LennieG Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Enjoyed Eye candy post Gordy! Here is an Olympic race with a Lazer race. Good stuff- enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Watson Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 ...thought about replying to this, but I realized there was nothing to say, so I didn't... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LennieG Posted September 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 Lynn-Did you laugh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Potts Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 As a current member of a British Colony that is home to many of our Irish brothers (bless their hearts) I thought it was quite entertaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Watson Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Yes I did indeed laugh, Lennie, and I thank you for putting up this clip. It's from the '12 Olympics if I recall and was universally voted the best sports commentary of the entire games. If only the real sailing event blather was this entertaining! Here's something to put the madmen in the Lasers into perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=NKusg6Jyc9Y Makes the Norfolk Broads look pretty attractive too. cheers, Lynn ...don't watch the clip while you're eating breakfast, as I did... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Not sure what the condition of "Anita" was, but looks to me like she is clearly out of control and in trouble. I've always been of the opinion that once you lose control and stop sailing, the best thing to do is to stop sailing. Time to "heave to". He should get is headsail down, and get a piece of his mizzen up and let the wind weathercock his bow into the wind and waves, where it should ride out the storm in relative comfort. In my mind, one of the great benefits of the cat ketch rigs is the ability to heave to, or park itself in the water. In rough conditions, it may be one of the best safety devices you have. Something everyone should practice now and then under normal conditions, so you know how to do it when it all hits the fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Potts Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 It looked to me like they were staying pretty dry, considering. Those waves must have been pretty exciting, though, given that waves never look as big on video as they do in real life. I think the video was a little too short to tell if they were corkscrewing out of control or just turning into the wind to try something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LennieG Posted September 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Scary- as I learn to sail I will need to remember what Howard said and remember this video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Watson Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 I went looking for the back story, but there's not a lot in English. Late nineties off the German coast in relatively shallow water, which could account for the horrific sea state. One source said that they took a wave aboard that mashed up the house and possible damaged the miz. It looks kinda like old storm slop and not much wind. I would certainly try to get more sail up and some speed through the water. Unless of course I was lying on the sole with a broken leg, barfing into the bilges... I totally agree with Howard about split rigs in small boats. The mizzen more than makes up for its expense and bother. Leave it up at anchor and the boat will lie quietly and not sail back and forth like a sloop. You can heave to positively at any angle to the wind you want, by sheeting the miz in more or less. And in a hard chance, there's the option of motorsailing to weather with a reefed mizzen and nothing else up; it'll hold the head up and keep you going better than just a motor. Phew! All this talk of hard chances -- I'd better go for a nice calm sail. cheers, Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Hmmm......let's see........German Coast (assume that is Friesland) and Norfolk Broads? Put those two together and you have the setting for "Shadow in the Sands". Sequel to "Riddle of the Sands". http://www.amazon.com/The-Shadow-In-Sands/dp/0753122774 They outta make "Shadow" into a movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAR Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 What I see in the video is an old CCA style of yacht in a following sea, trying to keep a course, as the stern gets lifted and tossed to the side, from the swells. This is a situation where the skipper is just constantly fighting the helm to maintain a course and it's often best to say screw the course and take the seas on the quarter. This way you know which way the boat is going to get tossed, you correct as you climb the next wave on the bow, square up on the crest and surf the face, knowing the next swell will lift your stern and pitch you to the side you've decided to take it on. In that video, I see her trying to move square down wind, which isn't the best approach, again, because you don't know which way the stern will get tossed. The only reason to do this is if you're near a shoal and have no choice, but to maintain a specific heading, so you can clear. I agree in that the jib should be down, but the mizzen should also be doused and working under heavily reefed main or trisail, if the winds are strong enough. They don't appear to be high enough to warrant a trisail, so a double or triple reefed main would be a much more effective sail. Sailing in a heavy slosh takes lots of practice and some serious helm time, in these conditions. In one swell set, she nearly manages to broach, which on these boats is inexcusable, considering their appendage configuration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Looks to me like she is underpowered for a boat sailing with a following sea and a good chance to broach. You have to be able to keep a decent speed through the water to keep a good helm so the waves coming up from behind don't totally take control. I would use either a reefed main as Paul suggests or a jib and mizzen or storm jib and reefed mizzen. I would start the wave from behind on the quarter and head down a little as it progressed through me. This is what I did actually on my first off-shore storm. We also trailed a warp (long heavy line with a big knot in the end) behind us. This helps keep your tail down at the top of the wave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAR Posted September 6, 2014 Report Share Posted September 6, 2014 After looking into this incident a bit, the video was taken just after she'd taken a big wave and it stripped a few falls out of the main sheet and also some damage to the mizzen and they had a leak. They doused both sails and were sorting things out when caught in these set of swells, which may not be indicative of the way the boat is usually handled. They were towed safely to port a few hours later. Winds in the video aren't very high, maybe 25 at most, judging be the wave face conditions and appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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