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PostPosted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 4:39 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:32 am
Posts: 424
Location: Lake Gaston, NC
Sorry, but it's not the boat or small variations in battens. Most common mistake I see new sailors, and a lot of old ones too, make is steering too much. Nothing slows a cat down more than too much steering. I see people do this on all sorts of boats, including big boats. I've seen people in big boats who think they have to move the tiller inbetween every wave.

In light air, I often hold the tiller down on something so it doesn't move unless absolutely necessary. On a cat especially, you have to get your speed up, and keep it. Keeping it is the hard part. Even if you are sheeting the sail in in sporty conditions, the tiller needs to be held absolutely steady, or you will bleed off speed. The groove is always small, and any extra tiller movement puts you in and out of the groove.

Fast sailors don't watch the boat once you have everything set up the way you want it for the conditions. You have to watch the water and anticipate changes. If you know a gust hits because you just got overpowered instantly, it's because your eyes were on the boat and not the water.

The last time I raced a Hobie Cat was in the Prosail series in the late '80s. I paid a lot of attention to everyone elses boats when they were on the beach. No one in the series used any kind of wind indicator other than telltales on the sails.


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 12:57 pm 
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Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:36 pm
Posts: 216
So far I have gotten radically faster by reading the sailing/racing books. Speed is certainly dependent on the skipper, as all the reading materials will agree with, however when you know how the wind affects different parts of your boat, and how to read sail telltails, bridle tell tails etc, in combination with practice practice practice, speed, skill and confidence will all go up. Phil Bermans' beginner book and Rick White's, Cat Sailing in the 90's have really helped my speed, by helping me decipher what is different on other boats that are pulling away from me and passing me. The differences are subtle. If you can't see other racers finishing, reading one book is not going to help you, but if you are charging downwind and/or upwind and you are plagued by your competitors creeping past you... a little book time won't hurt.

That being said... 100 dollar hobie tuning book sounds insane to me.

Tom

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Fleet 259, Central Coast CA
H18 ('81)
H18 ('85)
H20 ('97)
H18 ('78)


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:34 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:13 am
Posts: 1184
Location: Nepean S.C. Ottawa, Canada
Try Frank Bethwaite's Higher Performance Sailing.....the new edition,
and you may wish to get it from the library, it is not a cheap book.

Lots of pictures, diagrams, history and excellent advice.
Probably the best book I've read on the practical use of apparent wind.

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SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
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PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2013 10:20 am 
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Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 2:15 pm
Posts: 1195
Location: Oakland, CA
moncasta wrote:
So far I have gotten radically faster by reading the sailing/racing books.
Ain't that the truth?! From worst to first between seasons. It also helps that you're a skinny guy with skinny crew racing against fat guys, and that you practiced you butt off while the rest of off just got fatter.

Good work.

New rule for Div. 3 18 racers: The winner buys the beer for the next regatta.


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 9:07 pm 
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Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:36 pm
Posts: 216
Back by popular demand....


http://www.murrays.com/mm5/merchant.mvc ... re_Code=MS

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Fleet 259, Central Coast CA
H18 ('81)
H18 ('85)
H20 ('97)
H18 ('78)


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:26 am 
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Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 8:28 am
Posts: 791
Location: Clinton Lake, KS
moncasta wrote:
So far I have gotten radically faster by reading the sailing/racing books. Speed is certainly dependent on the skipper, as all the reading materials will agree with, however when you know how the wind affects different parts of your boat, and how to read sail telltails, bridle tell tails etc, in combination with practice practice practice, speed, skill and confidence will all go up. Phil Bermans' beginner book and Rick White's, Cat Sailing in the 90's have really helped my speed, by helping me decipher what is different on other boats that are pulling away from me and passing me. The differences are subtle. If you can't see other racers finishing, reading one book is not going to help you, but if you are charging downwind and/or upwind and you are plagued by your competitors creeping past you... a little book time won't hurt.

That being said... 100 dollar hobie tuning book sounds insane to me.

Tom




+100000


I have also learned a TON from just watching as much racing as I can.. Watching the America's Cup (back when they were fleet racing AC 45's) was VERY instructional because the coverage of the event was exceptional. On youtube for several of the events they have the same event with commentary for the masses, and commentary which is more technical.. Watching all of the tactics and strategy play out on the water, the jockeying for position at the line.. ect ect ect.. Just seeing what that looks like has really helped me a lot.. My time and distance estimating has gone from terrible to just needing a bit of fine tuning... and I have yet to enter a Regatta this year (even ones where I got my butt kicked after the gun, after even making A mark often at the front of the fleet. :x ) in which I wasn't able to nearly always be where I wanted when I wanted on the line.. And on top of that I have usually made the right choice about where to be... :D

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 8:31 am 
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
If you want a good perspective for watching starts, volunteer to work race committee for a regatta, either the signal boat or pin boat if possible. You will see where a lot of the mistakes are made and hopefully some good starts too. Biggest issue most people that are new to starting have is with just getting up on the line.

If you're racing in the regatta, make a point to watch the other fleets start if possibe, don't just sit around BSing during the other starts. Camp out down at the pin or five to ten boat lengths downwind from the start line. Time the starts so you can see where the boats are relative to the line as time clicks down. Try to pick a few boats that you think look like they are having a good start and see how they actually make out during first leg.

sm


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 8:36 am 
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Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 8:28 am
Posts: 791
Location: Clinton Lake, KS
srm wrote:
If you want a good perspective for watching starts, volunteer to work race committee for a regatta, either the signal boat or pin boat if possible. You will see where a lot of the mistakes are made and hopefully some good starts too. Biggest issue most people that are new to starting have is with just getting up on the line.

If you're racing in the regatta, make a point to watch the other fleets start if possibe, don't just sit around BSing during the other starts. Camp out down at the pin or five to ten boat lengths downwind from the start line. Time the starts so you can see where the boats are relative to the line as time clicks down. Try to pick a few boats that you think look like they are having a good start and see how they actually make out during first leg.

sm



+1


I have worked a couple Thistle Regatta's this year... It is great to not only watch the starts, but also fun to watch the wind shifts.. and see lead changes happening. It is so much easier to see that stuff standing on the committee boat...

Now if I could just perfect it from my boat... :lol: :roll: :oops:

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PostPosted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 9:46 am 
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Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:27 am
Posts: 9
Location: West Michigan
Someone call the police! I just stole this one! :shock:


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