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.