Reaching & Racing - why not?

I love my catamaran.
I love racing my catamaran.
I love racing my catamaran upwind & downwind.
I love racing my catamaran a long distance.
I love *sailing* my catamaran back & forth on a reach as fast as I can, but I almost never get to do this in a "race".

Why? How come there aren't more catamaran "races" that have nice long reaches, or fun (crazy?) slalom shaped courses?

Here's some reasons which I think are used as explanations against courses with reaches, and I will debunk each of them.

Strategic
Explained : the strategic aspects of (windward/leeward courses represent the "pinnacle" of sailing skill.
Debunked : This explanation is a load of cr**. The pinnacle of sailing skill is demonstrated by whoever wins the sailing race. Everyone has the same rules, the same course, and the same chance at winning.

Handicaps
Excuse : handicap numbers are derived based on W/L certain course configurations and are therefore invalid for courses with reaches.
Debunked : With the exception of Texel, every open cat race score that I've seen posted (mostly in the U.S., I'll admit) uses the same Portsmouth numbers, even if it's a 300 mile downwind course, or a 50 mile course around an island, or a true windward-leeward "round the buoys" course. Therefore, the database of race results used to generate these D-PN handicap numbers in the first place, already includes data from races which are not exclusively windward-leeward. If there were separate sets of handicap numbers used, maintained & published for “reaching” courses that were different than for W-L courses, this reason (excuse?) would be more believable. But there isn't, and it's not.

Race Committee workload
Excuse - its too hard to set up a reaching course.
Debunked : well, it is an extra mark to set. So buck up and do it. I've worked race committee countless times, and it's only a little more work to set up a course to include a reach, compared to a windward-leeward. Think of all the fun you're providing the competitors and stop being selfish.

Consistency
Explanation : when you host a regatta, you want participants to be able to plan correctly, and compete fairly. If every club had crazy shaped courses, no one would know what to expect until they showed up.
Debunked : home court advantage already is built into lots of races. Local sailing conditions on a lake or bay (or river ) is just one kind of home court advantage. Many yacht clubs, and even catamaran clubs, use permanent buoys in lakes, bays or channels, as marks of their races. Unless you have a GPS and program in the waypoints, locals will always have advantages. (What course is an I-7? Where the he** is K mark? Is a "X" mark an obstruction or a mark of the course? Where's ICW74? )

So, with all the above reasons debunked, I've reduce it to one reason that I just can't explain away : “everyone's doing W-L, so if I don't, they won't come to my regatta”.

What do you think, and do you like sailing on reaches? (I know you do!)

Rick White uses a B mark for Tradewinds.

<<<<So, with all the above reasons debunked, I've reduce it to one reason that I just can't explain away : “everyone's doing W-L, so if I don't, they won't come to my regatta”.

What do you think, and do you like sailing on reaches? (I know you do!)>>>>

I agree. What ever happened to screaming reaches? Part of the skill of racing is surviving a screaming reach. Avoiding the "dreaded pitchpole" was just part of it. I read somewhere today that most cat sailors have or should have a mortal fear of pitchpoleing. Just deal with it. W/L may be tactically more interesting but the reach is just as much of a challenge...and you can pass if you are good enough.

Rick is "old school" and knows that you don't have to fit a cookie cutter profile to have a good time and get folks to attend.

Our club always has 3 marks and the reaches are the fun part. IMHO anybody can do a reach, a learner doesn't have to pull it on or can pinch and gradually get their confidence but look at their faces when it finally clicks. My 2 girls were on the wire last year on the stingray with me sitting in during the Goolwa Milang when we pitchpoled. Yeah they were scared at the time but ask them now what race they want to do again and its the Goolwa Milang they've got the dreaded pitchpole out of the way and it was exciting.
regards

Crossed up with a good crew on a double trap reach to B mark, skipper's torso behind the stern of the Hobie 16, crew jammed in tight, their chicken line at a right angle off the transom, who can ride that big puff, grab the most pressure, who has the balls to drive it the hardest? Knowing one mistake and it's bye-bye.

Thanks for the memories

Many regattas do use triangle and B mark courses--last weekend our RC sent us around the B mark on 3 of 5 races.

One of my favorite regatta locales actually does have some pretty complex courses around its "permanent" buoys. See: http://www.fresnoyachtclub.org/data/Club%20Races/Huntington%20FYC%20Club%20Race%20Sheet%202007.pdf

So, the reach is alive and well. Personally, I think the most tactically interesting courses use short reaching legs to break up otherwise long downwind stints, such at course #7 on the above linked map.

Buy (or charter) a Hobie, come to Madcatter.

I'm the PRO, and like all good PROs should do, I asked the OA (host fleet) whether they would like to have reaches. The overwhelming response was YES!

So, if the wind is good enough to make it fun, we will have at least two races with reaches. Hope to see you all there.

BTW, reaches are, and always have been, part of the standard IHCA courses, which have since been adopted by US SAILING as the "standard multihull courses."

Mike

I think the reaching courses have gone away with the advent of the spinnaker cats. You are always on a hot reach downwind with a spinnaker cat! But if the RC has set a reach that is too high to cary the spinnaker, it's not so much fun. And then the next leg is usually too deep, which is slow, so they have to get it just right if the spin. boats are to be able to cary the spin and go fast on both legs.

But for the non-spin boats I think there should be a good, long hot reach leg, that is the most fun leg I think. The windsurfer trapazoid courses might be interesting to try on a non-spin boat.

"Screaming" close reaches are the quintessence of catamaran sailing. Pitchpoling, the scourge of catamarans is always possible. It is the crew that has the skill and courage to keep the hammer down when it gets really nasty, will really gain.

I like real reach marks. But sometimes they are placed so far downwind that all they do is force you to one side of the course on the downwind leg which makes the downwind leg all about boatspeed not tactics. The worst are the diamond shaped courses.

Screaming reaches... isn't that what distance races are for?

BAN THE 'B' MARK!

Um, no.

Screaming reaches are for keeping it fun, and giving the sailors what they want. If a racing fleet says we only want to go upwind, we'll set the course that way. If they say, give us reaches, I'm all for giving them reaches!

Of course, this is done with wisdom and moderation. We all know that there is some element of "follow-the-leader" involved, so not every race should have a reach, nor will we bother if it's blowing 5.2 knots. Again, unless the fleet asks for that...

Oh, and I'd LOVE to see trapezoids used for cats. We never get the resources for that though (not to mention, the corner-bangers would sort of kill the point).

Mike

If you are talking about the "M" courses with all of the gybing marks where you zig-zag back and forth downwind, THAT would be fun. I might even go get myself a beater Hobie 16, body armor and a helmet to play in that game.

Can you imagine gybing from almost a beam reach to almost a beam reach on the other tack in hull flying conditions with a ton of boats on the course? The first boat throws his rudders over as they come in off the wire, the boat nearly stops, and the rest of the fleet makes like a highway pile-up trying not to run the first boat over. Once the commotion clears, they all speed off to the next mark to do it again, several times.

The same thing happens on sailboards, but when the wind is blowing they carve nice tight turns around the marks. Cats, which don't turn that well, would be a different story. I actually think it would be fun...IF you don't mind getting a bunch of dings in your boat, which is why I suggested a beater Hobie 16.

Imagine the body English required as both crew scamble to the back of the boat to raise the bows and pivot around the last few feet of stern. It would be like taking Rick White's roll tacks and gybes to the extreme.

Guess it depends on what your definition of fun is.

And yes having to go downhill with only a sloop rig would be a bit of a yawn.

There's no harm in sending the sloops and uni's around 'B' and letting the spin boats go up and downhill. Everyone is happy.

It might make for better TV dramma too! The average TV audience loves to see a good train wreck which is why NASCAR is so popular!

I can see it now, "Hey there now Ricky Bobby, you cut me off going into turn 3!"

"Nah...rub'n is racin'!"

"Shake and Bake!" <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The thread is offically dead, there's been a NASCAR reference

Dohh... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Now don't tell me you all are afraid of a little bumping! Maybe you should get yourselves some Waves and Getaways. Bring it on, full contact sailing!

Extra points if you can jump onto the boat next to you while rounding the mark, shove the skipper overboard, steal his boat, or flip it, get back onto your boat and escape! Sort of Redneck Pirate Racing! I'm sure we could get sponsors too. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for another GREAT idea for my version of the Fool's Regatta! Keep 'em coming!

We'll make it legal for the overboarded skipper to steal the boat of the hijacker.

I've always wanted to bring a water balloon launcher and bomb the boats ahead of me

How 'bout balloons with water color paint? Or super-soakers?

This is getting better all the time!

But I guess it is a hijack, sorry... I do agree with keeping the reaching legs.

You all must try the Hargar the Horible regatta run by Fleet 45/SCCA! In February! Yes, it does get cold in FL.

I like the reach ! its only been in the last few years with the addistion of spinnikars that the reaching leg has been hard to find at regattas. Bring er back folks..