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Ramblings on Dinghy Development

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RS400atC View Drop Down
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    Posted: 11 Feb 13 at 11:53pm
Originally posted by fab100

This is all very well, but ever tried running against the tide on a river, or getting away from the wind shadow of the trees on a pond - the ability to aim where you want to go is strategically essential

Just as strategically essential as the ability to sail directly upwind.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote pondmonkey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 13 at 12:18am
I think Fab's point is that bar folding the course in two and developing a personal wormhole, the shortest distance between two points can also be the fastest VMG, especially once tactical considerations of what other boats happen be to be doing comes in to play.

The one thing I've noticed in returning to unarig sailing is quite how far off the rhumline the pack will deviate, oddly enough despite being slower through the water off wind (crap n fat) I have surprised myself with the gains the I have sometimes made downwind.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 13 at 8:25am
I wonder how often we think we are running square when we are not... A Laser sailing by the lee is by definition not running dead square for instance. And if there's a "wrong gybe" and a "right gybe" on your current course you cannot be running square.
Then even if one does get that very unlikely thing, a downwind leg set absolutely dead square, the fastest route to the leeward mark will not be to sail all over the pond staying on a dead run with each wind shift, but to be on the correct shift in every gust, sailing something close to a straight line by exploiting the shifts. Just like a beat in fact, but much more subtle.
And on the theory, a sailor that sails a dead straight line between two marks, and adjusts to the shifts and gybes when required will be narrowly beaten by a sailor who sails the optimum angle and gets all the shifts right, but will easily beat a sailor who tries to sail the angles, gets it wrong by not adjusting to wind speeds and gets the wrong side of all the shifts...
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Post Options Post Options   Quote rb_stretch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 13 at 9:49am
True and more often than not tactical situations mean you can rarely sail the perfect course anyway.
 
Back to the thought around high drag spinnakers. Got me thinking about the only spinnaker that I know which doesn't work reaching, which is the old fashioned blooper from the IOR racing days. Never needed any kind of pole and usually flew a long way in front of the boat.
 
I wonder if you could develop a dinghy equivalent that could fly on the windward side for extremely deep angles only? It would be relatively unstable, demanding skill from the sailor and that could make running interesting, but still giving the option of dropping it and trying to sail the angles (if breezy enough).


Edited by rb_stretch - 12 Feb 13 at 10:14am
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Post Options Post Options   Quote fab100 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 13 at 10:03am
Originally posted by RS400atC

Originally posted by fab100

This is all very well, but ever tried running against the tide on a river, or getting away from the wind shadow of the trees on a pond - the ability to aim where you want to go is strategically essential

Just as strategically essential as the ability to sail directly upwind.

Sorry, cannot let that one go.

Sailing in the no go Zone is impossible, sailing in the other direction is not. There is no comparison between the two in this regard.

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Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 13 at 10:10am
Originally posted by rb_stretch

the only spinnaker that I know which doesn't work reaching, which is the old fashioned blooper from the IOR racing days.

Technically that was a jib[grin].
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 13 at 10:33am
Interesting plots Jim. I produced these rough polars for the 59er, 100, 200 and Halo some time back, based on 10kts true wind. The 59er is very spikey, the only direction you want to go is 137 degrees as it is fastest and best VMG. So not ideal for club courses.
The 200 is much smoother, with a wide range of angles offering similar VMG downwind, which is more forgiving, open to a range of tactics and suitable to a variety of courses.

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Post Options Post Options   Quote cad99uk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 13 at 10:45am
Peaky,
 
Any news on Nemesis?
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 13 at 11:00am
Hi Cad,

The design is complete , all bar the mast details. I'm currently investigating the viability of reinforced thermoplastics as a hull material (glass with polypropelene 'matrix'). I'd been toying with taking a rapid protoype model to the Dinghy Show, but didn't convince myself it was a good idea!
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Post Options Post Options   Quote cad99uk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 13 at 11:07am
Ooh that far. Looking forward to seeing it on the water.
 
Any pics ...
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