tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70020405207726321292024-03-12T22:16:50.610-07:00Nigel and SailingNigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-29865226326873370452023-11-29T03:55:00.000-08:002023-11-29T03:55:10.693-08:00Going to two Boats<p>Whilst strongly discouraged, some University events drop to two boat team racing when they have a breakdown which would impact the schedule. </p>
<p>In league situations this will not make a lot of difference but the HLS system relies much more heavily on points to break ties, so the scoring system becomes more important. Jo Lucas suggests that with the HLS system you should double the team score and add 1point to the losing team. This makes the score for a team with 1,2 equivalent to a 1,2,3 win with the losers taking 4,5,6 equivalent. 1,3 is a less deserving win and scores the same as a 1,2 win in UKTRA, while there is no difference with 2,3.Whatever, system is used it is going to be a compromise.</p>
<table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" data-table-local-id="table-2" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px; text-align: center;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100px;">
Result
<span>
<br />
</span></td>
<td style="width: 100px;"> UKTRA</td>
<td style="width: 100px;"> Lucas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 1, 2</td>
<td> 8 </td>
<td> 6 </td>
</tr><tr>
<td> 3, 4</td>
<td> 13</td>
<td> 15</td>
</tr><tr>
<td> 1, 3</td>
<td> 9</td>
<td> 8</td>
</tr><tr>
<td> 2, 4</td>
<td> 12</td>
<td> 13</td>
</tr><tr>
<td> 2, 3</td>
<td> 10</td>
<td> 10</td>
</tr><tr>
<td> 1, 4</td>
<td> 11</td>
<td> 11</td>
</tr> </tbody></table>
<p>There is an argument that the team with the broken boat should have the opportunity to get the sailors in their broken boat into one of their good boats, should they so desire, since the other team have the opportunity to drop their worst sailor, when they go down to two boats, but that is another argument. </p><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><p style="text-align: center;"><span>
</span></p>
<p></p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-54151341042515988332023-03-14T09:17:00.000-07:002023-03-14T09:17:02.793-07:00Why the difference?<p>Team Racing Calls H5 and E12 appear to have different interpretations.</p><p>H5 says that when a boat rounds a mark wide her proper course may cease to be close to the mark before she has left the mark on the required side. In such a case 18.2(b) still applies but the mark room to which she is entitled no longer includes room to sail to the mark. </p><p>E12 says that when a boat "sails beyond where she needed room to round the mark as necessary to sail the course, the outside boat is no longer required to give room"</p><p>E12 is dealing with room to tack, and the diagram in H5 has the outside boat abeam of the mark at all times. </p><p>The question is should the decision be the same, if in H5, the boat had continued downwind, such that she was no longer abeam of the mark, but past it in a downwind direction? ie a line abeam from her transom was clearly past the mark? Does 18.2(b) switch back on when she turns towards the next mark? or is 18.2 off and she has to stay clear of boats that have right of way?</p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-60359139572434044522023-02-02T06:26:00.000-08:002023-02-02T06:26:06.727-08:00Wrong Decision<p> I owe an apology to somebody. We made a wrong decision at the Warmer.</p><p>There was an incident pre-start. Protest was shouted - we paused and reached for our flag and there was a simultaneous display of our green flag and the boat shouting "Spinning". </p><p>Seeing the green flag the boat decided not to spin and we didn't take any further actions despite the protesting boat complaining and saying that he now had to spin. That boat was correct and we failed to apply Appendix D 1.3 (b) Which says "When a boat clearly indicates that she will take a penalty under rule 44.1, she shall take that penalty"</p><p>So now we know that it is not a sportsmanship issue - there is a clear rule on the matter. </p><p>The boat misunderstood the green flag - which doesn't necessarily mean no rule was broken, it can mean we didn't see it or we disagree about who broke the rule. It could have been that they saw me reaching for the flag and assumed they were about to get two turns and thought shouting spinning would have reduced the penalty. Also wrong - by the time we get out the red flag they would have had the opportunity to do their turns and it is now Umpire imposed and two turns.</p><p>Lesson learnt by this Umpire - next time a boat shouts spinning it had better spin.</p><p>My excuse is that D1.3(b) was a new rule introduced in 2021. Previously we had penalised boats that failed to spin under sportsmanship. The boat could have thought no rule had been broken and was trying to take an "insurance" spin. Is it then unsportsmanlike not to take the spin, when Umpires indicate there will be no penalty? That was our mindset, and it was wrong, so another apology.</p><p><br /></p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-27495540645362354252022-09-18T09:24:00.001-07:002022-09-18T09:24:41.304-07:00Culture <p>An actual happening at the Sailability British Keelboat League event in Cardiff.</p><p>The three RIBS were ready to set out. The Safety RIB, the Jury Rib and the Bosun RIB, when someone said "There's a boat out already, he won't have had permission to go out. "</p><p>The Safety RIB driver said " I hope they don't get into difficulties"</p><p>The Jury man said "Do we need to disqualify them?"</p><p>The Bosun said "I hope they don't break anything."</p><p>The man who made the original observation said "That shows how narrow your horizons are!"</p><p>Amusing, but I was already thinking about the culture of events, the way Match Racing will start quite early in the morning, 9am is not unusual. Team Racing will be little more relaxed and aim for around 10, often not making it and Fleet Racing often starts around midday. Team Racers bring their own Umpire Flags, Match Race Umpires expect flags to be provided by the organisers. Having seen disabled sailors in the US, they expect to be treated no differently from ordinary sailors, if they are not ready in time they will take responsibility. In the UK we will wait if a disabled sailor has a problem, and they would probably expect us to wait.</p><p>All of these little things, and generalisations, go to make up the culture of an event. It's good to be sensitive of the culture, but sometimes very difficult to make decisions that follow the culture. </p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-52821993995388029252022-08-30T07:39:00.000-07:002022-08-30T07:39:15.255-07:00An Evil Thought<p> International officials are really not used to wearing their Kill Cords. </p><p>One official on a recent course assured me that if I fell out he would come back and get me. Which was to ignore the possibility that we would all be thrown into the water and be dodging a rampant powerboat. </p><p>The evil thought is that if World Sailing can justify the ramping up of penalties under Rule 42 for illegal propulsion (on the third penalty you are required to leave the event) Perhaps they could do the same thing for officials not wearing Kill Cords. A reminder for the first two occurrences but after the third occurrence at an event they would not be permitted to drive a powerboat at the event.</p><p>I do my best to always wear the kill cord and to switch the engine off when changing driver. Changing driver is probably the most dangerous time, as this is when an accidental trip can send you crashing into the throttle, resulting in you and your partner getting thrown into the water, with the kill cord attached to nothing but the boat. </p><p> </p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-80623523535780635482022-02-28T08:21:00.002-08:002022-03-01T04:54:47.878-08:00The Gybe-back<p> We had an interesting incident at a recent event which has me thinking about the way rule 18 switches on and off during a gybeback. The gybe -back typically occurs at mark 4, on a standard team racing S course, just before the final beat to the finish, so ignore mark numbering in the diagrams, the wind comes from the top of the diagrams which is where the finish is. Remember that the normal rules apply inside the zone but . . .</p><p>The problem is that 43.1(b) says that "When a boat is sailing within .. <i>mark room</i> to which she is entitled and ... she breaks a rule of Section A of Part 2, rule 15, 16, or 31 she is exonerated for her breach"</p><p>This means that the Umpires need to note when the boat is in the corridor leading to the mark.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrjgY1qph8Mn5H1AYG048HUQLI3or_w6Lpj_IjP-m3jyzxpVUm_4TODjC8A0XxxLXP_WwkwMBKXOxL2pFFt_8NlWAK8J5wzWek833FmHbL_TtCDyzFUf81Y7tjjZgeSwOhgAmP90rFIAx8-0ot0VwxHfFtlXtvK85d6YSCpDWC9VaGWdfl_2_tX-vg=s724" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="724" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrjgY1qph8Mn5H1AYG048HUQLI3or_w6Lpj_IjP-m3jyzxpVUm_4TODjC8A0XxxLXP_WwkwMBKXOxL2pFFt_8NlWAK8J5wzWek833FmHbL_TtCDyzFUf81Y7tjjZgeSwOhgAmP90rFIAx8-0ot0VwxHfFtlXtvK85d6YSCpDWC9VaGWdfl_2_tX-vg=w320-h252" title="The Clasic Gybe-back" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this diagram at position 5 the yellow boat is still within the corridor, as her boom has to clear the mark (ignore the diagram) so blue gets the penalty. However, in the scenario below we have to penalise yellow, as at position 5 she is outside the corridor to the mark and her alteration of course did not give blue room to keep clear. (OK the diagrams are not that clear but hopefully you get the point.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_p0cF2rX2gxhfp57pzi-lT45ohjdXFLKoLjQHHs2sBhrIYz9EEfcZBVPp_YiQ9DZNgIgzqr3Wcwn1YM0GHhHARBGjBk67hG0hfxJYvV_yKH-v7MlUraaMBwGdQ7G8Boqw4FS3UtqD6Ypx_ubEwnGbO_7IZDFgLJAqWDhqty8578uJvSM8Kiu0aQC6=s724" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="724" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_p0cF2rX2gxhfp57pzi-lT45ohjdXFLKoLjQHHs2sBhrIYz9EEfcZBVPp_YiQ9DZNgIgzqr3Wcwn1YM0GHhHARBGjBk67hG0hfxJYvV_yKH-v7MlUraaMBwGdQ7G8Boqw4FS3UtqD6Ypx_ubEwnGbO_7IZDFgLJAqWDhqty8578uJvSM8Kiu0aQC6=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Interesting, is the idea that the provisions of 18 switch on when the boat begins to turn and use the corridor. Consider this:-</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsT7OjYSi_-Nw5qkkNqCdF4uFkW1CFja95KQ-fRgqugKLtLxLunSuO3CWo5cSX1PoA3XQlyCHt2AhlKhww0ZvJsdHr7xNwMMdYp5u_uLRJM8flgaxDfgoS0DfWbmZIuu4AdHcsHQwAWTHjAmh64JyCq6WRG56nEBgKibUs6iE8obRzI9tQ3CEcX271=s724" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="724" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsT7OjYSi_-Nw5qkkNqCdF4uFkW1CFja95KQ-fRgqugKLtLxLunSuO3CWo5cSX1PoA3XQlyCHt2AhlKhww0ZvJsdHr7xNwMMdYp5u_uLRJM8flgaxDfgoS0DfWbmZIuu4AdHcsHQwAWTHjAmh64JyCq6WRG56nEBgKibUs6iE8obRzI9tQ3CEcX271=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>The blue boat is keeping clear and had yellow held her course between positions 7 &8 would have passed clear of yellow. Yellow clearly altered in a manner which gave blue no chance to keep clear. However, since she has not yet passed the mark and her alteration was towards the mark she was using the room to which she was entitled. There was no breach of 15 as she remained right of way, is she exonerated for the breach of 16, even if the turn towards the mark was not completed?<div>There is, however, a get out for the blue boat in 43.1(a) since her infringement was as a consequence of yellow breaking 16 she is entitled to exonerated for her breach of rule 10. <br /><div><br /></div><div>These complications don't occur when the inexperienced try the gybe-back outside the zone. They fail to understand the full power of the gybe-back done inside the zone and the exonerations available when this happens. <br /><p><br /></p></div></div>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-43929371558417277172022-02-16T05:22:00.003-08:002022-02-16T13:47:46.915-08:00Recovering Capsized boats<p> Sailing dinghies capsize due to the wind, once capsized they are generally too involved in recovering the boat to worry about the wind but it can have a significant effect on how easy it is to recover the boat. One can excuse powerboat drivers for ignoring it , but again if they used it life could be so much easier, and the boat would be back in use much quicker.</p><p>The most obvious use of wind comes when a boat has inverted and the the centreboard has gone up into the case. The boat will generally lie across the wind. If you get the crew to stand on the leeward gunwale, the boat will begin to right. They can put their fingers into the slot to balance, but the object is to keep their weight on their feet, on the gunwale. The wind will assist this process and as the boat drifts downwind you will generally find that the end of the boom surfaces. THIS IS A GIANT LEVER!. If you, in the powerboat, can get hold of this you can lever the boat upright by working your way along the leach to the masthead. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEio32v6FoVLbeDA7oYR7xsI3YNqMJ6unwnld60x1Th3Irc4abHAJ_G-KNNIPUfFdQzmjPhhqLX6zRoegEl2ERGwu_l7uguRDJHVI_LDHA6pSIAPqeMQdj5UZ0kSk1FUe8ZufyawAkVW8vE5sV9ohA5h10cKmc3KHYkx78MmDenstBb6Emi5BOiZh644=s9000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="9000" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEio32v6FoVLbeDA7oYR7xsI3YNqMJ6unwnld60x1Th3Irc4abHAJ_G-KNNIPUfFdQzmjPhhqLX6zRoegEl2ERGwu_l7uguRDJHVI_LDHA6pSIAPqeMQdj5UZ0kSk1FUe8ZufyawAkVW8vE5sV9ohA5h10cKmc3KHYkx78MmDenstBb6Emi5BOiZh644=w640-h170" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Once there it is essential that you control the righting, the boat will be downwind, so if you just throw it upright it is quite likely to just go straight over again. Either try and have the crew in a position to be scooped in as per an RYA Capsize recovery, OR walk it upright, keeping hold of the shroud as you work your way towards the boat.</p><p>The rig lying upwind is a problem even if the crew are recovering the boat. The most useful thing a powerboat can do in this situation is to get the boat head to wind. To do this put your bow into the bow of the capsized boat, have your crew grab the forestay and reverse upwind, so that the boat comes head to wind. The crew can right it and it might stay upright instead of flipping straight over as it would if you left it. Having your crew in the bow will assist in keeping your transom high and reduce the water taken on board your powerboat.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUlA8bC5Y7HdAUoLniZcCKzz16o-LLnu9QSmhDwwSkqmb9JzaxDOsS1A50dv0sTd4HIW_ldSRaeCRF7nvbVefR6bqnewv3j1oEwWB12xn87wphWMLROVtVKzALWnHJ1NQwV9q-LbmmFzsMN6A6gMuv0xgEs7E251MKxTgIa-vDvLsGupQOaybAvwCA=s6575" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2230" data-original-width="6575" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUlA8bC5Y7HdAUoLniZcCKzz16o-LLnu9QSmhDwwSkqmb9JzaxDOsS1A50dv0sTd4HIW_ldSRaeCRF7nvbVefR6bqnewv3j1oEwWB12xn87wphWMLROVtVKzALWnHJ1NQwV9q-LbmmFzsMN6A6gMuv0xgEs7E251MKxTgIa-vDvLsGupQOaybAvwCA=w640-h218" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>If the rig is stuck in the mud you have to get it out. Generally the wind will be pushing it deeper and deeper into the mud, otherwise the crew would have recovered it. There are two approaches, you can try and rotate the boat so that the hull is no longer upwind, but you risk bending or breaking the mast. The other method is to pull the boat upwind and have the mast come out of the mud on the same trajectory as it went in. You might put your painter around the shroud and reverse upwind but often you don't get a result, due the inability to develop sufficient power in reverse. You can try getting the line astern, but then you have to be further away from the boat or your prop might be too close to the crew in the water and maintaining the correct angle becomes more difficult. </p><p>Another method is to put your bow into the cockpit of the boat and push it out by going ahead. This gives you much more power but you need to be aware that your propeller is close to the mast and mainsail of the boat. The main is usually lying straight down due to the weight of he boom but you need to be careful. Once the mast is out of the mud it will begin to come up alongside your powerboat. Grab the mast, go into neutral, and lift it up, working your way to the masthead. Check the wind, before you start to right it by working back towards the boat lifting the mast over your head. You should have blown round but attempting to push a rig up against the wind is not good news, it's hard. Better to bring the rig round so that it is at least across the wind, being at the masthead should mean that your propeller is well away from the crew.</p><p>Finally don't forget that you do NOT want to chop up the sailors with your propeller. If they get close to the prop the quickest and safest way is to pull the kill cord. You will, of course, have checked that it works at the beginning of the day. Be aware that this applies if you are alongside a capsized boat, feet can easily trail under the boat towards your propeller, so know where the crew are!</p><p><br /></p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-18471560468599233582022-02-10T06:06:00.000-08:002022-02-10T06:06:58.156-08:00Umpiring Short Handed<p> It is not unusual, at some events, to be on your own in the umpire boat and often the only Umpire on a three boat team race. While the Umpiring Manual has a section on this it is not very detailed.</p><p>These events are often quite "Grass Root" and as such the competitors often do things which are unexpected, also they cannot manoeuvre their boats as efficiently as the best teams, so as an umpire you need to allow more space and to be alert. </p><p>The manual advises following the normal left hand route, it does say that this should be adjusted to give the best view of incidents. This means that as you go up the first beat you need to decide where the action is going to be. If at the front you will follow the normal route along the top of the reach. However, if it is at the back you might choose to follow the right hand track, following below the top reach. This has the advantage that you can cut across to mark 3 without having to make a lot of wake.</p><p>The last beat is often a problem as it is easy to get trapped, either out to one side or with the action catching up, behind you. It is often profitable to "hang back" as this makes it easier to observe all the boats and the crossing angles are more easily observed than when you are having to switch observations between pairs of boats.</p><p>With single boat umpiring the convention is that the umpire boat taking the race will take the pin or left front position and the umpire for the next race will assist from the committee boat or right rear position, assuming they get back from any previous races. With a 3 minute sequence the second boat will return to their start about 1minute after the start.</p><p>If there is a "Floater" it may be possible to identify critical matches and they can join that race for it's entirety or until it is clear that the action is over, or it may be possible for them to pick up the race at Mark 3 and follow to the finish. The way they join this race depends very much on the timing of their arrival, which is often dictated by the action in the previous race and the way the race has spread out. Ideally, there will be a pair at the rear that they can pick p as they go into mark 3. However, it is often the case that there are four boats fighting as they approach mark 3. In this case they might pick up the leading pair, probably as they approach mark 4. What is important is that they act clearly and decisively so that the race umpire knows that he can leave decisions in respect of those boats to the Floater. </p><p>Unfortunately, radio is not a lot of use in these circumstances, as you are on your own, driving the boat and trying to signal, so don't have a spare hand for the radio.</p><p>Finally, it would be nice if the Umpire Manual 14.3, made some reference to ensuring the comfort of fellow Umpires. Having the opportunity for a comfort break, or ensuring that hot drinks are delivered can make a big difference if working in a cold climate.</p><p> </p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-8086622052903886402021-09-08T13:44:00.000-07:002021-09-08T13:44:06.646-07:00It's so easy<p> Recently competed in the British Keelboat League event in Cardiff Bay. We got in 18 short (12mins) races over the two days. </p><p>We finished 10th out of 13, not as good as I would have liked but ahead of Cardiff Sailing Centre. We could say we would have been 9th, if we hadn't gone trawling with the kite, which probably cost us 3 points but that is the point. It is so easy to focus in on this one incident. The crew didn't intend to throw the kite out before we were ready to hoist, and I took my time before adding my strength to the hoist.</p><p>The crew were young and inexperienced and would not have noticed the mistakes the helm made. Had we fought for first place in the first race, instead of gybing away on the run, would things have been different?</p><p>In a couple of races we allowed ourselves to get held out past the lay line instead of ducking and getting back into the middle. If we hadn't tried to go dead downwind and fallen into a hole in the wind.</p><p>Still there were little victories, crossing on port 3ft ahead of the starboard tack boat, tacking off and ducking by 6 inches. You could feel the disbelief from the crew. </p><p>Its an interesting format but does need a different approach - stay out of trouble and keep your options open.</p><p><br /></p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-52624681838656652672021-08-06T13:41:00.000-07:002021-08-06T13:41:25.050-07:00The Nelson Touch<p> or a dereliction of duty?</p><p>Well, at a recent regatta the Race Officer set a bearing to the first mark, the visibility was low and the marklayer misread his gps so that he was around 30 degrees off that bearing. Marks 1, 2 and 3 were practically in a straight line. </p><p>One sailor comes seeking redress, and gets it in before the expiry of protest time. Problem is, he is saying that the course was not as described, since he was told to sail from Mark 3 direct to the finish, ignoring Mark 5. He did also mention mention that he had been looking for Mark 1 upwind and had lost places when he saw everyone else going to what he had assumed was Mark 2. Normally, he would finish in the top 4, this race he was around 12th - he says as a result of the mislaying of Mark 1. He admits to not having a compass - they seem to have gone out of fashion.</p><p>The Race Officer admits to the mistakes. I didn't want to get into considering redress for everyone, so suggested that the Race Officer see if he could come to an equitable arrangement with the unhappy sailor. Which he does, and no one complains!</p><p>Then there is the protest where the protestor fails to turn up. From the form it seems that there were a number of boats involved. The protestee says he couldn't give room because of a boat outside of him but is unable to identify him. I was hoping to arbitrate it but that is not an option when the other party isn't there. Should I have got a couple of other people and formed a protest committee, or was it OK to go ahead with a one person committee?</p><p>Was it OK to exonerate the boat on the basis of an infringement by an unknown boat? I suppose I could research it - but the protestee was happy and we heard nothing more from the protestor.</p><p>We did have a couple of arbitrations - one involving a windward mark and a boat coming in on port having overstood. Another boat on starboard claimed to have tacked outside the zone, and that the other boat was clear astern when she entered the zone. The interesting thing about this was that the tacking boat MUST have been overlapped with the other boat when she passed head to wind. She might or might not have completed her tack and broken the overlap before she entered the zone, but the geometry of the situation meant that they must have been on the same tack and overlapped from the moment that boat passed head to wind until some other point. So the onus part of the rule came into play and there was no way without a witness that she could prove she had broken the overlap before entering the zone. The advice was that she should have given room. Interesting in that the overlap existed from the moment she passed head to wind even though she was subject to rule 13.</p><p>,</p><p><br /></p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-40291081702614149602021-06-03T11:29:00.001-07:002021-06-03T11:29:12.920-07:00What do you expect?<p>We have been thrown out of our storage unit, so junk collected over 15years all has to be out of there within the next week. We don't have anywhere for it to go and there are not a lot of people volunteering to assist.</p><p>I have just posted photos of me loading a motor boat onto its trailer on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nigel.vick/posts/10225102325641194">Facebook</a> I fully expect to be told that I shouldn't have been doing it that way. That is what I expect, but how else were we to comply with the other requirement of getting the place empty. Besides one of the nice things about working on your own is you can work at a considered pace and you don't have to worry about someone else doing something stupid. If it goes wrong you know who to blame.</p><p>Today I was carting old Topper hulls around on my own. I guess I shouldn't be doing that now I am a pensioner, but if I don't who will? It was interesting trying to get six toppers to stay on edge.</p><p>More boat moving tomorrow. It's amazing how the miles stack up as well.</p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-55929640249571004332021-01-11T08:24:00.003-08:002021-01-11T11:15:30.070-08:00Make them an Officer<p>My club is creating a Development Plan.</p><p>The comment is "We need a Publicity Officer" </p><p>Who wants to be an Officer? Why would anyone want the responsibility? What would be expected of this person? It's not the way things work these days.</p><p>I feel strongly that the club needs better publicity and communication and already produce a regular newssheet for them, but they aAA </p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-79649728115735925622020-11-26T07:02:00.001-08:002020-11-26T07:02:26.172-08:00What is Wanted<p> Since Penarth Regatta I have been playing Race Officer at Sully Sailing Club.</p><p>Sully provides some of the most difficult conditions for a race officer that I am aware of. The tide runs strongly but eddies around the bay in a manner which varies according to the size of the tide. It also appears to be in a position where the wind changes - a lot. Often it is a sea breeze coming up the Channel, turning an east wind into a westerly, but I have seen the wind swing from a westerly to the east. So difficult - a real challenge</p><p>Last weekend I got a race started and after a short beat what little wind there was died. It took the sailors almost an hour to complete a single lap. Next race a light breeze had returned and they took just over 10 minutes.</p><p>Had that been an open meeting I would have abandoned the race. As a club race, I let it run. I have yet to ask the participants if this was appropriate. It's really hard. </p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-87475908820070384752020-09-21T11:28:00.002-07:002020-09-21T11:28:51.823-07:00There is no hopeA couple of weekends ago I won the Handicap Class in the Penarth Regatta.<div><br /></div><div>The fact is that there were only 6 boats entered and on the Sunday only 3 turned out. I was sailing in an ancient club Topper and weigh in at 93kg. OK it was so shifty that you could hardly fail to get the shifts right but there is NO WAY that I should have beaten a privately owned Blaze and RS100.</div><div><br /></div><div>In my youth we would sail from Barry to compete in this Regatta and I am sure that there were many more boats and that it was much more competitive (this was the late 60's -early 70's) This event did not attract a single person under the age of 40, at least in the handicap class. There were no Junior Class boats taking part. </div><div><br /></div><div>The RYA are re-organising their Squad System. Perhaps I should see what they propose.</div>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-39622138266811438982020-08-17T07:11:00.003-07:002020-08-17T07:11:29.104-07:00Interesting time at Sully<p> Well, we didn't see the waterspout but I was sufficiently worried to be checking the Rainfall Radar pretty regularly since it was always a possibility that we could have a squall or something similar.</p><p>In the end we didn't and it was the almost total absence of wind that made the finish interesting. The laser was fighting the tide, running down the line and could have just put his boom end over the line to finish and then sailed for the shore. Clearing the line in the direction of the course. Instead she attempted to cross the line completely, got her rudder stuck on the anchor line of the committee boat and then got swept into contact with the committee boat. The interesting thing is that next year it would need to be the hull that crosses the line, not "crew or equipment in normal position".</p><p>Then to make matters worse, as she was swept away downtide the one turn penalty was executed in a manner that took her even further downtide. I think she did two turn and it was almost 10 minutes before she got back and finally finished.</p><p>At the other end of the fleet the Toppers were playing "Team Racing" and going off into coffin corner. I continue to fail to understand why stopping is such a difficult thing for young racers to do. Hanging back and timing your acceleration is much easier than charging about and having one shot at getting it right. Or take a penalty and then use rule 24.2 as protection, do your turns and hope that when you come out of them the aggressor is out of position. Only problem is that you have to do it early enough that you are not late for the start.</p><p>All the fun of the fair at Sully!</p>Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-41142694682852391312019-09-25T10:46:00.000-07:002019-09-25T10:46:42.542-07:00What is so hard?Why is it so difficult to get the results of Sailing events?<br />
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I have just been trying to do a report on the BUSA Tour of the USA. It happens every two years The last event of this year was almost a week ago. I have managed it, by dredging the internet. Reports were out there, in the USA and on Facebook, but BUSA is still working ona report and might send me something "in a few days".<br />
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They are not alone in this, I have had problems with Match Racing where most of the event is on the web, except for the final result!! There might be a report about a week later but surely you owe it to the participants to let them know how it turned out when they get home, or at least when they get home from work on Monday.<br />
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Sailing needs publicity if it is to compete with all the other activities available in the modern world. I think we fail to use local papers enough. It shouldn't be this difficult.Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-17690248854538072632019-08-01T00:38:00.000-07:002019-08-01T00:38:51.364-07:00InsuranceThere are lots of boats at the Optimist Nationals, many collisions, and very few protests.<br />
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Those we have had seem to have been put in in the belief that it will enhance an insurance claim. I believe that this is somehow based on the idea of car insurance where you exchange details and the insurer might do a knock for knock arrangement with the other insurer.<br />
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Racing is different, it is why you need to have a policy with "racing risks". Just because someone has broken a rule will not prove them liable. The risk of collision is inherent if you are racing and damage is to be expected. Even a right of way boat risks disqualification if they are found to have breeched Rule 14 Avoiding collisions, so protesting is a risky business. And besides the protest committee is specifically forbidden feom considring any issue of liability (at least in the UK)<br />
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That said, how do we encourage protests? It is all very well saying that sailors are expected to enforce the rules (see Basic Principles) but that doesn't get it done. There used to be a rule that said a sailor seeing two boats collide could protest them if neither protested, and the result of such a protest, if sucessful, would see both boats disqualified.. Perhaps it is time that this old rule was brought back.Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-83327389764029519562019-04-21T12:08:00.001-07:002019-04-21T12:08:30.871-07:00I am InspiredI have just finished serving as one of three "old farts" on an International Jury.<br />
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One of the members was a (oops PC moment) a young person of the opposite gender. Girl if you want to be non PC - anyway considerably younger than this "old fart". That aside, she has my absolute admiration for even attempting to Chair a Jury - in a foreign language, anyone not brought up in an English speaking country will make errors. I don't even dare to attempt foreign languages, so can only stand back in admiration to those who try. It is inspirational.<br />
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However, the thought was that the advice of the "old farts" might be more generally useful- hence a blog.<br />
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The advice was - write only the facts needed to make a decision. Which is OK, as far as it goes, but has a more general application.<br />
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The key to our Jury room kept going missing - on coming ashore we were regularly locked out and I would find competitors asking me for a protest form. Sailors were really quite shocked when I gave them a piece of paper and said "There you go. Write it out". Always remember - "A protest has to be in writing and identify the incident" THAT'S IT! 61.2<br />
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The identity of the protestor and protestee can be met at any time before the hearing (but how you call a hearing without it seems a mystery to me, so it would be useful to put it in) Where and when can be stated at any time before or during the hearing.<br />
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So scribble it down and get it IN!! Because if it ain't lodged in time it is invalid (61.3 It's a different rule). Even if the SI's say it must be on the "Official Form" chances are they have failed to comply with 85.1 and specifically say that this is in addition to rule 61. (also useful if they want you to tell the finish boat and you forgot)<br />
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So we got distracted with writing.<br />
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When writing facts for a decision I will tend to write the indisputable facts first. Most protest decisions revolve around one critical fact. If you do all the facts around this, the ones that are not disputed, it can simplify discussion and concentrate minds, making the decision process easier. The trick is to identify the critical fact. (I guess that is where Umpiring helps, as when umpiring, your whole approach is to position your boat so that you can see the critical fact.)<br />
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That's it. Except to mention that commas are important. I put a number in while reviewing this post. So maybe I shouldn't be too reticent about suggesting them for SI's but again, when the SI's are written by someome who is using a second language, it seems very petty, as long as the sense is there.Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-15571974777323067842019-03-21T05:31:00.001-07:002019-03-21T05:37:55.140-07:00Does it matter?I have a problem with Lasers tacking.<br />
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The problem stems from the fact that I do too much Umpiring. When umpiring, particularly team racing, you have to call when a tack is complete. That is the point at which you judge the speed of the boat. Is it travelling faster than when it entered the track. (Which was when it passed head to wind). Leave the boat heeled after this and you risk getting a penalty for propelling the boat. The act of bringing the boat upright has the effect of the stroke of a paddle and there is no change of direction. This happen quite often in Match Racing where the crew take their time before bringing the boat upright.<br />
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At the last two events I have had to watch Lasers complete their tack and then do a massive rock. The turn is so sharp that the boat is practically stationary on completion of the tack, all the rock does is accelerate the boat back to normal speed. Everyone does it, and no one cares.<br />
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What they should be doing are vmg tacks. The initial roll is to steer the boat into the tack. As the course is changing you cannot penalise that. The second roll to bring the boat upright should be done before the boat comes down to the new close hauled course. This can propel the boat to windward, hence calling it vmg (velocity made good) The trick is to come down to the new closehauled course once the speed has dropped to what it was on entering the tack.<br />
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Done well and smoothly you gain at least a boatlength directly to windward on each tack and shouldn't be yellow flagged. Much better than the ugly ninety degree turn and massive rock I have been watching recently.<br />
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But what cares about such technicalities?Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-32123984733711614512019-02-26T10:53:00.001-08:002019-02-26T10:53:51.478-08:00Institutional MemoryIt has been interesting to observe the way that University Sailing Clubs organise their events. Some you know will be good, others you wonder what is going to happen. Much depends on the "Institutional Memory".<br />
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Traditionally, Oxford and Cambridge had this sorted many years ago. Details of previous events were passed on to the next years event, lessons were learnt, and innovations introduced gradually. The result was smooth running well organised events.<br />
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Recently, we are noticing a some other University Clubs getting it together, Nottingham was a good example. However, I think that it takes at least five or more years to get the traditions established and everyone familiar with the programme. It also takes a powerful personality to establish it in the first place. (Evidenced in a recent facebook post)<br />
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It is also amazing how quickly the memory can be lost. It took a single year at one of the well organised university for things to go wrong. Luckily, not everything was lost but it has taken about three years to get back near to the well oiled machine that existed before.<br />
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No doubt there is paperwork behind the sucessful events but at the end of the day it comes down to people, and culture, as evidenced by the examples above.<br />
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<br />Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-87397715370077895642019-02-15T08:13:00.002-08:002019-02-15T08:13:27.064-08:00A lifetime's ExperienceI really find it hard to understand how someone could think that taking a jib halyard out of a mast is not going to cause inconvenience to the next user. Putting it neatly under the foredeck and forgetting about it just does not cut it - in my opinion. Not to mention the fact that with a modern mast you have to mouse the thing to get it back in. Does no one care anymore?<br />
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Similarly, your crew are sitting out using the toestraps and you tell them it's not something I would do in an institutional boat, I use something solid like the thwart or centreboard capping - And, lo and behold, as you tell them "often the toe straps knots are undone" - you notice that the toestrap knots are undone.<br />
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Increasingly I find shroud pins not taped - no one seems to care. What matter that you could lose a mast.<br />
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Noticing and understanding such thing si the result of a lifetime of experience. I uess one shouldn't expect young sailors to realise such things or the possible consequences.Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-76794056039739817982019-02-08T04:04:00.000-08:002019-02-08T04:04:07.353-08:00Its Complicated, or is it?I rarely post to discussions on <a href="https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/" target="_blank">Racing Rules of Sailing</a> but was tempted by a discussion on<a href="https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/posts/288-to-be-racing-or-finished-racing-that-is-the-question" target="_blank"> racing or finished racing?</a> Put my piece up and was amazed at the way the discussion continued in a vigorous manner.<br />
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The problem arises because a boat finishes "when any part ... crosses the finishing line", but is still racing (and therefore subject to the racing rules) until she "clears the finishing line and marks". She can, therefore, be penalised if she hits the finish mark (or for other infringements) after finishing but before clearing the line and marks.<br />
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A most interesting aspect of the discussion was probably the question of whether having finished and cleared the line, subsequent actions could bring her close to a mark and put her back into a racing state. Rules can switch on and off like that.<br />
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At least one correspondent mentioned "Overtaking Boat" and didn't seem to consider RRS24, another did.<br />
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It was an interesting discussion - I said I liked the argument put forward - but was surprised by the amount of correspondence it generated.<br />
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Anyone can register on <a href="https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/" target="_blank">Racing Rules of Sailing</a> it is not an official World Sailing site but an interesting forum which, I think, gives an insight ito how the average sailor might think about the rules.<br />
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<br />Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-17897238931016757562019-01-27T11:01:00.000-08:002019-01-27T11:01:19.408-08:00Plus ça change, plus c'est la même choseThat was brought on by a request for the UKTRA Coaching Manual from New Zealand.<br />
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I had never seen it, the author thought it was well out of date and "the rules have changed a lot since I wrote it in 2003", and besides he didn't have a copy. However, luckily I was able to obtain a copy and we have a happy team racing coach in NZ.<br />
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I had a quick look at it, and I thought it was pretty good. What amazed me was that there was only one diagram that needed to be adjusted because of a rule change. Rule 17.2 was deleted in 2009. If you remember it - it should have resulted in Ben Ainsley not winning his medal at Sydney - but no one noticed the breech until a seminar 6 months later!<br />
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Perhaps the reason there was so little change was that the manual dealt with the basics rather than rule details. Do the basics mentioned in the manual well, and success will follow.<br />
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The more things change the more they remain the same.Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-88916234075040345912019-01-14T04:14:00.001-08:002019-01-14T04:14:39.729-08:00I don't want to playThe RYA Continuing Professional Development Meetings at World Sailing HQ over the weekend were really good. Some really interesting background on Americas Cup Umpiring and Judging at World Sailing events. <div>
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As I say interesting, we may be there in 20yrs time, but not particularly relevant to the average Umpire or Judge, and I don't want to play at that level.</div>
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At The Sailing World Cup in Aarhus the Jury Panel had 35 members and they were rota'd to their tasks by a programming secretary, had quality control assessments of their decisions and the ever present threat of having to appear before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. At least there didn't appear to be any death threats made at this event. This is not a game I want to play.</div>
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I enjoy being on the water serving the sailors, if it gets difficult I can probably help tow a few boats in. Lower level events tend not to have the rigidly assigned roles of the big events, and I will know what conditions were like when we have a hearing. Mind you, it would be nice if we could avoid having to move marks at Match Racing events. Once ashore you work with a small group of friendly colleagues, some of whom will be on the Race Committee, and you can talk to the sailors and maybe at the end of a hearing give some advice, which you hope will be useful. </div>
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I am careful with advice. Sometimes it is not wanted and I do try to have a colleague with me when I talk to coaches, or young sailors, but that is the state of the world today. However, there is never the same threat of action which goes with the really major events.</div>
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So I will continue to try and improve, storing all decisions and paperwork in the cloud for future reference seemed a really good idea, but I don't want to go any further up the greasy pole.</div>
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Link to conference presentations will go here when they are published.</div>
Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002040520772632129.post-79187007657398148072019-01-05T11:13:00.003-08:002019-01-05T11:13:50.800-08:00Code of ConductThe problem with a Code of Conduct is that it has to be interpreted.<br />
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At an NSSA Regatta graffitti was being put on team vans.<br />
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How could I think that was not a cause for a discplinary hearing or otherwise punishing the miscreants. Well for one thing it was all done with sticky tape - there was no damage. Another thing was that it was quite funny - one bus was done out as a rocket ship.<br />
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Sometimes you just have to let young people be young people. Others disagree.<br />
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<br />Nigel Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14672880703012836801noreply@blogger.com0