Racing against an RS400

Here's another top-tip from the Topper Xenon dinghy racing scene.

We all know that on a run with the asymmetric spinnaker, you are not going to reach warp speed. What you need to do is play the angles and make a judgement as to whether it is best going the shortest distance at the slower speed or longer at the faster speed.

When racing against an RS400 you might think it is clever to play the angles go for the longer distance and greater speed i.e. do exactly what the RS400 in front appears to be doing and following their gibes with the spinnaker up.  Be warned, the RS400 has an evolutionary bowsprit that can be "rocked" to windward, allowing the RS400 to demonstrate breathtaking speed at virtually any downwind angle.

Pic - Tacking last weekend (thank's Fred in the safety boat)

This means you've got no chance of beating them at the angles game in a Topper Xenon and you need to focus on sailing to eat them on handicap.

West Mersea Regatta & More Silverware

During the recent West Mersea Regatta I managed to crew on board the Golden Fleece.

First of all I hadn't been out on a yacht for about 15 years+ and my RYA Incompetent Crew skills were extra-ordinarily rusty; that said, it is easy to pick things up again.

The principal differences between yachting and dinghying is of course the increased size of everything. There are of course a few different levers and strings to pull but there doesn't appear to be the concentration and focus on sail shape that I spend my time on in the Xenon. For example the Golden Fleece is a classic and the design means the primary sail is the genoa not the main sail. As a result much of the attention goes on making sure tacks/gybes go smoothly and the genoa is full. I don't think we talked about adjusting the luff in the main at all. Whether we were heeling over or not did not make much of a difference either whereas the secret of sailing the Xenon is keeping it flat - by the way forget that if I race against you.

Pic - The Golden Fleece of West Mersea

What I found quite interesting was that we had on board a chap whose sole job was to navigate us round the course. It makes absolute sense given the increased scale of everything we were attempting to do and it adds another dimension to racing. This means that when dinghy racing you are strongly advised to learn as much about your course as possible before you start; there is no cosy seat to excuse yourself to while you figure out where you are and which direction to point.

I must thank the Captain of the Golden Fleece for having me on board, it was a great experience. The boat has an interesting history, originally from South Africa and occasionally wrecked ..... more information here.

Finally, the silverware we won was for the most Elegant Classic Yacht (...and crew of course).