Strategy in tide??

Originally posted by Guest#260 Originally posted by G.R.F. Race me sometime.. I'll show you Well some of your club mates come over to Westbere in the winter for Laser racing; good close tactical racing with a fair sized fleet. Come along and show us how it's done; no tide of course but very shifty.

I can vouch for that, absolute tactical nightmare that place, I will be there this afternoon.

Originally posted by G.R.F. Race me sometime.. I'll show you

Well some of your club mates come over to Westbere in the winter for Laser racing; good close tactical racing with a fair sized fleet.

Come along and show us how it's done; no tide of course but very shifty.

I think you get this stuff Grumpf but you do a good job of giving the impression that you havn't got a clue ...

Grumpf,

I have no idea when I read your posts if you get this or not as you never seem to answer the origional posters question.

If ALL other factors are equal and the line is square to the sailing wind and the tide running along the line do you start:

a) Uptide
b) Downtide
c) Dosn't matter

Think of it as a graph.

Plot the speed over the water in the given direction

Plot the speed of the actual water

The time taken to make the windward distance would make the course
sailed over the bottom "curve" initially below, then finally above the actual
sailing angle possible in the given wind over the given water if it were
static.

Again depending on the relative speed of the tide over the wind.

And depending on the wind staying totally constant.

Given one would also sail fast and free initially then tightening higher as
one closes on the mark.

And in a lot of cases the 'lee bow' effect tightens your angle on the wind
especially if there is a 'curve' in the coast for example and for example
you started in shallower water than the water at the mark, so many
variables as i said it's a bit simplistic.

I'm also beginning to wonder if we notice this stuff more on boards than
you guys do in your boats, but it really is important to us, races get won
and lost by getting it right or wrong and you'll have to trust me when I
tell you over the years i haven't had a bad average.

You'll have to excuse me for appearing patronising, I know how it can
wind y'all up, but tide and light winds are/were my speciality as were
racing tactics.

If the event were a championship, I'm sure i wouldn't have been the only
guy who'd checked the local charts for water depth, scoped the course at
low water for channels.

PS as a rider to Jim C and the anchored boat v drifting boat comment they
would both experience the same 'true' wind strength, but the created
wind of the drifting boat would obviously vary the apparent wind on the
tack in the direction the boat is drifting, but the effect it has is,
depending on the tide speed, to be further forward and therefore not
permit the boat to sail as high.
However, the boat using it's true wind in opposition to the tide has the
'true' wind strengthened it then in turn creates a stonger created wind
over the water flow, but and here's the difference, the tide moves that
element of the 'apparent' wind further back permitting the boat to be
sailed higher.
Again this is only relevant at sub planing speed and when the tide has a
larger speed in ratio to the wind speed.

There, clear as mud isn't it?

Edited by G.R.F.