What’s the Rule? June 29, 2009
Posted by Joe in Racing in Jackson.trackback
So continuing the saga of last Sunday’s race and Robert “Solid Gold” Muller and Jim “007″ O’Daniel’s tactical genius at being in the right place at the right time. Even though the race was essentially a bust from the first gun, the RC tried to do a course change on the third leg which created a lot of controversy at the J/22 race apre’ table. I welcome comments on this, but let’s keep the trash talk to a minimum. I hate having to turn off comments on this blog. “I’ve got a DELETE key and I’m not afraid to use it!”
So here’s the scenario, the actual headings are simplified for illustration.
The course is intended to be a four leg W-L-W-L, all marks left to port. Weather mark is at 90 degrees .65 miles away. Winds are very shifty, there is a chance for thunderstorms in the forecast. Just after the start the wind shifts to about 50 degrees true, all boats are laying the weather mark. The wind is continuing to back as we are approaching the first “weather” mark. As we round the wind continues to back even more and build to about 10-12kts. Carrying a chute to the “leeward” mark is impossible, the heading to L is 270. We all are close-reaching under jib and main only. As we are approaching the leeward mark, the RC makes a course change signal and scrambles off to drop the new weather mark. The new mark lays roughly at 320 degrees. The lead boat, Muller/O’Daniel leave the mark to port and make a hairpin turn, loop, around the leeward mark then head off on a beat to the next weather mark. All competitors execute the same maneuver. Amazingly there was no fiberglass exchanged. It looked like the Jackson State Sonic Boom (marching band) executing one of their intricate marching exhibitions. See if you can envision, boats bow to stern turn around a mark performing a 270 degree turn most within the “zone” and then off to the new weather mark. The first boat that “misses” the hole creates a massive I-55 pile up.
Here’s the question: Were these boats required to do this hairpin turn around the mark or could they have just gone direct to the new weather mark, making sure they left the leeward mark to port? Comments please!
So I sent Joe’s “scenario” to Dave Dellenbaugh at Speed Smarts as a suggestion for his newsletter and he sends the answer below back in about 2 hours
Good question — yes, they were required to do the “hairpin turn” because rule 28 says that when the string that represents your wake is pulled taut it must a) lie on the correct side of every mark, and b) touch every rounding mark. Since the leeward mark is a rounding mark, your “taut string” must touch it, which would not be the case if you simply sailed from the first windward mark to the new one –
David D.
Yep I found it sunday night. because there was so much discussion I wrote about it anyway.
Lila Gibbs
Thanks Lila, I didn’t know you read the rulebook in the bathroom and coached Joe on the rules
So Mart’s logic holds up to the rules. How about that!
Yes, Mart’s string rule holds up, but don’t tell him or he’ll remind us every time we have another question. I had a heck of a time finding the rule, 28.
Now when those marks aren’t perfectly aligned someone is going to have to get Mart a lot of string to demonstrate the rule. Besides it is still a very aggressive course change, reach-reach-loop-beat-run to finish.
Exceptionally well written read!!
I don’t disagree with you!
I appreciate the comments free and Canon D5000! Maybe I’ll write more on this blog. No promises though, even I don’t like listening to myself.
Considerably well executed blog!