Garda Tips

Are launching at Torbole or Riva?  Each very different - I can only advise about Riva and that is tricky.  Essentailly you get in the boat whilst on the slope.  The wooden slope stops when its 10cm below the water and drops away to 30m.  The wind is straight onshore and about f5.  So your helpers push you, the boat and the trolley off the end.  You immediately get hard on the wind and sail away.  You mustn't bodge it because its rocks all around.  The trolley is recovered by the helpers who hold onto a rope tied to the axle.  Coming ashore you sail into a cove to the west of the slip and drop the main.  You then position yourself in the que to sail dead downwind and up the slope (which is carpeted).  There can be quite a chop so you step off the boat as it touches down.

As for the racing its great fun to have a steady f5 (and I mean steady) so you can set up a deep kite reach with the crew fully extended and stay that way for a couple of kilometers - which only takes a few minutes.  Its not tactical though, it pays to head for the cliffs, so you need a start which will enable you to tack onto port very early.  You tack just before you impact the cliffs and tack back if you are not on the layline for the windward mark.

On the downwind leg, again you need to be able to gybe early for the cliffs, however its very tempting to just keep blasting at high speed on starboard - but it doesn't pay.

The great thing is the strong steady wind - you can sail easily in wind which is one force up on your usual limit just because it is so steady.  Consequently you go very fast.  Even upwind its very fast - I recall sometimes jumping off a crest, missing the next one and landing on the next.  That's tremendously punishing on the boat and the sailors so very easy to break something (like your neck).  We broke a 5mm bolt which controls the rake of the spreaders I'm surprised the mast was able to generate forces great enough to do that!

This is a picture of us - we're the red hull!  Look very closely and you'll see us.  Have you noticed that none of the others look completely comfortable - that's because it was 29knots.

Originally posted by redback This is a picture of us - we're the red hull!  Look very closely and you'll see us.  Have you noticed that none of the others look completely comfortable - that's because it was 29knots.

that looks like 2003..in which case the blue/yellow kite unless I'm much mistake was sailed into 3rd place overall..and 'we're in control' came 4th...still that race was comfortable for me having nailed the bullett...


Edited by laser4000