In english please.

OK, I'll play; Without an accurate GPS, how are you going to measure the 100-200 meters? And is that even far enough to get up to full speed after a tack? I think 1/2 mile minimum.

Oh, BTW, our 777's use a dual GPS system accurate to 100ths of a mile to shoot instrument approaches in very limited visability, haven't hit the trees yet.

Optical sight. If the ball used as a mark is of known diameter then its apparent diameter will yield it's distance. The scale on a protractor will work.

It doesn't matter whether you're full speed or not, as long as everyone is making the same comparison. If you sail the course in ten minutes and I sail it in eleven, clearly you sailed better.

All you need is a course of agreed length, observed wind speed and elapsed time. The point is to give people of lower skill level an opportunity to quantify their results and try to determine where their weaknesses are. If I do three ten minute races in an hour, I can then stop and try to figure how to improve my performance. At the end of a regular regatta weekend I can't remember anything at all, it's just a blur. Always has been.

Years ago, Sailing World (I think), came out with what they called the speed circle. It was a series of bouys that created a circle of a given diamter. Times were taken for one complete lap of the circle. It was a cool drill and a lot of fun to do.....great practice for boat handling and crew work!

>>>If you sail the course in ten minutes and I sail it in eleven, clearly you sailed better.<<<

Or, the wind was better for me, or the wind shifted for me, or, or, or.

On the "...it's just a blur" thing, I agree. A long time ago I read a racing article that said you should get a notebook and spend a few minutes after each day racing, to write down what went right, what went wrong, and how you intend to fix it. That way, at the end of the weekend, you'll have a notebook full of ideas that would otherwise be lost in the blur. Easier to say than do, but once you start making a habbit of it, it becomes much easier.

Prior to the next regatta, you open that notebook up and review, remember what you F'd up, and tell yourself, "I'm NOT doing THAT again!" In addition to my mistakes, I write down which direction the fast guys were going, ie. "Robie and JW went left to the beach and kicked my butt..." or "There was no starboard layline up in the hole." or "Stay out of the mooring field going upwind." or "Watch out for that shallow spot out west by the channel" etc. also what the wind and weather and tide was for the day. To learn you have to do your homework, not just out on the water, but after the racing too.

In ten minutes? Could happen but not as likely as in an hour.

Remeber too that a lot of people want trophies but most of us want to keep the trophies few in number so that they mean something. Developing a rating system gives you something to show for your efforts if you don't win the trophy.

Only way to compare anyone is head to head and even that has so many variables as to not be overly relavent.

On the notes thing - I saw Jamie comming off the water each day with a wet notebook full of notes he wrote down between every race..

I would like to think moving to the front of the boat I would be that organized, but I know myself better than that. Riley is on her own to remember this sh**.

I give up.

Anybody sailing this weekend? GYC is doing a club race.

Why give up? I'm all for what you are proposing, I'm just trying to figure out how to implement it.

Oh, and I've got to be in a simulator in ATL tomorrow morning at 0700, so no sailing for me. On Monday I go to Dubai and will visit Dave Holligan (Blade racer over there), and there's a new Falcon heading that way in a couple weeks.

You sure ask a lot of tough questions!

I'll start over. If I was trying to improve my sailing, I could just set a short course, make a couple rounds and try to figure how to improve. Spending all weekend at a regatta, I think, is not the best way. That's for after you figure it all out.

I set a couple marks out here on the lake then time myself to see how long it takes me to do one lap. Then do it again, changing a few things, then again, etc. until I've got it down to the lowest time, but the wind on a lake is never really consistant enough to know if I'm getting better (or worse) or if the wind just shifted or blew harder, and made me faster! But it does teach you to always be looking for the next puff, both upwind and down.

why not purchase a Velocitek. You can tweak your settings and see which ones pay off.

And for general practice, why not do 100 jybes and tacks.

Practice makes permanent.

Did you race at GYC today? I was up in ATL but when I got home it was still blowing pretty good. Good turnout?

I didn't sail. Wind was recorded at 16-20 with one gust of 23. When I came across the Skyway the wind was really whipping.

Looked like about ten boats, mostly A cats. Gordon has his new ride but I'm not sure if he sailed. 2 H16s, 1 F18.

What's Gordon's new ride?

"Tool"? A nice A cat, of course.

Is that the new one from Ian Liljdhal (sp-10) that Patrick has too? I think it says LR2 and LR3 on the side?

No,I think Gordon's boat is from Australia.

Oh, that must be the new AHPC A cat?