Thread: Cool stuff

Not sure whether you have seen this:

Kite vs Moth vs 49er - YouTube

49er looses big time. Moth and kite boarder come very close.

Joost

That's marvellous.

It is a pity there isn't a high performance windsurfer/sailboard there!

One of the limitations I would guess would be the size of the waves. The kite would start to be thrown around badly first. I think in some ways this is the big breakthrough of foils ... that the waves are not much of a problem ... at least until the foils start breaking out of the wave faces or wave backs. And the moth falls down literally.

The hard thing for any conventional boat is the way waves slow you down upwind or down.

But hydrofoils allow you a life without being affected by the waves ... up to a point..

MIK

We were talking about Elvestrom a couple of pages ago

ELVSTROM Paul - Denmark - Olympic.org.flv - YouTube

MIK

Originally Posted by Boatmik

We were talking about Elvestrom a couple of pages ago

MIK

Wow, awesome video quality! I had almost forgotten that the Finns did not have a vang in those days. They just had a boom wedge to hold the boom down, well sorta.

Also, check out the woolly jumpers! I remember the "loaded jumper" era well. Nowadays the rule is that the total wet weight of clothing cannot exceed 9kg and any "non floating clothing component" cannot exceed 500g. My mum made me a heavy weather sailing jacket made from a thick woolen "Basotho" blanket (pronounced Basootoo). No problem when in the water, but strong arms needed to get back into the boat after a spill. Now that I'm older and a tad wiser, weight jackets were a silly idea really.

PS. I just watched it again. You don't see Olympic starts like that any more. (or starts in any State or National regattas for that matter) Today's sailors are just so much more skilled at starting.

Australia seems to be riding the crest of a wave in sailing at the moment with 5 Aussies in the top 10 of the Zhik Nautica Moth World Championships.

Final Top 10 results (1 discard) and qualifying rank:

1. Joshua McKnight (AUS), 2+2+(4)+1+2+4+1+1+3+1=17
2.Scott Babbage (AUS), 1+1+1+2+(16)+5+4+2+2+2=20
3. Rob Gough (AUS), 12+4+3+5+(11)+10+10+3+1+3=51
4. Anthony Kotoun (ISV), 4+3+2+10+(33)+1+2+7+16+8=53
5. Andrew McDougall (AUS), 7+7+12+8+7+(34)+3+5+7+5=61
6. Bora Gulari (USA), 3+5+11+3+8+2+8+(36)+20+6=66
7. Chris Rashley (GBR), 5+12+9+11+13+9+(61 DSQ)+4+4+7=74
8. Julian Salter (AUS), 8+9+6+7+(38)+3+7+16+13+16=85
9. Simon Payne (GBR), 11+(31)+16+12+4+11+14+10+8+11=97
10. Brad Funk(USA), 18+6+10+4+1+8+5+(61 DNC)+14+33=99 Aussies in the top 10 at Lake

For full results, cool pics and videos: 2012 Moth Worlds | Campione del garda, 19th to 26th august 2012


ZHIK NAUTICA 2012 Moth Worlds Week Review - YouTube

Thanks for that Bruce.

After reading Twiname's "sail race and win" I have always looked at how results in each race go. Generally the top finisher is one that starts out with very good but not necessarily the best results but as the regatta goes on can put more energy and focus in each progressive race.

My take on Twiname is that if you use regular weekly races as practice sessions to improve skills in particular areas then more and more is put into the Automatic "body memory" category.

So you have less stuff in your head. More stuff in your head means super concentration from the outset which is unsustainable ... you burn out. You often see results where someone starts brilliantlly with finishes in the top 5 for the first three races, then theres a 14th and a 21st. Then they start improving again with a 10th then maybe in the last race they get in the top five again.

A great example of that was Australia II in the America's cup. Three races out of seven lost and the team decides (paraphrasing) ... "it's business as usual .. we always had to win four races".

MIK

This is so true. I once won a National Championship and didn't win a single race in the regatta. I was always fairly consistent but would often have a bad race early on from lack of concentration. Having a bad race early in the regatta means your brain clicks up to a higher gear for the rest of the regatta as you then know that another bad one will mean it's all over. Some people just operate best when the pressure is on. At work, I was the same. I just hated it if there was no urgency.

Doug Peckover's wife Pam has just written a very good article on their blog site about how his brain works, and when I read it I said "that's me!". Doug is an amazing Master's Laser sailor from Texas and very talented, but he's a very humble person. He spent a lot of time with Frank Bethwaite in the 80's. We met out on the race course at the Master's Worlds earlier this year, and I wish I had caught up with him off the course as he was only a few boats away from me on the rigging lawn. That's the problem with big regattas, it's impossible to meet everyone. Here is the article, complete with Doug's brain scan!

http://www.impropercourse.com/2012/0...than-dirt.html

As far as I am concerned ... that sort of article is exactly what sailing is about.

It kindof looks narrow but spreads out into so many interesting areas.

Hmmm ... probably just about everything does and I'm just picking the one I like!

MIK

I like those moths, thanks for sharing the videos. How much wind is needed for the moths to fly on their foils?

Originally Posted by warm beer

I like those moths, thanks for sharing the videos. How much wind is needed for the moths to fly on their foils?

Provided the skipper is not a "heavyweight", they can foil in just 5 kts.

They are saying now that if you can get foilborne you can sustain in 4 knots or just under of breeze.

But you need more grunt for takeoff. 4 knots is less wind than a non sailor can feel ... and the water is pretty glassy so it can look rather eerie!

MIK

Well, I think this is cool. Flippy floppy leg drive system using two flexible fins that is more efficient and faster than paddling. It drops into a wet well in the hull, so I don't know if it has much use in a wooden kayak or canoe, but maybe ...
Hobie Mirage Drive Kayaks - YouTube

Where have you been man!?
Vic Harbour Pedal composite - YouTube
I included a video from this guy because he also built a 18' sharpie from Parker, and he has some really nice videos of it if you look.

Originally Posted by warm beer

Well, I think this is cool. Flippy floppy leg drive system using two flexible fins that is more efficient and faster than paddling. It drops into a wet well in the hull, so I don't know if it has much use in a wooden kayak or canoe, but maybe ...
Hobie Mirage Drive Kayaks - YouTube

Originally designed for fishermen so they have their hands free. Ubiquitous for keen fishermen who want silent paddling, but yes, certainly worthy of "cool"!