The B mark was more of an offset mark to keep the spinnaker boats away from the inside H16/Wave course, it was too high to fly the kite and it was a deep run from there to C which usually required a gybe. Second and third laps were from C to A and back only, no B.
You have the theory correct. We start the fast boats first on the outer course, then the slower boats on the inside course. The first reach get the big, hairy spin boats off to the side the first time around, allowing the small boats a fresh course. By the way, W/Ls came about mostly because of the use of spinnakers. There are lots of boats without spins that love reaches. Nothing old fashioned about that. And the Waves hate downwind legs, thus the adopted course for the Wave Class is triangle, windward, leeward -- give the boats two upwinds, two reaches and one downnwind. Hope this doesn't make me old fashioned. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Seems to me I got the same **** from Matt Bounds last year. Rick
DISCLAIMER: These comments are directed at the reach/no reach debate overall, not a specific person or event...
In my experience, reaches started going the way of the dodo several years ago, mainly because they were considered to be "non-strategical." In other words, reaching legs tend to be follow-the-leader. The only way boats can pass one another is by better boathandling, and the assumption is, everyone at a championship is excellent at boathandling. Note the word "assumption." <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Spinnakers have been around for much longer than this mindset, so I don't attribute that as the cause.
The other consideration about reaches is that they require additional safety and mark boats. You have a mark at a different place on the water, so making a change in response to a wind shift will require another mark boat. Competitors are far more likely to capsize on a reach, so you need more safety boats.
Personally, I agree with this idea for major events, but we all sail cats because we like to go fast, and reaching is the fastest point of sail. I feel pretty strongly that reaches should be used at all normal (non-championship) regattas, especially if the sailors want them.
Which is another thing that can't be understated, a good PRO really needs to listen to the OA and fleet reps to be sure he is providing the racing they desire, not the racing he prefers to provide. Sometimes, this is hard to watch, for example, I have no idea why big mono sailors want to race two or three races per day and throw away several hours of beautiful wind and racing conditions. But, as their PRO, I'm not going to start a fourth race just because that's what I'd want as a sailor. That's how you don't get invited back (on a good day), or get ripped apart on an open forum... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />
For some additional detail about the reaching leg at Tradewinds, checkout the photo sequence posted this morning at www.teamseacats.com We sure passed a lot of boats on the reach!
Devil's advocate: if you're never going to see a reach in a race, why would you care?
Because someday the devil might be chasing you and you are going to need to go like hell to avoid ending up there. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Well, I'm not usually ahead anyway, so there's little chance of that... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
Seems to me I got the same **** from Matt Bounds last year.
Hey, I resemble that remark! (Actually, it was two years ago.)
I don't have anything against reaches either, it's just that one time I was at Tradewinds (2005, the last year at Gilbert's) it felt like a time warp. Old starting sequences, old courses. NTTAWWT <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
I like reaches . . . when I'm ahead. Nothing better for stretching out the fleet.
