Volvo Ocean Race

[capttman]

See whats going on Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 | Race Data Center

[barnakiel]

To me, this race is going the way of Volvo cars.

;-(

b.

[barnakiel]

"... The wind was blowing 43 knots and the waves were around 10.5 metres, the team reported..."

Hard to say how they measured. Hard to say how likely waves (sic!) are to be at 10 meters, given the fetch and the conditions they had. Hard to say who makes reports for that team, but I bet they are a PR person rather than a sailor.

;-)
b.

[Zednotzee]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Hard to say how they measured.b.

True. Then again, beating is not an ideal situation for these boats. They're pretty flat on the bottom since a lot of the racing they do through the southern ocean is downwind, & it lets them surf at extremely high speeds.

Still, they're doing about 12 knots into well over 30 knots of wind in what is basically a prototype. Even smaller waves would be hellish on such a flat-bottomed boat.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Zednotzee

(...) Still, they're doing about 12 knots into well over 30 knots of wind in what is basically a prototype.(...)

All teams had time enough to build and test-ride their boats. IMHO two boats breaking up just 24 hours into the race tell the story.

Conditions were tough but it is a long race and pushing too hard so early on would tell the drivers were morons, and we know they were not.

Guessing now if any one will make it thru.

BTW Mr. Unpronouncable's design seems to be smokin' again.

b.

[DeepFrz]

Waves could also be wind against current, that would cause them to build pretty quickly.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Waves could also be wind against current, that would cause them to build pretty quickly.

Yes, this could be the case but it was not the case in this case. There is hardly any current there.

Also, strong undercutting current tends to make the waves break, which in turn limits their height.

A 'monster' wave reported some time ago in the Gulf of Lyon was assessed to be 8 meter. The place where the VOR got damage is, in comparison, a lake.

The whole VOR site is full of such gems, like some sailors calling others 'a good programme'. I bet when 'programmes' and 'projects' go sailing, the medial probability of a monster wave raises exponentially.

;-)
b.

[barnakiel]

Meanwhile, on the other boat: "...During the recovery, carried out in total darkness, boat captain Wade Morgan had to jump into the sea to release the locks that keep the mainsail attached to the mast...."

So, there are 10 meter waves and someone seems not to notice them and jumps into the sea ....

Too bad the boats crash so easily. I hope no one will get hurt on the remaining 4 runners.

b.

[Blue Stocking]

..

The whole VOR site is full of such gems, like some sailors calling others 'a good programme'. I bet when 'programmes' and 'projects' go sailing, the medial probability of a monster wave raises exponentially.

;-)
b.[/QUOTE]

I hope this is not a case of "takes one to know one"
OOPS-thought you wrote "media"
sorry barnie--couldn't resist