Yet Another Cycling Forum
Off Topic => The Pub => The Sporting Life => Topic started by: drgannet on 08 November, 2016, 10:52:26 pm
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in crazy yachts...
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ (http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RxFZrLhWnU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RxFZrLhWnU)
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Quite a boat. All the best to Alex Thomson, 'foiling' in the southern ocean can't be for the faint hearted. Amazing to think it was 16yrs ago that Ellen MacA raced.
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Truly bonkers. Imagine being totally shit-scared for whole months at a time.
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AT currently in the lead.
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Hydrofoiling can give more speed, a better ride and a more upright boat.
Still bonkers in the southern ocean.
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Also technically illegal as I understand it, not keeping a watch at all times
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Hydrofoiling can give more speed, a better ride and a more upright boat.
Still bonkers in the southern ocean.
One of those strange ironies is that the skippers who don't push their boats, tend to find they start failing.
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The boat that won't break won't win.
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I think it is more to do with the fact that the course through the southern ocean they have following seas, so pushing the boat to do a couple of thousand miles on the plane* is safer that dropping of the back of a wave and to be hit by the following wave.
ETA: Planing is when the boat is going faster than its own bow wave, which lifts the bow out of the water and reduces drag, giving a much high speed than the theoretical maximum hull speed.
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Last December on a delivery trip we were getting over 12kn in a displacement 34 footer off Dover with a wind going over 50 knots. Unfortunately only 2 of us could steer the boat in such conditions (the autohelm couldn't) and we'd been going over 24 hours so we put into Ramsgate for the night instead of going on to Harwich. We were punished for our timidity next day by having to motor some of it.
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That sounds like fun. We'd hit those sort of speeds in a 3/4 tonner in a decent blow with a following sea and the spinnaker up. Anywhere within about a mile of the Dover harbour wall can be really lumpy. In 50 knots I am guessing it would have been really unpleasant.
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That sounds like fun. We'd hit those sort of speeds in a 3/4 tonner in a decent blow with a following sea and the spinnaker up. Anywhere within about a mile of the Dover harbour wall can be really lumpy. In 50 knots I am guessing it would have been really unpleasant.
I seem to remember getting a similar speed on a delivery trip with a No. 2 Jib and a main, albeit in lighter winds.
;D
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That sounds like fun. We'd hit those sort of speeds in a 3/4 tonner in a decent blow with a following sea and the spinnaker up. Anywhere within about a mile of the Dover harbour wall can be really lumpy. In 50 knots I am guessing it would have been really unpleasant.
I seem to remember getting a similar speed on a delivery trip with a No. 2 Jib and a main, albeit in lighter winds.
;D
:-) You remember it well, though that was short bursts on brief wave rides. With everything up it was possible to sustain those speeds for quite a bit longer.
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That sounds like fun. We'd hit those sort of speeds in a 3/4 tonner in a decent blow with a following sea and the spinnaker up. Anywhere within about a mile of the Dover harbour wall can be really lumpy. In 50 knots I am guessing it would have been really unpleasant.
It was a bit lumpy. I had been awarded the forepeak berth and I've no doubt the boat left me suspended in the air several times. I still got some sleep.
IMO a good yacht race beats watching F1 racing any day of the week, especially with modern yachts and Sir Ben Ainslie challenging for the Americas Cup.
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Ha ha ! Put one of your only two viable helmsmen in the forepeak. Not a good strategy.
Agree with you on the entertainment value of a boat race. However, I'd still much rather be doing it than watching it.
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Bit of a duel in the southern ocean going on atm...
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Bit of a duel in the southern ocean going on atm...
It looks like Thomson has the slightly faster boat, but I fear that the loss of his hydrofoil will be decisive in Le Cleac'h's favour when they get back to the Atlantic, if Thomson is even still in the running then (a bit unlucky to have spent 20 days on a port tack...).
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From what I read it's when he turns the corner at Cape Horn that he will be on the tack which uses his remaining foil. If that is the case, and he is still ahead at the turn, then he will be in a strong position.
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Check out the video (http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/16697/landmark-footage-of-solo-sailors-in-southern-ocean-released)towards the bottom of this page.
As said upthread, truly bonkers.
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And Thomson is back in front.
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Looks like any hope of Thomson winning has gone (unless Le Cleac'h has a serious mechanical), as a result of some bad decisions in the last 2 days to head North in an attempt to find some wind, but instead ending up becalmed. Le Cleac'h is having a blinder though.
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Yes, AT is at +515nm now.
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Ooo. That's growing by the day. Not good news for AT.
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AT pulling back some miles, now at +380nm...
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AT pulling back some miles, now at +380nm...
Oh, nautical miles, not nano-metres. Otherwise, it's a VERY close race.
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AT gaining more
ground sea, now at +131 nm; but currently in a 'wind hole'...
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Exciting times on the Vendee Globe (all along the length of the race) right now, but the next 24 hours will be crucial in deciding the winner. Avantage Le Cleac'h, mais voyons ce qui se passe...
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AT on +
100 88nm now. C'mon Alex. :) Shame he doesn't have two hydrofoils any longer - I was amazed to hear they weigh ~200kg a piece.
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British sailor Alex Thomson today smashed the world record for the greatest distance sailed solo in 24 hours notching up 536.81 miles on Hugo Boss. This new record awaits ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.
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