SSANZ = Shorthanded Survival Association?

[PP-Moehau 0]

I think you took the name of the post a bit critically and i'm sorry of if I caused offense.

 

It wasn't just the squall, from about the middle of Waiheke down and around shag rock was hairy, the squall was just the worst of it. By the time we got to Middle of Waiheke we figured the best and safest way to get home was to keep going as it was the shortest route to calmer water

 

But your right, I wasn't prepared for what we faced and as I said I wouldn't take a pied piper into that again. I expected rough weather, but not that rough.

 

Am I critising the race committee? I don't think so. As said in an earlier post in the end i made the decision, and yes I learnt alot about my boat and about myself.

 

I'm simply asking the question of where is the line in the sand? If there is none, why even have a short course? Why not say here is a course, you choose if your going to sail it or not.

 

I have a great amount of satisfaction out having completed a very challenging race, and made choices to make sure we got home safetly albeit after putting ourselves in the situation in the first place.

[PP-Moehau 0]

Sounds like there was significantly less breakages than race 2,

 

Compared to race 2, there were also 1/2 as many finishers

[Young Entertainer 59]

I thinks we rounded Gannet during the worst of it and on the basis of a Northerly is was a great ride, our worst bit was getting smashed from shag to Pakatoa when we were basically laid flat most of the way across with the waves breaking across the boat, I reckon probably 1kn forward and 1kn sideways, this was full main and No4 (sheers BooBoo!)

 

Still it was about having a back up plan, I dont think we could have made groud to windward during that squall so we deciede it is looked dodgy halfway across we would bail and head through one of the other passages, but it worked out and was a great learning experience. We worked out main on rather than off held ot make headway. Completely opposite of what I would ave expected.

 

Other than that short period of concern we had a great race

[Guest]

 

Predict wind, 6am saturday morning, on both their models had the forecast at 40knots at 1500, and 1800 of the bottom end of waiheke, just when the tide was ripping out the firth of themes. Happens that that's about when we would be rounding. I don't know about you but that doesn't sound like a good forecast to me.

 

Hang on.

 

One of the big findings from the fallout of the storm in the 1998 Sydney Hobart was that many yachties were unaware of how to read weather forecasts. People died as a result, and I THOUGHT we'd all learned the lesson...

 

...the forecast is for the median, not the upper limit.

 

If the forecast says X knots, you can expect gusts to X +50%.

If the forecast says waves of Y metres, you can expect waves of Y + 50% at times, and once an hour on a lee shore you can expect 'rogue waves' to double that height.

 

That means if the forecast was for 40 knots, you could expect peak gusts to 60 knots. And if the forecast was for 2 metre seas you could expect 3 metre seas at times, with some waves to 4 metres on lee shores.

 

Sounds like the forecast was EXTREMELY accurate to me...

 

If you have not already, read this: http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lec ... ExbCa7heQI

 

and this: http://media.ussailing.org/AssetFactory.aspx?vid=18674

[Guest]

I usually use 40% for wind, waves can be 100% with tidal effects. Forecast was fairly accurate to what I was looking at.

If you forget the pros and cons of what course would have been better and look at the spirit of these ssanz races as preparation for longer events, then yes we learned a lot more about the boat

[Guest]

add in the fact that wind will also accelerate around a land mass what we saw at the end of coromandel was faily true to predicted

 

http://www.zakalwe.com/rasp/view.php?re ... ind.params

 

Just one of a few good sites to use

[PP-Moehau 0]

Cheers for the links, i must admit i didn't know or had forgotten about the meaning or predicted wind strengths in forecasts.

A Lesson learned

 

Interesting article on Low Speed Chase, and had a few good lessons to be learned.

 

Looking at the video I think what we had was comparable, We had a one of the big yachts pass us going the other way about 150meters away and all we could see was the about top half of the mast. But then again on a Piedy you don't exactly have a high vantage point.

 

Definitely learnt somethings, thanks for your comments.

[Guest]

We didn't race because I was crook and got off a plane from Melbourne around 1230 am Sat morning and we couldnt find replacement crew in the early hours. Aside from that 7.4m trailer yachts don't really deal that well with the heavy stuff against 8.4m Marauders, Whiting 29's, Townson 32's etc. who now come and play in the small boat div.... but that's another story.

 

However... here's another thought - how long until the insurance companies say "ok so its skippers choice to participate and you knew there was a gale warning in force before you started. In our view that is not a reasonable risk and the information that you would be racing in gale force conditions is material to the risk. You didn't inform us of the info material to the risk (racing in known gale conditions) so therefore we are voiding your policy due to material non-disclosure, here is a cheque refunding your premium, no go away and buy yourself a new rig/yacht"

 

It would be different on an ocean passage as you would vary your insurance to cover the passage with an appropriate premium loading for the fact that you cant forecast the whole trip duration and cant just opt out if it gets rough.

 

 

Food for thought. AC may have a view on this.

[Battleship 100]

Some good advice coming out, I must say looking at the vids I am supprised buy how many boats don't have washboards in place, in what looks and sounds to be pretty wild conditions, keep those in and even small boats will keep you afloat in massive seas, just keep it off the bricks.

[PP-Moehau 0]

We had all our washboards in, just never had the experience of flipping a boat and not really sure what would happen if it did.

 

Windows fixed from the inside also aren't a good idea as one heavy wave wave would punch them in.

Cockpit lockers should be able to be fastened in place to, so if we did flip they wouldn't open and take in water.

 

So i have a few alterations to do.

 

Love my Pidey, it's tough little boat, but it made me ask the question, is it tough enough?

[Deep Purple 514]

But i can't see any race committee ever allowing me to take my pied piped in any kind offshore race ever. They won't even let us do the costal.

 

The coastal does allow Pied Pipers. In fact I put through the change many years ago to reduce the size limit down to 22' partly in response to requests by Piedy owners

 

The condition that they be Cat3 is set by YNZ, not the race committee.

[Adrianp 120]

But i can't see any race committee ever allowing me to take my pied piped in any kind offshore race ever. They won't even let us do the costal.

 

The coastal does allow Pied Pipers. In fact I put through the change many years ago to reduce the size limit down to 22' partly in response to requests by Piedy owners

 

The condition that they be Cat3 is set by YNZ, not the race committee.

 

Yep, Piedy Chris did it on Infatuation and Woody & Sarah did it on Jim Beam. They both got Cat 3 and did it officially.

 

Unofficially, Baz on Snifter has done it many times recently!

[piebuss 0]

You mean we smashed it on the Beam

 

Great race on a piedy in the right conditions, but if it was ugly you wouldn't go.

We had dolphins chasing baitfish around the keel at night, making tunnels of light. Really plesant until my brother took a dump off the back and scared them off...

 

Jim's still only a few bolts away from Cat3 now.