Sailonline.org - Online Sailing

Facebook

Login

Support Sailonline

If you haven't already - join the SAILONLINE YACHT CLUB!

Please also consider making a donation - all amounts are greatly appreciated!

Tweets by @sailonline

Board » General Discussion » Fleet School

Page: 1 2 Next

Posted by A2 Posts 347 Registered at 2009-10-26 00:39:42	2010-03-31 15:54:18 - Fleet School
	The purpose of this thread is to facilitate discussions directly related to the strategy & problem solving required to successfully improve the performance of novice & veteran skippers alike, in this venue. Basic formulas, calculations, rules of thumb & tactics employed to succeed in fleet races. None so blind
Posted by Mouthansar Posts 122 Registered at 2009-12-25 22:49:08	2010-03-31 18:18:34 - Re: Fleet School
	Excellent idea and thread ... and then I thought: "What are my tricks and insights ... if any?" All I can come up with is a Calvin Coolidge quotation: "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Didn't want to hog your thread, Aethereal, but this really is what has propelled my SYC ranking. I'll be looking forward to more educated injections.
Posted by Toy-BoX Posts 7 Registered at 2009-12-25 18:23:36	2010-03-31 18:54:29 - Re: Fleet School
	Couldn't agreee more. Determination and persistance is the key ..... maybe that's why I didn't make much score at the SYC ranking.... inadequate persistance ...
Posted by A2 Posts 347 Registered at 2009-10-26 00:39:42	2010-03-31 19:56:54 - Re: Fleet School
	I agree that "Persistence" & diligence are the basis for much success in sailing as well as Life, This is the lesson embodied in Aesop's tortoise & hare fable. However, as a novice, I find that I am capable of persisting in 'Wrong Thinking.' Please help me and others to find the 'Right Approach' in making the key decisions required here. None so blind
Posted by Mouthansar Posts 122 Registered at 2009-12-25 22:49:08	2010-03-31 20:22:46 - Re: Fleet School
	I'd say part of it is looking at the fellows who are certifiably good and think: "Why ... why?" That may eventually lead to the necessary acceptance of the need to think hours or even days ahead, forego hundreds of places in the ranking to win all of them +1 back later. I spend much time looking at winds, polars, alternative routes and competitors silently mouthing the words "Talk to me, talk to me!" But we were both hoping for more concrete advice on this thread, weren't we? I - as most - have found that looking at where you'd like to be in 6 or 12 hours helps a lot. However, it makes no sense without the polar diagram. Sometimes the polar is so flat that it's no use chasing a twa of 120 over one of 70.
Posted by Incognito Posts 183 Registered at 2008-12-06 13:43:52	2010-03-31 20:55:59 - Re: Fleet School
	For concrete advise, specific questions need to be asked. And preferably related to a situation in a currently ongoing race.
Posted by sol Posts 296 Registered at 2008-08-14 11:08:14	2010-03-31 21:05:14 - Re: Fleet School
	Incognito's got it right ... We need a specific weather / route challenge to give any valuable advice. When in a race and you are in doubt, and need guidance ..... You just need to ask..... in the forum or chat room .... I'm sure there will be lots of people eager to help... I will.... if asked....
Posted by Toy-BoX Posts 7 Registered at 2009-12-25 18:23:36	2010-03-31 21:11:28 - Re: Fleet School
	Sorry I was logged in as SOL .... at last post ... XTase295
Posted by A2 Posts 347 Registered at 2009-10-26 00:39:42	2010-03-31 22:04:48 - Re: Fleet School
	The One Angle Advantage: For the purpose of this illustration assume that the wind speed & direction are constant. I do this because I want to make sure that the underlying principle is sound and well understood before applying it in the real virtual world under changing conditions. A common situation that occurs quite often in these races is when I am pointing directly at clearing some spit of land in order to turn the corner and proceed up the course. Then I notice there is another boat on my outside and a little behind who has more angle to work with who inevitably overtakes me. But even if I held the outside position I am not clear how to take maximum advantage of the situation. There are a continuum of angles such that too steep will give me a much greater boat speed but only for a short duration and will cause me to pass behind the other boat. There will also be another angle, not as steep, that will result in both boats reaching the same spot at the same time. A third angle pointing further ahead than the other two will yield the maximum gain over the boat that is locked into a constant course. Perhaps even a fourth angle aiming too far ahead will not close the gap before the corner is reached. So for the boat with the outside position, what is the right way to approach this problem, to make the best gains over the other boat with the inside position. Is there a formula that expresses the solution to this problem and what factors must be known to solve for the optimum angle of approach ? None so blind
Posted by 76Trombones Posts 362 Registered at 2009-08-03 18:04:56	2010-04-01 16:02:07 - Re: Fleet School
	If the wind is constant in speed and angle, the problem is reduced to straight lines and shortest distance - with one important exception... Any "hollow" in the polar is to be avoided. The upwind pinching or luffing zone is easy for RL sailors to understand, and the downwind case is easy for us to see using the polars. A third "no-go" zone exists in many boats at the transition between up and downwind sails - usually starting somewhere around a beam reach at low windspeed and increasing in TWA as the wind builds. You need to "tack" across that region in the same way that you do upwind in order to not take a speed penalty. This is an easy one to miss sailing CC. Everywhere else - point right at your target. If the outside boat gains on you in fixed wind, it's because he was already ahead at the last mark. You're picking up ground on him is real terms. Why can't you sail a little high for a while and then recover ground by pointing a little lower later? Pick any two angles on the polar and connect the resulting boatspeeds with a straight line. The line represents the average speed achieved at any bearing in between. On a convex part of the polar, you'll always be slower than just taking the rhumbline. (The straight line trick works for up and downwind sailing too, it essentially shows you VMG)

Page: 1 2 Next

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m

Current Races:

CA 500 2024

In 2019, the organisers of the California Race Week introduced a new longer distance event for the world’s very largest maxi trimarans in town that year intent on setting new records for the TransPac Ocean Race on its 50th anniversary. This CA 500, 500nm from San Francisco to San Diego, was repeated in 2023, but this year it will be an online only event, as it is a lot more straightforward to get a fleet of Maxi trimarans out on the virtual water, than in real life.
Race #1799
INFO by brainaid.de
Maxi Tri PARTICULARS
NAM_AWIP WX Updates:
0245 / 0845 / 1445 / 2045
Ranking: SYC - CRW
Race starts: May 25th 17:40 Registration Open!

▶ Flash

GO TO RACE

Capt Anderson's Resupply TIMED Race 2024

Welcome back to the Pacific Northwest for a race that takes us around the southern end of Vancouver Island and up the west coast as we supply six lights. The leg starts in Victoria, and we sail into the open water of the Salish Sea. After making our way up the west coast we must go up the narrow channel to restock in Port Alberni. This is a TIMEDrace, so you may RE-REGISTER HERE to try again, after finishing a run. You will have 13 days and 11 hours to show your skill and decision making after the race opens.
Race #1809
INFO by brainaid.de
11 Metre OD PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
TRQ2 - TRCH - SUPSOL - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
01 June at 23:00 UTC
Race starts: May 19th 12:00 Registration Open!

▶ Flash

GO TO RACE

Vasco da Gama Ocean Race 2024

Join us at Sailonline for a thrilling adventure in the 2024 Vasco da Gama Ocean Race! This event is the most prestigious and longstanding international sailing competition in South Africa, offering a unique journey steeped in history. Traditionally setting sail from the picturesque bay of Maputo, Mozambique's enchanting old Portuguese colonial capital, the race has charted a new course in recent years. This edition will see competitors navigating a challenging 250-nautical-mile course from Durban to East London. Adding to the excitement, this year our SOLers will harness the speed and power of our fleet of Carkeek 40s!
Race #1807
INFO from brainaid.de
Carkeek 40 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC
Race starts: May 19th 08:00 Registration Open!

▶ Flash

GO TO RACE

Neumayer Station to Biscoe Wharf 2024

It’s Autumn now in Antarctica, the sun is permanently below the horizon, but during the day, from c 0900 to c 1700 local time, there is some twilight – nautical twilight, not to be confused with civil twilight which is brighter. The penguins are starting to huddle together to keep warm and the sea ice is growing. Time to get back to Biscoe Wharf then, before the water becomes impassible. Including a detour past Argentina’s main two Antarctic stations, it’s only 1900nm, so, although we’ll be in a hurry, we will take the bigger, better ice-classed Paratii 2 once more, just to be sure!
Race #1766
INFOby brainaid.de
Paratii 2 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: HLAT - SYC
Race starts: May 13th 19:00 Registration Closed

▶ Flash

GO TO RACE

Melbourne to Osaka Prelude 2024

Welcome once again to what these days is Sailonline’s almost annual virtual Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race. In real life, this double-handed 5500 nm race between these two sister cities, one deep in the southern hemisphere, the other high in the northern hemisphere, is run every four to five years, and is planned to be held again in 2025, so this race is a Prelude in partnership with the Melbourne Osaka Cup 2025 organising committee collaborating with the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV), and the Sandringham (SYC) and Osaka Hokko (OHYC) yacht clubs. On this occasion, we’ll be racing the well-known First 40, a popular size of boat for a long-distance double-handed race. With the doldrums unavoidably lying across the track, you can expect to be at virtual sea for at least a month!
Race #1669
INFO by brainaid.de
First 40 Particulars
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC
Race starts: Apr 20th 00:00 Registration Closed

▶ Flash

GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

SYC members have the benefit of access to our mobile/lightweight web client!

The mobile client