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[rotating-posts]I always thought you can’t do much with a 30′ sailboat but sail around the bays, with an occasional hop to a not so far away harbor. I was incorrect. I learned Racing Sailing in my area and it gave me purpose on the weekends. I enlisted friends for crew and setoff to win one. Some races are around buoys, some around Islands, but in either case you have to know your tides and winds. These are your main topics because with tides you want to know where it runs strong and also light. When running against the tide on your race course (some race courses can be 5 to 10 miles), you certainly want to veer to the lighter side of the tide, but when running with it, you want to stay in the strongest part for that major boost in speed. Your winds are the same way. In a bay you will find more wind possibly closer to shore where the land is warmer, driving the wind onshore. It may be only half to 3 knots of wind difference, but staying on course in the middle of the bay where the wind is fickle may lose you ground. Veterans of sailboat racing know there stuff. I’ve given up many a trophy to those guys. Once, turning a last buoy and heading to the end line, the sailboat behind me nonstop without turning up towards the end line. Our crew cheered thinking we finally won because it looked like the other sailboat gave up and was heading home. Well, he turned way further up, catching stronger wind and having a better angle to it. He flew by us like we were…well you know….but after each race, you learnt more and more. You automatically get to know where the cutting edge is….keeping your groove longer than other sailboats. It’s like when you are in a car, you just stop and go where you need to and don’t remember you did it…you just do it automatically…See! My racing days were filled with excitement and of course frustration. The races were hours to a few days long! There is that Newport, RI to Bermuda race, which takes up to 6 or 7 days!
Some of these races are in high wind conditions…they might not start that way, but I’ve been in some wild ones where crew on other Sailboats had to have helicopters remove them for kaput bones and other various equipment. I have been on a race and won a trophy for third for really drifting the best during the race…there was no wind for 2 hours and for some reason the current grabbed me better….because of my deep keel…wide beam? I was certainly pleased to take third place! So the more I raced the more familiar I became with different wind and sea conditions. Knowing where my 30′ sailboat rode the best, pulling top speeds without heavy effort on the crew or the boat! You get to feel that groove where you are ripping, yet comfortable. It’s a combination of your boats’ best point of Sail, with a mix of using the sailboats lines and characteristics to its’ advantage.
There is also another aspect to Racing Sailing which never really occurred to me. It is apt familiar with provisioning for the trip…being it for the afternoon, the day or three days. Crew can range from 2 to 6 people. But the kicker is the sail to the Race starting line, that may be as much as 24 hours away. The sail and the companionship (your crew) are splendid….relaxed, getting equipment shipshape, listening to all the strategies, watching the sunset and sunrise going by…yet gearing up at race time…maneuvering for best air and position…keeping all extremities inboard because of the Very close proximity to the other boats as we sail by each other at high speed…. jockeying for the excellent spots to hit the starting line at full speed. Yelling is now the call of the day….making sure everyone hears the course changes, as well as sudden boat maneuvers, such as jibes and come-abouts….Looking for those puffs of wind on the water, to take every advantage to widen your lead or catch up to the leader!
The race is over, your sail back to your homeport starts….a cool flows over…mixture and that sense of no rush is in peacefulness now. An absolute opposite of what you were just doing. Yet everyone moves into that relaxed mode once again as if the craziness never happened.You know they’re your friends for sure…what is really better. For more information visit us at http://www.yachtauthority.com/
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