Fastnet Race: First delayed start ever and "It's going to be hideous"

[rbgarr]

http://www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/20070712150221blog_elaine_bunting.html

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

My friend Ned is taking part, crewing in a 39 footer, so in the part of the fleet that will get pasted. It will be his first Fastnet though he has cruised round the Atlantic circuit in an elderly wooden double ender with his wife. He and his fellow crew members have all been expecting, and training for, heavy weather. I wish him luck.

[rbgarr]

As I understand it, it's not the weather and wind that makes it horrendous as much as the steep, short, cross-set wave patterns. Tough to prepare for. I'd have to spend time sailing around at the mouth of our Kennebec River to find those conditions. Not appealing.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Oh, we have loads of those, right here in the Thames Estuary. Ned has plenty of practice with that - as have his fellow crew members - the boat sails out of Maldon!

The Thames Estuary and the Southern North Sea generally is famous for short cross seas! It comes as a very pleasant surprise when you get down the Channel and find those long Atlantic rollers, with no real malice in them - usually!;)

[bamamick]

weren't they expecting some Mini 6.5's for this event?

I will do some investigating.

Mickey Lake

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

From memory - the people in the worst trouble in the '79 race were those at or about the Ladabie Bank - big cross seas and shelving water + F11 winds.

It gets a whole chapter in "Heavy Weather Sailing" and there has been a shed load of stuff written about it - Sheehan's account is particularly grim.

The part I don't get is Delaying to Monday - because of a severe weather warning for Tuesday and Wednesday....

[rbgarr]

Also Rousmaniere's book 'Fastnet Force Ten'.

[rbgarr]

This has got to be the strangest sight I've ever seen on the water.

http://i11.tinypic.com/4yqv2gm.jpg

[Figment]

look ma, a multihull joined at the bows!

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I think that the theory of delaying the start by 25 hours was that the smaller boats would be in the Channel when the worst weather came, with ports of refuge nearby, rather than in the Irish Sea. But I'm no RORC man.

[martin schulz]

http://www.yachtingworld.com/img/newsdesk/yw/blog/0Leopard.jpg

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

http://www.yachtingworld.com/img/newsdesk/yw/blog/0Leopard.jpg

Where is the photographer standing?

[Nanoose]

Flying (plane/chopper)? Long lens?

[Nanoose]

Any news on this race?

[rbgarr]

What a great sight that Rock must be. Worth racing just to see it like that.

[Figment]

It'd be a better sight if they were laying it! ;)

[Philip Maynard]

That is strange. You would think that would cause real handling problems, running along on it's chin with it's arse in the air - the CL of the boat is not only no longer aligned with it's heading but is actually pointed below the horizon. If the blade of keel is no longer aligned with the heading, as soon as it breaks free of the surface wouldn't you instantly lose it's downward thrust and that would tend to heel you further?

[rbgarr]

I think there's a long dagger board still underwater on the leeward bilge giving lift and preventing leeway. A multihull with the 'gap' between the hulls 'filled in' seems about right. Who knows how far they heeled? Maybe they go further over than that and still scream along... but it's unlike any sailing I've ever done.
Wonder what it would be like aboard that boat? Bizarre, at least! :0

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

You can see the port dagger board in the photo.

[Philip Maynard]

And my biggest boat is 16' so I'm no expert but I'm just thinking on the other thread the comment about the acceleration, it seems the keel lifting out of the water with it's sudden lack of resistance (which would momentarily tend to turn her downwind?) combined with suddenly no down thrust from the horizontal canted keel (tending to heel her over) and you have 2 forces contributing to a dynamically unstable condition. Although I can not see in the photo's any sign that the chord of the keel and the keel itself are not parallel to the horizon.

[John B]

Something like 197 retired out of 277 last time I looked.