Interesting 'bluewater' test !! RTW

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by hoppy

What about hydraulic steering?

Foul Language has no place on this Forum.. Please desist..

[Claude_Marie]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Why do I get the impression that folks think this will be Vendee Globe style sailing.. I very much doubt it..

Genuine question :
Will not this race follow the "clipper route" or Vendée Globe route ?

3 capes...5 capes, I am a bit lost.

Btw, raises question about these "ice gates" or "ice limits" racers have to respect (for their own good).

[Polux]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Why do I get the impression that folks think this will be Vendee Globe style sailing.. I very much doubt it.. it'll more likely be normal sailing RKJ style.. mainly downwind.. and an occasional dive off the bow and swim like crazy till the stern comes level.. just to keep up fitness levels..
....
Solo's only as exhausting as you want it to be..

You mean you don't think they will be racing?

Racing is about winning and winning is about pushing to the limit without breaking the boat or "breaking" the body and mind.

This is supposed to be a tough race.

[Claude_Marie]

Originally Posted by Polux

This is supposed to be a tough race.

Race or tossing a coin ?

Nobody has yet brought up the weather (forecasting) issue.

When you see modern racers, with the extensive support of state of the art weather routing, sat imaging and a remote weather guru, telling journalists upon arrival that they won because they choosed a weather option which happened to be the best one.

Hope everyone will agree that most professional racers/skippers are very humble and often feels sorry to whoever came 2sd.

So with no weather forecasting tools, choosing a route = tossing a coin, or taking a bet on weather.

Such a race will not prove anything else that the winner took the best bet weather wise.

It has been mentionned already, that will be a question of sheer luck.
There will not be anything like "best boat" neither than "best skipper" (even less), merely the best at guessing weather conditions and sail accordingly.
My two (euro) cents.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Claude_Marie

Such a race will not prove anything else that the winner took the best bet weather wise.

It has been mentionned already, that will be a question of sheer luck.
There will not be anything like "best boat" neither than "best skipper" (even less), merely the best at guessing weather conditions and sail accordingly.

Yep, and the same can be said for most RTW Races on monohulls be they old or new.

It's who has the best weatherman..............not who has the best boat or best skipper and crew.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Yep, and the same can be said for most RTW Races on monohulls be they old or new.

It's who has the best weatherman..............not who has the best boat or best skipper and crew.

Clearly you haven't been following the Volvo Ocean Race.



Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by hoppy

Clearly you haven't been following the Volvo Ocean Race.



Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

But I've seen enough racing in the past to know. Some years can be different if the boats are sailing near each other but it's usually the weatherman's race.

They used to have Paul Cayard "miked up" and he would be basically saying I wonder who has the best wind etc meaning which weatherman directed his boat to the correct/best course.

Same thing happened with the America's Cup a few years ago when I believe New Zealand took a few races from the Swiss with a slower boat.


It's just sailboat racing on split tacks. Lots of hope/luck involved at times.

[boatman61]

Very much a case off 'All the Young Dudes' here..
The wrinklies will be looking at Pilot Charts and figuring the wind directions and sailing accordingly.. this will be a 'Follow the Winds' race more than the new fangled hire a weatherman crap of today..
If they really want a 'Blast from the Past' race..
Big curve down the S Atlantic then run before the winds till past the Horn followed by a big S back to the UK... the old Clipper Route to OZ for the first 2/3rds...
But WTF do I know..

[thomm225]

A lot of it will come down to proper prayers to the Wind God...............or God of Wind

with backup Shaman support to the God of Weather.

Also those prayers better include best estimate of position since a separation of 40 miles or so in certain areas can mean a lot.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Yep, and the same can be said for most RTW Races on monohulls be they old or new.

It's who has the best weatherman..............not who has the best boat or best skipper and crew.

You haven't follow the last big solo circumnavigation race. At a given point several boats where very near on the same weather system, then two skippers proved to be faster and those two boats remained close for quite a while (very similar boats).

Then one of the skippers proved to be superior in stamina, speed, routing and whatever takes one to win this type of race. Those two are among the best 5 world's solo racers and possibly were just the two best at the time.

What has luck to do with that? With the best man to win?

And it seems you don't know that on this type of races outside routing is forbidden, so yes they receive the weather information but have to work with it to find out what is the best course. Off course that knowledge is very important to win and it's one of the skills they have to dominate, but is their skills and nobody else.

[barnakiel]

I think, those offshore races, ... when the boats differ, the one better in the conditions wins hands down. BORING. When they are the same (present VOR) ... they sail the same ... BORING AGAIN.

Maybe, only maybe, the boats should be "identical" but the crews should be free to gather their land-based intelligence. As is, with the same wx data feed and with continuous awareness of where the other boats are and how they are doing there is just not ...... IT IS BORING, SO BEEP BORING !!!

So, I am following the Solar Impulse instead!

;-)
b.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Polux

You haven't follow the last big solo circumnavigation race. At a given point several boats where very near on the same weather system, then two skippers proved to be faster and those two boats remained close for quite a while (very similar boats).

Then one of the skippers proved to be superior in stamina, speed, routing and whatever takes one to win this type of race. Those two are among the best 5 world's solo racers and possibly were just the two best at the time.

What has luck to do with that? With the best man to win?

And it seems you don't know that on this type of races outside routing is forbidden, so yes they receive the weather information but have to work with it to find out what is the best course. Off course that knowledge is very important to win and it's one of the skills they have to dominate, but is their skills and nobody else.

You are right, I don't follow racing much anymore after doing around 120 events which equals around 500 races.

Sometimes the winner is the guy with the most skill, and sometimes not.

I won a 19 mile Seabuoy Race in 1998 simply because I stayed out of the current while the leaders were so busy racing each other they were in the out going tide.

My boat wasn't even setup properly but I still won. And I had a female crew that barely knew a sheet from a rudder.

That is just one small example.

Then there was the pre-America's Cup race where the Mighty Mary Team got a 44 boat length lead on Dennis Conner yet Conner won.

It wasn't skill, it was luck as in the wind he "luckily" received.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Evenstar

Quick, someone find me a bilge keeler...

Oi, hands off, my bilge keeler is for temporate climates, not too hot and not too cold either, oh and some nice big tides.

Remind me, what is the point of this race Stopping in nice locations along the way I can understand but to return to the start point without actually stepping ashore? hmm.

Pete

[Claude_Marie]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

So, I am following the Solar Impulse instead!

;-)
b.

Where the luck factor is Sun or No Sun.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I think, those offshore races, ... when the boats differ, the one better in the conditions wins hands down. BORING. When they are the same (present VOR) ... they sail the same ... BORING AGAIN.

Maybe, only maybe, the boats should be "identical" but the crews should be free to gather their land-based intelligence. As is, with the same wx data feed and with continuous awareness of where the other boats are and how they are doing there is just not ...... IT IS BORING, SO BEEP BORING !!!

So, I am following the Solar Impulse instead!

;-)
b.

In any really top racing the boats should not be equal but very close following a box rule. It happens the same in cars , F1 for instance. It is fundamental for boat design development and existing in itself.

If the competitive is big and there is always top sailboats that represent the state of the art I don't see how it can be boring. What normally happens is that NA maximize sailboats for slightly wind and sea conditions and that just brings more interest to the race.

On solo races teams are not allowed to do anything with their land based teams since outside help is not allowed and that includes routing.

The last big solo race could hardly be more exciting with a big battle between the two first almost till the finish line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpoRkp29bkk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY6NCKit91E

Being boring it has to do with the number of spectators that follow the race with interest. Nobody follows a boring race. The last Vendee was followed by 46% of the French and I don't mean sailors and by millions all round the world.

Do you think they find it boring?