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The Wayfarer
Midwinters of 2005 |
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The top three approach the
leeward gate for the first time, |
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The non-spi boats hang in
nicely here as Joe (1115) and Mike battle under
spinnaker.
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The
first few begin beat #2: Note how Al is sailing in
pinching mode (main leech tight) and as upright as
possible in order to better backwind his buddy,
Peter (93). Nick (l) is wisely footing off a
bit to try for clear air. Eddie Kraft (6751) has had
a fine white sails only run, moving into 4th place,
and still being very much a threat in this race. ... |
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Geoff (9483) prepares to
round the left-hand mark of the gate and set off in
pursuit of Mike (2959) and Sam. |
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Uncle
Al, a study in good pointing: Notice how Al and Marc
are hiking down the heeling SHADES and that
Al let her luff up until the jib has begun to luff.
But before she can slow down too much, Al is now
bearing away just a bit. In a bigger puff, Al would
ease the main as needed, but here ... ... |
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...
the worst (best??) of the puff has passed, and Al is
able to keep his main in maximum pointing mode, i.e.
block to block where the boom meets the bridle. This
is an illustration of why your bridle does not want
to be too long: if you reach the block to block
position before you get lots of main leech tension,
you won't point as well as you could be pointing. As
I pointed out last night in an e-mail to Morris
Metcalf: "The key is not
to have the bridle too long, i.e. if in doubt,
shorten it. We sail mostly in relatively light airs
and a bridle that is too long will kill your
pointing because it either keeps you from using all
the leech tension your mainsail can tolerate in the
medium breezes ... (and pointing ability is directly
proportional to main leech tension!!!), or
you will have to vang to get the desired
leech tension but that will (a) depower your main
needlessly, and (b) keep you from centering the boom
(also a key pointing ingredient!). In the really
light stuff, I have found that the short bridle
doesn't seem to cost me anything, even though my
boom ends up off centre (off the corner off the
transom in the real drifters - see pic of Andrew
Gumley from the Worlds below).
I think this is because when it
gets really light, sheeting the boom off centre a
bit gives the sail a greater % of forward force,
something the centreboard appreciates since it
does not function at peak efficiency in the really
slow going." ... |
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While Peter Hylen and Mike
Tighe get set to pass through the gate and start the
second beat,
you can see above, how Peter and Frank - outstanding pointers in their own right ... ... |
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... do pretty much the same
thing here. Meanwhile, Morris approaches the
gate. |
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Nick
has his upper leech telltale on the edge of showing
a stall which is perfect, but will want to angle his
spreaders ... |
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Ed Kraft could also use a bit
more vang > mast bend. This would flatten his
main, get rid of some backwind, and
at the same time depower the main. This in turn would make it a bit easier for Ed and John to keep the boat flat. ... |
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Jim Lingeman does the work of
two people as he begins his beat. It looks like he
could use a bit more jib
halyard tension to flatten the jib entry and point higher in these fairly waveless waters. Here, he is preparing to ... ... |
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... tack, cross Geoff
Edwards, and then ... |
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... challenge Peter Hylen.
Meanwhile, Robert Hart also rounds the left-hand
gate mark. |
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As
Robert continues a most relaxed rounding, Jim (2136)
is Mr. Nice Guy, as he bears off and lets the
port-tack Peter Hylen cross. This is a strategically
sound move, if Jim really wants to go to the
left side of the beat. Forcing the port- starboard
issue would likely make Peter tack and lee-bow Jim,
who would then have to tack again and go right, at
least for a while. And when you're sailing solo,
lots of tacks are the last thing you want! ... |
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As Bob Frick and Peter Every
(3636) prepare to gybe around the left-hand mark and
Ted Benedict and Donna Clark prepare
to gybe at the other end of the gate, Morris Metcalf and Andrew Parks (10245) seem to be taking the "wide and close" ... ... |
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... approach to rounding a
bit far, but look at ... |
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... this: they come out of it
well placed and with fine speed!! |
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Here,
Bob Frick's crew, Peter Every, (l) should do
what Marc does for me - sheet the jib in part way,
cleat it, and then use both hands to
the main in faster for the helm. Like I used to say
to my Junior sailors: You could drive a garbage
truck through the hole you've left here! ... |
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Bob and Peter get set to
pursue Mike and Patricia. |
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Robert and Tony get the nice
little puff that has already passed Peter and Frank. |
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Good upwind form for Morris
and Andrew: weight in the classic position - helm's
knee against the thwart, crew up near the shroud.
Perhaps both sails could come in just a tiny titch
further now that Murphy's Law is chomping
along so well!?
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Enjoying his run to the
fullest is Dave Hepting. |
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Ed
and John near the end of the beat in nice form.
Personally, I would be tempted to crank on a bit
more mainsheet tension and invite my crew to
demonstrate his hiking capabilities. It has been my
experience that, once the boat wants you to hike, it
is nearly impossible to "oversheet" the main, i.e. I
crank it in as hard as I can, just like ... ... |
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... Gale is doing here, with
Tyler hiking in exemplary fashion for such a short
puff that ... |
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... is already letting up a
bit here. |
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A quick tack, and Gale and
Tyler are off towards the mark. |
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2005
W
Midwinters |