Tiger Trophy 2015 results

Yes, in that situation, the trouble is that you want to go DDW to hoist, then luff to set. While you are hoisting, where are the Lasers supposed to go? They can't go below you without ending up in a big hole in the wind, and then below the boats they are racing against. They could gybe away, I suppose, but then you may well set and gybe and then they would be in the same position.

As you say, harmony not in abundance.

When I did the BM in a Lark it was quite alarming when skiffs came out of the mist at us. However it would be a shame to split big pursuit races in to separate fleets, all part of the fun?

Originally posted by Oli dont see why people get stuck in those situations, just slow yourself down and pass behind, the asy goes off and no hole to sit in.  lesser of two evils, like picking weed up, do you stop for a second or two to remove it and loose 10 boat lengths or sail on and loose 100.

Originally posted by Paramedic is enough to convince me that massive mixed fleets are no longer a good idea.

I don't know that they are any more or less a good idea than they ever were. These events always have an element of lottery about them: its one of the reasons winning is a big deal: you need to be in the right boat and be a top notch sailor and get lucky... They're certainly not going to appeal to the sort of 'professional' attitude that likes to see as little of an element of chance as possible.

So yes, it sounds as if they're not to *your* taste at the moment. Nothing wrong with that, been a few years since I got out to them for much the same reasons. I think you can only take a certain amount of that sort of madness, which I suspect is why you seem to see classes get very keen on doing them for a few years, and turn out in numbers, but then lose the enthusiasm and not be seen at them...

Edited by JimC - 04 Feb 15 at 9:16am

Originally posted by Paramedic Originally posted by Oli dont see why people get stuck in those situations, just slow yourself down and pass behind, the asy goes off and no hole to sit in.  lesser of two evils, like picking weed up, do you stop for a second or two to remove it and loose 10 boat lengths or sail on and loose 100. All very well, but i've seen assy boats (and others for that matter!!) come to virtually a complete standstill while hoisting and leave you with nowhere to go but up, especially if there is someone else underneath you. Then you get taken up to asymmetric angles all because one boat can't keep himself moving because he's in flap to hoist. He could wait a few seconds for the boats immediately around him to move clear and then move up giving those behind a clear signal of his intentions and where he wants to be on the course. That, combined with the rather erratic way boats in the mid - to back of the fleet tend to be sailed is enough to convince me that massive mixed fleets are no longer a good idea. When you are racing such disparate boats there has to be give and take on both sides. My experience in these events is that give is not often forthcoming if you find yourself in a pack of mid- rear of the fleet assys probably because in a breeze they are a handful and they have other priorities. If you stop your boat at a mark and then try to take me up to assy angles you will be asked what you think you're doing. Likewise if you decide to gybe onto starboard next to me expecting me to go with you the other way and in all likelihood slowing you down more than you slow me. It's just sheer bad sailing and bad planning - why do you want to take other boats with you sitting on your breeze? Rant over :)