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Your best strategy tools (rules of thumb) |
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Topic: Your best strategy tools (rules of thumb) Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 11:04am |
It occurred to me in the tides thread that it's one thing to decide a strategy when the conditions are known... but racing is rarely that simple. Often we're left you're balancing several gain / loss scenarios; or just have no idea!
So what are your favourite strategies that you use 'only the fly' or as 'rule of thumb' when you're uncertain of where the gain will be? It could be for an isolated scenario, or for a whole leg of the course. I'll go first: "stay between the fleet and the mark". I've found, if you ever find yourself toward the top of a fleet, this single tactic almost always preserve a top position. Excluding very obvious and strong tidal bias I rarely break this rule. Often ignoring gusts, shifts and topography to see it through... it very rarely hasn't worked. Over to you...
Edited by mozzy - 13 Oct 17 at 11:11am |
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Gordon 1430
Far too distracted from work Joined: 27 Jun 17 Location: Lee on Solent Online Status: Offline Posts: 310 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 11:15am |
If the tides against use the Lee bow effect to push you up
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Gordon
Phantom 1430 |
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Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 11:18am |
Edited by mozzy - 13 Oct 17 at 11:21am |
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GarethT
Really should get out more Joined: 21 Apr 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 714 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 11:37am |
Sail the long tack first.
Obviously, if the tide is running across the course, the lee-bow tack will be the long one (unless the mark layer accounts for it) |
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davidyacht
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 12:08pm |
Better to be front rank on the start line in the wrong place than second rank in the right place ... with a few caveats depending on the amount of tide and proximity to shoreline!
If you find yourself down the pan at the windward mark, sailing deep tends to get you past the luffers and stuffers. Set yourself up to secure room at marks early.
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Happily living in the past
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maxibuddah
Really should get out more Joined: 06 Mar 09 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1760 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 12:26pm |
I would disagree a little David. I'd rather be in the second rank right next to the committee boat than at the wrong end of the line but on the front rank. You can tack off immediately and then back again shortly afterwards and far more clear air than at the other end. But then I don't win much so maybe the file of thumb is to go the opposite way to what I'm doing
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Everything I say is my opinion, honest
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iGRF
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6496 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 12:29pm |
FTFY Edited by iGRF - 13 Oct 17 at 12:29pm |
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getafix
Really should get out more Joined: 28 Mar 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 2143 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 12:33pm |
+1 Amazing how overlooked the leeward mark rounding is when talking about or thinking about race tactics. How often do you see people dropping too late and/or being squeezed out to the outside of a 3 or 4 boat 'raft' they could have avoided with some forethought. We all do it, but its doing it infrequently that is the key for me. Boats with racks or wings its even more important, 2 or 3 boats inside you can leave you ~10 metres from the buoy and that's a long way downwind when you start going back up the beat below them! |
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NickM99
Posting king Joined: 26 Apr 14 Online Status: Offline Posts: 145 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 12:45pm |
If the Committee Boat end is favoured, work out the close-hauled route to it and arrive in the second rank. The guy in the first rank will almost invariably be a couple of seconds early and will bear away, leaving space and you can squeeze out anybody trying to slot in from upwind.
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davidyacht
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 17 at 1:05pm |
I concede this point, you can use the second rank at the committee boat end very effectively at Garda to get to the cliffs asap. I guess what I am hinting at is that very often I see a second and third rank group of boats at the favoured end who have no options, whereas being on the line but a bit further up or down can give you a better chance than being buried.
So starting might be a bit beyond the simple rule of thumb!
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Happily living in the past
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