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Board » General Discussion » Fleet School

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Posted by
A2


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2009-10-26 00:39:42
2010-03-31 15:54:18 - Fleet School
The purpose of this thread is to facilitate discussions directly related to the strategy & problem solving required to successfully improve the performance of novice & veteran skippers alike, in this venue.

Basic formulas, calculations, rules of thumb & tactics employed to succeed in fleet races.
None so blind
Posted by
Mouthansar


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2009-12-25 22:49:08
2010-03-31 18:18:34 - Re: Fleet School
Excellent idea and thread ... and then I thought: "What are my tricks and insights ... if any?" All I can come up with is a Calvin Coolidge quotation:

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

Didn't want to hog your thread, Aethereal, but this really is what has propelled my SYC ranking. I'll be looking forward to more educated injections.
Posted by
Toy-BoX


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2009-12-25 18:23:36
2010-03-31 18:54:29 - Re: Fleet School
Couldn't agreee more.
Determination and persistance is the key ..... maybe that's why I didn't make much score at the SYC ranking.... inadequate persistance ...
Posted by
A2


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2009-10-26 00:39:42
2010-03-31 19:56:54 - Re: Fleet School
I agree that "Persistence" & diligence are the basis for much success in sailing as well as Life, This is the lesson embodied in Aesop's tortoise & hare fable.

However, as a novice, I find that I am capable of persisting in 'Wrong Thinking.' Please help me and others to find the 'Right Approach' in making the key decisions required here.
None so blind
Posted by
Mouthansar


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2010-03-31 20:22:46 - Re: Fleet School
I'd say part of it is looking at the fellows who are certifiably good and think: "Why ... why?"

That may eventually lead to the necessary acceptance of the need to think hours or even days ahead, forego hundreds of places in the ranking to win all of them +1 back later.

I spend much time looking at winds, polars, alternative routes and competitors silently mouthing the words "Talk to me, talk to me!"

But we were both hoping for more concrete advice on this thread, weren't we?

I - as most - have found that looking at where you'd like to be in 6 or 12 hours helps a lot. However, it makes no sense without the polar diagram. Sometimes the polar is so flat that it's no use chasing a twa of 120 over one of 70.
Posted by
Incognito


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2008-12-06 13:43:52
2010-03-31 20:55:59 - Re: Fleet School
For concrete advise, specific questions need to be asked. And preferably related to a situation in a currently ongoing race.
Posted by
sol


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2008-08-14 11:08:14
2010-03-31 21:05:14 - Re: Fleet School
Incognito's got it right ...
We need a specific weather / route challenge to give any valuable advice.
When in a race and you are in doubt, and need guidance ..... You just need to ask..... in the forum or chat room .... I'm sure there will be lots of people eager to help... I will.... if asked....
Posted by
Toy-BoX


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2010-03-31 21:11:28 - Re: Fleet School
Sorry I was logged in as SOL .... at last post ... :-)
XTase295
Posted by
A2


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2009-10-26 00:39:42
2010-03-31 22:04:48 - Re: Fleet School
The One Angle Advantage:

For the purpose of this illustration assume that the wind speed & direction are constant. I do this because I want to make sure that the underlying principle is sound and well understood before applying it in the real virtual world under changing conditions.

A common situation that occurs quite often in these races is when I am pointing directly at clearing some spit of land in order to turn the corner and proceed up the course. Then I notice there is another boat on my outside and a little behind who has more angle to work with who inevitably overtakes me. But even if I held the outside position I am not clear how to take maximum advantage of the situation.

There are a continuum of angles such that too steep will give me a much greater boat speed but only for a short duration and will cause me to pass behind the other boat. There will also be another angle, not as steep, that will result in both boats reaching the same spot at the same time. A third angle pointing further ahead than the other two will yield the maximum gain over the boat that is locked into a constant course. Perhaps even a fourth angle aiming too far ahead will not close the gap before the corner is reached.

So for the boat with the outside position, what is the right way to approach this problem, to make the best gains over the other boat with the inside position. Is there a formula that expresses the solution to this problem and what factors must be known to solve for the optimum angle of approach ?
None so blind
Posted by
76Trombones


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2009-08-03 18:04:56
2010-04-01 16:02:07 - Re: Fleet School
If the wind is constant in speed and angle, the problem is reduced to straight lines and shortest distance - with one important exception...

Any "hollow" in the polar is to be avoided. The upwind pinching or luffing zone is easy for RL sailors to understand, and the downwind case is easy for us to see using the polars.

A third "no-go" zone exists in many boats at the transition between up and downwind sails - usually starting somewhere around a beam reach at low windspeed and increasing in TWA as the wind builds. You need to "tack" across that region in the same way that you do upwind in order to not take a speed penalty. This is an easy one to miss sailing CC.

Everywhere else - point right at your target. If the outside boat gains on you in fixed wind, it's because he was already ahead at the last mark. You're picking up ground on him is real terms.

Why can't you sail a little high for a while and then recover ground by pointing a little lower later? Pick any two angles on the polar and connect the resulting boatspeeds with a straight line. The line represents the average speed achieved at any bearing in between. On a convex part of the polar, you'll always be slower than just taking the rhumbline.

(The straight line trick works for up and downwind sailing too, it essentially shows you VMG)

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