LARGE Solo race in the offing, comments please

[SloopJohnB 322]

If the remaining grey cells are lined up there was a course I done a couple of times.

 

Orakei

Channel

Cuvier

Arid

Moks

Hen & Chicks

Poor Knights

Three Kings

Moks

Orakei

 

There might have been something between the Moks and the finish.

 

 

but then again they might need realigning.

 

 

Sorry thread hijack.

[ab1974 1]

Few thoughts:

1. 4pm start :

- likely to get away in a reasonable breeze and get the night sailing out of the way early in the race while going up hill (based on KM's Red or Green flag system)

- Get back Sat evening so still have some weekend left (helps with the family 'planning'!)

- However most of us have worked all day so the going racing for 24 hours is a little tougher

2. 6am start :

- Might be light breeze for start - not a great morale booster to spend first 2 hours drifting down the ditch / around Rangi

- Likely to be doing the downhill at night - little more exciting single handed with the Masthead up!

- Will have had a nights sleep before the start so less fatigue

 

140nm Vs 100nm

- Not wanting to be soft but 140nm is a long stretch for the smaller (

 

Likely to be Cat 3 with a liferaft or inflated dinghy?

[Jon 360]

 

Likely to be Cat 3 with a liferaft or inflated dinghy?

 

Yes

 

 

How about I will start you at NL them sail to Fiztroy whilst cooking a roast dinner for the skippers and you lot can sail via L Barrier for smaller boats and via Moks for bigger ones to finish off Wellington Head then into smokehouse for dinner and a good nights sleep, breakfast on shore then restart out in open water,

Larger boats Cuvier then home with smaller ones cow then home that way I can get back to finish you.

[ab1974 1]

I like that idea a lot - but guessing that is a different concept. More like 2 x 60nm +/- rather than one large 24 hour race. That option does have a more sociable aspect though.

[Fish 0]

How about I will start you at NL them sail to Fiztroy whilst cooking a roast dinner for the skippers and you lot can sail via L Barrier for smaller boats and via Moks for bigger ones to finish off Wellington Head then into smokehouse for dinner and a good nights sleep, breakfast on shore then restart out in open water,

Larger boats Cuvier then home with smaller ones cow then home that way I can get back to finish you.

 

Sounds good

 

Acheivable racing, especially for the smaller boats and guys with less single handed experince, and a nice social aspect too. The prospect of single handed out the back of Great Barrier is high risk, not a lot of places to run to, but plenty of things to hit...

[Guest]

 

Likely to be Cat 3 with a liferaft or inflated dinghy?

 

Yes

 

 

How about I will start you at NL them sail to Fiztroy whilst cooking a roast dinner for the skippers and you lot can sail via L Barrier for smaller boats and via Moks for bigger ones to finish off Wellington Head then into smokehouse for dinner and a good nights sleep, breakfast on shore then restart out in open water,

Larger boats Cuvier then home with smaller ones cow then home that way I can get back to finish you.

 

Don't be silly Jon. You'll be sailing. And you won't be getting there first. Someone else will finish us.

[johnMi 2]

I would be keen in Putiki Express, but I doubt I would venture round the back of Great Barrier singlehanded.

[Guest]

 

 

How about I will start you at NL them sail to Fiztroy whilst cooking a roast dinner for the skippers and you lot can sail via L Barrier for smaller boats and via Moks for bigger ones to finish off Wellington Head then into smokehouse for dinner and a good nights sleep, breakfast on shore then restart out in open water,

Larger boats Cuvier then home with smaller ones cow then home that way I can get back to finish you.

 

Thats a better option for the smaller boats like us - looks really good.

 

The other option would be to dovetail into the race to BOI for Race Week - basically a singlehanded coastal at a pretty freindly time of year for weather and when a lot of boats will be venturing north anyway?

 

Also with the predominant(?) SWester its slightly more likely to be a downhill ride Just a thought.

 

EE

[Guest]

Good valid posts AB, well said. I do a lot solo so are probably forgetting those that don't a little, best we watch for that.

 

Nice slap down and you are 100% correct Zen. Even farmers can come and race Master D.

 

Re the, say, 120nm non-stop verses the 2 x 60nm thing. The Bucks Solo weekend where we race down Sat, share a lemonade and in bed by 7pm (Tui advert time), race home Sunday (as hard as that has been the odd morning, lemonade poisoning can be harsh), is bloody good I must say. So the 2 x 60 does have some appeal. But then so does pushing yourself harder than we usually have to do to do a 120 non-stop. I could go either way there really.

 

I'm doing 8 or so 60 Nmilers, and a few of those are longer, each season already and while it's a longish day it is quite easy to do solo. Personally I'd like to have something twice that, there abouts, to play in but then I know I can be weird, no additional comments required thank you , so I'll go with the consensus. If push came to shove I would vote 1 x 120 over 2 x 60 though.

[Clipper 343]

A long singlehanded race sounds like a great race/challenge. Not sure I would be up to 120miles alone on the voom, so maybe my thoughts arn't too important, but I would be more interested in a long race, not 2 shorter ones. There is presently some shorter SH races, and some longer 2 handed, but no long singlehanded racing?

 

I like idea of a single big race, finishing at home. I know I how exhausting a long shorthanded sail can be, so to have to get up and repeat the next day? yuck! That lemonade poisoning really does hurt these days.

[Jon 360]

I see enough of Zen's arse two handed to have to follow him single handed

 

And silly me thinking that solo sailers would want to be sociable anyway

 

The event form may even come down to the format that the sponsor what's, who ever that maybe or knot !!!

[Guest]

I see enough of Zen's arse two handed to have to follow him single handed

Ah ha, now I see where you're coming from and it is a lot more understandable. I was going to ask how Zen's arse stacked up against those you see each day but then thought do we really want to know? NO I don't think we do. Emphasis is on the NO

 

And silly me thinking that solo sailers would want to be sociable anyway

Yeap, just a big happy bunch of Nigel No Mates

 

I do see the merit in an idea like that but I reckon that would want to be something like say the CC course over a long weekend so we can race up, have one beer and flake out on the spot for a few hours due to knackedness, then get up have breakfast (Weet-bix covered with rum and cream, the breakfast of champions) then race all the way home again.

 

The event form may even come down to the format that the sponsor what's, who ever that maybe or knot !!!

There has already been some chatting with one or 2 in the game re 'assistance' for this concept. I doubt any would want to dictate the 'on the water terms' though, so to speak.

 

Lets do a poll and ask the audience. Haven't had one of those for a while.

[Guest]

I would have thought the potential sponsor would want a large entry list, therefore would support a course that appealed to the highest number of potential entrants.

[Guest]

My two cents worth.

 

The full "Round the Gulf Alone" race sounds groovy and hard core but I wonder if it would get the numbers given the obvious challenges involved.

 

Therefore I wonder whether a "K.I.S.S" / "don't bite off more than you can chew" approach might be a better starting point which, if successful, could kick on to more adventurous races.

 

For example, an initial race might be:

Friday 4pm Start: Akl to Kawau (BBQ dinner and social drinks).

Saturday 7am start: Kawau - Little Barrier - Auckland.

 

This also means that the lads in the Piedys etc can sleep in and do an Auckland return race on the Saturday too.

[Guest]

The tiny fleet Volvo gets a shite load more money than the vastly larger Transpac for example. F1 more than the larger numbers of Touring Cars. The small Olympic fleet more than any one countries entire fleet, guessing a bit there but it often looks that way.

 

I'd expect 97% of 'sponsorship' deals done in NZ are more for company warm fuzzies and maybe profile awareness than for a financial return on the outlay. If an event is a ripper it attracts viewers and that's probably more the target on many deals I would think. I doubt Heineken poured a rumoured $30mil into getting 30 rugby players to change brand. Only 2 players in the game David Tua just had and there was millions of dollars involved there. No reason yachting can't do the same. How about we get just 2 boats on one race track, it doesn't matter if they are mismatched, and pour in a gazzillion dollars. Get lots of pretty flags and the punters will suck it up even with the often totally crap boring racing it produces. Shall we call it something like - the Americas Cup

 

Zen quick, we need lots and lots of pretty flags, they could be worth millions

 

I bet next to no one reading this can recite all the company/organisations names/logos on the TNZ AC45 without peeking. How many can you think of, again before you take a sneeky peek

[Guest]

I would have thought the potential sponsor would want a large entry list, therefore would support a course that appealed to the highest number of potential entrants.

 

 

 

Of course they would, as would SSANZ, as would the competitors. No brainer.

I sort of like the idea of a race to somewhere. Then stay. But not necessarily a race back. Gives people the option of taking on crew at the far end, joining up with partners for the party and cruising home with them or even crew racing unofficially like we do coming back from the coastal. Races like the Simrad series present very few opportunities for socialising. Single Handed sailors like to meet each other. Lock them all into Fitzroy and it will happen. Provide a decent sized launch and a couple of dinghies for friends who have ferried over and you have the makings of a really good Saturday night. Please yourself on Sunday. And I like 120 miles plus, circuitous route to Fitzroy with the opportunity to shorten but still end up in the same spot. Shorter course for the smaller boats. Cruising division which I suspect would be popular. We''re not all gung ho madmen. In fact it might be the most seamanlike decision for a lot of skippers. The last 50 miles home doesn't matter, do what you like with it.

 

Yes to pretty flags. No to showing you my arse.

[ab1974 1]

To having drinks somewhere at the end. I personally would vote for the 2 x 60nm or similar or possibly a 90nm starting at 4pm Friday night finishing Sat arvo in time for drinks BBQ somewhere closer to home - possibly a Kawau or Waiheke finish so easy trip home.

 

Not a huge fan of finish the race and look up on the interweb 12 hours later to see how it all went!

[bene_sails 0]

Emirates, Nespresso, Camper, Toyota, and one other that escapes me.

 

is Dell on there yet? or are they just a supplier?

excluding the nz government.

 

Omega.

[smithy09 50]

Great idea Zen, KM. I agree with the destiantion sail idea and a piss up at the end or next day. That's the only downside to the SSANZ races. Everyone buggers off home.

I'd be keen on the Marshall. Couldn't blame Squid for anything, and bound to win the f*%k-up cup that KM will no doubt sponsor again..

[Battleship 100]

I like the idea of a finish at Barrier, don't fancy doing a long race, drinking a bit to much then having to race again. Would like to make the trip up to do this one.