This weekend I traveled to Rutland SC for my second 300 event of the year: the Sprints.
The format for the Sprints is unusual. The first day is all about seeding for the second day. The sailors are split into fleets of 6-8 boats, and sail two rounds of 4 races each. The results are used to determine the fleets for the second day (Gold and Silver), and do not count towards the finals.
The racing is full on, with lots of short intense races. As soon as a race completes, there is a short respite of 5-10 minutes before the preparatory signal for the start of the next race. The race course is very busy, this weekend we had 21 RS200s, 15 RS400s, 16 RS300s and 3 RS100s all on the same track. Lots of interesting encounters with the other fleets, and confused chop everywhere.
Saturday was properly windy, f5-6 for the most part but with the occasional squall beyond that. Some of the 300 fleet found the conditions too much, and opted to sit out some of the racing. The final race of the morning saw an enormous squall hit on the final run, certainly too much for me (but persevered to finish 4th in the race). Somewhat battered, we came in for lunch and the wind die to a very pleasant f3 and sunshine! But as is often the way with these things, as soon as we got back on the water the wind piped back up to similar levels to the morning, and we ground out another 4 races. Everyone was thankful to get to the pub in the evening.
Sunday was better weather-wise. A very shifty F3-4, bright sunshine, beautiful conditions. 6 races back to back with 10 mins between.
So the objective for Saturday was to qualify for the 'Gold' fleet, by finishing in the top 4 of the fleet. Managed this OK, finishing 4th in my fleet. Given the windy conditions I was pleased, and frankly just happy to get round the course in one piece.
Sunday was more interesting. The 'Gold' fleet was probably the most competitive fleet I've ever sailed in, the fleet (myself excepted!) are experienced and skillful 300 sailors who have placed well at a national level. The race was determined by the start and first beat and I had my arse handed to me on almost every race! Ended up scoring 8,7,4,6,4,6 and placing 7th overall with 35 points. The shifty conditions made for a high scoring regatta, with 3rd to 8th separated by 10 points.
Positives:
- Overall, the weekend reinforced the amount of practice and racing that I need to do! The better sailors in the fleet were quicker and tactically more savvy. Time to re-evaluate what is required from training I think.
- The racing was very close, with all boats finishing a race within 30 seconds on some races. So small increments in speed or tactics could make a significant difference in placing, which is heartening.
- I can forget the concerns about being one of the lighter guys in the fleet. The difference to the fleet leaders was the similar in the strong and light winds. Technique is the dominant factor, not weight.
- Pleased with fitness, not tired today and probably sailing tonight if I can get a pass.
Points for reflection:
- Thought I was quick before the weekend - I'm not quick! But not miles off the pace. Tim Keen in particular had great pace and height upwind. Matt Sharman was just lightening downwind, and overtook me to leeward twice!
- Thought I was OK at starting before the weekend - I'm not! The pin end was favoured for many starts, and I lost count of the number of times Steve Bolland got under me with 20 seconds to go. Also, the other guys had better pace off the line. Losing half a boat length on the line equated to 7 places as you were spat out the back of the fleet.
- Didn't get to grips with the shifty conditions. But the top guys did, the top two were always in the leading pack.
Overall a bit of a learning experience, its the most intense and competitive sailing regatta I think I've done, thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and the company of the 300 fleet, they are a great bunch.
Showing posts with label 300 log. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 300 log. Show all posts
Monday, 17 June 2013
Sunday, 9 June 2013
300 Log: Never, ever give up
I read somewhere recently (I think it might have been Y&Y) of a sailor who had NEGU written on the boat, just as a reminder that anything can happen in a race and its not over till its over.
On Saturday we had a race in an offshore f4-6, with big unpredictable gusts coming off the land. I knew it would be a challenge when I was running to the start line, a particularly vicious offering just flattened the boat (despite trying to bear away with it etc, this was just a slam dunk in a micro second). So I needed a bit of a dose of NEGU before getting to the start line, let alone during the race!
A lot of the 300 events are inland on lakes, so getting used to this type of conditions is to be welcomed, but I have to say its difficult to be positive whilst clearing salt water from the sinuses.
Date: 8th June
Venue : Slipper
Race : Handicap race, about an hour
Tide : Flooding
Conditions : F4-6 gusty NE, wind over tide chop.
Result : 3rd of 20
Positives:
- Good start, especially as I was trying to fix elastic on the boat with 1.5 minutes to go. Managed to be first off the line at the favoured end, and pulled out a small lead by the first windward mark. Could tack without impeding the boats behind (it was a short leg with a port rounding, always interesting).
- Managed to stay in a positive state of mind despite a pretty awful first three legs.
- Downwind in the consistent strong wind in the channel was fast with no dicey moments.
Points for reflection:
- 2x capsizes on the first long downwind leg (approx. 2 miles), both when a strong heading gust hit the boat. Tried the '4th dimension' bear away to fully by the lee but to no avail, the boat was in charge! Not sure whether to be concerned or not, be will try and find similar conditions for a practice day (maybe today actually).
- I knew the cockpit of the boat needed re-waxing before sailing and didn't make the time to do it. Slipping all over the place in the boat. Not good and avoidable.
- Will need to spend some time writing down the setting for the new boom, it feels a bit more sensitive to small adjustments given the reduced travel on the mast.
Jonny will have won the race in his Laser 2000 (not sure who was crewing, it wasn't Barbara), he sailed a very consistent race and I'd be surprised if he didn't have a huge winning margin on handicap. There was also a well sailed 200 at the head of the fleet, who managed to fly the kite on some very marginal reaches, I suspect 2nd place and very well deserved.
Stayed out to practice for an hour after the race as a penance for the two capsizes, lots of windy gybes and downwind work, very enjoyable. No racing today, but some wind for a practice. Then off to the next 300 event next weekend, lets hope some of this high pressure wind stays for the Sprints.
On Saturday we had a race in an offshore f4-6, with big unpredictable gusts coming off the land. I knew it would be a challenge when I was running to the start line, a particularly vicious offering just flattened the boat (despite trying to bear away with it etc, this was just a slam dunk in a micro second). So I needed a bit of a dose of NEGU before getting to the start line, let alone during the race!
A lot of the 300 events are inland on lakes, so getting used to this type of conditions is to be welcomed, but I have to say its difficult to be positive whilst clearing salt water from the sinuses.
Date: 8th June
Venue : Slipper
Race : Handicap race, about an hour
Tide : Flooding
Conditions : F4-6 gusty NE, wind over tide chop.
Result : 3rd of 20
Positives:
- Good start, especially as I was trying to fix elastic on the boat with 1.5 minutes to go. Managed to be first off the line at the favoured end, and pulled out a small lead by the first windward mark. Could tack without impeding the boats behind (it was a short leg with a port rounding, always interesting).
- Managed to stay in a positive state of mind despite a pretty awful first three legs.
- Downwind in the consistent strong wind in the channel was fast with no dicey moments.
Points for reflection:
- 2x capsizes on the first long downwind leg (approx. 2 miles), both when a strong heading gust hit the boat. Tried the '4th dimension' bear away to fully by the lee but to no avail, the boat was in charge! Not sure whether to be concerned or not, be will try and find similar conditions for a practice day (maybe today actually).
- I knew the cockpit of the boat needed re-waxing before sailing and didn't make the time to do it. Slipping all over the place in the boat. Not good and avoidable.
- Will need to spend some time writing down the setting for the new boom, it feels a bit more sensitive to small adjustments given the reduced travel on the mast.
Jonny will have won the race in his Laser 2000 (not sure who was crewing, it wasn't Barbara), he sailed a very consistent race and I'd be surprised if he didn't have a huge winning margin on handicap. There was also a well sailed 200 at the head of the fleet, who managed to fly the kite on some very marginal reaches, I suspect 2nd place and very well deserved.
Stayed out to practice for an hour after the race as a penance for the two capsizes, lots of windy gybes and downwind work, very enjoyable. No racing today, but some wind for a practice. Then off to the next 300 event next weekend, lets hope some of this high pressure wind stays for the Sprints.
Friday, 7 June 2013
300 log: Champagne sailing at TISC
Date: 6th June
Venue : TISC
Race : Evening handicap race, about an hour
Tide : Flooding
Conditions : F4-5 gusty NE, flattish water in the Thorney channel, but reasonable chop in the main harbour (wind over tide). Bow burying completely upwind.
Result : Might have sneaked 1st of about 12, 1st 300 of 3. And remembered to sign on!
Fantastic sailing conditions in the harbour today. Bright sunshine, 15-20 knots, and a course that took in all points of sailing.
A couple of off-the-water cock ups marred an otherwise perfect sail. Firstly I managed to scrap the back of the boat along the concrete pathway to the slip, more gel required. Second I wrapped my newly varnished mast around the post that marks the end of the slip, giving the post a jaunty aspect in the process. Third, my new boom survived less than 10 seconds on the water before getting scraped along the barnacles on the same post. No lasting damage, but annoying nevertheless!
Very close race with Dave around the whole course tonight, separated by less than 10 boat lengths for the full race until he decided to go for an additional lap at the penultimate mark. Of course, 300 sailors look after their own and I hailed him back to the course, but had sneaked out enough of a lead to keep ahead at the finish ;-)
Positives:
- Very pleasing upwind speed. Had a drag race of about 3/4 of the mile upwind from John Davis to East Head, lost nothing to Dave and might have even reeled him in by a few lengths.
- Very pleased with the new gybing technique (new to me anyway, making space before a mark and going into gybes flat out on a broad reach). 5 or 6 gybes without incident in some breezy conditions.
-Good (but not exceptional) downwind speed. Managed to get planing by the lee for the best part of 1/2 mile. No dicey moments in some challenging chop.
Points for reflection:
- Downwind start. Started out of the tide at the windward end of the line, first across the line. Dave started mid-line, and took 10 lengths at out me in the first 500m. The ability to go high/low and the cleaner wind in the middle of the line outweighed the tidal advantage. Interesting.
- Need to sort out settings for the new boom, hadn't realised the extent to which I depended on the graduation numbers on the old boom.
So another great evening sail out of TISC, makes working Friday's more tolerable. Next race at Slipper on Saturday, training session with Matt on Sunday.
Venue : TISC
Race : Evening handicap race, about an hour
Tide : Flooding
Conditions : F4-5 gusty NE, flattish water in the Thorney channel, but reasonable chop in the main harbour (wind over tide). Bow burying completely upwind.
Result : Might have sneaked 1st of about 12, 1st 300 of 3. And remembered to sign on!
Fantastic sailing conditions in the harbour today. Bright sunshine, 15-20 knots, and a course that took in all points of sailing.
A couple of off-the-water cock ups marred an otherwise perfect sail. Firstly I managed to scrap the back of the boat along the concrete pathway to the slip, more gel required. Second I wrapped my newly varnished mast around the post that marks the end of the slip, giving the post a jaunty aspect in the process. Third, my new boom survived less than 10 seconds on the water before getting scraped along the barnacles on the same post. No lasting damage, but annoying nevertheless!
Very close race with Dave around the whole course tonight, separated by less than 10 boat lengths for the full race until he decided to go for an additional lap at the penultimate mark. Of course, 300 sailors look after their own and I hailed him back to the course, but had sneaked out enough of a lead to keep ahead at the finish ;-)
Positives:
- Very pleasing upwind speed. Had a drag race of about 3/4 of the mile upwind from John Davis to East Head, lost nothing to Dave and might have even reeled him in by a few lengths.
- Very pleased with the new gybing technique (new to me anyway, making space before a mark and going into gybes flat out on a broad reach). 5 or 6 gybes without incident in some breezy conditions.
-Good (but not exceptional) downwind speed. Managed to get planing by the lee for the best part of 1/2 mile. No dicey moments in some challenging chop.
Points for reflection:
- Downwind start. Started out of the tide at the windward end of the line, first across the line. Dave started mid-line, and took 10 lengths at out me in the first 500m. The ability to go high/low and the cleaner wind in the middle of the line outweighed the tidal advantage. Interesting.
- Need to sort out settings for the new boom, hadn't realised the extent to which I depended on the graduation numbers on the old boom.
So another great evening sail out of TISC, makes working Friday's more tolerable. Next race at Slipper on Saturday, training session with Matt on Sunday.
Monday, 27 May 2013
300 Log: No result, but an excellent race
Date: 25th May
Venue : Slipper
Race : Down Harbour Handicap race, 2 hours
Tide : Flooding
Conditions : F0-4 N, mostly flat water apart from the main harbour bay, which had chop from all directions
Result : Would have been 1st of 20, and 1st 300, but for forgetting to sign on (again!)
Fresh back from Minorca Sailing, my lovely wife gave me an immediate pass out for a local race, I am blessed. 12 mile course from Emsworth down to the Itchenor channel, and back via Sandy Point. Downwind start and first leg made for interesting tactics - very difficult to nudge out in front when covered by the fleet (who are getting the gusts first). Very variable wind strength, I had 5 minutes near SW Pilsey in absolutely no wind, getting bounced around by the chop.
Positives:
- Good start. Started just behind Matt on starboard at the pin end, and was first boat to gybe to port (for clean air). Managed to eek out a small lead in the first mile of the run, just enough to stop getting covered by the fleet, and then stretched to a reasonable lead by the half way point.
- Pleased with downwind speed. Set up the boat for maximum instability (no vang, leech slightly in front of the mast), and really concentrated on finding gusts and catching small chop. One dicey moment in a gust, but that's the price you pay for having the leech in front of the mast!
- Pleased with reaching speed, although the wind was at that marginal point where I think being a lightweight helped with early planning. Going high in the lulls and low in the gusts gave a substantial lead by East Head (mostly lost in the dead wind zone by SW Pilsey on the return).
- It appears that a week full time sailing has helped with fitness, no problem with the final 2.5 beat straight leg hiking most of the way.
- Nicely relaxed and focussed (Claire has stopped me using the SOA terminology)
Points for reflection:
- Upwind speed not great, thought Dave took a substantial amount out of me on the return passage. Went out for a practice session today and concentrated on upwind speed, convinced I should be footing more, but need a bit of boat-on-boat to confirm.
- Must start remembering to sign on!
But all in all a good race, a rare win over Dave which is always heartening as it demonstrates a little progress and improvement.
Practice session today was good, managed 4 fully planning gybes which is a first. A bit scary as the boat needs to be properly gunning to keep the speed through the turn. Finally I see why people compare the 300 gybe to a windsurfer, there is a similarity. Next sailing at TISC, can't wait!
Venue : Slipper
Race : Down Harbour Handicap race, 2 hours
Tide : Flooding
Conditions : F0-4 N, mostly flat water apart from the main harbour bay, which had chop from all directions
Result : Would have been 1st of 20, and 1st 300, but for forgetting to sign on (again!)
Fresh back from Minorca Sailing, my lovely wife gave me an immediate pass out for a local race, I am blessed. 12 mile course from Emsworth down to the Itchenor channel, and back via Sandy Point. Downwind start and first leg made for interesting tactics - very difficult to nudge out in front when covered by the fleet (who are getting the gusts first). Very variable wind strength, I had 5 minutes near SW Pilsey in absolutely no wind, getting bounced around by the chop.
Positives:
- Good start. Started just behind Matt on starboard at the pin end, and was first boat to gybe to port (for clean air). Managed to eek out a small lead in the first mile of the run, just enough to stop getting covered by the fleet, and then stretched to a reasonable lead by the half way point.
- Pleased with downwind speed. Set up the boat for maximum instability (no vang, leech slightly in front of the mast), and really concentrated on finding gusts and catching small chop. One dicey moment in a gust, but that's the price you pay for having the leech in front of the mast!
- Pleased with reaching speed, although the wind was at that marginal point where I think being a lightweight helped with early planning. Going high in the lulls and low in the gusts gave a substantial lead by East Head (mostly lost in the dead wind zone by SW Pilsey on the return).
- It appears that a week full time sailing has helped with fitness, no problem with the final 2.5 beat straight leg hiking most of the way.
- Nicely relaxed and focussed (Claire has stopped me using the SOA terminology)
Points for reflection:
- Upwind speed not great, thought Dave took a substantial amount out of me on the return passage. Went out for a practice session today and concentrated on upwind speed, convinced I should be footing more, but need a bit of boat-on-boat to confirm.
- Must start remembering to sign on!
But all in all a good race, a rare win over Dave which is always heartening as it demonstrates a little progress and improvement.
Practice session today was good, managed 4 fully planning gybes which is a first. A bit scary as the boat needs to be properly gunning to keep the speed through the turn. Finally I see why people compare the 300 gybe to a windsurfer, there is a similarity. Next sailing at TISC, can't wait!
Sunday, 12 May 2013
300 Log : A mixed race at Slipper
Date: 12th May
Venue : Slipper
Race : Handicap race, 1 hour
Tide : Flooding very slightly
Conditions : F4/5 SW, relatively flat water though
Result : Would have been 3rd of 20, but for the catalogue of errors below
Two reasons for me to sign off as RTD today:
1. Passed a passing mark on the wrong side. There was a cruiser busily anchoring 5m from the mark, I was so busy explaining why he might be best served by moving that I missed the mark myself. Barbara and Johnny tried to hail me to return, but I thought they were whooping in delight at the fine conditions.
2. Managed to capsize onto a mark (foot caught on footstrap mid tack), righted the boat but neglected to complete a turn. Only remembered that I should have done so when someone commented after the race that they were surprised my sail stayed intact as it hit the buoy.
3. Helping all the Juniors get their boats out of the water just before the race and forgot to sign on!
But the sailing was OK.
Positives:
- Really pleased with upwind speed. Tiny bit faster than the Merlin, still in touch with the ISOs. Definitely pays to sail a little freer in those winds, it feels like close reaching upwind rather than beating. As soon as you bear off just a few degrees, the boat livens up.
- Good downwind speed, and no dramas. Quite happy to sniff out the stronger bands of wind and not close to tipping it in.
Points for reflection:
- 2x capsizes. First involved catching footstrap elastic on a tack, second involved falling over in the midst of a gybe. Both silly, but not a great cause for concern. Need new hiking boots. And a better sense of balance.
Mediocre start. Managed to get a good space to leeward, but too shy of the line and didn't really make good use of the space. Stopped the Merlin from climbing over me, but I reckon if I'd been on the line I could have made life difficult for the ISOs.
But a pleasant enough sail, what better way to finish the weekend.
Venue : Slipper
Race : Handicap race, 1 hour
Tide : Flooding very slightly
Conditions : F4/5 SW, relatively flat water though
Result : Would have been 3rd of 20, but for the catalogue of errors below
Two reasons for me to sign off as RTD today:
1. Passed a passing mark on the wrong side. There was a cruiser busily anchoring 5m from the mark, I was so busy explaining why he might be best served by moving that I missed the mark myself. Barbara and Johnny tried to hail me to return, but I thought they were whooping in delight at the fine conditions.
2. Managed to capsize onto a mark (foot caught on footstrap mid tack), righted the boat but neglected to complete a turn. Only remembered that I should have done so when someone commented after the race that they were surprised my sail stayed intact as it hit the buoy.
3. Helping all the Juniors get their boats out of the water just before the race and forgot to sign on!
But the sailing was OK.
Positives:
- Really pleased with upwind speed. Tiny bit faster than the Merlin, still in touch with the ISOs. Definitely pays to sail a little freer in those winds, it feels like close reaching upwind rather than beating. As soon as you bear off just a few degrees, the boat livens up.
- Good downwind speed, and no dramas. Quite happy to sniff out the stronger bands of wind and not close to tipping it in.
Points for reflection:
- 2x capsizes. First involved catching footstrap elastic on a tack, second involved falling over in the midst of a gybe. Both silly, but not a great cause for concern. Need new hiking boots. And a better sense of balance.
Mediocre start. Managed to get a good space to leeward, but too shy of the line and didn't really make good use of the space. Stopped the Merlin from climbing over me, but I reckon if I'd been on the line I could have made life difficult for the ISOs.
But a pleasant enough sail, what better way to finish the weekend.
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
A weekend of two halves
Last Friday, Mrs R decided that it was time to book her ticket for the New York marathon in November, and she extravagantly lashed out on travel plans. As a supportive husband I welcome this expenditure from our limited family purse, funds spent on sport is A Good Use Of Money. But opportunities to justify 'maintenance' expenses on boats are rare, and I made haste to order a new boom and sail for my boat whilst Mrs R was caught up in the excitement of the NY trip.
My friend Rich K works at LDC, and was able to bring the boom and sail to the club at 08:00 Saturday morning, which was great as it saved carriage costs. So as well as the opportunistic purchase, I was able to swing an early morning sailing session out of Thorney.
To be honest, if it had not been for the boom/sail I might have given it a miss. 20-25 knots, cold, wind against tide, and gusty. But sure in the knowledge that I would feel fulfilled after a sail I went out, and as ever once out it was fine (there is something about the flapping of sails on the shore that develops a high s-o-a).
Richard and Tom were out in their 800 and planed away up harbour, no chance of keeping close in a hiking boat. I stayed in the main Itchenor channel and practiced bearing away to by-the-lee in the steep chop and gusts. No 300 insights to report, but I did have a great sail and a rather surprising lack of capsizes.
Sailing back to Cambermet, I spied Richard and Tom having an almighty wipe out on a gybe, it looked painful even from a distance. On returning to the club, it transpired that they had broken some lines on the spinnaker pole and could not fly the kite. But Tom did say to me afterwards (and I am in no way making this up for the purposes of blogging, this quote is absolutely verbatim): "To be honest Mark, it was a bit much for us today. Richard didn't have enough product in his hair to deal with the salt water, and I'd chipped a nail, so we decided to come in".
Summer came back to the harbour on Sunday, and I went for a sail with Claire and Matt in the evening sun and dying sea breeze. Never seen so many cruisers moored off Pilsea Island, the array of food aromas was marvellous. Slightly surprised by the number of boats who moored bang in the middle of the channel. None of the cruisers invited us aboard for a beer, but maybe that's because we weren't sailing Lasers (where I understand beer is the drink of default).
No sailing Monday through very light winds, so I decided to varnish my mast.
9 days to Minorca.
My friend Rich K works at LDC, and was able to bring the boom and sail to the club at 08:00 Saturday morning, which was great as it saved carriage costs. So as well as the opportunistic purchase, I was able to swing an early morning sailing session out of Thorney.
To be honest, if it had not been for the boom/sail I might have given it a miss. 20-25 knots, cold, wind against tide, and gusty. But sure in the knowledge that I would feel fulfilled after a sail I went out, and as ever once out it was fine (there is something about the flapping of sails on the shore that develops a high s-o-a).
Richard and Tom were out in their 800 and planed away up harbour, no chance of keeping close in a hiking boat. I stayed in the main Itchenor channel and practiced bearing away to by-the-lee in the steep chop and gusts. No 300 insights to report, but I did have a great sail and a rather surprising lack of capsizes.
Sailing back to Cambermet, I spied Richard and Tom having an almighty wipe out on a gybe, it looked painful even from a distance. On returning to the club, it transpired that they had broken some lines on the spinnaker pole and could not fly the kite. But Tom did say to me afterwards (and I am in no way making this up for the purposes of blogging, this quote is absolutely verbatim): "To be honest Mark, it was a bit much for us today. Richard didn't have enough product in his hair to deal with the salt water, and I'd chipped a nail, so we decided to come in".
Summer came back to the harbour on Sunday, and I went for a sail with Claire and Matt in the evening sun and dying sea breeze. Never seen so many cruisers moored off Pilsea Island, the array of food aromas was marvellous. Slightly surprised by the number of boats who moored bang in the middle of the channel. None of the cruisers invited us aboard for a beer, but maybe that's because we weren't sailing Lasers (where I understand beer is the drink of default).
No sailing Monday through very light winds, so I decided to varnish my mast.
9 days to Minorca.
300 Log : More racing and practicing at TISC
Another great race in the harbour, the evening sailing at TISC is fantastic this year.
Date: 2nd May April
Venue :TISC
Race : Handicap race, 1 hour
Tide : Ebbing moderately for the duration of the race
Conditions : Southerly f2/3
Result :3rd of 18, 2nd of 4 300's
Another lovely evening race out of TISC, really enjoying the sailing there this year. The ability to sail at all states of tide is great (already sailing this coming Thursday on a spring low will be interesting).
Four of my 300 brethren made it onto the water, so we had a fleet within a fleet. Dave Acres was sailing, and remains the benchmark for progress. Once again he beat me, but only by 15 seconds over an hour, and I did have opportunities to win (that I squandered!). So close racing and a reasonable result. LOS = 8/10.
Positives:
- Learnt more about the start line at TISC. Starting at the club end can be hazardous because of the steeply shelving mud banks. I went hard aground about 30 secs before the start, and started 30 seconds late. This gave a great opportunity to get practice sailing back through the fleet, see how I changed a negative to positive there.
- First time for a while since I have sailed against Dave A and was pleased with relative downwind speed, certainly took a reasonable chunk out of his lead on the downwind leg.
- Reasonable upwind legs, although I felt I wasn't getting the best out of the compass on the first beat. Second beat much better, easier to pick the shifts.
- Claire has mandated that I stop blogging about states of psychological arousal, she finds it distasteful. But it was nice and low.
Points for reflection:
- Spent ages working upwind to get past Dave, and then threw it all away by overstanding the final mark. In retrospect I should have covered for the final third of the beat. No opportunity to pass on the final leg - the tide kept us pinned to the bank. So another race where a single mistake defined the outcome, this is becoming a habit!
- When the wind is light enough for us both to be sitting in the boat (ie, not hiking), there is very little difference in boat speed irrespective of body weight difference. When I'm able to get hiking first, that's when being lighter in the boat helps, and that advantage stays until we are both hiking. That window is about 2 or 3 knots.
So once again it is down to consistency. That said, at the same point 2 years ago Dave was taking 2-4 minutes in every hour out of me, so in terms of overall progress in the boat I should be pleased.
Date: 2nd May April
Venue :TISC
Race : Handicap race, 1 hour
Tide : Ebbing moderately for the duration of the race
Conditions : Southerly f2/3
Result :3rd of 18, 2nd of 4 300's
Another lovely evening race out of TISC, really enjoying the sailing there this year. The ability to sail at all states of tide is great (already sailing this coming Thursday on a spring low will be interesting).
Four of my 300 brethren made it onto the water, so we had a fleet within a fleet. Dave Acres was sailing, and remains the benchmark for progress. Once again he beat me, but only by 15 seconds over an hour, and I did have opportunities to win (that I squandered!). So close racing and a reasonable result. LOS = 8/10.
Positives:
- Learnt more about the start line at TISC. Starting at the club end can be hazardous because of the steeply shelving mud banks. I went hard aground about 30 secs before the start, and started 30 seconds late. This gave a great opportunity to get practice sailing back through the fleet, see how I changed a negative to positive there.
- First time for a while since I have sailed against Dave A and was pleased with relative downwind speed, certainly took a reasonable chunk out of his lead on the downwind leg.
- Reasonable upwind legs, although I felt I wasn't getting the best out of the compass on the first beat. Second beat much better, easier to pick the shifts.
- Claire has mandated that I stop blogging about states of psychological arousal, she finds it distasteful. But it was nice and low.
Points for reflection:
- Spent ages working upwind to get past Dave, and then threw it all away by overstanding the final mark. In retrospect I should have covered for the final third of the beat. No opportunity to pass on the final leg - the tide kept us pinned to the bank. So another race where a single mistake defined the outcome, this is becoming a habit!
- When the wind is light enough for us both to be sitting in the boat (ie, not hiking), there is very little difference in boat speed irrespective of body weight difference. When I'm able to get hiking first, that's when being lighter in the boat helps, and that advantage stays until we are both hiking. That window is about 2 or 3 knots.
So once again it is down to consistency. That said, at the same point 2 years ago Dave was taking 2-4 minutes in every hour out of me, so in terms of overall progress in the boat I should be pleased.
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
300 log: More evening racing at TISC
Date: 30th April
Venue :TISC
Race : Handicap race, 1.5 hours
Tide : Ebbing hard for the duration of the race
Conditions : Initially SE F2/3 (for 20 minutes), dying to nothing (for 1 hour), then NE F2/3 (for 10 minutes)
Result : Probably 1st of 12ish boats, 1st of 4 300s.
Positives:
- Good start. The tide was ebbing hard and taking the fleet over the line, so good time on distance was required. I practiced the start at least 15 times, and got off the line 1st by a couple of boat lengths.
- Good speed all round the course. Spent lots of time tweaking to get the top tell tale flying on all points of sail, surprising amount of vang required.
- Good read of the tide to find the best route round the course, and sneak around buoys laid in adverse tide (if you didn't make it, you were done for the race).
- Very low state of arousal, which is good because the whole arousal thing is getting a little wearing.
Points for reflection:
- Missed East Head when in first (navigation in this part of the harbour is not my strong suit), and lost 6 boats as a result. But in a way this was good news, as it meant I had to work back through the fleet, and that's good practice!
- Could definitely have used a wind indicator at the top of the mast when the wind dropped below 2 knots. Frank Bethwaite writes about using a balanced feather, I wonder how you make one.
So an interesting race, it is just nice to get out midweek. Finishing a race in the dark was novel. Next race Thursday!
Venue :TISC
Race : Handicap race, 1.5 hours
Tide : Ebbing hard for the duration of the race
Conditions : Initially SE F2/3 (for 20 minutes), dying to nothing (for 1 hour), then NE F2/3 (for 10 minutes)
Result : Probably 1st of 12ish boats, 1st of 4 300s.
Positives:
- Good start. The tide was ebbing hard and taking the fleet over the line, so good time on distance was required. I practiced the start at least 15 times, and got off the line 1st by a couple of boat lengths.
- Good speed all round the course. Spent lots of time tweaking to get the top tell tale flying on all points of sail, surprising amount of vang required.
- Good read of the tide to find the best route round the course, and sneak around buoys laid in adverse tide (if you didn't make it, you were done for the race).
- Very low state of arousal, which is good because the whole arousal thing is getting a little wearing.
Points for reflection:
- Missed East Head when in first (navigation in this part of the harbour is not my strong suit), and lost 6 boats as a result. But in a way this was good news, as it meant I had to work back through the fleet, and that's good practice!
- Could definitely have used a wind indicator at the top of the mast when the wind dropped below 2 knots. Frank Bethwaite writes about using a balanced feather, I wonder how you make one.
So an interesting race, it is just nice to get out midweek. Finishing a race in the dark was novel. Next race Thursday!
300 Log: Reflections on the Bough Beech open meeting
So a quick post for the positives and reflections of the open meeting last weekend
Date: 27/28 April
Venue :Bough Beech SC
Event: 300 Open Meeting, 7 races of approx 45 minutes each
Tide : No tide. Its a lake.
Conditions : Saturday, N f3/4, Sunday SW f1/3. Very shifty, at times with 50 degree shifts.
Result : 3,4,7,1,2,3,5. 4th overall, 3 points separating 2nd from 4th, but 1st some way ahead.
Positives:
- Great downwind boat speed. Could count on being faster downwind than most other boats, very useful tactically and very pleasing that the winter practice has paid off. Only person standing up downwind, which surprised me. Seemed to sail by-the-lee more than most. Put it in once when the tiller extension got caught in the outhaul (breaking the extension), but that is a one off and hopefully will not be repeated.
- OK boat speed upwind. I thought my lack of weight would be an issue when the wind increased, but didn't feel like it was much of a factor. A couple of boats had an edge on me, but shifts and tactics were far more important.
- Reasonable starts. 4 good starts, 1 OCS, 1 average start, 1 poor start. Happy with pin end starts, need to get much better at time on distance for starboard end starts, and sorting out starboard end laylines etc. To much pin ending at the club line, thats the problem!
- Its good to have the first open out of the way, and a reasonable result. If nothing else, I've found lots of areas that need practice, which is encouraging.
Points for reflection
- Too 'highly aroused'. On Saturday my best race was the final one of the day, when I was mentally tired. Didn't try to think too much and just on with it, and seemed to do better as a result. On Sunday, my best race was when I was called back for being OCS, started in last and as a result all expectation on result was lifted. Came through the fleet to get 3rd (nearly 2nd). Not sure why I was wound up, perhaps putting all of this stuff public on a blog isn't helping!
- Mixed boat handling. Very noticeable that the event winner had much smoother boat handling, especially on mark roundings. I lost count of the number of times I worked hard to get an inside overlap and then lost a place through a poor rounding. But at least it is something that can be worked on easily.
- Mixed decision making on strategy. There were times when I knew the right thing to do, but got carried away with tactical situations. For example on the Saturday it always paid to go left on the run (more wind), but I went right twice to protect wind and lost multiple boats in the process. Big picture would have been better.
- Never got to grips with the wind. It was all over the place and difficult to read, and very different to the sailing I'm used to. Started to improve by reading the wind on water, and looking at other boats/flags (many thanks for the tip Tim!), but never had it dialled. Will be consulting Steve C in due course, as to the best approach for shifty lake winds.
- More mixed decision making on tactics. There were a couple of boat-on-boat decisions that were rash. For example, I tried to nip inside Martin (481) on a downwind leg whilst overpowered on a broad reach - it was always a 30/70 idea, and would have been far better to hang back and wait for a better opportunity. Ended up with the leech in front of the mast, skewing to windward and fouling the boat I was trying to overtake - not good for either me or my 300 brethren.
- Still need to get sorted on changing gears. Being pent up leads to tight sheeting and over-pointing, not fast!
So a good deal to reflect on, and some new areas to practice. Can't wait for the next open, most likely in June.
Date: 27/28 April
Venue :Bough Beech SC
Event: 300 Open Meeting, 7 races of approx 45 minutes each
Tide : No tide. Its a lake.
Conditions : Saturday, N f3/4, Sunday SW f1/3. Very shifty, at times with 50 degree shifts.
Result : 3,4,7,1,2,3,5. 4th overall, 3 points separating 2nd from 4th, but 1st some way ahead.
Positives:
- Great downwind boat speed. Could count on being faster downwind than most other boats, very useful tactically and very pleasing that the winter practice has paid off. Only person standing up downwind, which surprised me. Seemed to sail by-the-lee more than most. Put it in once when the tiller extension got caught in the outhaul (breaking the extension), but that is a one off and hopefully will not be repeated.
- OK boat speed upwind. I thought my lack of weight would be an issue when the wind increased, but didn't feel like it was much of a factor. A couple of boats had an edge on me, but shifts and tactics were far more important.
- Reasonable starts. 4 good starts, 1 OCS, 1 average start, 1 poor start. Happy with pin end starts, need to get much better at time on distance for starboard end starts, and sorting out starboard end laylines etc. To much pin ending at the club line, thats the problem!
- Its good to have the first open out of the way, and a reasonable result. If nothing else, I've found lots of areas that need practice, which is encouraging.
Points for reflection
- Too 'highly aroused'. On Saturday my best race was the final one of the day, when I was mentally tired. Didn't try to think too much and just on with it, and seemed to do better as a result. On Sunday, my best race was when I was called back for being OCS, started in last and as a result all expectation on result was lifted. Came through the fleet to get 3rd (nearly 2nd). Not sure why I was wound up, perhaps putting all of this stuff public on a blog isn't helping!
- Mixed boat handling. Very noticeable that the event winner had much smoother boat handling, especially on mark roundings. I lost count of the number of times I worked hard to get an inside overlap and then lost a place through a poor rounding. But at least it is something that can be worked on easily.
- Mixed decision making on strategy. There were times when I knew the right thing to do, but got carried away with tactical situations. For example on the Saturday it always paid to go left on the run (more wind), but I went right twice to protect wind and lost multiple boats in the process. Big picture would have been better.
- Never got to grips with the wind. It was all over the place and difficult to read, and very different to the sailing I'm used to. Started to improve by reading the wind on water, and looking at other boats/flags (many thanks for the tip Tim!), but never had it dialled. Will be consulting Steve C in due course, as to the best approach for shifty lake winds.
- More mixed decision making on tactics. There were a couple of boat-on-boat decisions that were rash. For example, I tried to nip inside Martin (481) on a downwind leg whilst overpowered on a broad reach - it was always a 30/70 idea, and would have been far better to hang back and wait for a better opportunity. Ended up with the leech in front of the mast, skewing to windward and fouling the boat I was trying to overtake - not good for either me or my 300 brethren.
- Still need to get sorted on changing gears. Being pent up leads to tight sheeting and over-pointing, not fast!
So a good deal to reflect on, and some new areas to practice. Can't wait for the next open, most likely in June.
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Initial observations from this weekends 300 open
So a quick post with initial thoughts on the weekends sailing at Bough Beech.
1. 300 sailors are Very Nice People
No aggression on the water, shouts of encouragement to other members of the fleet, and a very social bunch. Even at crowded mark roundings, there was a gentlemanly discussion about who was entitled to what, and then we would all execute as agreed. A marvellous meal on Saturday evening at a local pub in good and amusing company. So if you have a 300 and you are thinking about an open I thoroughly recommend it, I was made to feel very welcome.
2. Lake sailing is very different to Sea And Harbour Sailing
Here is what happens when you sail with windward heel on a lake: you get headed by 45 degrees and stop, up to your neck in water (I had to waterstart the boat, a la windsurfer). There is no rhyme or reason to windshifts, but when they do happen they are major (forget worrying about 5 degree increments on the compass, we are talking 40+ shifts here). The legs are 300m long, instead of 1+ miles. But here's the curious thing, its great fun. The variable wind means that the fleet stretches out and then concertinas up, everything is close quarter manoeuvring, and there is lots of boat-on-boat tactics. I loved it, but I'm not very good at it.
3. Its all about Not Making Mistakes
We had 7 races this weekend, and I led four of them at some point. Each time, I threw the lead through a mistake that could have been avoided:
- Capsized when trying to be greedy on an inside overlap, fouling another boat in the process (sorry Martin, I just get carried away). Lost 5 boats.
- Knew to take the left side of the run, but didn't because I was worried about being covered by the boats rounding behind. Lost 6 boats in 200m.
- Managed to thread the tiller extension through the gap between the outhaul and boom on a gybe, capsized and thrashed the extension. Lost 4 boats.
- Won one race, essentially through a good start and not making any catastrophic mistakes (it was the last race on Saturday, by which time I had started to calm down from my state of what the psychologists would call 'extreme arousal')
The event was won by the most consistent sailor.
4. Never use a old mainsheet as a makeshift toothbrush
After refreshment on Saturday evening, I made it back to my van only to find that I had neglected to pack a toothbrush. On scouring the van for a suitable substitute, I elected to use the end of an old mainsheet as a makeshift toothbrush, pressing the toothpasted polilite against my teeth with an index finger. This was not a good idea, I could still taste the Thorney mud when I woke in the morning, and it didn't help with a hangover. That said, thankfully I didn't go with the second option, which was a sock I found at the bottom of my kitbag.
More reflections on the racing and performance tomorrow, if Mrs R catches me doing excessive blogging after a weekend away I'll be properly for it.
1. 300 sailors are Very Nice People
No aggression on the water, shouts of encouragement to other members of the fleet, and a very social bunch. Even at crowded mark roundings, there was a gentlemanly discussion about who was entitled to what, and then we would all execute as agreed. A marvellous meal on Saturday evening at a local pub in good and amusing company. So if you have a 300 and you are thinking about an open I thoroughly recommend it, I was made to feel very welcome.
2. Lake sailing is very different to Sea And Harbour Sailing
Here is what happens when you sail with windward heel on a lake: you get headed by 45 degrees and stop, up to your neck in water (I had to waterstart the boat, a la windsurfer). There is no rhyme or reason to windshifts, but when they do happen they are major (forget worrying about 5 degree increments on the compass, we are talking 40+ shifts here). The legs are 300m long, instead of 1+ miles. But here's the curious thing, its great fun. The variable wind means that the fleet stretches out and then concertinas up, everything is close quarter manoeuvring, and there is lots of boat-on-boat tactics. I loved it, but I'm not very good at it.
3. Its all about Not Making Mistakes
We had 7 races this weekend, and I led four of them at some point. Each time, I threw the lead through a mistake that could have been avoided:
- Capsized when trying to be greedy on an inside overlap, fouling another boat in the process (sorry Martin, I just get carried away). Lost 5 boats.
- Knew to take the left side of the run, but didn't because I was worried about being covered by the boats rounding behind. Lost 6 boats in 200m.
- Managed to thread the tiller extension through the gap between the outhaul and boom on a gybe, capsized and thrashed the extension. Lost 4 boats.
- Won one race, essentially through a good start and not making any catastrophic mistakes (it was the last race on Saturday, by which time I had started to calm down from my state of what the psychologists would call 'extreme arousal')
The event was won by the most consistent sailor.
4. Never use a old mainsheet as a makeshift toothbrush
After refreshment on Saturday evening, I made it back to my van only to find that I had neglected to pack a toothbrush. On scouring the van for a suitable substitute, I elected to use the end of an old mainsheet as a makeshift toothbrush, pressing the toothpasted polilite against my teeth with an index finger. This was not a good idea, I could still taste the Thorney mud when I woke in the morning, and it didn't help with a hangover. That said, thankfully I didn't go with the second option, which was a sock I found at the bottom of my kitbag.
More reflections on the racing and performance tomorrow, if Mrs R catches me doing excessive blogging after a weekend away I'll be properly for it.
Monday, 22 April 2013
First 300 open this coming weekend ....
So this is the first open following winter training, and the second event I've done since I've been sailing the 300. I'm looking forward to it, but with a sense of nervousness and trepidation (obviously developing a state of 'high arousal').
The sailing is at a club called Beech Bough, a 250 acre reservoir in Kent. I'm no judge of inland waters, but 250 acres sounds Quite Big, and looks to have attracted a good number of 300 sailors. The weather looks a bit mixed, it strikes me as one of those forecasts that is pretty much meaningless 5 days out. But if the forecast is correct, it shows a nice variance in conditions. But one thing that is certain is that it will be cold on the Saturday night sleeping in the van!
The last time I sailed on inland waters was crewing at the ISO Inland Championships, which was held in a gusty October force 6. After the umpteenth tea-bagging upwind, I declared to my helm that this was to be the first and final event in my inland sailing career. [I should point out, the tea bagging was not his fault, the heading shifts were significant and immediate, and we couldn't see them on the water before they hit, they seemed to come down onto the boat from on high. Horrible]. Unfortunately the entire 300 open calendar appears to be on lakes this year, so I'm breaking the declaration and embracing the challenging conditions of my 300 inland brethren!
If I have a bad day on Saturday, I plan to get fully involved in the refreshments in the evening to the point of not being able to operate my iPad for blogging. Come to think of it, I'll have the same approach if it is a good day. So no updates before the end of the event.
The sailing is at a club called Beech Bough, a 250 acre reservoir in Kent. I'm no judge of inland waters, but 250 acres sounds Quite Big, and looks to have attracted a good number of 300 sailors. The weather looks a bit mixed, it strikes me as one of those forecasts that is pretty much meaningless 5 days out. But if the forecast is correct, it shows a nice variance in conditions. But one thing that is certain is that it will be cold on the Saturday night sleeping in the van!
The last time I sailed on inland waters was crewing at the ISO Inland Championships, which was held in a gusty October force 6. After the umpteenth tea-bagging upwind, I declared to my helm that this was to be the first and final event in my inland sailing career. [I should point out, the tea bagging was not his fault, the heading shifts were significant and immediate, and we couldn't see them on the water before they hit, they seemed to come down onto the boat from on high. Horrible]. Unfortunately the entire 300 open calendar appears to be on lakes this year, so I'm breaking the declaration and embracing the challenging conditions of my 300 inland brethren!
If I have a bad day on Saturday, I plan to get fully involved in the refreshments in the evening to the point of not being able to operate my iPad for blogging. Come to think of it, I'll have the same approach if it is a good day. So no updates before the end of the event.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
An unsolicited observation : "You should stop sailing that g*y boat and start sailing a Finn"
The clocks have changed, and evening sailing is now a reality. There is no better way to break up the working week, and for the past two evenings I've been out sailing 300s with Matt.
Matt is still prevaricating about what singlehander to buy - D1, Finn or 300. I sense a leaning toward the Finn as he thinks it suits his build, but there is a little 300 scene in the harbour now, and class racing is attractive. A rather unexpected intervention into the selection process took place on the water tonight - we came across a couple of X boats in the Itchenor channel as we were beating to Rockwood, the leading X gave Matt an unsolicited observation : "You should stop sailing that gay boat and start sailing a Finn". Both Matt and I were somewhat taken aback, not so much by the comment, but the fact that an X boat appeared to understand he was on port tack and kept clear. Highly unusual!
As to the sailing, we had two evenings of F4 warm winds, maybe up to F5 in the gusts tonight (looking at Cambermet I see there is now 31 knots off TISC, that would have been exciting). Wind over tide, so some nice short chop to play with offwind.
Matt is getting used to the whole by-the-lee thing, but still looks terrified sailing downwind. Upwind he is rather quick and I will discourage further practice lest he improves further.
Some observations from my sailing:
- I forgot to put the wind indicator on the boat tonight, and so sailed without one. The result of this was that I spent far more time looking at waves outside the boat than a wind indicator inside it. Speed downwind was good, planing most of the time.
- Lots of chop in the channel going upwind, with the bow of the boat underwater in the steepest of chop. Even with weight back in the boat it felt slow, Matt seemed to be punching through with more speed and momentum, but that might be down to weight difference I think.
- Have started to mess round with outhaul upwind, letting a little outhaul off as the vang comes on seems to keep power in the lower sail. It seems to me that putting vang on naturally reduces camber in the lower sail and less outhaul is required to maintain the same depth off the boom.
I've sailed 6 of the last 7 days, legs are tired, and need a day or two off I think. That said, good practice for Minorca!
Matt is still prevaricating about what singlehander to buy - D1, Finn or 300. I sense a leaning toward the Finn as he thinks it suits his build, but there is a little 300 scene in the harbour now, and class racing is attractive. A rather unexpected intervention into the selection process took place on the water tonight - we came across a couple of X boats in the Itchenor channel as we were beating to Rockwood, the leading X gave Matt an unsolicited observation : "You should stop sailing that gay boat and start sailing a Finn". Both Matt and I were somewhat taken aback, not so much by the comment, but the fact that an X boat appeared to understand he was on port tack and kept clear. Highly unusual!
As to the sailing, we had two evenings of F4 warm winds, maybe up to F5 in the gusts tonight (looking at Cambermet I see there is now 31 knots off TISC, that would have been exciting). Wind over tide, so some nice short chop to play with offwind.
Matt is getting used to the whole by-the-lee thing, but still looks terrified sailing downwind. Upwind he is rather quick and I will discourage further practice lest he improves further.
Some observations from my sailing:
- I forgot to put the wind indicator on the boat tonight, and so sailed without one. The result of this was that I spent far more time looking at waves outside the boat than a wind indicator inside it. Speed downwind was good, planing most of the time.
- Lots of chop in the channel going upwind, with the bow of the boat underwater in the steepest of chop. Even with weight back in the boat it felt slow, Matt seemed to be punching through with more speed and momentum, but that might be down to weight difference I think.
- Have started to mess round with outhaul upwind, letting a little outhaul off as the vang comes on seems to keep power in the lower sail. It seems to me that putting vang on naturally reduces camber in the lower sail and less outhaul is required to maintain the same depth off the boom.
I've sailed 6 of the last 7 days, legs are tired, and need a day or two off I think. That said, good practice for Minorca!
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
A checkpoint on downwind sailing
Saturday was a windy day, and I mounted the GoPro on the bow to have a look specifically at bear aways and downwind sailing - it remains the area that I think needs most improvement in stronger winds. I've sent the output to Steve Cockerill to see if I can get some Boat Whisperer advice, but in the meantime I thought I'd post up my own analysis. This is the video, all faffing and upwind/crosswind sailing has been deleted, its just downwind.
I should point out that the wind was coming over the Thorney shoreline, so the water state was quite benign. But the wind was offshore and very gusty, F4 in the lulls F6 in the gusts.
Some points re the bear aways:
- Not enough hiking in the first half of the bear away. The trouble is that there is a balance between getting the boat heeled to windward to bear away, and an ability to get back in the boat from a hiked position before it skews away and capsizes to windward. The centripetal force generated by the turn makes it difficult to get back in.
- Each bear away seems to take forever, with over cautious sheeting and heel.
- On a positive note, I'm getting better at sorting the rig before turning, and getting well back in the boat to get the bow out.
- Another positive note, the manoeuvre looks quite controlled (even though it felt like a knife edge at the time).
And the downwind sailing:
- Some OK transitions from BR->BTL and vice versa
- At times the boat looks very slow sailing BTL, and it might have been better to come up to a BR to get momentum going again.
- 2x capsizes due to the need to bear away excessively to BTL and beyond. Not sure what I could have done to stop them, hopefully Steve has ideas.
- Finally look to be kicking the 'steer the boat under the mast' habit, there is no footage that sees the bow nose diving or underwater.
- The video seems to make it look as if I have a degree of control. In the boat it certainly didn't feel that way, it's a very intense experience that requires total concentration. The psychology books would have described my state as 'highly aroused'. I would describe my state as 'bricking it' and 'nearly being sick with fear'. 'Highly aroused' doesn't quite cover it.
- I've calibrated the mainsheet, and have marked the position of the 'F5 Knot' to stop the main going too far out downwind (and capsizing the boat to windward). Seems to work, as I've not capsized to windward for a while. But the downside is that you can't sheet out loads if the boat wants to head up. For the moment, I'll take it - the occasional head-up is a good trade for stability.
So lets see what Steve has to say, given his input in the past I've learned to expect the unexpected!
I should point out that the wind was coming over the Thorney shoreline, so the water state was quite benign. But the wind was offshore and very gusty, F4 in the lulls F6 in the gusts.
Some points re the bear aways:
- Not enough hiking in the first half of the bear away. The trouble is that there is a balance between getting the boat heeled to windward to bear away, and an ability to get back in the boat from a hiked position before it skews away and capsizes to windward. The centripetal force generated by the turn makes it difficult to get back in.
- Each bear away seems to take forever, with over cautious sheeting and heel.
- On a positive note, I'm getting better at sorting the rig before turning, and getting well back in the boat to get the bow out.
- Another positive note, the manoeuvre looks quite controlled (even though it felt like a knife edge at the time).
And the downwind sailing:
- Some OK transitions from BR->BTL and vice versa
- At times the boat looks very slow sailing BTL, and it might have been better to come up to a BR to get momentum going again.
- 2x capsizes due to the need to bear away excessively to BTL and beyond. Not sure what I could have done to stop them, hopefully Steve has ideas.
- Finally look to be kicking the 'steer the boat under the mast' habit, there is no footage that sees the bow nose diving or underwater.
- The video seems to make it look as if I have a degree of control. In the boat it certainly didn't feel that way, it's a very intense experience that requires total concentration. The psychology books would have described my state as 'highly aroused'. I would describe my state as 'bricking it' and 'nearly being sick with fear'. 'Highly aroused' doesn't quite cover it.
- I've calibrated the mainsheet, and have marked the position of the 'F5 Knot' to stop the main going too far out downwind (and capsizing the boat to windward). Seems to work, as I've not capsized to windward for a while. But the downside is that you can't sheet out loads if the boat wants to head up. For the moment, I'll take it - the occasional head-up is a good trade for stability.
So lets see what Steve has to say, given his input in the past I've learned to expect the unexpected!
Sunday, 14 April 2013
How hard can it be to calibrate a tactical compass?
No racing this weekend as there were two open meetings at the local clubs - a Feva open on Saturday and a Tera open today. I wondered if the Feva open was going to be held as the forecast for Saturday was brutal, but 16 boats made it to the start line and raced in gusty f4-6 conditions. I thought some of the adult sailors at the club would take the opportunity to come out training, especially given the bravado of the Slipper Laser fleet at the instructor-curry-evening on Friday. But no such luck, it appears that the Feva and Tera sailors are a more hardy and salty bunch than their parents!
Despite the lack of racing I was fortunate to be able to get out on the water over four consecutive days in a variety of conditions, from a very pleasant force 2 on Thursday to a rather less pleasant f5-6 on Saturday. but spring is finally here, temperatures are up, the sun is out, and the promise of warmer days is finally with us.
Anyway, some observations from the sailing:
- One of the objectives for the early season is to get better at using a compass, and I thought I'd use the lighter winds on Thursday to sort out tacking angles - you need to get the tacking angle figure to set up a tactical compass. How hard can that be, all you have to do is take a bearing on one tack, go about, take the bearing on the other tack, and subtract A from B. The problems are that tacking angle varies by wind strength, tide appears to play some role (but I can't work out why, this isn't a GPS compass, its a Tacktick Micro), and also clearly pointing/footing modes vary the angle. My angles appeared to range from 70 degrees (which clearly isn't right!) to 90. In the end I found that the Yahoo 300 group has guidance from good sailors that place tacking angle at 85 degree in light/medium winds and 90 in stronger winds. The tactical analogue compasses used by Lasers have lines set to an 80 degree angle. I've set mine to 85 and am going to force myself to forget about trying to refine it, other training will pay better dividends!
- Friday was windy, and I chose to go windsurfing instead of sailing, 4.7m on an 85 litre board, happy days. The lovely thing about windsurfing is that I view it as purely recreational and don't have any objectives etc, its just good fun and very relaxing. And a great workout for the arms when you are out of practice, so contributes to the sailing in a small way. One interesting point is that on a windsurfer I find myself far more attuned to the prediction of gusts/lulls - unless you can read the water you end up swimming, and can't get planing as quickly. So I guess it is a skill that is naturally acquired as you learn and progress. Strangely it doesn't seem to translate directly into a dinghy, I wonder whether this is because there is so much more happening in a boat, and also I suppose your head is closer to the water in a dinghy and maybe doesn't have the same visibility.
- Saturday was also windy, I had to give myself a stern talking to, as rain and a f5/6 is not the most motivating of conditions. But I'm glad I went out, managed to practice a lot of upwind processes, lots of bear aways, and a fair amount of rather terrifying downwind work. Managed to get through the session without capsizing, although there were a few close shaves:
That's not a controlled transition to by-the-lee, it is an uncontrolled entry to a buttock-clenching gybe!
That's not the end of the gybe, it is in fact an advanced method of checking the daggerboard for weed. I also thought the sea water would lubricate the clew strap on the boom. However you look at it, the boat gets to be a bit of a handful in 25 knot gusts, but going out in these conditions makes anything less seem a lot easier, so worthwhile (so I keep telling myself, I imagine an impartial observer may take a different view).
- And finally today we had sunshine, a f4 decreasing to f2 clean southerly wind, 6 boats on the water for some impromptu upwind/downwind sailing, and an excellent time had by all. Mike, Emma, Dave and Ed were all out testing with new Rooster ISO sails, that look superb. They are quite roachy sails, and look very open in the top of the leech, but there were no problems with either pointing or speed. I think Emma broke one of the job cleats on the ISO, more bimbling required! I played about with rig settings and could just about match the ISOs for speed up wind, using a little downhaul and loosening the outhaul a bit. Playing the vang in sketchy conditions seems to work as well, the boat feels dead in the lulls until you let just a little vang off.
Some possible evening sailing later this week, Matt J is still procrastinating on whether to buy a 300 and needs some more sessions to decide. Looks breezy for Wednesday, lets hope his mast is insured.
Despite the lack of racing I was fortunate to be able to get out on the water over four consecutive days in a variety of conditions, from a very pleasant force 2 on Thursday to a rather less pleasant f5-6 on Saturday. but spring is finally here, temperatures are up, the sun is out, and the promise of warmer days is finally with us.
Anyway, some observations from the sailing:
- One of the objectives for the early season is to get better at using a compass, and I thought I'd use the lighter winds on Thursday to sort out tacking angles - you need to get the tacking angle figure to set up a tactical compass. How hard can that be, all you have to do is take a bearing on one tack, go about, take the bearing on the other tack, and subtract A from B. The problems are that tacking angle varies by wind strength, tide appears to play some role (but I can't work out why, this isn't a GPS compass, its a Tacktick Micro), and also clearly pointing/footing modes vary the angle. My angles appeared to range from 70 degrees (which clearly isn't right!) to 90. In the end I found that the Yahoo 300 group has guidance from good sailors that place tacking angle at 85 degree in light/medium winds and 90 in stronger winds. The tactical analogue compasses used by Lasers have lines set to an 80 degree angle. I've set mine to 85 and am going to force myself to forget about trying to refine it, other training will pay better dividends!
- Friday was windy, and I chose to go windsurfing instead of sailing, 4.7m on an 85 litre board, happy days. The lovely thing about windsurfing is that I view it as purely recreational and don't have any objectives etc, its just good fun and very relaxing. And a great workout for the arms when you are out of practice, so contributes to the sailing in a small way. One interesting point is that on a windsurfer I find myself far more attuned to the prediction of gusts/lulls - unless you can read the water you end up swimming, and can't get planing as quickly. So I guess it is a skill that is naturally acquired as you learn and progress. Strangely it doesn't seem to translate directly into a dinghy, I wonder whether this is because there is so much more happening in a boat, and also I suppose your head is closer to the water in a dinghy and maybe doesn't have the same visibility.
- Saturday was also windy, I had to give myself a stern talking to, as rain and a f5/6 is not the most motivating of conditions. But I'm glad I went out, managed to practice a lot of upwind processes, lots of bear aways, and a fair amount of rather terrifying downwind work. Managed to get through the session without capsizing, although there were a few close shaves:
That's not a controlled transition to by-the-lee, it is an uncontrolled entry to a buttock-clenching gybe!
That's not the end of the gybe, it is in fact an advanced method of checking the daggerboard for weed. I also thought the sea water would lubricate the clew strap on the boom. However you look at it, the boat gets to be a bit of a handful in 25 knot gusts, but going out in these conditions makes anything less seem a lot easier, so worthwhile (so I keep telling myself, I imagine an impartial observer may take a different view).
- And finally today we had sunshine, a f4 decreasing to f2 clean southerly wind, 6 boats on the water for some impromptu upwind/downwind sailing, and an excellent time had by all. Mike, Emma, Dave and Ed were all out testing with new Rooster ISO sails, that look superb. They are quite roachy sails, and look very open in the top of the leech, but there were no problems with either pointing or speed. I think Emma broke one of the job cleats on the ISO, more bimbling required! I played about with rig settings and could just about match the ISOs for speed up wind, using a little downhaul and loosening the outhaul a bit. Playing the vang in sketchy conditions seems to work as well, the boat feels dead in the lulls until you let just a little vang off.
Some possible evening sailing later this week, Matt J is still procrastinating on whether to buy a 300 and needs some more sessions to decide. Looks breezy for Wednesday, lets hope his mast is insured.
Monday, 8 April 2013
A jaunt round the harbour, 300ing with Matt and Claire
After the Easter weekend sailing, RS400 sailor Matt J dropped me a line about sailing the following weekend (Matts quotes in this post are in no way made up for the purposes of blogging): "Mark, all the ladies at Slipper have been commenting on what a dashing figure you cut in your 300, I wonder if you could take me out in a borrowed boat, to see whether my meagre skills are up to the job". OK that's not quite what he said, but we did arrange to go sailing, along with the ever reliable training-partner-Claire.
A few notes on Matt before we get into the sailing. He has sailed a number of different classes including the Finn and RS400, and even had a brief dally with a 300 a number of years back. He has placed in the top 5 in the 400 Europeans, and I think top 10 in the SB3 Europeans. Given this impressive track record of performance, I thought that some video footage from Matts boat would be of interest to blog readers, but Matt was slightly reticent on having the GoPro mounted to his boat: "If you think you are putting that GoPro on my boat, you can ***********. There is no way that you are going to post ******* video of me on your ******* blog."
He is looking to buy a singlehander to compliment the 400, and considering a Devoti D1, 300 or Finn. Clearly my objective for the weekend was to try and sway Matt towards the 300. We are physically quite dissimilar - I'm a bit light at the moment at 68kg, Matt is 100kg of brute force - and it was interesting to compare boat-on-boat performance.
To the sailing. The only time we could arrange was for dead low water at Thorney, so launching was interesting given the 3ft of slip we had to work with. "Don't worry, its only Mikes boat, I'll leave it floundering on the smelly Thorney mud whilst I sort the trolleys out" said Matt, clearly disrespecting the borrowed boat. But we managed to get out into the channel after a bit of faffing - by this point training-partner-Claire had already self-launched and was ripping it up around Cambermet. Sunny, force 3-4 easterly, and flat water, perfect.
At this point, the session started to feel remarkably similar to the Andy Gould sessions over Xmas. All of my carefully planned process goals flew out the window as we immediately got into a 1.5 mile drag race to the main channel in the harbour, followed by an hour of boat-on-boat upwind/downwind cycles, much more like racing than training. It is impossible to stifle the competitive instinct in situations like this, unless the other person is also orientated towards the same goals!
But there were some interesting points of learning from the day:
- The difference in weight made less difference than you would expect. Matt was marginally quicker upwind, faster on a close reach, but slower on any broader point of sailing. Some of that will be technique (on both our parts), but nevertheless the boats were much closer in speed than I thought they would be. So two boat tuning with disparate helm weights is plausible, but obviously sharing settings wouldn't be advisable.
- Upwind, there is definitely gains to be made by footing for a few lengths to get up to speed and then tweaking the boat up to point. We both tried this and it works, but is counter intuitive to helms who naturally point.
- Earlier this week I wrote down my process goals for the next 3-6 months. A point of interest is that even the act of writing them down appears to have benefits. As I approached the windward marks, my thoughts immediately focused on the aspects of a perfect bearaway, and lo and behold the body just seems to execute on them.
Will Matt buy a 300? I sense he has a leaning toward the flashy D1, or technical Finn. And maybe he has a chance of getting those downwind in more than a force 4 (only joking, this is my way of trying to provoke him into buying a 300).
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Process goals
I recently posted an article on the Rooster website about the psychology of sailing, and the benefits of setting process goals. I've had a couple of emails on the subject since, and it seems that the literature is strong on theory but short on examples. So I thought I'd post up my analysis/goals in the hope that it may be of use to others who are thinking about undergoing a similar exercise.
So here is my analysis of my sailing, the elements in red are the ones that I think are lacking and need work as a priority, orange is 'needs work but a second priority', and green is OK.
And here are the goals that I've set, based on the above:
Fitness I've handled in a single diagram:
So lots of work to do, it is a never ending feast of training and racing. Thank goodness Spring is here at last.
Monday, 1 April 2013
300 Log : 1st April
Date: 1st April
Venue : ESC
Race : Handicap race
Tide : 45 after the start
Conditions : ENE f4-6, flat-ish water
Result : Probably 1st of 10ish boats
Positives:
- Good start. Kept on with the theme of getting in the mix at the favoured end and happily managed to win it today. I really like the whole port tack approach, but should probably start to practice longer approaches on starboard I find them far more difficult to judge.
- Generally good speed about the course, but it was a course that certainly favoured the 300.
- Blistering run, fully planing by-the-lee and really gunning it. But also in control (after getting the bear away sorted). Managed some good transitions between BTL and broad reach, and felt as if I was controlling the boat rather than vice versa. Very pleased to see the practice paying at least some dividends.
- Wind was very gusty and shifty - thought I was doing OK with the up-in-the-lulls down-in-the-gusts stuff.
- Nailed one gybe in a particularly harsh gust. Not the cleanest exit, but safe. Pleased that I didn't take the wearing-round option, although I did consider it. Demonstrates a little fortitude and confidence.
Points for reflection:
- The boat is so much easier to handle in flat water. So I think I'm going to practice a lot at Thorney this year, much more difficult conditions (at least so far this year).
- Sailed with lots of vang all round the course today, letting 1/3 to 1/2 off for dead downwind. Rig felt great.
- Poor tactical decision after rounding Northney, should and tacked and taken the long tack!
But another Good Race, and a great end to the Easter weekend!
Venue : ESC
Race : Handicap race
Tide : 45 after the start
Conditions : ENE f4-6, flat-ish water
Result : Probably 1st of 10ish boats
Positives:
- Good start. Kept on with the theme of getting in the mix at the favoured end and happily managed to win it today. I really like the whole port tack approach, but should probably start to practice longer approaches on starboard I find them far more difficult to judge.
- Generally good speed about the course, but it was a course that certainly favoured the 300.
- Blistering run, fully planing by-the-lee and really gunning it. But also in control (after getting the bear away sorted). Managed some good transitions between BTL and broad reach, and felt as if I was controlling the boat rather than vice versa. Very pleased to see the practice paying at least some dividends.
- Wind was very gusty and shifty - thought I was doing OK with the up-in-the-lulls down-in-the-gusts stuff.
- Nailed one gybe in a particularly harsh gust. Not the cleanest exit, but safe. Pleased that I didn't take the wearing-round option, although I did consider it. Demonstrates a little fortitude and confidence.
Points for reflection:
- The boat is so much easier to handle in flat water. So I think I'm going to practice a lot at Thorney this year, much more difficult conditions (at least so far this year).
- Sailed with lots of vang all round the course today, letting 1/3 to 1/2 off for dead downwind. Rig felt great.
- Poor tactical decision after rounding Northney, should and tacked and taken the long tack!
But another Good Race, and a great end to the Easter weekend!
Sunday, 31 March 2013
300 Race Log : 31st March
Date: 31th March
Venue : ESC
Race : 3 race series, approx 20-30 mins each
Tide : 1 hour after the start
Conditions : E f3-4, flat water
Result : 2nd of 15 boats
Positives:
- Got into the mix of the starts with mixed results. Excellent starts on races 1 and 2, three poor starts on race 3 (two general recalls and one black flag). Need to have a think about where I was going wrong on the poor starts, but I'm pretty sure that starting sandwiched between two faster boats wasn't helpful. Much happier with the port-tack approach than judging a starboard approach for 1min+.
- Really pleased with offwind and downwind speed, I was able to keep the boat planing when going dead downwind using angles, very pleasing.
- Generally OK with boat handling and mark roundings (there was lots of that today). Made the practice worthwhile.
Points for reflection:
- If I'm going to keep getting into tight spots on the start, I need to practice close quarter handling and learn what the boat will tolerate. Not easy, but something I've not put much time into practicing yet.
- In the first race the majority of 200 fleet and a 400 went up the right hand side of the beat and clearly made good gains on the overall fleet. The Merlin and ISO did the same in race 2, with the same result. Yet despite recognising this I kept plugging the left hand side, largely because the start dictated this (I couldn't tack). Far better would have been to hold back and ensure an ability to get onto port quickly. Speaking with Matt after the race we wondered whether there was a persistent shift due to the geography of the land alongside the channel.
- Not pleased with speed upwind. Spent too long sailing with max vang/downhaul in stupid winds, and appear to have lost the touch with medium winds, both in terms of rig setup and technique - needs practice.
But all in all, Good Racing, its all about having fun on the water and everyone seemed to enjoy the racing today. Lots of smiles on the shore.
Venue : ESC
Race : 3 race series, approx 20-30 mins each
Tide : 1 hour after the start
Conditions : E f3-4, flat water
Result : 2nd of 15 boats
Positives:
- Got into the mix of the starts with mixed results. Excellent starts on races 1 and 2, three poor starts on race 3 (two general recalls and one black flag). Need to have a think about where I was going wrong on the poor starts, but I'm pretty sure that starting sandwiched between two faster boats wasn't helpful. Much happier with the port-tack approach than judging a starboard approach for 1min+.
- Really pleased with offwind and downwind speed, I was able to keep the boat planing when going dead downwind using angles, very pleasing.
- Generally OK with boat handling and mark roundings (there was lots of that today). Made the practice worthwhile.
Points for reflection:
- If I'm going to keep getting into tight spots on the start, I need to practice close quarter handling and learn what the boat will tolerate. Not easy, but something I've not put much time into practicing yet.
- In the first race the majority of 200 fleet and a 400 went up the right hand side of the beat and clearly made good gains on the overall fleet. The Merlin and ISO did the same in race 2, with the same result. Yet despite recognising this I kept plugging the left hand side, largely because the start dictated this (I couldn't tack). Far better would have been to hold back and ensure an ability to get onto port quickly. Speaking with Matt after the race we wondered whether there was a persistent shift due to the geography of the land alongside the channel.
- Not pleased with speed upwind. Spent too long sailing with max vang/downhaul in stupid winds, and appear to have lost the touch with medium winds, both in terms of rig setup and technique - needs practice.
But all in all, Good Racing, its all about having fun on the water and everyone seemed to enjoy the racing today. Lots of smiles on the shore.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
300 Race Log : 30th March
Date: 30th March
Venue : ESC
Race : 50 minute handicap
Tide : 30 mins after the start
Conditions : NE f3-5, some wind-over-tide chop but nothing significant
Result : 2nd of 15 boats
Positives:
- My strategy at the startline is usually to let others fight for the prime position, and start a quarter of the way down from the favoured end. Not so this season, I've decided to try and improve starting by being closer to the favoured end, preferably in prime position. If I cock up a race or two as a result, so be it. Todays start was mixed. I approached on port with 30 secs to go, and tacked in front of the assembled fleet. Andy and Vicky got under me just before the gun and sailed through my dirty air which was impressive. But I'm happy with the new approach.
- OK speed on all points of sailing, and good compass work upwind. Again really pleased with speed dead downwind, managed some more planing by-the-lee today which is always heartening.
- Good gybes today, no dropping of sheet yay.
- Pleased to be able to find patches of wind downwind, head is starting to get more out of the boat.
Points for reflection:
- Shouldn't have let Andy get under me on the start. But theres always next time.
- Going to have to practice the 'changing gears' thing in the next practice session. Far to passive and reactive, and its not good for boat speed.
But all in all another Good Race, most enjoyable. More of the same tomorrow!
Venue : ESC
Race : 50 minute handicap
Tide : 30 mins after the start
Conditions : NE f3-5, some wind-over-tide chop but nothing significant
Result : 2nd of 15 boats
Positives:
- My strategy at the startline is usually to let others fight for the prime position, and start a quarter of the way down from the favoured end. Not so this season, I've decided to try and improve starting by being closer to the favoured end, preferably in prime position. If I cock up a race or two as a result, so be it. Todays start was mixed. I approached on port with 30 secs to go, and tacked in front of the assembled fleet. Andy and Vicky got under me just before the gun and sailed through my dirty air which was impressive. But I'm happy with the new approach.
- OK speed on all points of sailing, and good compass work upwind. Again really pleased with speed dead downwind, managed some more planing by-the-lee today which is always heartening.
- Good gybes today, no dropping of sheet yay.
- Pleased to be able to find patches of wind downwind, head is starting to get more out of the boat.
Points for reflection:
- Shouldn't have let Andy get under me on the start. But theres always next time.
- Going to have to practice the 'changing gears' thing in the next practice session. Far to passive and reactive, and its not good for boat speed.
But all in all another Good Race, most enjoyable. More of the same tomorrow!
300 Race Log: RNLI Pursuit Race
Date: 29th March
Venue : ESC
Race : 1.5hr pursuit race
Tide : 30 mins after the start
Conditions : ENE f4-5, some small chop but mostly flat water
Result : 2nd of 12ish boats, 2nd 300 of 2
Positives:
- Good offwind speed, certainly taking boat lengths out of Dave when running.
- Very pleased with stability when running, sailing angles. Managed a 200m planing by-the-lee leg, which was exciting.
- Pleased with overall result.
Points for reflection:
- Average start. Started under Dave with my nose in front, and managed to get ahead by 1m or so by the windard mark. But it was a starboard rounding so all for nought! Should have been more aggressive on the startline to keep the inside berth.
- Didn't feel fast upwind. Think I was trying to pinch too much, and maybe not focussed on windward heel and changing gear for the gusts/lulls. Didn't lose huge amounts to other boats, but felt slow anyway. Will concentrate on this over the weekend.
- Felt fast on reaches, but not as fast as Dave. I've decided not to worry about this, Dave has 20kg-ish on me and can set up a much more powerful rig on the reaches.
- Some dodgy gybes. Dropped the mainsheet twice, which is always Not Good. I may try some stickier gloves in the summer.
- Didn't feel I got the most out of the compass today, big shifts but no discernible pattern (to me at least).
Overall, I would say this was a Good Race. Dave came 2nd in the 300 nationals last year, and is an excellent benchmark for progress. Given the windstrength, to finish within 40 secs is fine, and is indicative of improvement.
More of the same today, where are the rest of you ESC/Slipper sailors?
Venue : ESC
Race : 1.5hr pursuit race
Tide : 30 mins after the start
Conditions : ENE f4-5, some small chop but mostly flat water
Result : 2nd of 12ish boats, 2nd 300 of 2
Positives:
- Good offwind speed, certainly taking boat lengths out of Dave when running.
- Very pleased with stability when running, sailing angles. Managed a 200m planing by-the-lee leg, which was exciting.
- Pleased with overall result.
Points for reflection:
- Average start. Started under Dave with my nose in front, and managed to get ahead by 1m or so by the windard mark. But it was a starboard rounding so all for nought! Should have been more aggressive on the startline to keep the inside berth.
- Didn't feel fast upwind. Think I was trying to pinch too much, and maybe not focussed on windward heel and changing gear for the gusts/lulls. Didn't lose huge amounts to other boats, but felt slow anyway. Will concentrate on this over the weekend.
- Felt fast on reaches, but not as fast as Dave. I've decided not to worry about this, Dave has 20kg-ish on me and can set up a much more powerful rig on the reaches.
- Some dodgy gybes. Dropped the mainsheet twice, which is always Not Good. I may try some stickier gloves in the summer.
- Didn't feel I got the most out of the compass today, big shifts but no discernible pattern (to me at least).
Overall, I would say this was a Good Race. Dave came 2nd in the 300 nationals last year, and is an excellent benchmark for progress. Given the windstrength, to finish within 40 secs is fine, and is indicative of improvement.
More of the same today, where are the rest of you ESC/Slipper sailors?
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