The reason I sail a laser is for days like today. An awesome breeze and good turnout followed by a good cup of tea and a large slice of humble pie. I've dominated most races this season and today I was taken to task. Step up Dad, awesome race. I just couldn't match him for smart sailing despite being quicker in a straight line. I stuck gamely to my plan and never wondered to far from the 'safe' area of the course and was duly beaten by someone who was more confident in what he was doing.
Commiserations must go to Ron who suffered gear failure that ended up sending him home. You're gonna need a cunnigham in 15 kts in a full rig let alone a big Rig!
As for my thoughts on the day, it was a very unstable breeze, perhaps even more so than Thursday. And bloody windy at times too. If you were able to make good use of the the big pressure then you were always going to have a good day. Overall, a good days sailing with some glam reaches and more than enough shifts to keep you guessing.
Sunday 30 May 2010
Saturday 29 May 2010
Westerly or north westerly?
Won't get a chance to to write anything tomorrow morning so I thought I'd get it in early. It looks like more of the same for sunday. The low pressure system centred over Ireland today should move off to the north sea and drag the current southerly breeze round to the north west by late tomorrow. Therfore, I'm guessing we'll have racing very similar to Thursday. Shifty breeze with significant variations in pressure.
Predicting my first beat is very tricky and has so far proved as futile as it should be! Instead, today I'll offer up my general theme for my first beat on days like Thursday and tomorow. Up the first beat, I will generally stay somewhere in the middle of the course area. If I think one side is favoured then I will try to stay to that side of the bulk of the boats to gain some 'leverage'. ie I think right will pay, I will stay to the right of the majority of the fleet. Where I end up on the course is then ditated by where the fleet chooses to go. So, if the fleet heads left I will probably end up just left of middle. If the fleet stays in the middle, I will go right of middle etc. This principle ensures that if I am correct, I will gain a small advantage but equally, if I'm wrong, I will only make a small loss and still be in contention. As the race moves on through the rounds, I try to build up a better picture of what works and will then get more confident of going my own way, seeking to make bigger gains. This is a 'safe' way to build a race. However, It doesn't always work like that! Sometimes, events at the start force you away from the group to gain clear air (which is paramount in anything other than 20knots), just remember the further you go, the more you'll be looking over your shoulder and worrying about tacking back!
There are times when you need a big gain to get back in the frame so I don't want to discourage people from taking risks and going for glory. After all, it is part of the fun. So, expect me to hit a corner on sunday! ha ha
Predicting my first beat is very tricky and has so far proved as futile as it should be! Instead, today I'll offer up my general theme for my first beat on days like Thursday and tomorow. Up the first beat, I will generally stay somewhere in the middle of the course area. If I think one side is favoured then I will try to stay to that side of the bulk of the boats to gain some 'leverage'. ie I think right will pay, I will stay to the right of the majority of the fleet. Where I end up on the course is then ditated by where the fleet chooses to go. So, if the fleet heads left I will probably end up just left of middle. If the fleet stays in the middle, I will go right of middle etc. This principle ensures that if I am correct, I will gain a small advantage but equally, if I'm wrong, I will only make a small loss and still be in contention. As the race moves on through the rounds, I try to build up a better picture of what works and will then get more confident of going my own way, seeking to make bigger gains. This is a 'safe' way to build a race. However, It doesn't always work like that! Sometimes, events at the start force you away from the group to gain clear air (which is paramount in anything other than 20knots), just remember the further you go, the more you'll be looking over your shoulder and worrying about tacking back!
There are times when you need a big gain to get back in the frame so I don't want to discourage people from taking risks and going for glory. After all, it is part of the fun. So, expect me to hit a corner on sunday! ha ha
Friday 28 May 2010
Best yet!
Great to see 13 on the water. I think thats a seasons best for any day, brilliant. Cheers to Jamie and mike for the course in testing conditions for both us and them.
There were plenty of shifts and big variations in wind strength. Predicting the shifts was pretty difficult so I opted to sail for pressure first then worry about the heading second. The wild starboard lifts in the top half of the beat combined with bigger patches of sustained pressure coming out of seaton further down meant we spent a lot of the beat on starboard. For this reason I tried to put in the lion share of the starboard leg work in early, this allowed me to pick a couple smaller port hitches later in the beat to work my way over to the right side near the top. The key was to predict the gusts ie track them from further up to windward than the mark and try to intercept them. If you sail to where the pressure is , it'll be gone by the time you arrive. Downwind I sailed radical angles to intercept the pressure. On the reaches though, pot luck. Some you win some you lose! Some you gain massively (as I found on round 3), you gotta love private breeze!
Its fair to say the breeze turned out a lot different to the forecast so I'm hoping I can be forgiven my plan. In the end though I stuck reasonably close to my plan, middle left for the most part but with a crossover to the right for the final approach! You just can't always trust Windguru.
Sail setting wise, when the breeze is up and down a lot I reckon I adjust the kicker more than any other control. Probably between 20 and 30 times per beat, 3-5 times per reach or run. The cunningham and outhaul, 5-6 times a beat, once or twice per reach or run. Two reasons for this. Its the easiest control to adjust as the cleat swivels to look at you and it has the best purchase, plus, it controls the largest amount of power. I try to have the loop close to hand so I can pull it on just before a gust hits (dropping it in time to concentrate on keeping the boat flat by feathering and playing the sheet) and ease it immediately when the pressure fades.
There were plenty of shifts and big variations in wind strength. Predicting the shifts was pretty difficult so I opted to sail for pressure first then worry about the heading second. The wild starboard lifts in the top half of the beat combined with bigger patches of sustained pressure coming out of seaton further down meant we spent a lot of the beat on starboard. For this reason I tried to put in the lion share of the starboard leg work in early, this allowed me to pick a couple smaller port hitches later in the beat to work my way over to the right side near the top. The key was to predict the gusts ie track them from further up to windward than the mark and try to intercept them. If you sail to where the pressure is , it'll be gone by the time you arrive. Downwind I sailed radical angles to intercept the pressure. On the reaches though, pot luck. Some you win some you lose! Some you gain massively (as I found on round 3), you gotta love private breeze!
Its fair to say the breeze turned out a lot different to the forecast so I'm hoping I can be forgiven my plan. In the end though I stuck reasonably close to my plan, middle left for the most part but with a crossover to the right for the final approach! You just can't always trust Windguru.
Sail setting wise, when the breeze is up and down a lot I reckon I adjust the kicker more than any other control. Probably between 20 and 30 times per beat, 3-5 times per reach or run. The cunningham and outhaul, 5-6 times a beat, once or twice per reach or run. Two reasons for this. Its the easiest control to adjust as the cleat swivels to look at you and it has the best purchase, plus, it controls the largest amount of power. I try to have the loop close to hand so I can pull it on just before a gust hits (dropping it in time to concentrate on keeping the boat flat by feathering and playing the sheet) and ease it immediately when the pressure fades.
Thursday 27 May 2010
Reaching. Boat to boat tactics: attack or defend?
On the first reach (on starboard usually). Attack: to windward if you think you can get past and break the overlap before the gybe mark. Attack to leeward if you don't have time to get past and hopefully establish an overlap in time to get the inside line at the mark.
Defend: Difficult to defend on a reach, just sail as fast as you can! Once most of the reach is over try to keep faster boats on your windward hip and keep the inside line.
On the port reach. Attack to windward to get an over lap. If you're very fast it may be worth going low, but you have to be 50 yards or more lower to avoid a wind shadow. Sailing low is far riskier but potentially rapid. To defend, sail high to stop people gaining overlaps and force them below you.
Obviously your course is also dictated by other factors but those are my simple thoughts. Boats overtaking to leeward have no luffing rights and must stay clear of the windward boat whilst sailing a reasonable course. Boats overtaking to windward must stay clear.
Defend: Difficult to defend on a reach, just sail as fast as you can! Once most of the reach is over try to keep faster boats on your windward hip and keep the inside line.
On the port reach. Attack to windward to get an over lap. If you're very fast it may be worth going low, but you have to be 50 yards or more lower to avoid a wind shadow. Sailing low is far riskier but potentially rapid. To defend, sail high to stop people gaining overlaps and force them below you.
Obviously your course is also dictated by other factors but those are my simple thoughts. Boats overtaking to leeward have no luffing rights and must stay clear of the windward boat whilst sailing a reasonable course. Boats overtaking to windward must stay clear.
Wednesday 26 May 2010
Better than last time!
Checking out the pressure chart shows a shallow low to the north of scotland which is enough to give us a couple isobars across the uk and a reasonable breeze for tonight from the north west ish ness. After last weeks plan turned out to be a little wide of the mark, I'm hoping this week will be better.
The north westerly / westerly at Beer usually gives us some good racing with plenty of shifts to contend with. The current should be going west to east outside the head encouraging you to overstand on port. My plan would normally be to start in the middle of the line and go middle left up the beat. Although, there is usually at least one beat where Alan goes right and comes out smelling of roses!
I will try to work out roughly how long the shifts last and then predict which way the wind will shift first off the line. Then start at the favoured end to make maximum use of the shift. The most important thing is to sail the lifts and not 'hit the fleet' because boats are being lifted inside you. 9 times out of 10 the breeze will come back!
I usually set the boat up so that I'm hiking at 70-80% in the lulls and simply work my ass off in the gusts. In 10kts this would mean a small amount of cunningham, a snug amount of kicker and a tiny bit of outhaul. If a gust looks strong then I'll probaby grab the kicker before it hits and pull a bit more on. Its the easiest control to play. For more sustained gusts I go for the downhaul instead then a tiny bit more kicker. I will always try to sail in areas of increased pressure so sailing the boat flat whilst looking around is the most important asset to speed up the course. Down the reaches I try to take a lower line when the gusts come through with half an eye on the boats behind me. Its always a danger that boats behind going higher get to the new breeze first and 'roll' down over the top of you. So, sailing the rhumb line is usually difficult. I will try to stand up and look for breeze behind me on the run then make a concerted effort to get there. If boats are catching in more breeze then I will try to protect the inside line at the bottom mark.
The north westerly / westerly at Beer usually gives us some good racing with plenty of shifts to contend with. The current should be going west to east outside the head encouraging you to overstand on port. My plan would normally be to start in the middle of the line and go middle left up the beat. Although, there is usually at least one beat where Alan goes right and comes out smelling of roses!
I will try to work out roughly how long the shifts last and then predict which way the wind will shift first off the line. Then start at the favoured end to make maximum use of the shift. The most important thing is to sail the lifts and not 'hit the fleet' because boats are being lifted inside you. 9 times out of 10 the breeze will come back!
I usually set the boat up so that I'm hiking at 70-80% in the lulls and simply work my ass off in the gusts. In 10kts this would mean a small amount of cunningham, a snug amount of kicker and a tiny bit of outhaul. If a gust looks strong then I'll probaby grab the kicker before it hits and pull a bit more on. Its the easiest control to play. For more sustained gusts I go for the downhaul instead then a tiny bit more kicker. I will always try to sail in areas of increased pressure so sailing the boat flat whilst looking around is the most important asset to speed up the course. Down the reaches I try to take a lower line when the gusts come through with half an eye on the boats behind me. Its always a danger that boats behind going higher get to the new breeze first and 'roll' down over the top of you. So, sailing the rhumb line is usually difficult. I will try to stand up and look for breeze behind me on the run then make a concerted effort to get there. If boats are catching in more breeze then I will try to protect the inside line at the bottom mark.
Sunday 23 May 2010
Sunday
Ah well, not a lot of sailing to talk about this sunday. I enjoyed the time in the boat with Mike and my little boy, but no amount of wishing could bring the breeze up once it failed.
Disappointment all round but at least the food and tea was good as ever. Still 13 boats includng 1 mirror signed on so things are still going strong on that front. Now I'm looking forward to donning the wetsuit once more on Thursday evening.
As for offering some wisdom on the conditions. Easterlies (approximately) have always been the same at Beer, they never quite get here like they should! I hoped the sun may give us some thermal enhancement and provide us a draft but the haze never allowed it to get going resulting in a breeze vacuum all day. You just can't win them all.
On a positive note, the high dominating current affairs appears to be moving enough to allow for some decents gradients in a couple days time. wa hoo.
Disappointment all round but at least the food and tea was good as ever. Still 13 boats includng 1 mirror signed on so things are still going strong on that front. Now I'm looking forward to donning the wetsuit once more on Thursday evening.
As for offering some wisdom on the conditions. Easterlies (approximately) have always been the same at Beer, they never quite get here like they should! I hoped the sun may give us some thermal enhancement and provide us a draft but the haze never allowed it to get going resulting in a breeze vacuum all day. You just can't win them all.
On a positive note, the high dominating current affairs appears to be moving enough to allow for some decents gradients in a couple days time. wa hoo.
Friday 21 May 2010
Thursdays Plan
Ok, sailing is a pretty good sport for keeping you humble. The plan worked for the first round but saw me loose ground on the next two. Starting at the heavily biased starboard end gave me enough edge to lead at the first mark despite the boats to the left of me (looking upwind) getting more pressure on port. I still felt right would work so I stayed right of Dad on the next beat without going all the way. Basicly, not getting greedy. That saved me as it was left that was paying and it ended up reducing my losses. As the race wore on I got more confident about the consistency of the left hand gain and culminated in the 'bell ringing' (going to the corner) which got me back in the race.
I still stand by my pre-race planning, despite it not quite working. I reckon 9 out of 10 times my theory would have worked. However, there were pointers that should have made me re-assess my plan before the start rather than during the race. It was an unusually large hole underneath the cliffs meaning there was a risk of less breeze on the right. The course area was slightly further east than usual meaning the classic Beer sea breeze strategy may not pay.
As for my own racing, I must mention the doomed gybe mark manouvre. I'm always up for trying new things and discarding them when they fail! Overall, I was happy with the result as I didn't take any risks and kept myself in contention depsite suffering setbacks. It was one of the more enjoyable races so far this season as Dad, Andy and Ron were all sailing well enough to take the bullet. In the end, Ron prevailed on a day which could easily have provided trouble regardless of the rig.
I generally sailed the boat flat upwind with the sheet block to block. I eased them 6 inches and allowed a small aount of lewward heel in the light patches. On the reaches, I tried to maintain a consistent heel whilst pumping the sheet the maximum permissable amount of times in a reasonable subtle fashion so as not to disrupt air flow too much over the sail. Once a wave/gust. On the run, I failed to clear my air from under Andy but successfully covered Dad second time around. I took care not to over ease the sheet beyond 90 degrees and benefited a huge amount from a more relaxed approach second time around (the first run had me a bit on edge after being overtaken) rather than my flustered first effort.
Lastly, apologies for not reading the comments last time around. I will do in future. To answer Rons Q. I would try to anticipate big waves and either pinch above or foot below them. If they're unavoidable then easing sheet witha a bit of leeward heel and going for speed would be the last resort.
I still stand by my pre-race planning, despite it not quite working. I reckon 9 out of 10 times my theory would have worked. However, there were pointers that should have made me re-assess my plan before the start rather than during the race. It was an unusually large hole underneath the cliffs meaning there was a risk of less breeze on the right. The course area was slightly further east than usual meaning the classic Beer sea breeze strategy may not pay.
As for my own racing, I must mention the doomed gybe mark manouvre. I'm always up for trying new things and discarding them when they fail! Overall, I was happy with the result as I didn't take any risks and kept myself in contention depsite suffering setbacks. It was one of the more enjoyable races so far this season as Dad, Andy and Ron were all sailing well enough to take the bullet. In the end, Ron prevailed on a day which could easily have provided trouble regardless of the rig.
I generally sailed the boat flat upwind with the sheet block to block. I eased them 6 inches and allowed a small aount of lewward heel in the light patches. On the reaches, I tried to maintain a consistent heel whilst pumping the sheet the maximum permissable amount of times in a reasonable subtle fashion so as not to disrupt air flow too much over the sail. Once a wave/gust. On the run, I failed to clear my air from under Andy but successfully covered Dad second time around. I took care not to over ease the sheet beyond 90 degrees and benefited a huge amount from a more relaxed approach second time around (the first run had me a bit on edge after being overtaken) rather than my flustered first effort.
Lastly, apologies for not reading the comments last time around. I will do in future. To answer Rons Q. I would try to anticipate big waves and either pinch above or foot below them. If they're unavoidable then easing sheet witha a bit of leeward heel and going for speed would be the last resort.
Thursday 20 May 2010
Thursday Morning
Part of my routine on a Thursday is to check the forecast and the the tides in the morning. Basicly, because sailing has so many variables, I like to gather as much information as possible before hand. This makes it easier on the water to weigh up the options. I use a mixture of windguru, xc weather and the atlantic pressure chart on the BBC to keep up to date.
The weather looks dominated by a fat high pressure slapped over the uk so any breeze is likely to be light until at least next week (bearing in mind most forecasts are only really accurate over 2 to 3 days). Today windguru has aout 3 knots sw for 7pm combined with high cloud cover and high tide at 11pm. With neglible thermal enhancement, I don't see it being more than a light sail. However, a bit of current against the breeze should make it feel a bit better than 3 kts.
Bearing this in mind I'm already considering the race. Here's how I see it, first beat is all about going right. Reasons as follows.
1/hopefully catch stronger current near the cliffs giving the effect of more pressure in the sail.
2/as the night goes on, the likelyhood is for the breeze to go right due to the forecast (west 3 kts at 10pm)
3/sail the rhumb line on the reaches and look for extra pressure on the run.
Having a plan always helps, if things are different to how I predict when I get out there then its always easier to change a plan than to make a new one! Here's mine. I'll probably try to win the starboard end and be first to tack off. I usually don't like early laylines but I think it would be worth trying to 2 tack it on this occasion. Other than that, I reckon some soothing music on the ipod on the way down and a softly softly approach on the tiller will help me stay quick today. Smooth baby.
The weather looks dominated by a fat high pressure slapped over the uk so any breeze is likely to be light until at least next week (bearing in mind most forecasts are only really accurate over 2 to 3 days). Today windguru has aout 3 knots sw for 7pm combined with high cloud cover and high tide at 11pm. With neglible thermal enhancement, I don't see it being more than a light sail. However, a bit of current against the breeze should make it feel a bit better than 3 kts.
Bearing this in mind I'm already considering the race. Here's how I see it, first beat is all about going right. Reasons as follows.
1/hopefully catch stronger current near the cliffs giving the effect of more pressure in the sail.
2/as the night goes on, the likelyhood is for the breeze to go right due to the forecast (west 3 kts at 10pm)
3/sail the rhumb line on the reaches and look for extra pressure on the run.
Having a plan always helps, if things are different to how I predict when I get out there then its always easier to change a plan than to make a new one! Here's mine. I'll probably try to win the starboard end and be first to tack off. I usually don't like early laylines but I think it would be worth trying to 2 tack it on this occasion. Other than that, I reckon some soothing music on the ipod on the way down and a softly softly approach on the tiller will help me stay quick today. Smooth baby.
Friday 14 May 2010
Hints and Tips
Just a quick note to see if anyone is out there?!
Thursday - it paid to go right up the beat to stay out of the tide taking small shifts along the way. Spent a lot of time with the blocks 'popped' for more speed over the steeper chops. Especially on starboard.
Thursday - it paid to go right up the beat to stay out of the tide taking small shifts along the way. Spent a lot of time with the blocks 'popped' for more speed over the steeper chops. Especially on starboard.
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