Post by Bob Hodges on Jul 13, 2004 11:28:15 GMT -5
Bill Vining asked me to write up a "generic" regatta report from this past weekend in Newport that can be posted on the website page and other catamaran racing forums. I will post the following to the Catsailor forums.
The recent F-18HT event in Newport, RI at the VOLKSWAGON/SAIL NEWPORT regatta was a huge success. Eleven enthusiastic teams raced eight races over two days in light to moderate conditions. The racing was extremely close with the top position being determined by throwout.
The evolution of the class continues. This is a development class. All competitors in the US are still racing the Bimare Javelin 2 platform. Last year, nearly everyone was using the stock Bimare mainsail and a Smyth spinnaker. At this regatta, the top competitors were using either an Ullman or Ashby mainsail. In addition, other sailmakers like Irwin and Tony Arends (Quantum) have made sails for the boats that are currently being tested. Spinnakers are now being hoisted higher and further forward resulting in a higher aspect chute that improves the downwind helm of the boat, stability, visibility, and speed. Two competitors have changed out the stock rudders with those used on the Marstrom M-20 and they believe this change certainly improves the downspeed handling of the boat and may contribute to better top end speed. Critics of the class will argue that it is not healthy to have an “arms race” but everyone in the class seems committed to finding the fastest rig/platform setup and sail combinations. This continued development should lead to a stable class structure married to sensible evolution as demonstrated by the A-class.
Back to the Newport regatta, over 800 sailors participated. The classes included Lasers, Laser Radials, J-24, J-22, J-105, Farr 40, 110, Jet 14, 420, Etchells 30, Freedom 20, and 12 meters (yes there were at least eight 12 meters including Freedom, Courageous, Heritage, Weatherly, Columbia, and others, quite a sight). The sponsorship by Volkswagon allowed the competitors to enjoy meals on Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at the awards banquet. Plenty of Heineken and Amstel Light beer was on tap along with live music on Saturday night. It was a real bonus to expose the class to the dinghy and keelboat classes as all of the comments were extremely positive.
On to the race report, after a 45 minute delay to allow a sea breeze to develop, five races were sailed on Saturday in 8-12 knots of breeze. Peter Johnstone and 2000 Oympics 470 Silver Medalist Bob Merrick set the pace winning the first three races battling closely with Bob Hodges and WF Oliver and Chris Brown and his teammate Ian (ex-International 14 sailor). Bob/WF won the next two races and were able to end up tied in points with Peter/Bob when Chris/Ian took a second in the last race securing a solid third place position.
On Sunday, three races were sailed in a dying northerly that was tricky sailing. Most of the pressure seemed to be to the left in the first two races but stabs of shift and pressure were coming in from the right as the day progressed. The bar was raised higher on Sunday with 1996 Olympian (470) Kris Stookey and her teammate husband Hunt back out on the water after a broken rudder pintle forced their retirement early on Saturday. In the first race, Peter/Bob hit the left side further than anyone else and had a substantial lead at the first weather mark. They dropped to third on the second beat but then capitalized on a mark rounding mistake by the lead boats on the last beat to come back and win the race. In the second race, Bob/WF battled Kris/Hunt for the lead with Kris and Hunt taking the race with excellent downwind speed on the finishing leg with Peter/Bob in third. In the third race, most of the fleet went left but Bob/WF thought the right looked better and made it work to hold on for first. The last race looked like it would be a showdown with once again a tie in overall points between Bob/WF and Peter/Bob. Bob/WF got off the line clean heading to the right while Peter/Bob were forced to the left. It was obvious the dying northerly was going to eventually switch to the southeasterly but there was still enough on the left to give Peter/Bob a big lead at the weather mark. The boats that went right got caught in the “vacuum” between the northerly and the southeasterly. The race committee decided at this point to abandon the race and call it a day. Bob/WF won the series by a point over the “Gunboat” team of Peter/Bob with Chris/Ian in a well deserved third place.
Thanks go to SAIL NEWPORT and their race committee and regatta staff for a job very well done on running this event.
Bob Hodges
F-18HT USA 3
The recent F-18HT event in Newport, RI at the VOLKSWAGON/SAIL NEWPORT regatta was a huge success. Eleven enthusiastic teams raced eight races over two days in light to moderate conditions. The racing was extremely close with the top position being determined by throwout.
The evolution of the class continues. This is a development class. All competitors in the US are still racing the Bimare Javelin 2 platform. Last year, nearly everyone was using the stock Bimare mainsail and a Smyth spinnaker. At this regatta, the top competitors were using either an Ullman or Ashby mainsail. In addition, other sailmakers like Irwin and Tony Arends (Quantum) have made sails for the boats that are currently being tested. Spinnakers are now being hoisted higher and further forward resulting in a higher aspect chute that improves the downwind helm of the boat, stability, visibility, and speed. Two competitors have changed out the stock rudders with those used on the Marstrom M-20 and they believe this change certainly improves the downspeed handling of the boat and may contribute to better top end speed. Critics of the class will argue that it is not healthy to have an “arms race” but everyone in the class seems committed to finding the fastest rig/platform setup and sail combinations. This continued development should lead to a stable class structure married to sensible evolution as demonstrated by the A-class.
Back to the Newport regatta, over 800 sailors participated. The classes included Lasers, Laser Radials, J-24, J-22, J-105, Farr 40, 110, Jet 14, 420, Etchells 30, Freedom 20, and 12 meters (yes there were at least eight 12 meters including Freedom, Courageous, Heritage, Weatherly, Columbia, and others, quite a sight). The sponsorship by Volkswagon allowed the competitors to enjoy meals on Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at the awards banquet. Plenty of Heineken and Amstel Light beer was on tap along with live music on Saturday night. It was a real bonus to expose the class to the dinghy and keelboat classes as all of the comments were extremely positive.
On to the race report, after a 45 minute delay to allow a sea breeze to develop, five races were sailed on Saturday in 8-12 knots of breeze. Peter Johnstone and 2000 Oympics 470 Silver Medalist Bob Merrick set the pace winning the first three races battling closely with Bob Hodges and WF Oliver and Chris Brown and his teammate Ian (ex-International 14 sailor). Bob/WF won the next two races and were able to end up tied in points with Peter/Bob when Chris/Ian took a second in the last race securing a solid third place position.
On Sunday, three races were sailed in a dying northerly that was tricky sailing. Most of the pressure seemed to be to the left in the first two races but stabs of shift and pressure were coming in from the right as the day progressed. The bar was raised higher on Sunday with 1996 Olympian (470) Kris Stookey and her teammate husband Hunt back out on the water after a broken rudder pintle forced their retirement early on Saturday. In the first race, Peter/Bob hit the left side further than anyone else and had a substantial lead at the first weather mark. They dropped to third on the second beat but then capitalized on a mark rounding mistake by the lead boats on the last beat to come back and win the race. In the second race, Bob/WF battled Kris/Hunt for the lead with Kris and Hunt taking the race with excellent downwind speed on the finishing leg with Peter/Bob in third. In the third race, most of the fleet went left but Bob/WF thought the right looked better and made it work to hold on for first. The last race looked like it would be a showdown with once again a tie in overall points between Bob/WF and Peter/Bob. Bob/WF got off the line clean heading to the right while Peter/Bob were forced to the left. It was obvious the dying northerly was going to eventually switch to the southeasterly but there was still enough on the left to give Peter/Bob a big lead at the weather mark. The boats that went right got caught in the “vacuum” between the northerly and the southeasterly. The race committee decided at this point to abandon the race and call it a day. Bob/WF won the series by a point over the “Gunboat” team of Peter/Bob with Chris/Ian in a well deserved third place.
Thanks go to SAIL NEWPORT and their race committee and regatta staff for a job very well done on running this event.
Bob Hodges
F-18HT USA 3
