I have posted the roughly 1600 pictures I was was able to gather last week at NACRA North Americans. They are uploaded at roughly 1200x1600, but I still have the hi-rez originals and can email a few out if you PM me with contact info.
For those of you who weren't there last week, come check all the great action, particularly from day 4 out at A Mark.
no, THIS is footing. We're the boat on the left... A second or two after the first photo, Wick says to me; "full speed ahead!" as he put the bow down and we footed over Alex and Nigel coming into A mark. We were all running our mouths screaming at each other about mammas and UP! Down!, COMING THROUGH!... having a great time! (we're all good friends). Later, several competitors came up to us and quietly asked what all the ruckus was about during that mark rounding.
The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea Isak Dinesen If a man is to be obsessed by something.... I suppose a boat is as good as anything... perhaps a bit better than most. E. B. White
Looks more like overstanding the lay line to me <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Nigel and Alex had banged the right corner and took a knock that left them pinching to the mark. We had just come in from the left side, crossed comfortably in front of A&N, and had just completed our tack on the starboard layline when that first picture was taken. With the shifty breeze and given our position, we played the safe play and overstood a little....that, or Wick just wanted an opportunity to foot and roll.
Naturally, they got around us by the next mark and Alex and Nigel went on to win that race too.
Jake Kohl
Re: NACRA NAs Photos
[Re: Jake]
#153943 09/03/0811:45 AM09/03/0811:45 AM
Nice pass.. What do you guys prefer: pinching or footing? and which one in which conditions.
One thing that I noticed is that no one had their boards pulled up, upwind, even in the heavier air.
Actually most did - we certainly did. When it was 18 or so, we had nearly 12 inches of board up (may have been a little much).
The 20 likes to foot and go...it's not an efficient machine and relies on raw power to go uphill. Put a little weight on it and that is ever more important. You really have to work hard when you foot with the 20 but it pays off.
Jake Kohl
Re: NACRA NAs Photos
[Re: Jake]
#153946 09/03/0801:56 PM09/03/0801:56 PM
You really have to work hard when you foot with the 20 but it pays off.
Describe "work hard"? Not sure why footing is considered harder than pinching...
Sawing the main. If I'm pinching, I'm reacting more to gusts with steering higher into the wind and with very little sail adjustment (which requires very little effort but means you lose a bit of forward speed). If I'm in footing mode, I'm reacting to gusts by working the main and downhaul and mostly maintaining heading to keep the bow down and speed high - it takes more effort to move the sails in this mode. I'm beginning to discover that the really fast guys live in a zone that is between my footing and pinching zones but is more transitional with a little more heading up / down than my footing mode and a little more sail adjustment than my pinching mode. It's this kind of stuff that takes years to discover and learn.
This is my opinion, but the only time I pinch is if I'm in a tactical position to try and keep from being sucked into a competitor's bad wind from ahead (and it's not going to penalize me with the rest of the fleet or tacking away is certain death), trying to keep another competitor in my bad wind (again, if a little slower progress isn't going to cost me too much), trying to keep a competitor from getting a good read on my height or angle up the course, or if I've made an error or tactical gamble finding myself slightly shy of a layline ... and in that case, pinching only if I'm relatively sure I'll make it by pinching and the loss in speed/progress is going to be less than the speed and distance lost with two tacks.
Jake Kohl
Re: NACRA NAs Photos
[Re: Jake]
#153948 09/03/0806:39 PM09/03/0806:39 PM
This is my opinion, but the only time I pinch is if I'm in a tactical position to try and keep from being sucked into a competitor's bad wind from ahead (and it's not going to penalize me with the rest of the fleet or tacking away is certain death), trying to keep another competitor in my bad wind (again, if a little slower progress isn't going to cost me too much), trying to keep a competitor from getting a good read on my height or angle up the course, or if I've made an error or tactical gamble finding myself slightly shy of a layline ... and in that case, pinching only if I'm relatively sure I'll make it by pinching and the loss in speed/progress is going to be less than the speed and distance lost with two tacks.
Good thing I'm coming to Catapalooza cause this stuffs way over my head! Kent
This is my opinion, but the only time I pinch is if I'm in a tactical position to try and keep from being sucked into a competitor's bad wind from ahead (and it's not going to penalize me with the rest of the fleet or tacking away is certain death), trying to keep another competitor in my bad wind (again, if a little slower progress isn't going to cost me too much), trying to keep a competitor from getting a good read on my height or angle up the course, or if I've made an error or tactical gamble finding myself slightly shy of a layline ... and in that case, pinching only if I'm relatively sure I'll make it by pinching and the loss in speed/progress is going to be less than the speed and distance lost with two tacks.
Good thing I'm coming to Catapalooza cause this stuffs way over my head! Kent
Patience grasshopper...in due time. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Kent, get "Catamaran Racing for the 90's" available at the Cat Sailor store on this site. It goes in to great detail on the finer points of cat racing, main trimming, spin. work, etc. and has a whole chapter on the Hobie 16.
Rick if you are reading this, is there going to be a "Volume II, Catamaran Racing the Spnnaker Cat, A cat, F-18" etc. coming out any time soon?
I would love to get all of the accumulated knowledge of Spin cats and A cats, from Randy, Alex, Nigel, John, Charly, Mitch, Haken, Melvin, etc. (today's spinnaker cat and A cat top tallent) , down on paper for the rest of us.
Blade F16 #777
Re: NACRA NAs Photos
[Re: Timbo]
#153951 09/04/0804:31 PM09/04/0804:31 PM
Kent, get "Catamaran Racing for the 90's" available at the Cat Sailor store on this site. It goes in to great detail on the finer points of cat racing, main trimming, spin. work, etc. and has a whole chapter on the Hobie 16.
Thanks, I've got it but have not read it in awhile. I'll have to reread it.
As I learn more, I learn that I know less. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />