Close cross

[Jackdaw]

Guys, It is racing. It is about deciding you can make it and making it. You win. Miss it, you get DQ'd and you have to pay the damage. That is what draws the best to the experience. The only thing that bothered me when I raced was to be racing against novice folk at the start line.

Yes. And more to the point, it's about knowing what side of the course you want to be on. It's like buying and selling stock. One of you is right, the other is wrong. So factoring in you being on port or startboard, you decide if you cross, duck, wave them across, or Lee-bow. It's about where you want to be.

 

[Jackdaw]

Rule tip:

As a starboard tacker, you of course have ROW, but the key thing is you have to be able to use it. If you turn down lengths before a crossing boat, they will (rightly) claim your ROW was not impinged.

In mixed class races I have 'cruiser-mostly' boats screaming 'starboard' at me from miles away.

So have your mainsheet trimmer ready to ease. If you get within a length or so and your bow is in front of their mast, ease and turn down. Then protest.

 

[Jackdaw]

Nice shot by the club photog! The telephoto lens makes it look even closer!

To add a sense of how close it was, you have to remember the the J/27 is almost 3 feet longer than BlueJ!

 

[Apex]

nice closing speed

 

[Bill19233]

Good point about photo compression. I was just noting the port/starboard tack positions.

Noted, the port/starboard tack positions was why I added the photo to the thread. Like Jackdaw says, you have to use your starboard tack rights. If I'm on starboard crossing a fully crewed race boat with half a dozen crew on the rail, I hold my course as straight as I can and am pretty confident he will make it or that he will duck or tack if he can't. But, If I'm on starboard crossing a cruiser with full dodger and bimini and can't see any of the crew, I will show some apprehension about pushing my "unburdened" status and duck a little earlier than others on the race course might. Especially since an ill timed gust can make my wing keeled boat round up if I don't ease the main on time.

 

[All U Get]

Like I said......

All U Get

 

[Iriegal]

Race day last year. It was a float fest - NO WIND. My competition claimed she had right of way because she was leeward, but I argued that there was no leeward because there was no wind. We just pushed the boats off one another and floated on our way. We still laugh about it.

 

[JRacer]

Here is one from the old days on the Texas Circuit - My J was bow # 15.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

So JD, in the video, it appeared that the J boat was tacking just as the stern was passing thru the edge of the view. Perhaps that was the wide angle of the lens, but did they attempt to cover you? It would seem that they may have been too late to put you in their shadow. If you had clean air and lee bow, that would give you the advantage even tho they crossed your bow, no? Perhaps they should have continued their course instead of tacking? (assuming they were tacking, as it appeared to me with just a glimpse of it) edit: (except that the photograph makes it pretty clear they weren't tacking right after the cross - it must be the wide angle that gave the appearance).

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Like I said......

All U Get

I love that movie. Sue and I just watched it again recently (bought it on Amzon). As hoakie as some people think, it has some incredible sailing footage.

 

[Jackdaw]

So JD, in the video, it appeared that the J boat was tacking just as the stern was passing thru the edge of the view. Perhaps that was the wide angle of the lens, but did they attempt to cover you? It would seem that they may have been too late to put you in their shadow. If you had clean air and lee bow, that would give you the advantage even tho they crossed your bow, no? Perhaps they should have continued their course instead of tacking? (assuming they were tacking, as it appeared to me with just a glimpse of it) edit: (except that the photograph makes it pretty clear they weren't tacking right after the cross - it must be the wide angle that gave the appearance).

No they kept going. We wanted to go right at that time. They didn't. It was actually the 3rd time (of 5) we came together in this race. Which is bad for them because they owe us huge time. We crossed the finish within seconds of each other, we won and they got 5th. You can see them around us several times in this vid taken from different places in the race. We just out-sailed them.

 

[All U Get]

I love that movie. Sue and I just watched it again recently (bought it on Amzon). As hoakie as some people think, it has some incredible sailing footage.

Same here, but when our boat gets going that fast I don't breath so good.

All U Get

 

[Scott T-Bird]

No they kept going. We wanted to go right at that time. They didn't.

I suppose the whole strategy of covering doesn't really apply in handicap racing. Summer is getting cooler in Minnesota, eh? I remember snow flakes up by the Gunflint Trail in late August back in 1977.

 

[Jackdaw]

I suppose the whole strategy of covering doesn't really apply in handicap racing. Summer is getting cooler in Minnesota, eh? I remember snow flakes up by the Gunflint Trail in late August back in 1977.

Sure it does. Even more than in OD. But what you do depends on whats going on on the course, just like anything else.

In the particular case, him being next to us (slower rated) on the last upwind means that they are 99% chance going to lose to us. Almost no way that can make up all that handicap on one leg. Now what do you do? If he stays (lose cover) with us and sails well he will lose to us for sure, but maybe do OK against the rest of the boats in the fleet (who we also beat). If he's looking for the WIN at all cost then he separates to create leverage, it is his ONLY CHANCE TO BEAT US, but he has to figure we're doing something right, so that's probably going to be worse than better. So he stays kinda close, finishes next to us, and corrects mid-pack.

Yes the summer is starting to turn. I love this time of year!

 

[jimshipsky]

I love that clip from Wind.
While I hesitate to ask, I trust there are other followers who don't know either: What ARE those boats?

 

[Davidasailor26]

I love that clip from Wind.
While I hesitate to ask, I trust there are other followers who don't know either: What ARE those boats?

12 metre class. Used in the Americas Cup for quite a few years - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/12-metre_class

 

[JRacer]

I love that clip from Wind.
While I hesitate to ask, I trust there are other followers who don't know either: What ARE those boats?

"Lead Bottomed Money Gobblers"

 

[kloudie1]

Those are Americas Cup boats from back in the day.. No advertising was allowed nor were computers nor communications with shoreside during the race.. Real sailboats that had dudes on them that did more than pump up hydraulics.. BUT, I do like the big foiling cats too; whole different ballgame.. yeah, I may be a Luddite

 

[Jackdaw]

Those are Americas Cup boats from back in the day.. No advertising was allowed nor were computers nor communications with shoreside during the race.. Real sailboats that had dudes on them that did more than pump up hydraulics.. BUT, I do like the big foiling cats too; whole different ballgame.. yeah, I may be a Luddite

Computers have ALWAYS been allowed, and indeed where on as soon as it was practical. The first CPU on an AC boat had a 300lb battery! For most of late 80s and 90s, most 12m AC boats had fiendishly clever programs written on HP-programmable calculators.

No shore comms ever, that was true then and still true now.