Hi -
The old catsailin expression applies -
{{if ya ain,t breakin s#@t once in a while ya aint really sailin now are ya }}
The only sailors that havn't broken rudders or castings or boards etc being forced back in to the beach are the tourist types in plaid bermuda shorts that just talk ,--or in this case just post --they don,t really have the time or experience in more extreme ocean racing conditions to offer much ,-except *&^% comments ,-always better applied in self introspection .--Very few catsailors or percentage of really have much time in these types of conditions .-
An intragal part of distance racing is boat prep and tuning ,--most race teams spend a day or two before ocean race events doing nothing but going over every part,bolt pin ring mast rig hardware -safety gear and fitting etc and test sailing it before the event begins.
At Jenson Bch in the 2001 1000 mile race teams broke nuerous rudders --- castings --then the other rudder and themselves in numerous attempts to get out thru surf with a really nasty undertow --side current --of 8 knots or more ,-That type of current causes loss of steering once a breaker hits making course correction -recovery very difficult ,--as appears to be the case in this years Texel race of 50 MN according to the reports and comments from those racing .
Often pictures were taken --snapshots in time ,--catching a skipper or crew temporarily out of position checking a broken rudder etc ,--one does not know unless there ,--they are guessing and often drawing false conclusions along with simplistic mischaracterizations directed at very excellent sailing teams with much greater range of experience.
The I-20 since that race and largely due to it has new rudder castings and new stronger larger rudders .
The process of trial and error with improvement to durability occurs on all boat types. Improvement to them over time as weaknesses are exposed in these types of conditions HOPEFULLY DOES OCCUR AND BOATS IMPROVED .--
I can,t think of a better testing ground for catamarans -
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It is basically the same OCEAN ,think conditions were similar,-there are most likely designers at the cad system working on the new reinforced versions of parts that failed to make improvements and also sailors that realize they need more time and experience in ocean racing conditions ,-- it is how we develop.--nothing s#$@ d about this .
One thing noteworthy in comparing 1000 or 500 mile race events to 50 mile Texel type race events is ----yes --yes ----the hamster is turning the wheel ,---it is ----yes!! --
--distance involved ----ding ding ding .
THE ATTRITION RATE in a 1000 mile event over 10 days in every imaginable condition and sea state along with accumulative physical aspects over days on sailing teams is very different ,--The cyclic wear on parts either boat OR of human variety is multiplied greatly.
The Great Texas RACE is being run next week ,--hope there is some video of the race along with pics and web sites .
Steve has done great things with this race .
This is one aspect of rekindling the sport in the US ,-
more great events and the media aspect that helps generate interest .The popularity of H-racing was attributable largely to very positive advertisement and media imagery ,-Hobies were on the cover of magazines of all types ,-used in ads -and the environmental and social enjoyment aspects were made known along with the great adventure sailing experiences of all types bring .
I hope the Tybee 500 is still scheduled to be on OLN tv --There are always great video tapes available from Robert and Jeanie also ,--we sometinmes forget how fortunate we are .
In next years event I hope the field once again expands to 20 or 30 teams,--it may take additional boat types to accomplish this ,--looking for a more open type class category with seperate start and hopefully other teams interested enough to enter in 06 on them .
Hope to see some there .-
