We had the last race at St George on Saturday, Dave won as usual but the gusty westerly was a good finale.
Since I sold Tiger on a Chain last week, I am now back to development work on Karma. I had some issues with the flap mechanism, mainsheet and mast bend, but I am happy to have spent a considerable time on the water without breaking a thing. So with the hope that the structural issues are over for now, I get to work on the refinements needed to these systems at least for a start.
The unstayed mast now has diamond struts equal to regular spreaders and although it was bending a bit more than needed for adequate leach tension, it felt secure and stable and gave me confidnece that it will make the grade with a bit more work. I will add a forestay next week so it will be rigged much like the canoe, except the mast is about half the diameter.
The weekend before I tried regular stays and forestay with normal length spreaders and prod. I found that the friction in the mast step/bearing was excesive under the staying loads and the rig did not rotate freely enough for comfort. I also broke the main foil T, so last week saw a T rebuild, discarding the removable T insert and building in a more substantial structure.
We have 4 races at the Balmoral winter series in May so I get a few more tests of the boat before a winter break. Hopefully enough to decide what systems will be viable for next season. Will probably get a purpose made sail for the rig over the winter as the mast bend profile does not match the KA very well.
Still no good photos of Karma, wait for some reasonable sailing performance before its worthwhile.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
When should we sail?
Last week I expressed my disapointment in getting only 2 race results and no series from 3 days of saling. I upset a few people in the process, but in the end I did get some concessions that we should have had some results from Friday and Sunday afternoon.
Along with the things we disagree upon, we agreed that the requirement for 5 races over NSW easter is optimisic and that plus, some debate about what winds we should sail in, has Scott and I as IMCA aust, preparing a regatta guidelines document to hopefully get a result in future if the wind is less than co operative.
Here comes the controverial bit.
John McAteer with his legal memory recalls an IMCA Aust decision that 3kts is the minimum we should sail in. Meanwhile the guidlines prepared for Weymouth Worlds last year specified a 5kt minimum. There was obvious feeling amoungst the sailors last week and on the blogs this week that some do not enjoy light weather. They include many who have joined the moth fleet due to the attraction of foiling, but also some who have been around longer. My personal feeling is that if the wind is consistant enough in direction for a course to be set and for the leaders to complete one lap within the time imit, then racing should be on.
I have lobbied to resist the raising of the minimum wind limit, and similarly the lowering of the max limit.
On that note a significant part of both the 2005 WC at Black Rock and the 2008 WC at Weymouth were lost when the Race Committee decided there would be no sailing when at least some of the time there were sailors who considered racing should have been on.
If we continue to compress these limits we will restrict the locations where moth sailing is viable and restrict the market of potential moth sailors. Why go to a class and a regatta if most of the time is spent waiting for ideal conditions.
While some lightweights might lobby for a 8kts min so they can foil in all races, with the same logic, equity would require a 12kt limit so the +80kg saiors can foil as well. There is no point chasing that one. So if we have a limit which requires some people to sail off foils we should have a limit which requires all to sail off foils.
Sailing off the foils should continue to be part of mothing. Just as sailing in 25kts and waves should remain.
At present we propose to include the (JMAC) Aust limits, Scott's first draft of wording is:
No racing when gusts exceed 25 knots for 30 seconds, and any gusts over 30 knots; no races to be started in under 3 knots; and racing shall be abandoned when winds drop below 2 knots for over 5 minutes.
Just how these are measured and assessed can also be debated.
I would also like to change the number of races required for short series, ie 2 or 3 days like Easter. 4 should be enough. And we should also give the Race Committee some help in deciding when a race should be shortenned, (maybe after 40 minutes for one lap of a two lapper, and 65minutes for 2 laps of a three lapper), based on the 90 minute time limit (and if that should be reduced?), when a shorter course should be used (obvious light winds and to keep racing close to launching area) and when a race should be abandonned.
The other thing which came out of the weekend was that the new boats which are obviously superior at foiling were no better than the old boats when not foiling. Also Pete was only slightly quicker with no foils than equivalent boats with foils.
Before foils, moths were amounst the fastest boats in light winds. Now we are by far the fastest small boat in moderate to high winds but the edge in light winds is no longer obvious.
So If we decide to to continue racing in light winds we have an obvious opportunity to consider what improvemnets can be made to modern moth design to improve light wind speed without affecting foiling performance.
Development should never end.
Along with the things we disagree upon, we agreed that the requirement for 5 races over NSW easter is optimisic and that plus, some debate about what winds we should sail in, has Scott and I as IMCA aust, preparing a regatta guidelines document to hopefully get a result in future if the wind is less than co operative.
Here comes the controverial bit.
John McAteer with his legal memory recalls an IMCA Aust decision that 3kts is the minimum we should sail in. Meanwhile the guidlines prepared for Weymouth Worlds last year specified a 5kt minimum. There was obvious feeling amoungst the sailors last week and on the blogs this week that some do not enjoy light weather. They include many who have joined the moth fleet due to the attraction of foiling, but also some who have been around longer. My personal feeling is that if the wind is consistant enough in direction for a course to be set and for the leaders to complete one lap within the time imit, then racing should be on.
I have lobbied to resist the raising of the minimum wind limit, and similarly the lowering of the max limit.
On that note a significant part of both the 2005 WC at Black Rock and the 2008 WC at Weymouth were lost when the Race Committee decided there would be no sailing when at least some of the time there were sailors who considered racing should have been on.
If we continue to compress these limits we will restrict the locations where moth sailing is viable and restrict the market of potential moth sailors. Why go to a class and a regatta if most of the time is spent waiting for ideal conditions.
While some lightweights might lobby for a 8kts min so they can foil in all races, with the same logic, equity would require a 12kt limit so the +80kg saiors can foil as well. There is no point chasing that one. So if we have a limit which requires some people to sail off foils we should have a limit which requires all to sail off foils.
Sailing off the foils should continue to be part of mothing. Just as sailing in 25kts and waves should remain.
At present we propose to include the (JMAC) Aust limits, Scott's first draft of wording is:
No racing when gusts exceed 25 knots for 30 seconds, and any gusts over 30 knots; no races to be started in under 3 knots; and racing shall be abandoned when winds drop below 2 knots for over 5 minutes.
Just how these are measured and assessed can also be debated.
I would also like to change the number of races required for short series, ie 2 or 3 days like Easter. 4 should be enough. And we should also give the Race Committee some help in deciding when a race should be shortenned, (maybe after 40 minutes for one lap of a two lapper, and 65minutes for 2 laps of a three lapper), based on the 90 minute time limit (and if that should be reduced?), when a shorter course should be used (obvious light winds and to keep racing close to launching area) and when a race should be abandonned.
The other thing which came out of the weekend was that the new boats which are obviously superior at foiling were no better than the old boats when not foiling. Also Pete was only slightly quicker with no foils than equivalent boats with foils.
Before foils, moths were amounst the fastest boats in light winds. Now we are by far the fastest small boat in moderate to high winds but the edge in light winds is no longer obvious.
So If we decide to to continue racing in light winds we have an obvious opportunity to consider what improvemnets can be made to modern moth design to improve light wind speed without affecting foiling performance.
Development should never end.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Stuffed up weekend
We spent three days at Woolahra SC waiting for racing, watching other people sail and got three starts and 2 finishes out of an 8 race schedule. So there is no NSW champion for 2009 because 5 races were required.
Yes there were long periods when the wind was too light or variable for the SC to set a course but there were other times like all of this afternoon when there was raceable winds but where we did not get to race.
Admittedly there was never enough wind for foiling even for the lightweights, but there was enough for the 12ft skiffs to get more races than we had. But thats sailing and that easter in NSW. Its almost always a light wind series. I have been doing easter regattas in a lot of classes since about 1967 and have never before lost a regatta result because insufficient races were completed.
For those who would rather be foiling the whole race maybe easter is the wrong regatta for them. For those of us who do best in the light winds we feel like we were robbed of a good result by a less than enthusiastic race committee.
For what its worth this is what happened on the track.
Friday, AP till some wind came at 3.00, Race got underway at 4.00 with half the fleet unable to make the start due to not being ready to launch when AP was dropped and getting stuck in a hole on the way out.
Consistant 5-8kts and Pete Harney lead in his Hungry Tiger with old style centreboard and rudder, ie no foils. I was 2nd just ahead of a chasing bunch of light weights.
Late arrivals expressed angst to RC who responded by hoising N. Too late for resail in fading wind, day and two races lost. Pete and I protested arguing race should have been shortened not abandonned, we lost .
Saturday: Missed last of early morning westerly at scheduled 10.00 start so waited again till 3.00. Got one 2 lap race in 5kts NE. Scott won from Nathan, Pete was about 4th. I was 6th. No time for another race. Would have been if the race was shortened to one lap.
Sunday, This time we went out and got the early westerly at 10.00. But then we gaot went home as it dies a little and then came back again long enough to have another start. Probably not enough for a whole race but all together there was enough for a couple of one lappers.
Pete won , I substituted my old CB for main foil and slid home 4th, Scott, Nathan and other stars were behind.
We waited till 1.00 when the NE came back and the RC decided he could not get three races in before 4.00 so canned everything. Pack up, two races only No result.
But at least I was 4th on the card after 2 for what little it matters.
a lille pissed off.
Yes there were long periods when the wind was too light or variable for the SC to set a course but there were other times like all of this afternoon when there was raceable winds but where we did not get to race.
Admittedly there was never enough wind for foiling even for the lightweights, but there was enough for the 12ft skiffs to get more races than we had. But thats sailing and that easter in NSW. Its almost always a light wind series. I have been doing easter regattas in a lot of classes since about 1967 and have never before lost a regatta result because insufficient races were completed.
For those who would rather be foiling the whole race maybe easter is the wrong regatta for them. For those of us who do best in the light winds we feel like we were robbed of a good result by a less than enthusiastic race committee.
For what its worth this is what happened on the track.
Friday, AP till some wind came at 3.00, Race got underway at 4.00 with half the fleet unable to make the start due to not being ready to launch when AP was dropped and getting stuck in a hole on the way out.
Consistant 5-8kts and Pete Harney lead in his Hungry Tiger with old style centreboard and rudder, ie no foils. I was 2nd just ahead of a chasing bunch of light weights.
Late arrivals expressed angst to RC who responded by hoising N. Too late for resail in fading wind, day and two races lost. Pete and I protested arguing race should have been shortened not abandonned, we lost .
Saturday: Missed last of early morning westerly at scheduled 10.00 start so waited again till 3.00. Got one 2 lap race in 5kts NE. Scott won from Nathan, Pete was about 4th. I was 6th. No time for another race. Would have been if the race was shortened to one lap.
Sunday, This time we went out and got the early westerly at 10.00. But then we gaot went home as it dies a little and then came back again long enough to have another start. Probably not enough for a whole race but all together there was enough for a couple of one lappers.
Pete won , I substituted my old CB for main foil and slid home 4th, Scott, Nathan and other stars were behind.
We waited till 1.00 when the NE came back and the RC decided he could not get three races in before 4.00 so canned everything. Pack up, two races only No result.
But at least I was 4th on the card after 2 for what little it matters.
a lille pissed off.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Ready for NSW Champs
After the last sail of Karma showing up a few faults I decided that it was best to stick with Tiger for the easter state championships So I have spent some time checking and preparing the old boat for the event. Meanwhile I have decided to change a few details on Karma which have put it out of service for a few days, so no more testing till after easter.
But Tiger is looking good. I have fine sanded the foils and fixed some slop in the twist tiller mechanism.
Raced Tiger last week in a solid 20kt southerly, and had a good race with Steve and Andrew, staying within one swim or a couple of minutes all the way around. Great rides too.
Easter in NSW is traditionally light, rainy and or fresh. This year the forecast looks like some drizzle with 10kts Friday, less on sunday and hopefully a 12-15 NE on Sunday. Monday we get to watch the 12s who's event goes for 4 days. Should be good enough, with my drift conditions most likely on saturday.
There should be a couple of new Mach2s arriving today for Scott and Robbo, so we will see how good te production boats loook and go. AMAC promises to be here too with the #1 Geelong boat.
Not sure about Bladerider presence. Only know of John Harris but he has not raced moths since Geelong.
But Tiger is looking good. I have fine sanded the foils and fixed some slop in the twist tiller mechanism.
Raced Tiger last week in a solid 20kt southerly, and had a good race with Steve and Andrew, staying within one swim or a couple of minutes all the way around. Great rides too.
Easter in NSW is traditionally light, rainy and or fresh. This year the forecast looks like some drizzle with 10kts Friday, less on sunday and hopefully a 12-15 NE on Sunday. Monday we get to watch the 12s who's event goes for 4 days. Should be good enough, with my drift conditions most likely on saturday.
There should be a couple of new Mach2s arriving today for Scott and Robbo, so we will see how good te production boats loook and go. AMAC promises to be here too with the #1 Geelong boat.
Not sure about Bladerider presence. Only know of John Harris but he has not raced moths since Geelong.
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