Non-Car SAILING EVENT not to be missed

Fast?

Hell yeah

Just to show how excited I got over this race when I found it, I didn't realize that it wasn't the America's Cup - It was the Bermuda Sail GP races.  That's a whole different boat category of ultra-light, keel-less, Carbon Fiber Catamarans that "fly" on hydrofoils (wings), accelerate like a car and can cruise at over 60mph in light chop.   Their "sails" are semi-rigid airfoils (think of a vertical airplane wing that can be shaped by the crew while underway).

What an exciting set of heats!  And I'm still trying to figure out what the hell was going on in the second heat of the finals when Japan and Australia collided.  

Anyway, for those who missed it, here's the finals clip from the Youtube channel.  
Hang on to your chair!

Thanks for the link, Gordon. Amazing boats!

US didnt qualify?

USA got crashed into in the second heat of the three-heat finals.  Both USA and the other boat (Spain?  Can't recall) were DNF.

@Gordon Nichols posted:

USA got crashed into in the second heat of the three-heat finals.  Both USA and the other boat (Spain?  Can't recall) were DNF.

The Japan boat crashed into the boat from USA. The stay sliced through the carbon fiber hull thus eliminating Japan from the event. Immediately afterward USA lost control in low winds and capsized putting them out of the race. Looks like the crash damaged their steering control which caused the capsize.

I hadn’t watched America’s Cup for a number of years. I was rather surprised to see them racing monohull foil boats.

I still can’t wrap my head around 50 knots from a 10-15kt breeze. Amazing.

Fantastic. If you're looking to upgrade your yacht...

I started out sailing ice boats when I was a kid, graduating up to a DN or J class boat.

I was clocked at over 60mph once in 20mph winds.  Once you got the sail set as an airfoil and the vacuum ahead of it started to pull it would take off like a rocket.

But that was on friction-free ice.   I never thought you could do that on the water.  Heck, my 18' Beetle-Cat had a hull designed for 7 knots.  Get that puppie healed over to the gunnels in a decent wind and a hull speed up over 8 knots and you were really haulin'!

Hey @MusbJim!  You, me, a couple of pairs of grinders (and, of course, your Corgi, to watch out for Pirates) and one of those boats for an afternoon terrorizing the bay in San Diego.  That would be one helluva lotta fun!

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Wow, sailing students will be learning their 'right-of-way' rules from this video for generations to come.

Sailboats are assigned 'port tack' or 'starboard tack' status based on which side of center they're carrying their sails at any moment. So, a few simple rules should make it clear to everyone who may 'stand on' (hold their course) and who has to 'give way'.

Here's how things looked from the Japan boat. When the US boat tacked onto starboard, they gained right of way over Japan (who's on port tack). To avoid collision, Japan then had two choices - tack onto starboard themselves (losing speed in the process) or duck behind the approaching US boat (giving up position).

They hesitated for a moment, and, like my mom always said, all was lost.

Looks like a lot of the skippers of these new boats are veteran pros with years of experience in older, slower designs. In this situation, in one of those old boats, the skipper of the Japan boat would have had a lot more time to make the call.

And here's how it looked from the US boat. If you've ever wondered how those wire cheese slicers work, here ya go:

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Wow.  “cheese slicer” is right!  

The Capri 22' I raced on for years as foredeck crew had an average hull speed of 6 knots or 11.09 kmh or about 7 mph. There were times though that we managed to eek out up to 13 knots in the right wind conditions in Coronado Bay, San Diego. I know that doesn't seem fast in comparison to these catamarans but when there's 20 of you running the start line line and at the markers things got pretty hectic pretty fast. My skipper and I were in a few close calls such as the Japan/USA fiasco because you're always trying to hold your line as long as you can hoping the other boat doesn't waiver or, if you were on starboard take evasive action, and then get called for a foul and you're trying to hold the line so you can come aft of them to keep your position. A very tactical race indeed. It just didn't work out for team Japan and ultimately Team USA. Great racing nonetheless.

There are several charter companies in Newport, Rhode Island, who will take you out on day charters on "retired" America's Cup 12 meter boats like the Nefertiti, Intrepid  or the American Eagle II, so a few of us in Engineering would go out for a day of sailing and have a lot of fun.  It's a surprising amount of work, especially for the grinders (the guys cranking the winches to trim the sails).  That was when it was just us Engineering folks and we'd go out a couple of times each Summer.   At about $50/person it was a cheap day of a lot of fun

Soon, the Field Service Engineering (FSE) guys who worked closely with us got in to the act and they started renting a day boat, too.  Those days it was a lot of fun and there was a lot of beer involved and a nice dinner in Newport that evening.  It was a blast.  

Of course, you know what happened next - FSE "just happened" to rent a boat on the same day that Engineering went out and the next thing you know we're in the outer harbor yelling obscenities at each other across the water and the race was on.  There are convenient course markers moored beyond the outer harbor because there's a lot of competitive racing going on all summer, even now.  Those boats were "cruising" at 8 knots with an occasional spurt to 10+ knots when the wind is right for long enough for us to get everything set and then enjoy it for a few minutes til we tacked, and then mass chaos ensued for a minute or two with all elbows and butts til we got everything trimmed and steady again.  It was a learning process for most of us.

But that wasn't good enough.  We all started looking around at our colleagues and asking who had any real sailing experience (cuz we weren't going to win any races against FSE with the crew we had) so we found a great helmsman in the design group (Gil), an even greater tactician from Systems Partnering (Dana - I swear, that guy could read invisible air and notice if the sails were 1" out of trim, and he doubled as a mastman), a Navigator (Tuvia) from the software group, some weight-lifter Eng. types from the Power Systems group as grinders and another weightlifter as Pitman (the guy in the forward hatch who hauls sails out and back in to the hold as needed).  Plus, two "Tailers" (one was me) - the guys trimming and swapping sails as needed and just being where-ever they were needed all the time.

Those were the biggies, but we also had a Bowman (Neil) standing up on the bow hauling the sails from/to the pitman and back to the mastman as needed as well as managing the spinnaker sail out front, but he needed wicked sticky boat shoes because he can't wear a safety line (we lost Neil, once, and had to come around to retrieve him - he was pissed) and so on.  Eleven crew members if you really intended to win (including the charter Captain), and we weren't about to get beat by the Field Service guys.

With that level of crew, we could get up into the 12 knot range (not quite14 MPH) and let me tell you, in a 12 meter yacht with a stiff, steady, onshore wind, THAT is hauling ass!  That's the only other time I've been in/on something that produced as big a SEG as a Speedster!

We raced against FSE and one other group (open systems Eng., with a crew of all women that was a take-no-prisoner, all business, winning crew) and I left Eng. in 1998 to semi-retire in Mah-kahting for a few years and then really retired.  As an interesting aside, Kathy and I took a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean in the early 2000's and I got to sail the Intrepid again on a "shore excursion" in St. Thomas.  She was wintering in warmer weather with the same charter company and base crew.  That was a real treat.

I spent a lot of time racing C Scows back in the 80's.  I liked both jobs:  Skipper and Crew.

As a skipper, you were the helmsman and tactician.  As the crew, you were responsible for sail shape and trim... and you were ballast, lol.  You needed a very strong core in order to hike out all the time.

We raced boats built by Buddy Melges who helped Bill Koch win the 1992 Amerca's Cup.   Koch is an alum of Culver MIlitary Academy, which is where I learned how to sail.   The lake there had a regatta of C Scows, most of which were either Melges boats or used Melges sails.

I enjoyed the 1992 film "Wind" starring Matthew Modine, Jennifer Grey, and a young Stellan Skaarsgard. Nothing like the stuff they're building today, but still fun.

Me, I'm just ballast. I did helm Bruce and Norma's boat back to the dock from way out in the bay, at night, after a few cocktails. Nobody got brained with a mast, all survived LOL!

@Gordon Nichols

Thanks for heads-up and link to that Bermuda Sail GP race. WOW, alway exciting to watch those hydrofoil catamarans speeding down the course and maneuvering around the turn markers.

As with most everything else in the world of Musbjim, life is taken at a more leisurely pace, including sailing (Catalina 36). On a typical sail it would take us about and hour to work our way out of the marina then through the harbor and into open water. Once in open water we would set a tack southward (from Belmont Shores toward Newport Beach) in the prevailing winds and keep that course for about 2 hours at about 6-7 knots, then come-about and head back to our slip (about 3 hours). In the slip we would chillax for a few hours, maybe cruise around in the tender and stop by some restaurant for dinner.

Ginny motoring through the marina with Bob at the ready.Exiting the marina into the Long Beach Harbor.Sailing through the harbor toward open water. In the left of the pic you can see the 3 stacks of the Queen Mary and the white dome where the Spruce Goose (Howard Hughes) was housed.In the open water Musbjim (aka: Capt Ron) at the wheel in typical lounging position.

Back in the marina motoring to the slip.Cruising the marina with Bob and my brother.Relaxing with a book and Bob staring me down for a treat!

Thanks for accommodating my throwback pics!

We absolutely LOVE Bob!

Bob, in his sea vest, reminds me of a pair of Basset hounds that came running down the dock, ears flapping out behind them, at Cuddyhunk Island (not far from Martha’s Vineyard) after we had pulled in for lunch at the only cafe on the island.  They were decked out in their Hi-Viz sea vests and stopped just ahead of us, wriggling about on the dock until their owner picked them up (by the top handle of the vest ) and placed them into a small Zodiac, where they hung out in the bow, barking all the way out to their boat.  

They were true “sea dogs”, I’m sure......   A little short, but with a very big bark.

@MusbJim posted:

@Gordon Nichols

Thanks for heads-up and link to that Bermuda Sail GP race. WOW, alway exciting to watch those hydrofoil catamarans speeding down the course and maneuvering around the turn markers.

As with most everything else in the world of Musbjim, life is taken at a more leisurely pace, including sailing (Catalina 36). On a typical sail it would take us about and hour to work our way out of the marina then through the harbor and into open water. Once in open water we would set a tack southward (from Belmont Shores toward Newport Beach) in the prevailing winds and keep that course for about 2 hours at about 6-7 knots, then come-about and head back to our slip (about 3 hours). In the slip we would chillax for a few hours, maybe cruise around in the tender and stop by some restaurant for dinner.

Ginny motoring through the marina with Bob at the ready.Exiting the marina into the Long Beach Harbor.Sailing through the harbor toward open water. In the left of the pic you can see the 3 stacks of the Queen Mary and the white dome where the Spruce Goose (Howard Hughes) was housed.In the open water Musbjim (aka: Capt Ron) at the wheel in typical lounging position.

Back in the marina motoring to the slip.Cruising the marina with Bob and my brother.Relaxing with a book and Bob staring me down for a treat!

Thanks for accommodating my throwback pics!

@MusbJim this must be called “sailaxing”🤙

Since this thread seems to be Sailing on.

Grew up in dinghies, raced Hobies and Star boats. Boats are gone but the memories remain.

How about some historical sailing?  I come from a boating family, all the way back to Ireland.  But in the early 1800s, my family came to Canada, and continued their boating ways (building and sailing).

A few shots of family history.  Not as dramatic as the America's Cup, but sailing all the same.

Very cool history Bob.

I spent my childhood mucking about in Lasers on cottage lakes and crewed on a C&C 36 including lots of weekly races and over nighters on Lake Ontario. My son is just looking for a Hobie 16-18 so should be fun this Summer.

Thanks for sharing that, @Bob: IM S6

Very cool history, Bob and something to be quite proud of.

There used to be boat builders by the score around Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, but there are only a handful left.  Surprisingly, while there are still 4 to 6 name fiberglass boat builders around the bay, there is a growing number of wooden boat and combo shops, too.

There is a terrific museum and school in Newport, Rhode Island, the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS), that continues to turn out top notch professional boatwrights and builders.  A childhood friend from Vermont went there, later taught there and has been working and teaching in Mystic, CT and the Caribbean for decades, now.  It's a really prestigious school that I hope will be opening back up this September for hands-on students.  Quite the art, building wooden boats.  Take a look at their site:

https://www.iyrs.edu

Hey, @edsnova and @Michael Pickett!

I just surfed the IYRS website and they appear to have a strong “Cardboard Aided Design” component to many of their courses.  Boy, I would fit right in, there!

They also appear to have quite a strong Facebook presence, if any of you are Facebookistas and are interested in advanced woodworking.  Just log in to Facebook and search for “ IYRS School of Technology & Trades school in Newport, Rhode Island.  Awesome stuff going on there.

@Gordon Nichols posted:

Hey, @edsnova and @Michael Pickett!

I just surfed the IYRS website and they appear to have a strong “Cardboard Aided Design” component to many of their courses.  Boy, I would fit right in, there!

Cool stuff! Not really a lot of difference in templating/prototyping a '67 boat and a '57 Speedster.

I spent my summers as a youth at Huntington Lake, CA, which has been described as one of the top five sailing lakes in North America. I got my start as a junior sailor and moved on up to the Laser class and eventually crewed on bigger boats in the Handicap Heavy Keel Class. Eventually my brother and I along with my wife and another friend raced as a team on our own Handicap Heavy Keel boat. We sailed in different events all year and during July the local sailing club, the Fresno Yacht Club, hosted the annual High Sierra Regatta. The event was cancelled last year due to COVID but was back this year.

My wife and some of her girlfriends were at Huntington Lake all last week and over the weekend. It just so happened that the regatta was happening last weekend. She sent me lots of photos and videos of the event since I was out delivering cars. One of the boats she sent a photo of caught my eye. The class was called Moth Foiling Class. The boat she sent me a picture of was a Mach2. It reminded me of this thread but this is foil sailing on an individual level. It's just, you, the most, and the wind. It looks like quite a rush.

Very cool!!  I've never seen those before, but they look challenging to master.

Looks more like wing-to-wing air racing* than sailing.

*If they did air races with home-built ultralights powered by LSx engines.

You know, it’s one thing to be smoking along at 45mph on a foil boat in light chop, but another thing entirely to dip the bow and have the whole thing stop in about ten feet.  Hitting the water that hard must really suck.

When we lived in Rhode Island we were on the shore of the Seapowet salt marsh, part of the Sakonnet river.  It was a really beautiful place to live - But not in the Winter when everyone left for warmer climes, which is why we eventually moved to South Carolina.  

The area is currently struggling with whether to allow oyster farming over a 3 - 4 acre area out in the river.  Someone just wrote a really great letter expressing their opinion that is so well written by an obvious sailor and local resident that I thought I would share it with all of you sailors out there.  Enjoy.

https://www.eastbayri.com/stor...to-navigation,91485?

@Gordon Nichols posted:

You know, it’s one thing to be smoking along at 45mph on a foil boat in light chop, but another thing entirely to dip the bow and have the whole thing stop in about ten feet.  Hitting the water that hard must really suck.

Yeah, I hear that. When you're cutting across the wake while slalom skiing and you mess up, it really hurts at 50-60 mph. Especially when you hit the wake, which is like a brick wall of churned-up water. Even though the boat is going 25-30, you're going almost twice as fast when you cut. You can tell, the ski starts to "sing" at that speed!

Twenty years ago, I would probably have learned how to sail one of those foils. Today, not so much. I'm too aware of how much things hurt.

@DannyP posted:

Yeah, I hear that. When you're cutting across the wake while slalom skiing and you mess up, it really hurts at 50-60 mph. Especially when you hit the wake, which is like a brick wall of churned-up water. Even though the boat is going 25-30, you're going almost twice as fast when you cut. You can tell, the ski starts to "sing" at that speed!

Twenty years ago, I would probably have learned how to sail one of those foils. Today, not so much. I'm too aware of how much things hurt.

Ouww, the memories...I was just starting to get the transition down when my brother sold his boat so yeah, I remember!