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Recientemente me encontré con un artículo en el sitio web de vela Zing Enlace aquí cuando investigaba para un futuro sitio web de vela ligera Me gusta particularmente el enfoque en 3 preguntas que debes hacerte constantemente cuando estás en el circuito de carreras. ¿Dónde te encuentras en el circuito de carreras y hacia dónde debes dirigirte? Esta pregunta trata sobre cómo estás en relación con tu plan táctico. La imagen es justo después del inicio y estás en una posición razonable. Pregúntese si se dirige al lado favorecido del campo y si no, cómo llega allí. Si está bloqueado yendo en la dirección incorrecta, ¿cómo se rescata para llegar al lado derecho? Al acercarse a la baliza de barlovento, asegúrese de virar en la línea de lay y no desperdiciar distancia pasando por encima. En la carrera, sea decisivo cuando rodee la marca del esparcidor para que se dirija hacia un viento despejado y no hacia la zona muerta detrás de la flota. ¿Dónde estás en relación con la flota? Hay muchas respuestas a esta pregunta, así que aquí hay algunos escenarios en los que pensar. Si está virando por la costa, ¿vale la pena permanecer en el lado derecho de la flota para tener el control cuando llegue a estribor? Estar en la costa podría verte atrapado por una corriente interminable de barcos de estribor. Cuando te acerques a la baliza de barlovento, harás tu aproximación para virar a estribor bien fuera de la zona, manteniendo el derecho de paso. En una reunión reciente, tuvimos una primera ceñida parcial, por lo que casi se podía colocar la primera baliza desde el extremo de babor de la línea de salida. En lugar de comenzar en el extremo de babor favorecido, comencé en el medio de la línea, lo que me dio libertad para virar primero y luego navegar rápido a través del medio del curso. Esto me puso al frente de la flota y luego tuve la libertad de virar a voluntad con la ventaja de ser un barco de estribor. Todo en lo que tenía que concentrarme entonces era en la línea de lay para la marca. Los barcos en el extremo de babor de la línea tuvieron que esperar a que otros barcos viraron y muchos pasaron la baliza. La línea estaba tan sesgada que no tuve que preocuparme por virar delante de los barcos detrás de mí. ¿Dónde estás en relación con el viento? Fuera de la línea de salida, su plan táctico determinará dónde irá para aprovechar las curvas del viento o los efectos locales de la orilla, árboles, arbustos, etc. De hecho, inmediatamente antes del comienzo, debe buscar en el curso la primera bocanada significativa y evaluar si va a levantarlo o retrocederlo. Debe tomar medidas para tener en cuenta esto, pero tenga en cuenta las respuestas a las preguntas anteriores. Si limita sus procesos de pensamiento a lo anterior, tendrá una ventaja significativa sobre otros que se abren camino alrededor de la pista de carreras.

The Marblehead Project Here is the story of my entry into the world of Marbleheads.

1er tramo de barlovento Lo que necesitas saber Ejecute su plan Que buscar Planifique el redondeo de marcas mucho antes de la aproximación Que llamadas puedes hacer El detalle Ejecute su plan. Bueno, eso supone que tienes uno. Entonces, ¿qué consideras para incluir en tu plan? Hablamos de esto en la sección "Navegación antes de la salida". AQUÍ Trate de obtener una vista del curso desde diferentes ángulos y pruebe sus observaciones cuando navegue con su barco antes de la salida y observe otros barcos. Averigüe qué lado del tramo de barlovento es favorable, ya sea mediante la observación desde la orilla o cuando salga a navegar. ¿El viento parece más fuerte de un lado o del otro? ¿Hay alguna obstrucción (árboles, edificios, barcos grandes), que puede afectar el viento a lo largo del campo. ¿Cómo descienden las ráfagas en el curso, favorecen a un lado o al otro, el viento cambia significativamente en ellas y qué rumbo es favorable entrando en la ráfaga? ¿Hay una línea de costa importante que pueda hacer que el viento se doble? Si puede, trabaje con otro barco para probar el viento navegando por lados opuestos del ritmo. Independientemente de cómo lo haga, establezca un plan y sígalo hasta que las condiciones cambien y la evidencia sugiera claramente un curso de acción diferente. Manténgase en la mitad del curso a menos que haya una razón obvia para estar en otro lugar y observe a los lugareños para ver a dónde van. Tus goles en el primer latido Evita las multitudes y queda atrapado Benefíciese de las curvas del viento Sigue buscando rumbo por turnos Evite las zonas sin viento causadas por obstrucciones Minimizar virar Cuando intente llegar al lado favorecido del campo, sacrifique 1 o 2 barcos agachándose en lugar de virar y potencialmente ser arrastrado al lado equivocado del campo. Planifique con anticipación la aproximación a la baliza de barlovento. Si estás cerca del frente, tienes cierta flexibilidad en tu aproximación y tal vez puedas ejecutar una aproximación de virada a babor de último minuto si eso es lo que prefieres, sin embargo, si estás entre una multitud, asegúrate de alinearte a estribor temprano, al menos. fuera de la zona de 4 botes para que pueda navegar en aire limpio con velocidad. Asegúrese de saber qué lado de la carrera desea y coloque su barco en consecuencia. Haciendo saludos en el campo En este punto cabe mencionar algunos de los saludos que está permitido hacer al inicio y navegar alrededor del recorrido. Las reglas establecen algunas llamadas permitidas que se enumeran a continuación Por un competidor "24 espacio para virar" en una obstrucción o para un barco con derecho de paso: respuesta opcional de virada Convocatoria de una protesta - 24 protestas 15 Barco 33 fuera de control (y por lo tanto se convierte en un obstáculo) Saludos tácticos Estribor Permanecer de pié No hay espacio: virar hacia adentro en la baliza de barlovento Superposición Sin superposición Marcar habitación Por el Comité Recuerdo individual Recuerdo general Recuperación de la bandera del código U Retirada de la bandera negra Salve por el observador, p. Ej. 59 dio en el blanco. Contacto entre 45 y 67 Cualquier otra cosa es confusa. Es inútil entrar en una discusión cuando todos sus competidores y espectadores están escuchando. No te lo agradecerán. Video de ejemplo de llamadas confusas

Building an IOM. (Click on a heading) Introduction and cost Acquire the plan Build the plug First Alternative Build The Optimised Alternative build Build the rigs Add the sails Weigh and check measure The end result

Iniciar sesión Setting sails on the rig A conversation with my brother the other day got me thinking about how the IOM rig should work. We both used to sail on dinghies and yachts. Mostly we would sail on fractional rig yachts where the bottom of the mast was controlled by the shrouds, spreaders and runners. The bend was fixed up to the hounds and you increased or decreased that bend, using the runner, however once set the mast was fairly rigid. The trick was to have the mast work for you above the hounds on the un-supported section of the fractional rig. The ideal scenario went like this. If you hit a gust the top of the mast head would bend, flattening the upper part of the mainsail and opening the leech so the boat could accelerate into the gust. As soon as the wind eased the mast would straighten and power was restored. We once sailed on a boat which had the balance of the rig exactly right. It meant you could carry more sail in greater breeze and gave a massive competitive advantage. The boat won a lot of key offshore and inshore races. However the IOM rig is between a fractional and a masthead rig on a yacht where the forestay and backstay meet at the top of the mast and the bend and therefore mainsail leech control is managed entirely through adjustment of the runners. Of course you have other adjustments on yachts which are important, eg mainsail foot, cunningham, etc, all of which have to be adjusted through the wind ranges, but in this article I am just focusing on mast bend and impact on the mainsail. The IOM rig is somewhere between a masthead and fractional rigged yacht. .Our forestay sits above the hounds with a backstay at the top of the mast. The geometry is set up so that with prebend build into the spar, straightened out by the backstay, tension is put into the luff and leech line of the headsail. The position of the jib swivel line to the deck ensures that most of that tension goes down the luff of the jib and not the leech line. Mast bend and therefore mainsail leech shape is controlled throughout the mast ram, spreader rake and tension on the backstay. Jib leech tension is controlled by the leech line. We want a rig setup that will give a little in puffs so the boat accelerates and drives, rather than heels and stall. So how can that be achieved. If you read all the key advice on rig setup, you tighten your shroud tension just enough to stop the leeward shroud going soft when upwind. This allows the mast to flex a little in puffs providing acceleration. If the mast is too rigid, airflow will stall and the boat will not accelerate in the puff. Start your boats setup with the boat pointing as though on a run. Trim the back stay so the mast is straight fore and aft. Set the mainsail foot to a depth of 15mm or whatever your sailplane suggests. Set up the kicker tension so the mainsail leech is slightly twisted with the top batten just outside parallel to the main boom. Check both gybes to make sure the mast is straight vertically. The twist should be the same on each gybe. Then point the boat as though on a beat. I assume you have set the rake as per the boat plan using a measuring stick or tape measure. Our goal is to set the mainsail so the top batten is parallel to the centreline of the boom by adjusting the backstay and mast ram. Once set up there should be little need for change through the wind ranges other than 1mm tweaks on the backstay. In a recent zoom meeting with Brad Gibson for the Central Park MYG in the US, Brad talked about adjusting the backstay by plus or minus 2mm. I don't know about you, but in the past I was slightly more aggressive about the use of the backstay. Now I understand more about the precision of the setup and know what the top guys do, I am more careful. With any luck if you have done all this you will have a perfect looking rig, and if you have not overdone the shroud tension, the rig will work for you in the gusts. There is enough information available on rig setup up on the web, that you should be able to achieve the right setting first time and more important, recreate that setting every time you go sailing. Here are some pictures to show the impact of 1 mm changes on the B rig backstay. Start from the bottom Poniendo velas en el aparejo Una conversación con mi hermano el otro día me hizo pensar en cómo debería funcionar la plataforma IOM. Ambos solíamos navegar en botes y yates. La mayoría de las veces navegamos en yates de aparejo fraccionado donde la parte inferior del mástil estaba controlada por obenques, esparcidores y correderas. La curva se fijó a los perros y se aumentó o disminuyó esa curva, utilizando el corredor, sin embargo, una vez colocado, el mástil era bastante rígido. El truco consistía en hacer que el mástil trabajara para usted por encima de los perros en la sección sin soporte del aparejo fraccionado. El escenario ideal fue así. Si golpea una ráfaga, la parte superior de la cabeza del mástil se doblaría, aplanando la parte superior de la vela mayor y abriendo la baluma para que el barco pudiera acelerar en la ráfaga. Tan pronto como amainara el viento, el mástil se enderezaría y se restablecería la energía. Una vez navegamos en un barco que tenía el equilibrio del aparejo exactamente correcto. Significaba que podía llevar más vela con mayor brisa y le daba una enorme ventaja competitiva. El barco ganó muchas regatas clave en alta mar y costera. Sin embargo, el aparejo IOM se encuentra entre un aparejo fraccionado y un aparejo de tope en un yate donde el estay de proa y el estay de popa se encuentran en la parte superior del mástil y la curva y, por lo tanto, el control de la baluma de la vela mayor se gestiona por completo mediante el ajuste de las correderas. Por supuesto, tiene otros ajustes en los yates que son importantes, por ejemplo, el pie de la vela mayor, el cunningham, etc., todos los cuales deben ajustarse a través de los rangos de viento, pero en este artículo solo me centraré en la flexión del mástil y el impacto en la vela mayor. La plataforma de la OIM se encuentra en algún lugar entre un mástil y un yate con aparejo fraccionado. .Nuestro estay se encuentra sobre los perros con un estay trasero en la parte superior del mástil. La geometría está configurada de modo que con la construcción de precurvatura en el larguero, enderezada por el estay trasero, se ponga tensión en el grátil y la línea de sanguijuela de la vela de proa. La posición de la línea de giro del foque con respecto a la plataforma asegura que la mayor parte de esa tensión descienda por el grátil del foque y no por la línea de la sanguijuela. La curvatura del mástil y, por lo tanto, la forma de la baluma de la vela mayor se controla en todo el ariete del mástil, la inclinación del esparcidor y la tensión en el backestay. La tensión de la baluma es controlada por la línea de la baluma. Queremos una configuración de aparejo que dé un poco de bocanadas para que el barco acelere y conduzca, en lugar de tacones y pérdida. Entonces, ¿cómo se puede lograr eso? Si lee todos los consejos clave sobre la configuración de la plataforma, aprieta la tensión de la cubierta lo suficiente para evitar que la cubierta de sotavento se ablande cuando está en contra del viento. Esto permite que el mástil se flexione un poco en bocanadas proporcionando aceleración. Si el mástil es demasiado rígido, el flujo de aire se detendrá y la embarcación no acelerará en el soplo. Inicie la configuración de su barco con el barco apuntando como si estuviera corriendo. Recorte el tirante trasero para que el mástil quede recto hacia adelante y hacia atrás. Coloque el pie de la vela mayor a una profundidad de 15 mm o lo que sugiera su planeador. Configure la tensión del kicker de modo que la baluma de la vela mayor esté ligeramente torcida con el listón superior justo afuera paralelo a la botavara principal. Revise ambas trasluchadas para asegurarse de que el mástil esté recto verticalmente. El giro debe ser el mismo en cada trasluchada. Luego apunte el bote como si estuviera en un latido. Supongo que ha configurado el rastrillo según el plano del barco con una vara de medir o una cinta métrica. Nuestro objetivo es colocar la vela mayor de modo que el listón superior quede paralelo a la línea central de la botavara ajustando el estay trasero y el ariete del mástil. Una vez configurado, debería haber poca necesidad de cambios en los rangos de viento que no sean ajustes de 1 mm en el backestay. En una reciente reunión de zoom con Brad Gibson para el Central Park MYG en los EE. UU., Brad habló sobre ajustar el backstay en más o menos 2 mm. No sé ustedes, pero en el pasado fui un poco más agresivo con el uso del backestay. Ahora entiendo más sobre la precisión de la configuración y sé lo que hacen los mejores, soy más cuidadoso. Con un poco de suerte, si ha hecho todo esto, tendrá un aparejo de aspecto perfecto, y si no ha exagerado la tensión de la cubierta, el aparejo funcionará para usted en las ráfagas. Hay suficiente información disponible sobre la configuración de la plataforma en la web, que debería poder lograr la configuración correcta la primera vez y, lo que es más importante, recrear esa configuración cada vez que navega. Aquí hay algunas imágenes para mostrar el impacto de los cambios de 1 mm en el backstay de la plataforma B. Empiece desde abajo Empiece por la parte inferior y aumente el conjunto de imágenes. Muestran el precurvado integrado en el mástil y luego el impacto gradual de hasta 5 mm de apoyo adicional adicional. Puede ver mejor el efecto en el ablandamiento de la lixiviación. Pruebe esto en su propio barco y vea cómo se ve su plataforma. Ignore el ajuste del foque ya que la baluma está demasiado apretada y la pluma podría aflojarse un poco. La próxima vez que pruebe esto, colocaré la cámara en un trípode para que el ángulo no cambie entre las imágenes. Mañana obtendré un conjunto similar de tomas para la plataforma A. Configuración de la plataforma: el impacto de 5 mm en la plataforma A Solo una breve publicación para reflejar mi juego con la plataforma A y mis pensamientos sobre configuraciones para diferentes condiciones de viento y corte. Vea las fotos a continuación. Por supuesto, en una brisa, el aspecto de la vela será ligeramente diferente. Una plataforma montada con 15 mm de profundidad de pie y mástil recto. Configuración para agua picada. Habrá pérdida de giro en una ligera brisa para acelerar sobre las olas. La imagen muestra cómo, comenzando con un mástil recto, cuál es el impacto de agregar 5 mm al soporte trasero en un aparejo A. El backstay de más de 10 mm provoca la distorsión de la vela Next Section Weigh and check measure

Antes de un evento Determina cuál es tu objetivo en la navegación Conoce tu reglas y tácticas de carreras Gestione su inversión con el cuidado mantenimiento de embarcaciones Navega rápido con la derecha puesta a punto y configuración del barco Conozca sus controles de radio Eficaz práctica de barco Asegure una configuración consistente usando listas de verificación Sepa como el el clima te ayudará Útil referencias

Racing results 2023 Events Schedule IOM Hampton Court Charity 1st Lincoln District 2nd to Darin Ballington Chipstead District 3rd to Peter Stollery and Craig Richards Bourneville District Did not attend due to virus Poole District 2nd to Craig Richards Manor Park District 2nd to Chris Harris Birkenhead Veterans 1st Watermead District Cancelled due to lack of entries Coalhouse Fort Open Postponned due to too much water Huntingdon Open 3rd to Colin Goodman and Darin Ballington Poole Open 1st (tied on points with Tony Edwards but better discard) Lincoln Ranking 5th Saturday and 4th on Sunday Chipstead Open 1st Keighley Ranking 4th Saturday, 2nd Sunday Chris Harris won both Fleetwood Nationals 6th Frensham Open 1st. Clean sheet of results Spain Europeans 23rd Woodspring Ranking 4th and 6th Emsworth Open 2nd Eastbourne Open 2nd to Dorian Crease in Cheinz Marblehead Chipstead GAMES 1 1st Gust of 25 knots. Three rivers GAMES 8th Suffered from slipping main leech tension fitting Frensham Open In bed with flu Lincoln Ranking Recovering from flu Guildford GAMES 2nd to James Hadden in Up Guildford GAMES 1st Datchet Ranking 6th Datchet Ranking 11th plagued with winch problems Keighley Nationals 6th. Getting to grips with new boat Three rivers GAMES Cancelled Datchet Ranking DF95 Manor Park TT 2nd to Craig Richards Poole Nationals Retired after leading on day 1 2022 Results IOM Manor Park 2nd (winner Darin Ballington) Chipstead 4th (Winner Peter Stollery) Hampton Court 3rd (winner Darin Ballington, 2nd Peter Stollery) Poole 3rd to Craig Richards and Tony Edwards Nationals 24th Chipstead Joint 1st on points but lost on count back to Dave Green Veterans 2nd to winner Tony Edwards Eastbourne 2nd to winner Ken Binks 2 Islands 4th to winner Rob Wilson Poole Ranking 4th and 7th. Tony Edwards won day one and Craig Richards day 2. W Kirby Ranking 12th and 8th Most of the Northern team were on the water. Chelmsford 2nd to Colin Goodman Emsworth 1st Manor Pk Rank 7th and 13th. Most the top UK sailors racing. Winner - Peter Stollery Eastbourne 2nd to Dave Allinson Chipstead 1st. Masterclass `Met and Southern District championships 1st 2021 Results Chipstead 15th Alternative A day to forget Veterans 15th Alternative Bourneville 1st Britpop (Midland regional champs) Nationals 37th out of 76 - that what happen when you are last off the line in most of the starts. Ranking 3 19th Ranking 4 3rd Frensham open 1st Ranking 5 21st 3 hours sleep in the camper the night before Ranking 6 23rd Only finished 4 out of 9 races due to broken shroud Eastbourne 2nd to Dave Allinson Chipstead 1st (Metropolitan and southern regional champs) Current UK ranking 21. Room for improvement.

Clima Lo que necesitas saber Las previsiones solo son relevantes para la navegación en aguas abiertas. La mejor parte de un pronóstico en un estanque con árboles es ver si va a llover. Los detalles Un pronóstico es bastante irrelevante para un modelo de yate en un estanque rodeado de árboles. El pronóstico podría ser de 25 nudos de brisa, pero el estanque solo puede experimentar un máximo de 15 nudos en las ráfagas. Es mucho mejor bajar al lago temprano y observar lo que está sucediendo y tal vez sacar su bote al agua para probar las condiciones e incluso tener un poco de práctica descarada. Es útil saber si el viento va a oscilar durante el día, por ejemplo, durante el paso de un frente. Es posible que pueda detectar un cambio en los patrones de viento en el estanque cuando comienza el swing. Un pronóstico de lluvia o truenos será relevante para determinar la ropa adecuada. Un pronóstico para navegar en un yate de radio en aguas abiertas, por ejemplo, West Kirby, Lincoln, Fleetwood o en el mar, es mucho más relevante. La velocidad y la dirección del viento pronosticadas se vuelven verdaderas y casi puede elegir su plataforma en la parte posterior y cualquier cambio durante el día se puede predecir o al menos observar y responder en consecuencia. Un anemómetro económico también puede ayudar si las condiciones son limítrofes entre las plataformas (ver Amazon). Por supuesto, habrá recopilado datos relevantes de antemano para que pueda seleccionar el aparejo correcto de acuerdo con la velocidad del viento. Hay muchas aplicaciones meteorológicas, Windy, Wind Guru, Weather Pro, Met Office. Personalmente, considero que Windy es muy útil, pero es mejor preguntar qué usan los lugareños, ya que su aplicación debería ser más relevante para su ubicación. En resumen El conocimiento del pronóstico del viento es relevante en aguas abiertas, pero en un estanque, la observación y las pruebas es la única forma de determinar las condiciones. Enlaces Ventoso Anemómetro Lea la principal reseña positiva .

Otros proveedores Reino Unido Fibra de vidrio de la costa este Básculas de pesaje de precisión Dremel : esencial para la construcción de viviendas de fibra de vidrio Tiras de cedro Compañía Cedar Strip Barcos modelo Cornwall Contador regresivo Anemómetro de viento nosotros Comience aquí en American Model Yacht Association

Algunos libros que te gustaría leer Teoría Teoría y práctica de la vela por CA Marchaj 1964 Aerohidrodinámica de la navegación por CA Marchaj 1979 Rendimiento de vela por CA Marchaj 1996 Navegación de alto rendimiento por Frank Bethwaite 2010 (2da edición) Práctica Expert Dinghy Racing por Paul Elvstrom 1963 Viento y estrategia de Stuart Walker 1973 Campeonato de vela ligera por Christopher Caswell y David Ullman 1978 Mirando velas de Bruce Banks / Dick Kenny 1979 Ganar - La psicología de la competencia por Stuart Walker 1980 Tácticas de carreras avanzadas por Stuart Walker 1981 Navega, corre y gana por Eric Twiname mil novecientos ochenta y dos Esto es Boat Tuning for Speed por Fred Imhoff / Lex Pranger 1984 Sail to Win Series - Dinghy Helming de Lawrie Smith 1983 - Estrategia de viento de David Houghton 1984 - Afinando su bote por Lawrie Smith 1985 - Velocidad del barco de Rodney Pattisson / Tim Davison 1986 Manual de entrenamiento de carrera RYA por Jim Saltonstall 1983 Mi agradecimiento a Brian Outram (Australia) por su lista de lectura. Déjame saber tus libros favoritos para poder agregarlos a la lista.

Craig Richards Tuning guide (Page 2) A Rig forestay tension: The A rig is the only suite where I change forestay tension. The rest have the forestay as tight as I can get it until I start worrying about breaking the boat or having the mast go out of column. You never want the forestay to pump or flog upwind, so for each increasing wind condition you go just a bit tighter so that you get a bit of sag, but no pumping. At the very top of A, the tighter the better and do not let it sag. The sag and a loose jib cunnigham seem to put a bit more fullness into the front of the jib and with very sensitive telltales you can see that the fuller the jib entry the longer the flow seems to stay attached to the leeward side of the jib. This is particularly helpful in very dirty air with lots of wind switches etc. The forestay length on my boat varies from 1138 to 1132mm from the lightest to strongest conditions. My go to setting when I am unsure turns out to be 1135 just as the rigging guide suggests. It will also depend on how much your backstay stretches, I use the below on my backstay: As Per Krabbe has kindly pointed out, dyneema lines are prone to shrinking. I have marks to quickly put the rigs into the boat (last minute change before heat etc), which I do check before each regatta, but over a few days the lines may still change length. I have a fairly good feeling now for what the rig should look like, but it's probably a good idea to check the lengths regularly. This is how I set up my main sheeting angle on the A rig: I put the palm of my hand against the aft quarter of the boat and when sighting from astern I have my fingers parallel to the backstay. With my hand in this position the main boom just touches my fingers. No measurments, no confusion and very easy to repeat. Yes it's wider than just about every tuning guide suggests, but at this point I am just setting up consistent sheeting angles of the main and jib (to follow in next post) With the main sheeting angle set, the jib is then trimmed such that the hole in back of the jib boom fitting is over the first knuckle on the deck. It's close to 60mm between the middle of the mast and the inner edge of the boom. In my case its also exactly the width of my three middle fingers. I posted some pictures Sue Brown took, but the posts seem to have disappeared. I seem to have put the link on my main profile and not this group ..lol. http://www.flickr.com/.../in/album-72177720308506905/... I do sail with the setting I posted. Here is my go fast mode: I run 20mm foot depths on the main and jib as a starting point. In this mode I want the boat to run with absolutely neutral helm. It can hunt the breeze slightly, but must never luff up and slow down. I never want to be pulling the bow down with the rudder. I may trim in and and push the bow up. This is absolutely the best VMG mode in the absence of other boats. You will go faster and end up higher than a boat that sails only in pinch mode. I use the bottom draft strip a lot. I want to see the maximum depth at 50% and a clean straight entry after the mast. If the fullness is further forward I flatten the foot of the mainsail further If the boat is running with a bit of weather helm as the breeze increases I will first flatten the main off to about 10mm and if that does not work I will change the trim to let the main out slightly further, but leave the jib the same. I will also flatten the jib down to 10mm at the very top end of A, but only after the main is already down to 10mm. The neutral helm also has the advantage that when I am unsighted and cant see the boat it is still sailing flat out without my input. This is also a big advantage when the boat is too far away to see clearly. That lower tell tale on the main is a great trim indicator. It should fly at a slight up angle on the weather side of about 20 degrees. In this photo it says I am sailing a fraction lower than optimum and I should push the boat up with the rudder. The neutral helm has one further huge advantage. As I tack, once I am on the new heading I seldom need to keep on some weather helm until the boat gets its speed up again and starts tracking. The boat also tacks much more cleanly as a result and I stall less when I make a mistake. I.e. its much easier to get the boat going again from a bad tack. And a great picture of John. He sheets the main in a bit more than I do, but the jib is still quite wide. This is probably his pinch mode though and if he dropped the main slightly so the jib is over the deck knuckle we would be quite close in setup. One difference is that the entry angle on the main on Johns boat at the first draft stripe is a bit wider than mine, so he would need to sheet a bit closer. My entry looks a lot flatter, so I can sheet the boom out a bit and still have a similar entry angle. This could be because I have a bit more mast bend coupled with less luff curve. I actively set my mast bend so that the luff at this height moves behind the mast. I.e. the luff sits on the centre line, not to leeward of the mast. Notice how flat he now runs his main foot depth. I was running 20mm, but John looks to be even flatter. It's also a great picture for showing the twist in the sails and a perfect example of how the twist in the jib parallels the back of the main. Active trim: My high mode has the jib width at 45-50mm, about 1cm - 1,5cm in from my best VMG mode. I have the ratchet set for the mainsail trim on my radio. I Move the trim/throttle stick on the radio so that it is two ratchet clicks up. This is the radio setting that I want to see my VMG sail setting at. I use the subtrim buttons on my radio to move the sails to that setting. With the trim all the way in I now want the jib to be at 50mm or perhaps even 45mm in very flat water. Depending on the radio, two clicks may move the trim in more than the desired 1-1.5cm so you would need to change your throttle curve. The radio I used at Fleetwood did not need it, but my newer radio moves the sheet too far and I have set a throttle curve. If there are boats around me and I need height, I will start with the boat at two clicks out and then once it up at full speed, I start to bleed the boat up as I trim in. Often you can carry a high fast mode for a length of time, but if I hit a bad wave or header and the boat slows then its immediately trim to the two clicks position, get the speed back and then work the boat up again one or two clicks. If I am in clear air and chasing then I found the boat very fast at two clicks out and did not trim in much The higher trim mode is also very useful if you get THAT boat below you that is racing only you and the fleet disappears into the distance whilst they try and luff the heck out of you. Your race is still toast, but at least it does give you some time to find a gap to tack away in. If you do have some space to leeward, then even with the wider trim you may be pleasantly surprised to see that you don't lose height and will roll over them quite quickly. I'll try and do a bit on twist, but here is a hint that I do not have enough twist in the top of my jib. Camber stripes are your friend. The bottom windward telltale is running at the angle I like, but the top one suggests I have mucked up the trim. It should match the bottom as closely as possible. Mains twist. Finicky beast. Half a turn on the vang can make a surprising difference. I can only suggest a starting point and then fiddle with small changes until the boat looks and behaves to your preferences. Looking at the boat from behind when the boat is on the water and using the picture of John's boat as a template would be a good start. Looking down the backstay from behind the boat, I want the main leech to parallel the backstay between the top two battens. It was difficult to take a photo, but fairly obvious in real life Jib Twist. I like the jib leech to parallel the back of the main for as far as possible. The upper third of the jib should also parallel the main entry angle as far as possible. Top of jib and upper third of main should start to luff at the same time as you head up into the wind. Earlier I posted a near perfect picture of John Tushingham and now I hope he forgives me for posting one a bit more ugly This was taken a month before the Globals and I think I had an edge on boat speed in this race. I never saw his boat look like this in the Globals and want to use this to point out how top sailors like him are prepared to adapt and experiment. In this photo we have similar rake, but I am running a more bent mast, with flatter sails. A much finer entry for the main as a result, which should result in a cleaner and wider slot between the back of the main and the jib. The difference in speed was very small, but even a cm or two of extra speed helps get your nose out in a crowded start and makes you look like a better sailor. Compare this to his globals setup B-Rig Quick reminder that these are my settings and opinions and are not the only way to do things. I was not very fond of the B-rig, but took the opportunity to go out and sail whenever there was enough wind in the evenings. After a few sessions of just buggering around with silly settings I started to really enjoy these sessions as the B-rig has such brilliant contrast between just sailing and sailing fast and once you found the faster settings the boat itself became increasingly easier to sail. I went into the first B-rig race at the Globals not knowing if I had got it right as I have had nobody to sail against. In short it was a very pleasant surprise and I had speed to burn. As the regatta wore on I made a few mistakes (getting off the lee shore etc) and started to second guess myself and changed the setting to trim a bit narrower, which was a mistake in retrospect, but I was not too stessed as I could still hang in for a top 3 in most races. The fastest boat was probably sail number 121. A bit inconsistent, but when he got it right had a definite edge towards the end of the regatta. There could be some advantage to the icarex sail material in these conditions, but if anything this boat was sheeting the jib wider than I do when it was flying. If you set the B-rig up anything like the A, the first thing you will most likely notice is lee helm and the first attempt to fix this would be to pull the main up to the centreline. It does balance the boat, but the groove becomes very narrow and it's hard to keep the boat going fast and tacking can become a bit harder. What worked for me was. As much aft rake as possible to take out some of the lee helm. I wanted the flattest entry angle possible with the maximum camber back at 50% in the lower third. So I bent the mast to take out all the luff curve. All 5mm of it. The tightest forestay possible, just short of breaking the boat. It makes the boat easier to tack and also takes shape out of the jib keeping the entry flatter. I wanted the widest main I could get away with and to keep things consistent I start with the main boom against the palm of my hand when my fingers are parallel to the backstay as normal. Most of the other boats do sheet a bit closer. Good, I feel I am faster. With the main boom in this position the jib boom is now over the side of the boat. 65-70mm between the mast and jib boom. I do have a 'point' mode where the jib may come in to 55-60mm, which could be used off the start line, but once clear I am sheeting out again. The jib is flat, 10mm-15 mm foot depth. The jib twist is still parallel to the back of the main, but you can twist it off a bit more at the very top of B rig conditions. The main is flat. I run 15mm, but JohnT is even flatter at 10mm or less. There is a fair amount of twist in the main, which you can get away with as with the luff curve taken out by the bent mast the slot is already very wide. The more twist you have, the faster the boat, but the limit is when the top third starts to backwind. I start with the main twist setting as follows. With the main at the VMG setting, sighting up the backstay a line drawn through the bottom two mainsail battens is parallel to the backstay. Run out of time. Will add a bit more later In the meanwhile here is a nice picture of John, over the start line , but a nice example of a fast setup B rig Sheeting Angle: More detail to follow, but its wider than you think. Three fingers will no longer do the trick. B rig: Backstay and mast: Bend that baby. Luff curve matches back of mast the entire length. Standard or 'stock' luff curve. Flat sails. Jib down at less than 15mm foot depth. I run 15mm on the main. JohnT was flatter. B-rig: More mast curve: B-Rig Main twist: Phone camera perspective mucks thing up, but a line through the ends of the bottom two battens is parallel to the backstay B-rig: Mast Curve

The DF 95 Project Here is the story of my entry into the world of DF 95. I launch a new boat on 14/6/23 and sailed in my first TT event the following Sunday. With the Tips from Richard Calas at Emsworth and Craig Richards from his facebook posts I was able to be competitive from the start. There is no point reinventing the wheel so rather than post ideas on setup, I start with Craig's wonderful series of articles on facebook on how to set your boat up and then I will add my own observations. The DF95 is a great one design boat and I have no regrets moving into the class. It is a delight to sail and the only way you will get more speed than someone else is by achieving a better setup or sailing better. What more can you want. Starting with the build I was given some helpful advice: It is worth applying Epoxy all deck eyes. Unscrew, apply a tiny amount of epoxy and re-screw to seal all the deck fittings. Use epoxy when assembling the booms to give time to align the components. I upgraded to the newer brushless rudder servo as I thought the upgrade would be more reliable when centering the rudder. A lesson I learned on the IOM I bought 3 1000mAh life batteries from rc yachts as they were the cheapest supplier I chopped the top of the on/off switch as when I turned to port the electrics neatly switched off as the servo arm hit the on off switch. I bent the wire connector between the rudder servo and the tiller ever so slightly, so it did not catch on the deck hatch housing as this was straining the servo. I counter sunk the servo tray screws so the hatch sat neatly in its housing I threaded cord through the bung and added a restrainer to stop it coming out. This way I could empty the boat without ever losing the bung. I drilled a second hole on the A rig can for the mainsail fastening, 5 mm aft of the supplied hole Left the top sail tie loose on the A rig so sail flops nicely from side to side. I used fine cord to tie the sails to the mast. Every knot is secured with super glue. The assembly instructions are spot on although they only cover the A rig and could add a few comments about the B_D rigs.. Whilst the specs on the DF web site were good for the mast and boom. it took me a while to figure where do you attach the jib tacks and jib sheet eyes. Put a bigger knot on the topping lift inside boom. Be very careful with the jib wire terminals on the jibs. I have already had one ferrule that slipped. On my IOM, I terminate the wire by bending the wire using a Dupro tool. Might do that in the long term on the DF. Put thick lines on the sails so you can see if you are pointing to high or have a backwinding mainsail. These are all simple tasks which I hope will improve the longevity of the boat or make it more efficient. With no boat speed advantage to be had it is all about the sailing, much of which I cover in racing an IOM. Whilst the tuning details are specific to the IOM, the rest applies to any class. Maybe the heading should be Racing a radio controlled yacht. Taking on board the advice I was given, led to a 2nd in the first TT event at Manor Park splitting John Tushingham and Craig Richards. This is the only warm up prior to the nationals. The blog tells the story and learnings from the event.