Dart 15 Forums

Thanks to all at Marconi for running this event.

With the wind so light and variable (slower at times and places than the tide!!!!) on the Wednesday, racing looked almost impossible, but the RO set a really short course close to the clubhouse, and we all set out into the ebbing tide. Getting to the start line was easy, beating back inshore against the tide wasn't. It was worse when you had to try to cross the ebbing current from south of Osea to round the windward mark - it helped to be masochistic when you'd missed the mark by less than 2 boat lengths because the flush of breeze that got you there had died, leaving you to drift back almost out of control as you tried to get back inshore, not for the first time, to beat back the 100 to 200 metres you'd just lost..... But most got round and away to the wing mark - which was in the ebbing current from north of Osea...... Failure to get into the ebbing current downwind and be really close to the leeward mark was fatal - you could easily have to beat back an extra 200 metres if you didn't...... So just the one lap (but not for everyone......).

The 2nd race was better. The breeze had strengthened marginally, and maybe the tide was running slower. We even sailed a 2 lap race (but again not everyone....).

For the 3rd race, we'd had lots of practice beating inshore before getting round the windward and wing marks so most made them as the breeze dropped.... However close you were to the leeward mark, the tide there was running as fast as the breeze... and you slowly drifted away, making marginal progress across the current shore-ward, until some 200 + metres down tide you reached the shallows close to shore and could start to make progress. Just the one short lap took 54 minutes for the leading boat.....

It was clearly a day when the combination of local knowledge and good light wind sailing skill paid off.

There was good company for the evening meal at the club, and in the bar afterwards. Before 7:30 three of us discovered we'd drunk the best part of 2 bottles of wine between us..... as you would after the day's excitement, and in the knowledge that the club wind gauge displayed OO FO.

Sunday dawned with everything you could ask for but wind. The start for the Round the Islands Race was postponed. Eventually we all set out into the flooding tide - paddling round the club jetty to the starting line because beating against the current was impossible. With boats lined up ashore, held by helms standing in the water, the RO postponed the start again, and changed the course to a down wind down tide start. Some fickle breeze set in and we were soon off, but when you got into the faster current it took all the breeze out of our sails again. I still don't know if we got into an area of little tidal current or whether some breeze did fill when we we had to pass between Osea and Northey, and it did gradually strengthen for the very long beat back to the club - but not enough to get us off the trampoline/ front beam/ foredeck position.

But yet again the light conditions favoured the skilled locals.

Still, it was really good practice lest the wind be as light at Instow for the Sport Nationals......

God fun and many thanks Marconi. Here is a mid week teaser for all.

On the last race 2/3rds of the fleet left the shore just before the 4min gun ( Preparatoy ) and fought the tide to stop being pulled over the line early.The other 1/3 appeared to wait on the shore at the line and leaped on board very close to the starting gun. Rule 45 states " A boat shall be afloat and of the moorings at her preparotory signal. Thereafter, she shall not be hauled out or made fast except to bail out, reef sails or make repairs. She may anchor or the crew may stand on the bottom.....

Any answers for the next time there little wind at Marconi ??

Gordon Deuce wrote:God fun and many thanks Marconi. Here is a mid week teaser for all.

On the last race 2/3rds of the fleet left the shore just before the 4min gun ( Preparatoy ) and fought the tide to stop being pulled over the line early.The other 1/3 appeared to wait on the shore at the line and leaped on board very close to the starting gun. Rule 45 states " A boat shall be afloat and of the moorings at her preparotory signal. Thereafter, she shall not be hauled out or made fast except to bail out, reef sails or make repairs. She may anchor or the crew may stand on the bottom.....

Any answers for the next time there little wind at Marconi ??

Hi Gordon,
Yes good point. You could have protested if you wanted, but we are not a fleet who are big on protests, although we do not encourage rule bending.
Cheers
Bob
PS For those that read this it seems the way round the problem is to stand on the bottom, but not put in to shore.............

I see that we got 0 traveller from Thorpe Bay at Marconi. How disappointing. Last year quite a few from Marconi travelled to the Thorpe Bay Open.
When it is only a few mile up the road surely it is nice to support the travellers series?
The Long distance race looked good and was won by 1966 (eat your heart out , Mark!)
Cheers
Bob

Thanks to everyone who came along to Marconi last weekend. Sorry we couldn't provide a steady force 3 (as we'd had for the previous 3 weeks of club racing). One day the weather gods will smile on us and we'll host a TT that is neither drifter or blow-out

I agreed to do the write-up, but due to a busy week at work have not completed it yet. I hope to finish it tonight. In the meantime, George's posting gives a good flavour of events. Local knowledge was definitely an advantage, although I'd say that general tidal awareness and tactics was the more important factor. I notice that "A pond dwellers guide to tidal sailing" is listed as a possible future article for the Tips pages. Not sure I'm qualified to write a definitive article on the subject, but perhaps I could draft something and pass it around other tidal 15'ers to build up a reasonably comprehensive and authoritative article.

A helping of luck was also key to getting a good result in each race. For example, our own Kevin Kirby sailing 1966 won the event convincingly and was on great form, and yet he scored a DNF in race 1 due to an unlucky "whole" in the wind at just the wrong moment preventing him from reaching the windward mark.

In defence of the Thorpe Bay sailors (who I'm sure can defend themselves ) I know at least two who would have attended had it not been for prior commitments they couldn't avoid. The Marconi TT was also plugged to TBYC 15'ers on their email list so efforts were made to encourage attendance. I hope we'll get a few next time.

WaveyDavey,

I agree that visitors with good general tidal awareness and tactics fared better, but local knowledge was definitely advantageous - the better (and sometimes luckier) local sailors knew more precisely (or should it be less imprecisely?) where the tide would be running faster/slower than a visitor could hope to know. It's what makes travelling to Marconi such an irresistable challenge - to beat Marconi's best on their home water would be more than just a feather in one's cap.

Any chance of sending the results to Martin, who could presumably get them into the results pages without waiting for your report.

I couldn't make it to Marconi because it was Palm Sunday. Howard had some family commitments. I think Martyn and Gerald had lifeboat duties.

As regards the others, we lost a bit of momentum after the domestic winter programme. No sooner had it ended, we were into the summer programme without a pause for breath. I well remember the days when clubs effectively closed for five months of the year: a chaance to re-charge the batteries with other pursuits like skiing and rugby. Nowadays, there is no "closed season".

Earlier today, Howard was drumming up support for the national championship. We'll be there.