Spinnaker Drills – Racing vs Cruising

 

Spinnaker Drills – Cruising 

Last Friday I had the Can Opener doing spinnaker drills double time quick on the foredeck of our buddy Cap’n André’s boat. 

The three of us cruised over to Langstone Harbour for the day, put the assymetric up and joyfully tweeked the sail controls all the way to maximise our speed.

A truly fantastic day. Not one thing I’d change about it. No sir-ee.

In the past, the Can Opener’s been skipper more often than not. So finetuning his skills on the foredeck is one of the many priorities I have for him. He worked like a trooper and I must say I was tolerably pleased with his performance.

When we’re out alone, he’ll be the one attending to the sail changes so it’s critical he gets it right… right after he finishes sautéing my fresh-caught fish juuuuust the way I like it.

 

Spinnaker Drills – Cruising vs Racing Performance

 

The number 1 racing spinnaker

On Saturday and Sunday, the Can Opener and I relocated to an ocean racer – delightfully named Cougar – to do a Junior Offshore Group race from Hamble to Poole and back again.

Great to be with a new team of eight, all stalwart men and women with a nostalgia and passion for racing that matches our own. The Can Opener was once again assigned to the foredeck – fantastic! 

Saturday had whisper light winds; Sunday produced a steady 18 knot breeze. I was thrilled that he could get practice in on varying wind speeds and on different deck set ups.

Every time you get on a new boat, you find a different set up. Lines laid differently, winches and fittings configured in new and interesting ways. Lots of new stuff to consider and file away in the old mental recesses for when we are laying out our own deck.

What’s the difference between cruising spinnaker hoists and racing hoists? Speedy, baby, speed.

I videoed the Can Opener hoisting on our buddy André’s boat. When I reviewed the video earlier today, I couldn’t believe how leisurely we approached spinnaker work on André’s boat. 

I guess cruising is all about taking it easy… but everything has a balance. And we’re gonna make that cruising balance a little more racy going forward.

Why? Because cleanly executed sail changes and foredeck work could be critical while cruising in an unexpected blow. 

Might as well get your speed and skill up cruising now for when you (may) need it cruising tomorrow!

The number 2 light racing spinnaker

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Previously: Spinnaker Drill

 

Gulliver G

At the Boat Show again… 

We returned to the Boat Show yesterday for another round of joy and jubilant perusing and learning…

And what did we find in the marina but… Clare Francis‘ boat that she sailed across the Atlantic in the 1973 Observer Royal Western Single-handed Transatlantic Yacht Race!!

Could we contain our excitement? No, we could not!

It’s a Nicholson 32, still in great shape and with some new improvements added (we are sure the solar panels on the deck were not there when Clare was on her 1973 voyage!). 

We can’t believe how small it seems. And we love it. 

We puttered straight over to the Nicholson 32 Owners’ Assocation at the Show and loaded up on more information there. They sure were a nice bunch. 

The Nic 32 shoots straight to the top of our ‘favourite yacht designs to consider’ list!

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Rules, Rules, Rules!

Goodbye 2008~2012, helloooooo 2013~2016!

One of the books always on the First Mate’s bedstand is The Racing Rules of Sailing, by Paul Elvestrom. And last week at the Red Tabby Yacht Club, at the racing section’s most recent lecture, this was exactly the topic of the day. 

So I spruced up the Can Opener, climbed up on his shoulder and steered him downtown to the club. (My ears are still stinging from your firm grip on them, Furrball!)

The discussion, led by a most able and illuminating umpire old cat, focused on what‘s new in the rules for 2013~2016.

So what’s the big deal? 
As usual, there are some significant changes coming down the pipe. And it’s not just that there’s new rules to learn.  It’s that the interpretation of these rules takes a while to iron out. It’s not a speedy process or all cut and dried. It‘s a seeing and doing on the race course. 

How hard will your competitors push the rules? How will the umps interpret them this time? Will the umps in other countries play them the same way? Or even the umpires at the next yacht club…

Once things settle down and there’s some kind of precedent established then you can really get down to figuring out how to use these rules to best advantage tactically. 

So what’s new?
Some highlights:

• inclusion of a new section on environmental responsibility
• new definition of boats overlapping
• changes to definitions of mark room and room to round it – again
• ‘ownership of the zone’ is gone
• clarifications on ‘room to hail’, responsibilities, hailing at the finish line and hand signals added
• more clarifications to the definitions and implementation of ‘un/seamanlike’ conduct 

The new The Racing Rules of Sailing 2013~2016, by Paul Elvestrom is already on sale. The Rules in Practice 2013-2016 by Bryan Willis goes on sale Friday. We’ll be honing our boat handling skills next year on racing boats as well as cruising boats so I am requiring the First Mate to zip online today and order new copies of both.  

This is detailed stuff to absorb and he‘ll need the winter to absorb it. 

Have you got your new copy of the rules? Mmph? – not yet??  That new toy rodent may be good, but these rules take ages to sink in… Time to get cracking and assign it to an adoring and motivated underling like I did.

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Come Wind or Weather – Reviewed

Book the Captain has snoozed upon:  
Come Wind or Weather, by Clare Francis    

Good news! The Can Opener has just finished another great book by Clare Francis. Come Wind or Weather is her second book – her first book, Come Hell or High Water, was so good we assigned this one to the Can Opener to read as well. 

But wait – who is Clare Francis?
Clare studied at the Royal Ballet School, graduated in Economics from University College London, worked in marketing, excelled at offshore yacht racing, was the first woman skipper in the Whitbread, became a BBC presenter and then… oh yeah, morphed to an international bestselling thriller writer. Not bad. Not bad at all. 

And here is the First Mate’s book review of her second sailing account, Come Wind or Weather …  

Topics Covered

Clare describes skippering ADC Accutrac in the 1977-78 Whitbread Around the World race with 11 crew, thus becoming the first woman ever to skipper a Whitbread team. She covers preparation, refit, funding and the race itself.
 
The Best Part
Come Wind or Weather is not just a record of events. Hands down, what we loved best about this book is her detailed descriptions of the characters on board. 

Actually, were her descriptions so detailed? No. It was her choice of details presented that made the character of each teammate so clear. She interlaced humourous quotes from the Sea Log with concise but vivid accounts of crew interactions and events. Brilliant.

And her description of racing through the Antarctic Ocean is thrilling – and terrifying – in its own right. Oooo, we do love a thrilling tale.

Wishes

Okay. All right. Again, we wish this book were longer. Or that it had a sequel. Hey, wait! It has a pre-quel! It’s called Come Hell or High Water. We loved that one too.
 
Conclusion
We said we’ll read any book Clare Francis has written – and we did.  And we weren’t disappointed.

Post- ballerina-ing, marketing, dominating the yachting scene and BBC presenting, Francis began writing psycho-thrillers that debuted on the NY Times Bestseller list right out of the gate. 

We’ve got a list of her thrillers as long as my whiskers to read. But reviews on those are for another blog… 

Ever read Come Wind or Weather, by Clare Francis? How did you find it? 

Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library? 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

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Book Reviews
Previously: Taking On The World , by Ellen MacArthur

Ellen MacArthur’s Book – Reviewed

 
Book the Captain has snoozed upon:  
Taking on the World, by Ellen MacArthur   

The Can Opener finally finished Ellen MacArthur‘s first book, Taking on the World… and moments later was snoozing on the sofa, drooling on my cushion! He’d read it in one looooong rush. 

‘Quite addictive,’ he pronounced before passing out.

Herewith his report, knocked out with flying fingers after I roused him with the scent of real Irish coffee. (Our coffee maker has an auto-start button suitable for tapping with cat paws. Of course.)
 

Who is this Dame Ellen MacArthur? 
In 2001 ‘she raced single-handedly non-stop around the world in the Vendée Globe when only 24 years old… second in one of the hardest races in offshore sailing… Prior to her Vendée success, she won the solo transatlantic race from the UK to the USA and went on to win the Route du Rhum from France to the Caribbean in 2002.’

She departed ‘from Falmouth, UK in 2004 on board the 75ft trimaran B&Q… and returned 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes, 33 seconds later, having sailed over 26,000 miles to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the globe single-handed. 

She was knighted by the Queen in 2005 and has received the Legion d’Honneur from French President, Nicolas Sarkozy.’ *

Topics Covered

Ellen begins with family life at 4 years old and moves on in great detail from there. Every early sailing step she ever made takes up the first half of the book.

Getting into her prep for the Vendée Globe and her description of actually sailing it lasts for most of the rest of the tome. 

Her win in the Route du Rhum from France to the Caribbean in 2002 is tacked on in just a few pages at the end.
 
The Best Part
MacArthur’s drive to get sailing from pretty much day one in her life is very clear. Her dedication and indeed determination over decades is amazing.  

Her life is told with great honesty and poignancy, covering not just her many successes, but also her failures (for example, her failure to get into vet school). It gives a bright picture of an outstanding young woman driven towards her goals and we share with her when she achieves them.

Best part about this book? We were on the edge of our seat every time she described having to climb the mast under terrifying Antarctic conditions and were vastly relieved every time she made it safely back down to the deck. 

We had no clue what conditions in extreme solo racing were really like when we picked up this book. I am sure that reading about it doesn’t come close to actually living it – but it certainly paints a vivid picture. 

And we learned that while the Can Opener and I admire such daring exploits – when we head off on our long term adventures, we will certainly be heading straight for warmer climes! 
 
Wishes

Hmm. She repeatedly gives thanks to the support teams that made her achievements possible. But in a vague and general way. We would have liked to hear about more specific support team incidents (builders, mechanics etc) and how these fed into the final outcome.

One began to get the uneasy feeling that these thank yous were perfunctory and added in as an afterthought. This is more true at the beginning of the book and less true at the end. Somehow Clare Francis’ descriptions of this aspect of racing in Come Hell or High Water seemed a lot more personal and believable.
 
Conclusion
Inspirational. Glad we bought it. Now we’ll donate it to the Red Tabby Yacht Club library. Good to spread the inspiration around.

Ever read Taking on the World, by Ellen MacArthur? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

* from the Ellen MacArthur Official Website bio 

Previously:  The Reluctant Mariner

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Racing In The Solent

Image Source

Sigma 38 Racing

Why do we keep getting pulled into racing when really we are dreaming of cruising?? 

Because we keep meeting such gosh darn nice people that persuade us to join them, that’s why.

We spent Sunday crewing on a a Sigma 38. As jib and general trimmer to be exact. And it was a great day.

Once again we learned tons by being on a new team on a new yacht design with a new set up. 

And there’s nothing like racing to usefully underline how critical knowing when and where the tide is. 

Learning more about tides
Watching the other boats pull ahead (thanks to the effects of the tide) is both instructive and devastating. Watching them fall behind (for the same reason) is fantastic. 

And all this underlining happens when you are far from shore, marinas and most other nasty stationary obstacles that crop up with such regularity when you are cruising.

My First Mate, being from the other side of the pond, has never had to deal with tides before this year really. Here in the Solent, it’s something that affects your every move. It’s still not instinctive for him and he’s learned a LOT. This season great strides have been made.

Thinking about yacht design research
Now all these racing boats do tend to be fin and skeg designs under the water. Not the ideal seaworthy long distance cruising design at all, we agree. 

Still, getting to ride different types of yacht designs – even racing designs – is extremely informative. Loads of good learning to be had.

We’ve got to start trying out some classic cruising designs again, however, to further our design research which we must say, has fallen a tad by the wayside recently.  

This past season, we have been focusing on on-the-water training. Now with the winter closing in on us, we need to shift gears and pound out some good design research in the dark months ahead. 

Then having honed our cruising design list yet again, we’ll rig up a new plan to seek opportunities to somehow get on/ get near/ get familiar with those targeted cruising designs… to bring us the next step further towards our goals.

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Come Hell or High Water – Reviewed

Book the Captain has snoozed upon:  
Come Hell or High Water, by Clare Francis    

Good news! The Can Opener has just finished another great book – this time by Clare Francis. Here is his book review which he has just handed in to me (on time surprisingly, though with dog-earred corners) for approval. Aaaaand… approved!

Who is Clare Francis?
She studied at the Royal Ballet School, graduated in Economics from University College London, worked in marketing, excelled at offshore yacht racing, was the first woman skipper in the Whitbread, became a BBC presenter and then… oh yeah, morphed to an international bestselling thriller writer. Not bad. We are an instant and HUGE fan. 

Come Hell or High Water was her first book and the one we focus on in this post.

The First Mate was powering through Francis’ book on the tube when he was approached by devoted fans asking, ‘Is that a book by Clare Francis??’ 

Despite the book being written more than thirty years ago, she still clearly remains high and visible in the British public’s consciousness.

Topics Covered

Clare describes racing her boat Gulliver G in the 1973 Observer Royal Western Single-handed Transatlantic Yacht Race when she was 28 years old. She covers preparation, refit, funding and the race itself.
 
The Best Part
She’s a great writer. Smooth. It’s not just a record of events. Although the events are riveting in their own right. 

Francis sets up scenes and keeps the tension high throughout her tale – even though you might have known the ultimate race results (her result was pretty damn good actually) before you begin reading. The Can Opener read it straight through. Brilliant.
 
Wishes

Okay. All right… I wish that this book were longer. Or that it had a sequel. Hey, wait! It does have a sequel! It’s called Come Wind or Weather. We’re assigning it to the Can Opener next.
 
Conclusion
We were mesmerised. We’ll read any book Clare Francis has written. 

She only wrote three books about her sailing. Then post- ballerina-ing, marketing, dominating the yachting scene and bbc presenting, she began writing psycho-thrillers that debuted on the NY Times Bestseller list right out of the gate. Is there anything she can’t do?? 

I also just bought Wolf Winter… set in Norway… for the First Mate to read me at bedtimes. Book in one hand, palm fronds waving over me in the other… I’m looking forward to some delightful nights. 

Ever read Come Hell or High Water, by Clare Francis? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

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Book Reviews

Previously: The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat – Reviewed
Next: Cruising in Seraffyn

Sailing Again!

We’re racing on an Arcona 37 this weekend – a nifty Swedish racer-cruiser with a fantastic new captain! 

I am eager to get down to the water, so am currently standing over the Can Opener while he packs the necessities: pet life jacket, fuzzy cat suit, smoked clam rations, Jackie Chan movies on the ipod and the working tiara. 

I am becoming concerned everything will not fit in my taxi (You’ll be taking the train down to the water with me, bud. …Like all the other cats…)

This weekend is double great because we are not just getting in a race with a new team, and not just because we get to learn about a new deck layout and another boat’s systems – we also get to fit in two passages, there and back, to reposition this boat from its home berth, nearly a day’s sail from the race site.

We’re are pysched and ready to go! Right after the Can Opener finishes polishing the motivational sceptre.

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cowes Week – More Views Of

J122 heading to the start

View from the stern

Festival!

The Royal Auxillary’s Black Knight precision parachuters arrive

Cowes at night…

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cowes Week – Mid-week Report

It sure is the biggest sailing summer ever round here. The Olympics just finished – and now Cowes Week has started up.

For those who don’t know, Cowes Week is the UK’s biggest annual regatta (save the Olympics of course) and one of the country’s yearly social highlights. 

It ‘is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily races, up to 1,000 boats, and 8,500 competitors ranging from Olympic and world class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world. Having started in 1826, the event is held on the Solent…made tricky by strong double tides’ *.

It’s not just a rocking’ regatta – it’s also a great festival, complete with endless parties, street concerts, vendors, prizes and stalls. 

Fun if you are watching the action from land or from the deck of a high performance racing machine.

  

The Can Opener and I were lucky enough to be invited to race on a J122. And lucky enough to be on a great team that’s on a winning streak. Nothing like crossing the line first and getting the gun! 

All credit to the J122’s great skipper – the same nice guy from the Red Tabby Yacht Club who invited us to join him.

View from the J122’s bow

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

* wikipedia