Tactics - What would you do?

Last weekend, we had a great race against another cat in which we were changing places regularly; we'd be first to the top mark, they'd be first to the bottom mark.

Just before the last tack to the finish line we were pretty much equal in terms of ladder rungs, both on port tack, but we were to windward and astern with about 5-6 boat lengths separation. We kept footing down onto them so that they had to think twice before tacking, but we couldn't get near enough before they reached the layline.

They tacked on the layline about 1km to the finish line, they didn't accelerate well and we thought we might cross, they accelerated and we realised we wouldn't cross. At this stage it was too late, too avoid a collision we quickly luffed past head to wind and capsized (we were still on trapeze). They luffed as well but weren't on trapeze so didn't capsize.

If it had been a monohull race, we would've just lee-bowed them and accelerated away. However being new to cat racing, we didn't think this would work.

What would've been the best thing to do? Tack early and hope to make the finish line? Duck them and tack later? Leebow tack and hope to not get left behind?

It was a great race and really close. They were cool about it after the race. That is how racing should be, down to the last tack.

Gero

It very much depends on the relative positions as to whether or not you could have done anything. And anything that you do to ensure winning must be done before you tack.

If you were genuinly level, i.e 3 boat lengths back and 3 to windward thenn the race is yours to win.

The main thing to remember is that the first to tack on the layline will win, if you duck him or cross him and he makes the line in one tack he wins.

So you must stop hhim tacking first, as I say if it's genuinly equal you can foot down to block his tack, get in really close as you approah the layline, then when you are sure you can make it, tack.

If you can't get in close enough to block i.e you are too far back or not far enough to windward then you have to accepy you are in second place at that time, all you can do is tack earlier than him with a real close layline call and hope that either you make it or you get a lifter.

As I say the main thing is that the first to tack will win.

Or you could have tacked as soon as he did and hope he had misjudged the layline. If he was right, he beats you, if he overstood, you should be ahead to the finish. If there is a lift on the way in, you get some help. If there is a headder, you lose.

You were going to lose anyway unless you could have blocked his tack. But, if you had ducked him, sailed on a little bit, then tacked, and you both got into a headder and he couldn't lay the mark, then you would have won.

The lee bow thing will work but it has to be done early enough so you are up to speed when he comes in, or he will roll right over you. It's much harder to judge that in cats than mono's because the rate of closure is much higher than in mono's, but if done perfectly, it can work.

I think your initial tactic was the best, try to get in a position to block his tack, but you almost have to put him on your lee bow to do that when he is going onto starboard, as soon as his sail fills, you have to give way. Works much better if you are the one on starboard and he's going onto port.

He was probably "cool about it" because you capsized and he beat you. If you had ducked him, tacked and then beat him, he might have claimed he had to luff and give way to you as you ducked too close. I've heard this before, which is why I always answer, "Hold your course!" when a guy yells, "Starboard!". Then he knows that I see him and I'm going to cut it as close as possible, keeps him from worrying about a collision.

How far away from the mark were you when this happened?

Far enough away to not be able to pick the layline well (about 1000-1500m), plus plenty of current to make the decision tricky.

We cramped their tack on the previous beat to lead around the top mark, but didn't do it as well this time.

In that case, I would have ducked him, I always like to over stand the layline just a little bit on the final approach, just in case there is a header, maybe I won't need another tack where the other guy will. And if you get in a lift, you can bear off just a little and go faster into the mark. Pinching to make the layline is very slow in cats. Overstanding and then going really fast into the mark usually pays off better.

Sorry Tim but I disagree, if you duck him then you put your bows just behind his transom and you are also 1 tack behind as well, if you are both equal in tacking then he can still tack back onto starboard and cross you.

If you duck him and you both get lifted then you both reach in and he wins.

If you duck him and you both get headed then you are on the wrong side of the shift and lose ground to him, even if you make the mark and he doesn't he can tack and cross you, he wins again.

John, I was in total agreement with what you initially said, first one to tack on the layline wins. But I thought we were talking about "What could he have done differently". I agreed with you, (twice if you read my writings) that he should have tried to prevent that tack, but he didn't do that, so in that case, what should he have done?

That was the situation I was talking about. If he couldn't block the tack, he needs to try something else and -hope- for a favorable shift. You can't tack under him and follow someone into the finish and expect to pass them. You have to lee bow him or duck and hope he missjudged the layline. If he could have put a perfect lee bow on him, laid the finish and forced the other guy to tack twice more, that would have worked too.

If you duck him, tack and you both get headded, you might still be on the layline and he will have to tack, and you are now on Starboard, and he is probably pinching trying to keep that layline rather than tack, you might be able to prevent his tack since you are now on starboard. Depends on how big the headder is and how far ahead he is and how good both of you are.

Oh Sorry, yes the fact is that at the time the boats met it was too late, he had already put himself in 2nd place, most people don't realise that the tactical decisions that decide places actually occur well before they become apparent on the race course, and as such they tend to arrive at a situation that the outcome is already deided, and it is pot luk whether or not they come out on top, if the other guy has his thinking head on well before the crises occurs he will win every time

A guy named Stuart Walker has written several great books on tacticks and strategy, he says, "cross them when you can, tack to leeward and ahead when you can't." so as to be in good possition for the next shift. Dr. Walker races Solings (monohulls) but usually in a very tough crowd. His books are very good, but nothing about cats in there. That is the only thing I miss about racing mono's, the close in tactical situations.

Of course some of his stuff works much better when all the boats are the same and only going 5 knots! With the speed of cats, the tactics are much harder to work out, one cat could be going 5, another 7, another 9 knots, depending on where they are on the course! Puffs matter and change everything in seconds, which is why I try to avoid laylines alltogether.

And there in lies the answer. You would have had to duck to cross them leaving only the chance of a header to spoil them missing the finish line.

In this situation tacking to leeward and ahead (lee bow) is your best chance to win. You're looking for a lift, and with >1000m distance left, the prospects are very good.

Who said it? "NEVER overstand the layline!"

uhhhhh, would that be Rick White?

Yeah, thinking about it some more, we should've tacked just after they did; to leeward and clear ahead; and dragged to the finish hoping they'd overlaid the mark. Well, that's what we'll do next time.

The only saving grace in the overstanding issue is, with cats, if you have overstood or were on the layline and get a lift, you can crack off a little bit and the boat will accelerate quite a bit, depending on how much you bear off, but you will be going much faster than someone who under-stood the mark and is pinching up to it, you can usually roll them if it's close. And the guy who is pinching may also hook the anchorline with his daggerboard if he is really tight on the mark, I've seen that happen more than a few times! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

In Mono racing, laylines are death and must be avoided when possible as they do not afford you a chance to take advantage of the next shift, better to tack on each shift up the middle of the course. But with cats, you lose so much speed (distance) with each tack, sometimes banging a corner and coming in on one long tack can pay. It's never the same, that's why we race, for the challenge of getting it right once in a while.