A CART BEFORE THE HORSE QUESTION!!
06-15-2005, 11:42 PM
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A CART BEFORE THE HORSE QUESTION!!
Hi All,
Calling all...You Commodores, Race Officials or Committee Boat members, I have a “cart before the Horse” question. While I still ponder which boat will be my first, I have downloaded a diagram of an “Olympic Race Course” and my question is…"how large should I make it?”
Would it be dependent on what size of boat I’ll be getting? I’m looking at three choices but for the most part still undecided. So, are there some guidelines on how to set the racecourse up? If so, please inform!!
Thanks
Tonyc [sm=rolleyes.gif]
Calling all...You Commodores, Race Officials or Committee Boat members, I have a “cart before the Horse” question. While I still ponder which boat will be my first, I have downloaded a diagram of an “Olympic Race Course” and my question is…"how large should I make it?”
Would it be dependent on what size of boat I’ll be getting? I’m looking at three choices but for the most part still undecided. So, are there some guidelines on how to set the racecourse up? If so, please inform!!
Thanks
Tonyc [sm=rolleyes.gif]
06-16-2005, 12:15 AM
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RE: A CART BEFORE THE HORSE QUESTION!!
Hi Tony,
I have been racing sailboats for 28 years. I race my Rc boats in my canal up and down a course of about 75 foot long windward leeward legs. I build a scale model of the very popular J/24 racing sailboat. It measures 36" long and has a 48" mast with a scale keel that is lead filled and draws only 7" making beach aproached easy.
Is this the plan for your sailboat rental biz to rent for race? It is a great idea. I would love to discuss it with you in more detail, but without knowing the layout of the water you are sailing in, it is hard to give you answers. Is this a protected inland pond or on the ocean? If inland, how large is it an what kind of trees surround it. (IE. does it get a nice steady breeze or a broken swirling puffy stuff wind)
You cannot set a course that is so large that the boats get hard to see for rules enforcement and collision avoidance.
Please give alot more info about where you are trying to set this up and I am sure I, as well as others here can help.
Tim
www.barnstormerboats.com
I have been racing sailboats for 28 years. I race my Rc boats in my canal up and down a course of about 75 foot long windward leeward legs. I build a scale model of the very popular J/24 racing sailboat. It measures 36" long and has a 48" mast with a scale keel that is lead filled and draws only 7" making beach aproached easy.
Is this the plan for your sailboat rental biz to rent for race? It is a great idea. I would love to discuss it with you in more detail, but without knowing the layout of the water you are sailing in, it is hard to give you answers. Is this a protected inland pond or on the ocean? If inland, how large is it an what kind of trees surround it. (IE. does it get a nice steady breeze or a broken swirling puffy stuff wind)
You cannot set a course that is so large that the boats get hard to see for rules enforcement and collision avoidance.
Please give alot more info about where you are trying to set this up and I am sure I, as well as others here can help.
Tim
www.barnstormerboats.com
06-16-2005, 11:30 PM
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RE: A CART BEFORE THE HORSE QUESTION!!
If you are just going to goof around and call it a race, then basically any course will do... if you are going to try and make it more serious then you really need to be able to have a windward mark that is truly to windward... otherwise it just becomes a drag race to the mark with no tacking required. Hardly a competitive race.
How to do this is one of two ways. You can either paddle yourself out there and set the marks so that your windward mark is true to windward of your starting line and your starting line is square to the mark... and hope you get back and get started prior to the wind changing... puff... pant... puff... wheeeze... or you can just use multiple marks. You can color code them, or number them or space them so they are left center right... or how ever you want to do it... but assuming you use a standard triangular course... say you are standing on the side of the course near the start line... and you have the startline in front of you... and the wind coming from the right. You will have probably a 3rd or even 4th mark to go around before coming back upwind to the finish line... you don't have to but that is common. If you just want to go to windward and comeback, you can.. but it gets boring in the first place and dangerousn in the 2nd as the slower boats heading upwind will suddenly be bow to bow with the leading boats coming downwind. So... usually a good idea to put the 3rd side of the triangle in there with a jibe mark.
So, here you are standing looking down the starting line with the windward mark off to your right... 20,30, 50 yards.. whatever you have room for. How can you manipulate the marks and keep things square without paddling around? Set a "pin" nearest to your standing position (Dock, beach whatever) and at the other end of the line... set 3 marks... different colors. Say Red White Blue.
Set 2-3 different marks at the Windward end of the course, and number then 1 and 2, and you are all set. The middle starting mark (White) should be your best guess as to the most common wind direction. You then space the Red and Blue about 4-6 feet one up wind and one down wind from the middle. Now, you can keep the "pin" the same each time... and alter the startline to make it as perpendicular to the wind as possible. You can augment this by choosing which of the two windward marks you will use. Everything else (jibe and leeward if used) remain the same. Now.. just by announcing... your standard wind blowing... "Start using White, then to #1 you have defined the course. If the wind shifts around to the right.. as view from behind the start line, you can announce on the next race, Start Blue #1 and you can shift the start line accordingly. If your winds really clock around... you may need a third windward mark to give you wider lattitude.
It works great, and each race you can be assured that the boats will be put through their paces working to weather, not just on a long beat all the way there.
How to do this is one of two ways. You can either paddle yourself out there and set the marks so that your windward mark is true to windward of your starting line and your starting line is square to the mark... and hope you get back and get started prior to the wind changing... puff... pant... puff... wheeeze... or you can just use multiple marks. You can color code them, or number them or space them so they are left center right... or how ever you want to do it... but assuming you use a standard triangular course... say you are standing on the side of the course near the start line... and you have the startline in front of you... and the wind coming from the right. You will have probably a 3rd or even 4th mark to go around before coming back upwind to the finish line... you don't have to but that is common. If you just want to go to windward and comeback, you can.. but it gets boring in the first place and dangerousn in the 2nd as the slower boats heading upwind will suddenly be bow to bow with the leading boats coming downwind. So... usually a good idea to put the 3rd side of the triangle in there with a jibe mark.
So, here you are standing looking down the starting line with the windward mark off to your right... 20,30, 50 yards.. whatever you have room for. How can you manipulate the marks and keep things square without paddling around? Set a "pin" nearest to your standing position (Dock, beach whatever) and at the other end of the line... set 3 marks... different colors. Say Red White Blue.
Set 2-3 different marks at the Windward end of the course, and number then 1 and 2, and you are all set. The middle starting mark (White) should be your best guess as to the most common wind direction. You then space the Red and Blue about 4-6 feet one up wind and one down wind from the middle. Now, you can keep the "pin" the same each time... and alter the startline to make it as perpendicular to the wind as possible. You can augment this by choosing which of the two windward marks you will use. Everything else (jibe and leeward if used) remain the same. Now.. just by announcing... your standard wind blowing... "Start using White, then to #1 you have defined the course. If the wind shifts around to the right.. as view from behind the start line, you can announce on the next race, Start Blue #1 and you can shift the start line accordingly. If your winds really clock around... you may need a third windward mark to give you wider lattitude.
It works great, and each race you can be assured that the boats will be put through their paces working to weather, not just on a long beat all the way there.
