A reminder to all of us to sail conservatively

[Seaslug Caravan]

From todays WAGS at RYCQ??

[Heg]

Blimey! I hope all onboard were ok. Does anyone know what happened? Run aground then went over maybe ?

[Factor]

Not only is everyone ok, but boat is back up and sailing. As for sailing conservatively, they were racing and this is a fast boat, sailed hard by a good sailor- and e boat is a bit of a Heinz. here is how the owner describes it when interviewed at Hammo.

“This was once a Rogers 36”, said Drew Carruthers standing at the stern of his catamaran Rushour, which is sailing in the Multihull Racing division. “I turned it into a 40-foot Rogers and then I couldn’t sell it, so I turned it into a 50-footer. I cut it up with a chainsaw and I guess there’s no Rogers in it anymore!” he said with a wry smile.

The performance gain in stretching his boat is evidently paying dividends if day one of Race Week is anything to go by. “We hit a top speed of 28.5 knots. We started out 200m ahead of Wild Oats XI as we left Dent Passage and ended up still 200m ahead when we reached South Molle Island.”

when he says he cut it up with a chainsaw he isn't joking.

So lets just accept that race boats raced hard occasionally have a little oopsy - nothing to see here, it will be racing again next week.

[Heg]

A ‘ little oopsy’ in your eyes , but people could have been seriously injured. I’m a cruiser, not a racer , but yours seems a very reckless attitude

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Heg

A ‘ little oopsy’ in your eyes , but people could have been seriously injured. I’m a cruiser, not a racer , but yours seems a very reckless attitude

Dont lecture me, go and lecture them - its over on U row at RQYS

[Factor]

And for the record - mast intact and all on board okay

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Heg

A ‘ little oopsy’ in your eyes , but people could have been seriously injured. I’m a cruiser, not a racer , but yours seems a very reckless attitude

Each to his own.

People can get seriously injured in any "racing" sport, it's the choice you make when you decide to take part.

But the risk of serious injury in a capsize like this is pretty low.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by StuM

Each to his own.

People can get seriously injured in any "racing" sport, it's the choice you make when you decide to take part.

But the risk of serious injury in a capsize like this is pretty low.

Yeah, someone slams their car into armco at 80 kph its a bad thing, Seb Vettel smacks the armco at 220 kph, its not quiet as big a deal

[malbert73]

That’s amazing the rig held up on the bottom at that angle without breaking!!

[catsketcher]

Ever since I raced my second multi I came across a twist in multi sailing I can't quite get happy with. When racing my Twiggy in Sydney, I wanted to back off but didn't because there was another boat next to me that I was racing. So I kept on pushing, it worried me then - 30 years ago. Haven't stopped since.

When I race monos, good sailors go well by putting the correct amount of sail up, not just heaps of sail. Too much sail makes the boat slow, whereas in a multi "too much" sail is faster until you get over the edge. The mono makes you more seaworthy by broaching, lying flat or getting too much weather helm. The boat tells you off, then you take some sail off and get back into it. A multi just lets you keep on putting the pedal down until bad things happen - it is up to the crew to back off. Racers don't like backing off - our boats are too well mannered to make us. Great for cruising but not so great for social or beer can racing on a performance cat.

I get to offend two groups with my bias - I love multis for cruising and monos for racing. Monos are often on that edge of too much power that takes lots of skill to navigate. Multis are either underpowered or flying a hull and don't like you making a big mistake with too much sail and a big gust.

To be truthful I don't think multis will ever be the dominant club racer type because of this lack of vices. If this had happened out in deep water the damage would have been in the thousands, maybe tens of thousands and people may have been hurt. If a mono had pushed it too much in a gust the boat would have broached or rounded up and then people would have kept going with a reef in. Each to their own but I am sure this is bad press for racing cats in many people's eyes. If the rating rule punished cats that lifted a hull in less than 25 knots then I would feel happier about racing multis. They would be lots slower though.

cheers and have fun racing whatever you want. I will probably on a dinghy or some lead mine. Cruising, back on the cat.

Phil

[Heg]

Originally Posted by Factor

Dont lecture me, go and lecture them - its over on U row at RQYS

Why? It was your comments I objected to

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaslug Caravan

From todays WAGS at RYCQ??

Sail conservatively? While racing? That would be a passing weird way to race.

Looks like jolly good fun to me.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by catsketcher

When I race monos, good sailors go well by putting the correct amount of sail up, not just heaps of sail. Too much sail makes the boat slow, whereas in a multi "too much" sail is faster until you get over the edge. The mono makes you more seaworthy by broaching, lying flat or getting too much weather helm. The boat tells you off, then you take some sail off and get back into it.
...
I get to offend two groups with my bias - I love multis for cruising and monos for racing. ...

I'm with you 100% on my preferred racing. We've got a strong Hobie fleet here, but you won't catch me racing one - I'll stick with racing a keelboat.

But I don't know about monos not "going over the edge". That's not true for ALL monohulls

[Bean Counter]

Yachting: No sport for the faint-hearted - CNN.com
Racing mono hull yachts is a dangerous game too.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Heg

A ‘ little oopsy’ in your eyes , but people could have been seriously injured. I’m a cruiser, not a racer , but yours seems a very reckless attitude

The reason people race is that it is a little reckless. That's the attraction, a bit of adrenaline = excitement. If that's not your thing......no problem, don't do it.

People who race have considered the risk Vs fun factor before they leave the dock and should accept without blame that sometimes stuff goes wrong.