Racing Classics...not bad fun

First Real Day at the Helm this Year.

The only real OD racing within reach for me now is the local classic club type, which can muster up to 18 boats and a bit more for the nationals.

The boat is very classy looking; like a cross between a dragon and a Gareloch. The sail area at some point in their early history, was drastically reduced to make them a trainer which tolerate 30 knts of wind without reefing. The kite is an almost laughable handkercheif, but does make them go a little quicker.

I felt rusty but mainly inexperienced at starting in these old maids.
SO here are my observations with the last being the first: starts and prep'


1) tacks: seemed to stop the boat too often, by not going through long enough. Went better with a little ease on the main after we go through the wind. Just needs practice boat on boat

2) Height / speed. Pretty good on the back markers while we held and gained on the downwind. I found it hard to compare speed on boats ahead but really this would only become clear if we could start better. Height wise I lacked a little, but was better than the back markers : the boat maybe lacks some rake, althought the owner disagrees.

3) falling off;: one sloppy/late missed us a place to c007 and C34 I think, the latter of which we won back. ON the last and windiest race we did a good line and good fall off though and I think gybing ASAP payed on the day: a bear away hoist took us into the lift over the island and out of favourable tide.

4) tactics: generally good although we lacked boats speed for two or three ambitious lee bows, needing a bit more space to stuff boats rather than even dreaming of a "slam, dunk".

5) strategy: lacking, followed other boats: came out with boats behind us as anticipated; 7th best showed us we could be up there with the leaders.

6) START: way down and burried: we were too slow and cautious to lee and not observant enough to lo. We had four places to earn here and threw them away by being burried and/or late. I seemed to have a blind spot backwards from 25' lo of the bow, so I need to work on this and watch out to hold position and know where the line is I still complain about reaching down the line boats, but this is less likely at a well ordered approach at the nationals.

7) PREP: text book line work would have helped, a transit and timings. I reckon a sail along the line will give half the time to work up the line from a gunning positiion at the key or right of the "boat" end in open water at laying halfway down the line. Boat wise we need some measuring to go on.

fix small things
adjust all for weather
measure prebend before and after adjustments. Sight up mast
scrub bottom
check halyards and fixings
check latest weather
raise sails, adjust to wrinkles and out

test beat, from standing mid line with timings.

ON the line:

know the laylines for ends and mid line and third down.
Work up with timings
practice start several times to a one minute gun

UNDER WAY: is the fleet early? Y: port start if RIght favoured in open water? Or tack over / gybe and tack up to RHS where there may be a huge space opening.
Late? Can we jump out ? do we have a transit? who can we sit on? How long to accelerate and get height? Where are we currently standing? Can we tack twice and still get out ahead to gain RHS pluss? Or need we fall off?