 1 triangle.

I won't be there <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> but I'm sure that there will be lots of cats racing and particularly with the Asia-Pacific Tornado titles at Somers starting on 4th January I would expect a fleet of the international Tornados out tuning up. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Regards,

Peter

Mr sail7sea,

I think your idea is really only survival tactics.....this thread is looking at getting the most out of the down wind leg. Personally your strategy will only stunt any performance while racing & generally not the choice of trim for the top sailors.

Marcus

Yes, that old thread was about survival sailing, not racing <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
We would probably have taken the gold if we had gone for survival instead of full-out racing in this years scandinavian Tornado champs. The key to win was to finish, so we missed out there. Lesson learnt, but still need to find the transit point. Anyway, going downwind is not that difficult, but the transit from upwind to downwind is interesting.

My intent in round about way was only to help Bobcat stay upright or keep his mast,
whose posted picture clearly showed letting out the main is not the trim of choice,
however for a novice, it is a strategy to consider.

<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Chris was able to stay upright, and competitive, at this years JPOR while others (including me) were upside down.

If I can interpret what I think Marcus was trying to say:

It is not really about trying to just stay upright in a given situation solely to win a race by attrition, it is about trying to trim your boat correctly and continue to improve.

What was potentially survival conditions for me 3 years ago, now is something I feel very comfortable in. Gina gets extremely upset with me when I send her swimming, but my learning curve was greatly shortened by concetrating on doing things correctly rather than becoming depedant on trimming slow to keep it up. Down wind is very much a feel thing and no amount of reading will get you over that speed hump.

You will likely get a different view from Gina on this and I could have a voided many an argument, but that is my story and I'm sticking with it.

M

I must be a *noodling* genius by now. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />