the
2005 CanAm CL16 Regatta Hilton Beach, August 6-7 photos by Jeff St. Pierre of North Country Photography (click here to see some of Jeff's fabulous nature and wildlife shots) ... |
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Part of
the media crew, Donna Schell and Jake Cormier. ... |
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Start time approaches on
Sunday morning. ... |
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And ... they're off!!!
(click here for slightly larger
version of this photo) ... |
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Peter Foster and his
sister, Peggy, have
their sails in lovely trim as a gust hits them. Letting the boat heel
like this can work in flat water, but only if you briefly let the boat
round up and gain windward distance and then bear away before the boat
loses too much speed. Here, Peter would go faster if he weren't
fighting his massive weather helm (see white water around rudder).
Instead, he should luff up for a second or two, then bear away as the
boat flattens out while easing the main as much as required to almost
eliminate his weather helm.
... |
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It's a close battle down
the run as the leaders try to keep their air clear. ... |
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Al "Three" Gawthrop and
crew, Craig Bouk, move their beauty nicely upwind, but ... ... |
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... once they're both
hiking out, they can afford to crank on more main leech tension for
better pointing or distance made good to windward. A centred traveller
would enable them to do this better. As it is, they can't sheet in
harder here, since that would bring the boom to windward of the centre
line which is - I hear - undesirable. On 3854, we used a fairly low
bridle which gave us the best of both worlds: a bit of
traveller-to-windward effect but also the ability to crank on leech
tension in the windier going of races 2 through 5.
... |
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As luck would have it, the
very next pic that Jeff sent, shows our bridle (click here for
a more detailed explanation of the bridle system). ... |
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Al and Marc start one
of
their runs, heeling slightly to windward to reduce weather helm caused
by a centre of effort that is to leeward of the centre of resistance,
especially on a two-sail run, or even worse, a one-sail run, which is
why you see Lasers heeling so far to windward on a run.
... |
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When not actually
racing,
Marc and Al like to conserve what little energy they have: they
roll-tack well but are absolute virtuosos in the art of lounging. A
good eye will spot Marc (l) wearing his Crabby Crew
shirt, which belies his actual wonderful nature.
... |
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Becky Sylvester and her
anonymous (so far) crew have tons of backwind in the main as they start
a run. Note the white water (turbulence, i.e. slow, not to mention wear
and tear on the rudder) resulting from acute weather helm caused by
even a slight leeward heel on a run when the
boat is going this fast.
... |
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Eric Kirby and Gary Gjos
(2469) in a good upwind battle with an unidentified boat. How hard was
it blowing? It was blowing so hard that the numbers got blown off the
windward boat's main!! ... |
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John Kupers and daughter,
Laura, show fine upwind form - note the admirable hiking effort being
made, too! - on their way to scoring a fine series 5th!! ... |
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Quick! Who has right of way
here? If you answered Mac and Nick Thomas in 1142, you were right. 1142
is on starboard tack, and Three (in 2767) is on port and will have to
keep clear. ... |
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Bill Hibbard and Charles
McLaughlin in 1186 have some catching up to do as the fleet nears the
windward mark. The upper leech of their main appears to be falling off
to leeward which won't help their performance to windward!! ... |
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Eric Kirby (1143), Becky
Sylvester (2756) and Winnipeg's Glenn Penner (1916) are in a close
fight as they begin their second beat while a mess of boats nears the
end of the second reach of a triangle course. |
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