Big breeze mayhem!

Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Couple of years ago a big WYC J/24 fall regatta was held in 25 knots of gusty, shifty breeze. As expected, chaos reigned. Happily, Penalty Box Productions was there to catch the action.

Puff on!

 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Years ago, liming about at the BEYC and tiring of the endless rum drinks I decided that maybe I should avail myself of the racer-boy expertise at the club sailing school and pick up some spinnaker training. I was assigned two stout young crazies and a J-24 for the task. Off we went across North Sound in strong Christmas trade winds 25 gusting over 30. Pole set, spinnaker ready, up it went and off we shot to Limrick Bay in what seemed like 4 minutes. Turn around, beat back up and do it again. The gybes were insane. It wasn't until years later that I realized just how insane that lesson had been. The thing was, my instructors were so enthusiastic and jazzed by the "lesson", I never had a chance to consider we could have sunk the damn J.
 
Nov 26, 2012
1,653
Hunter 34 Berkeley
OK. That looks a bit hairy as races go but the music just does not fit. That music should go with some REALLY extreme like motocross or wingsuit flying.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
I dunno... I think that marker has a big magnet like they use in roulette wheels.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
I dunno... I think that marker has a big magnet like they use in roulette wheels.
A HUGE source of mayhem in one-design races in breeze. You can see boats on starboard but slightly BELOW the mark get into the zone with rights and then try and 'shoot the mark' by luffing up and over the mark with ROW. A winning strategy in moderate breeze, but the waves stop the light boat in its tracks and it stalls. It looses way and slides backwards. Then a shit show results.
 

DaveJ

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Apr 2, 2013
449
Catalina 310 Niagara-on-the-Lake
Wow! Near the end there was a boat with a blue spinnaker and a huge bow wave, any guesses how fast it was sailing?
 
Aug 12, 2014
213
Universal Marine Montego 25 San Pedro, CA
Seriously Dave, that planing boat throwing up the huge spray off the bow is something else. I'll not guess so as to not embarrass myself.

Looks like "fun" and not my kind of sailing in terms of my boat and singlehanded as I generally am. :biggrin:

Yeah, fun o_O
knockdown.jpg
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Wow! Near the end there was a boat with a blue spinnaker and a huge bow wave, any guesses how fast it was sailing?
Probably 10 knots. And 10 knots on a J24 is a hair raising experience.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
The thing was, my instructors were so enthusiastic and jazzed by the "lesson", I never had a chance to consider we could have sunk the damn J.
Indeed. The j24 has an AVS (Angle of Vanishing Stability) of LESS THAN 90 DEGREES. They go down like stones all the time.
 

JRacer

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Aug 9, 2011
1,331
Beneteau 310 Cheney KS (Wichita)
Probably 10 knots. And 10 knots on a J24 is a hair raising experience.
Second That! We went close aboard the committee boat planning like that one time and the RC were all pointing and howling. The PRO still talks about that and that was probably 20 years ago. Made for some good entertainment.
 

PaulK

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Dec 1, 2009
1,222
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
Windy, but not too wavy. Seems like people had their chutes out farther than they should have, with many getting by the lee and getting pulled over. The boats at the end seem to have gotten their acts together better, keeping the boat under the spinnaker in heavy air.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Windy, but not too wavy. Seems like people had their chutes out farther than they should have, with many getting by the lee and getting pulled over. The boats at the end seem to have gotten their acts together better, keeping the boat under the spinnaker in heavy air.
Indeed!
With that direction of breeze the max fetch is only 2 miles, not a lot of room for waves to build up. The film was the highlights (lowlights??) of a two day regatta, so only the zany stuff shows. The puffs in a fall blow here usually hit as a 15-20 degree shift, making spinnaker work interesting.
 

LuzSD

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Feb 21, 2009
1,009
Catalina 30 San Diego/ Dana Point, Ca.
WOW, what fun sitting in a warm house at my desk watching such chaos. I have to say though, some little part of me wishes I was there! Thanks Jackdaw, always can count on you for some entertainment!
 
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LuzSD

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Feb 21, 2009
1,009
Catalina 30 San Diego/ Dana Point, Ca.
OK. That looks a bit hairy as races go but the music just does not fit. That music should go with some REALLY extreme like motocross or wingsuit flying.

I completely agree...... that 'music' was so distracting. ugh!
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
WOW, what fun sitting in a warm house at my desk watching such chaos. I have to say though, some little part of me wishes I was there! Thanks Jackdaw, always can count on you for some entertainment!
Indeed entertaining, either watching on video, or in person with the added bonus of the schadenfreude as you pass some boat with their spinnaker in major distress.
 

PaulK

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Dec 1, 2009
1,222
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
We have an annual race that one year would have made for some interesting film footage, except that it's in September, covers 70 miles, and starts at 19h00, so it is pitch dark for most of it. It was blowing 30 knots with rain and 6' waves for the first 35 miles - upwind. The return was nicer because it stopped raining. The best part was the upwind start, with the 12 boats all on tight on port tack, aiming to clear a buoy off a point about a mile from the start. With the fleet bouncing along about half way to the buoy, what should round it coming the other way, in the dark, in the waves, in the rain, but a 120' ketch, under power with it's spreader lights on, heading in to a wedding at the golf club next door. Imagine his surprise on a Friday night suddenly seeing twelve sets of running lights all aimed right at him. Slalom, anyone?
We ended up getting 2nd to a J/109. If I did it over I'd use the spinnaker on that last leg.