Pics from Miami OCR & NA's

Here's link to my gallery from the last two weeks' activities in Miami. Most of the racing shots were taken on the Friday...last day of OCR...by Michael Baker & his Wife using my camera.


OCR & NAs

Will try to put out some kind of report soon...just
got back to LA lastnight...dodging REAL tornados along the way <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Mike!

I get psyched just by looking at the photos.. Oooo, to get sailing again (having the winter blues)

Shame about the broken carbon mast in the photos. Spreader adjustment arm that folded?

Real nice pics, wish I was there...Oh yeah I was, it's just that now it seems like a long time ago.
Seems like you made home in pretty good time, I didn't expect to see any posts for a few more days.

Thanks Rolf.

Yes, the mast failed (Robbie D.'s) just seconds after the start on the very wild Thursday of OCR (winds in excess of 28 kts, gusts beyond 30, despite the official race record <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />).

Apparently Robbie had capsized in the 1st race and the mast had hit bottom. This may have overloaded the adjustment arm and tweaked it out of column. After the gun for the second race, he & crew must have been powering up, cranking on mainsheet/downhaul/trapping out...and loaded up the mast pretty highly. We were some 100 yards away and despite the howling winds, we heard the bang! Thought it was a collision...but looked over to see a forelorn boat without a mast.

Thanks Jerry,

It was great having you aboard for OCR and nice to make the friendship.

Mike, please don't spread rumors. Even though it's possible, you don't know that the mast hit bottom. You also don't know whether the crew landed on the mast during the capsize or whether there was something else wrong with the mast.

Anyway, my point is that you don't know the cause of the failure and should not act like the expert on this subject.

By the way... those winds were nowhere near 30 kts. At most we hit low 20s at times. C'mon man!

Very cool pictures. Wish I could have been there. Keep em comming.

F18OxJ, the word "may" usually indicate speculation and theorization, at least that was what I learned in school. It was I who asked if the spreader adjustment arm might have folded, and the answer from Mike was pretty clear. C'mon man, this is an online discussion forum..

Where is the speculation in this statement? That's nonsense.

You obviously have an agenda with this.. Care to share?
If you know more about how/why the mast broke (first one I have heard of), why not tell us?

'Twas Robbie himself that told me he capsized in the first race and that he thought it may have hit bottom.
We looked at the failed mast together and discussed what likely failed first...the adjuster arm or the fitting it attached to in the mast (the pic show how it was pulled or pushed forward through the carbon).

Hmmm...a race officer told me the offical readings were mid 25's with very sudden on-set gusts. In the 3rd race (after the mast break) we saw long wisps of foam trailing down wave faces...according to Beaufort definitions , that puts winds at a 7 (28-33 kts).

Mike:

Thank you for sharing the photos. It is spectacular to see that many Tornados all on the water.

Later,
Dan

Those were some good pics. I really like all the crossing pictures (one boat downwind mode crossing one in upwind). Makes me want to get out for some sailing.

-Rob V.