Enlighten me please!

   In a yacht on a beam reach, you can ride the stern wave of a slightly bigger boat and gain. You need to be on the leeward wave because if you place yourself to windward, they will almost certainly luff for clear air. It needs to be something just a few feet longer because bigger than that will still pull away from you. It also needs to be a beam reach because that is when the generated wave system is largest. Since we tend to do windward/leewards these days, the scope for this trick is less than it used to be.

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Stefan Lloyd Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 03 Aug 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1599	Post Options Post Reply Quote Stefan Lloyd Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Enlighten me please! Posted: 25 Aug 05 at 8:05am
	In a yacht on a beam reach, you can ride the stern wave of a slightly bigger boat and gain. You need to be on the leeward wave because if you place yourself to windward, they will almost certainly luff for clear air. It needs to be something just a few feet longer because bigger than that will still pull away from you. It also needs to be a beam reach because that is when the generated wave system is largest. Since we tend to do windward/leewards these days, the scope for this trick is less than it used to be.

Scooby_simon Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 02 Apr 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 2415	Post Options Post Reply Quote Scooby_simon Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Aug 05 at 7:54am
	IIRC there is a story of a small yacht surfing the bow/stern wave of a big yacht for hours on end gaining miles - not sure if it was the fastnet/ hobart of the RTW race racew; but it is something that does work - not for cats as we don't leave so much of a wake....
	Wanna learn to Ski - PM me..

TheSeaFalcon Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 04 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 345	Post Options Post Reply Quote TheSeaFalcon Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Aug 05 at 7:46am
	I don't deny, it isn't good advice, but only if you can understand it! Sorry, but Jim C should really write the whole of Y&Y because I understand everything he's saying!
	x--x--x<x>x--x--x Topper 41825 Cherub 2539 (going, going and not quite but nearly gone)!

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Online Posts: 6662	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Aug 05 at 8:39pm
	Supposing you're overtaking something like an RS400 which kicks up a big wave system. You can come from leeward surfing up his stern wave till you're close to the transom. If you then bear away sharp and take a big pump off the stern wave you've got less than a boat length to gain till you're on his bow wave. This is still in his windshadow, but if you catch it right you can surf on it to drag yourself into clearish air and then you're past. If you're lucky when he sees you come up to his stern on his stern wave he'll think youre going for a windward pass and stuff a quick luff in, in which case you'll get through more easily. This works nicely inland on flat water, in big waves more complicated. Edited by JimC

Strawberry Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 21 Jun 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1337	Post Options Post Reply Quote Strawberry Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Aug 05 at 6:58pm
	How would you use the bow wave of the boat infront?
	Cherub 2649 "Dangerous Strawberry

Guest Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 21 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guest Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Aug 05 at 6:36pm
	If you didn't know sten is Richard Stenhouse who went to the Olympics in 96 in the Finn and this year won the Musto Worlds in Spain so it's good advice. Rick

Ginger_69 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 04 Jun 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 481	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ginger_69 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Aug 05 at 6:26pm
	well we can try it when we next go to chew in toppers or could try it in the cherub
	Chew valley lake s c Topper(RED)-29412 I14 1209 lightning-168 Whaam (cherub) Atum bom (cherub)old crew (the 1 in the youtube vids) Will be arup skiff crew aka marmite

TheSeaFalcon Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 04 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 345	Post Options Post Reply Quote TheSeaFalcon Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Aug 05 at 6:01pm
	Yeah....... Ta, sten for your invaluable block of text!
	x--x--x<x>x--x--x Topper 41825 Cherub 2539 (going, going and not quite but nearly gone)!

Black no sugar Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 04 Dec 04 Location: Somewhere between Brighton and Lancing Online Status: Offline Posts: 3941	Post Options Post Reply Quote Black no sugar Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Aug 05 at 2:14pm
	There you go, SeaFalcon... All clear now!!
	Lancing SC

sten Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 07 Mar 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 208	Post Options Post Reply Quote sten Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Aug 05 at 9:48am
	you can loose a lot of places and distance getting envolved in a luffing match with a boat ahead of behind you. I find the best stratagy is to choose if you want to go high or low on the next leg. use the bow wave off the boat infront to go the way you want. if you go low you must soak(go low) untill you get clear wind use the bow wave of the boat boat infront and only come back up to the other boats near the mark when the are struggling to get back down. if you go high the danger is the boat infront trys to defend there wind or the boat behind comes up with you. its best to go very high early so other boats think you are stupid to go that high and to follow you up will only result loosing places. if you time this well on there bow wave your increased speed will mean you have not lost VMG and have a clear lane to concentrate on going fast with out having to worry about boats luffing you. by doing it early you only end up 5-10 boat lengths high which is much less than a bunch of boats slowly edging higher to protect there wind. once you have got the other boats to settle for going straight or low make sure you dont get stuck to high by looking for good waves or gusts to get back down on.