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John Hickey's Blog for MG14 and MG14B Owners and interested parties

Here Is The "Official" Nationals Report!

clock January 18, 2012 17:04 by author admin john

THE 2011/12 MG NATIONALS “OFFICIAL” WRAP

PORT STEPHENS SAILING AND AQUATIC CLUB

9-13 JANUARY 2012

Overall - Scratch

Aqua Rodent, skippered by Rohan Nosworthy from Queens Lake, successfully defended his national championship in the best possible way with new crew Sophie Holt, achieving eight bullets from eight races.  Whilst this was a dominant performance, it does not dilute the high standard of the event, the quality of the racing and the fantastic venue we all enjoyed immensely.

As has been the case over the past few seasons, the fight for the next few places was outstanding, but the clearly deserved second place went to Taree’s Greg Roche and Ben Ferguson on Escape.  Greg, a former national champ, and Ben are in their third season together as a team, and clearly showed the value of their experience together.  Their worst placing was a fifth across the series.

Vitamin Sea, skippered by Bryce Edwards and crewed by Ryan Narborough from Cronulla, gained third place through tremendous consistency, typically achieving top-three results in most races.  As with Rohan, Bryce had just completed the NS14 Nationals the previous week in Cronulla, achieving third place in that series.  This also backs up last year’s results, when Bryce crewed on “Blow Your Mind” and achieved third place overall at the MG14 Nationals.

The remainder of the top ten finishers included some of the usual high performers in the fleet, as well as some excellent improvers, with each of the boats in that group including high level finishes in at least some of their races.

Overall – Handicap

The “dark art” of handicapping turned up a well-deserved group of leaders for the series.  The winner was Taree’s Wineot, sailed by Dave Hardaker and Jay Smith.  This was a fitting compensation for the disaster series Dave endured at Manning Point two seasons earlier, when his new boat had structural problems and he had to withdraw early from the series.  It is fair to say that Dave and Jay revelled in the heavier conditions, which enabled them to finish 4-1-2-1-1 on handicap in the last five races, to easily take out the title, as well as finishing 10th overall on scratch.

Second place on handicap was Equinox, sailed by Alex Lyons and Ben Waldock from Balmoral, who also advanced in the heavier breezes.

Third place went to Tardis, sailed by Damian and Romana Ryan from Balmoral.  This father / daughter crew were one of the big improvers through the series, moving well up through the fleet on scratch as well.

Racing / Conditions

The wind conditions did not fit the usual expected summer pattern.  The first three races on Monday / Tuesday were sailed in light to moderate sou-easters.  On Wednesday the boats headed out in the morning to a building fresh westerly which approached 25 knots by early afternoon, after two races had been run and a third race was suspended due to the wind strength.  A change overnight led to fresh sou-westerly on Thursday, with two races completed.  A final heat could not be completed on Friday due to very light breeze.

A solid fleet of 28 boats competed.  Whilst falling short of last year’s record fleet, it was exciting to see representation from some clubs increase significantly.  The greatly increased participation in the class at various clubs around the country is very positive, but we are hopeful that more boats will travel to future events as the spirit of the class is to encourage and support competitors of all standards.

Detailed Results

Scratch

1.       Aqua Rodent     Rohan Nosworthy, Sophie Hull                  Queens Lake                        7 points

2.       Escape                  Greg Roche, Ben Ferguson                          Taree                                    17

3.       Vitamin Sea        Bryce Edwards, Ryan Narborough            Cronulla                               22

4.       Xanadu                 Gary Reeves, Alex Warner                           St George                            27

5.       That’s Gold         Richard and Jeremy Dobbs                          Taree                                    38

6.       Total Eclipse       Lachlan Pryor, Amanda Waldock               Balmoral                              52

7.       Sea Change        Greg Junk, Emily Junk                                    St George                            53

8.       Business Sunday  Peter and Sarah Amos                                               Illawarra                               61

9.       Foxee                   John and Simon Hickey                                  Toronto                                63

10.   Wineot                 David Hardaker, Jay Smith                            Taree                                    67

Handicap

1.       Wineot                 David Hardaker, Jay Smith                            Taree                                    28

2.       Equinox                                Alex Lyons, Ben Waldock                              Balmoral                              40

3.       Tardis                    Damian and Romana Ryan                           Balmoral                              42

4.       Mid Coast Mowers Gavan and Bailey Pereira                      Taree                                    43

5.       That’s Gold         Richard and Jeremy Dobbs                          Taree                                    46

Masters – Scratch (and oldest combined crew)

Crackerjack                         Warren Sykes, Andy Maclachlan                               Queens Lake

Masters – Handicap

Business Sunday              Peter and Sarah Amos                                   Illawarra

Young Guns – Scratch

Total Eclipse                       Lachlan Pryor, Amanda Waldock               Balmoral

Young Guns – Handicap

Equinox                                                Alex Lyons, Ben Waldock                              Balmoral

Leading Female Skipper

Amelia Marsden-Jones (Wet ‘n’ Wild)                                                    Balmoral

Leading Female Crew

Sophie Holt (Aqua Rodent)                                                                          Queens Lake

Oldest Competitor

Michael Tait (Carbon Neutral)                                                                    Northbidge

Most Travelled Competitor

Katriana Milne (Catchup – travelled from Hong Kong)                     Balmoral

Youngest Combined Crew (and lightest combined crew)

Was Here                            Zac and Lucas Mills                                          Port Hunter

Heaviest Combined Crew

Cone of Silence                 Arran Gore, Alyson Gearing                        Port Hunter

“Nil Desperandum” Award (Never Give Up!:  Highest Points, completed all races)

Blew True                            Martin Pryor, Grace Stokes                         Balmoral

“Mitre 10 Renovators” Award (Most damage sustained to be repaired)

Final Phase                         Howard and Jan Wooley                               St George

                (Mast, main, jib, spare main, spare jib!)

 

“Most Embarrassing Moment” (Pathetic Start in Heat 8 – Details coming on video)

 

Aqua Rodent                     Rohan Nosworthy, Sophie Hull                  Queens Lake

(Sorry guys, but I am obliged to record the full “awards” list)

 

 

Upcoming Events:  2011/12 State Titles, 2012/13 National Titles

The next big Association Event is the NSW State Titles to be held at Queens Lake, near Port Macquarie, on 16-18 March 2012.  More details to come on the event.

Negotiations are underway to finalise the venue for the 2012/13 Nationals.  Port Stephens has offered to host the event again, with strong supporting consensus of the fleet that attended.  However, details need to be negotiated before this can be confirmed.  The tentative plan for next year is to conduct the series over seven days (6-12 January), allowing for an invitation race on the Sunday, and a lay-day mid-week.

 

MORE TO COME ABOUT THE NATIONALS AND SOME OF THE “INTERESTING” INCIDENTS IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS!

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Back in Business

clock January 18, 2012 12:45 by author admin john

Hi everyone,

Thanks to Bob Taig's IT wizardry, the blog site is back on deck!  Now I have to just put stuff on there!

So, just to let you know I have reports of the Nationals semi-drafted, and will aim to get that up in the next couple of days.  We had a great week in Port Stephens, and there is plenty to report from both on-water and off-water perspectives!!

Locky is editing video right now, and if there are any photos available from competitors and supporters, please send them through....

Cheers

John

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SOME PHOTOS - MG14 STATE TITLES TORONTO, APRIL 2011

clock April 16, 2011 00:01 by author admin John

Hi everyone,

Michael Tait (Hugh's Dad) did a wonderful job photographing all the sailing action across the weekend.  There are scores of photos, featuring all the boats in the fleet, which we will attempt to set up as a gallery on the website in the next couple of weeks.  In the meantime, here is a sample for you to enjoy!  (Thanks Michael for your tremendous contribution....)

Wineot - Dave Hardaker and Bailey Pereira

 

Foxee - John Hickey and Phil Moore

 

Sea Change - Greg and Emily Junk

 

Predator - Robert Fish and Les Barlin

 

Filthy Fase - Bob Taig and Nathan Wilde

 

Heat 6 Start

 

Catchup - Phil Marsden-Jones and Gabi Atchison 

The Winners:  Carbon Neutral - Hugh Tait and Tara McCall

 

The Runners-Up:  Aqua Rodent - Rohan Nosworthy and Neil Tasker

 

Total Eclipse - Locky Pryor and Ellie Davis

 

Wet 'n Wild - Amelia and Sophie Marsden-Jones

 

Escape - Greg Roche and "Famous" Ferguson (L), Eclipse - Ben Parkinson and Luke Allsopp (R)

 

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THE NSW 2010/11 MG14 TITLES REPORT: TORONTO 9-11 APRIL 2011

clock April 13, 2011 19:56 by author admin John

Hi everyone,

What a great weekend we had together!  No photos yet, results are posted on the website, but here is the report.  More to come on the AGM and some special end-of-season "awards" over the next week or so.  Be on the lookout.... (oh, and when we get the photos, they will be added as well....) 

The MG14 State Titles provided a tremendous conclusion to the 2010/11 season!  24 boats, their crews, and assorted supporters travelled to Toronto Amateur Sailing Club for an “unofficial” long weekend from Saturday (9 April) to Monday (11 April).   The camaraderie of the participants was, as usual, fantastic.  The hospitality and commitment of the members at TASC was excellent, both on the water and in the club house.  And....the racing was hot!!

FIRST, SOME FAREWELLS:

It was also a slightly sad time, because some of the class stalwarts were signalling their farewells from regular participation in the class, and before I get into the details of the racing and the results, I want to acknowledge those gentlemen who are (sort of) leaving us:

·         Phil Moore, crew on Foxee.  Phil and I have sailed together over four seasons!  Boy, has that passed quickly!  Up until last year Phil had been the Association Secretary for many years.  He has been a very committed servant of this class, a real encourager to all participants, and a great guy with whom to sail.  He has finally succumbed to his wife’s polite requests for him to do the promised renovations to their home.  Either that, or he was sick of sailing with me, but I will choose to believe the former!  Phil’s finest sailing moment would have to be slotting in as crew for Gary Reeves to win the State Title two years ago.  I know Phil, and he will be open to making guest appearances as a gun crew for any skippers needing someone for a series.  I also know he will be happily doing some co-piloting for Rochey as he fine-tunes his new MGB rig.

·         Bob Taig, skipper on Filthy Fase.  Bob stepped down as Vice President of the Association on the weekend.  He is the backbone behind the MG14 website for several years.  He and Phil have commuted to Toronto from the Central Coast most weekends across the past several summers to race.  Bob, with a few different crews in tow, has usually featured near the top of leader board at the major regattas over the past few years, with the best overall result being second place in the States last season.  I will miss Bob's input on tuning and boat repairs, and good-natured competitive jibes!  I know we both pushed each other to improve, which is great!  

I know it is hard to explain, but Bob is trying to simplify his life by staying around the Central Coast and intends to sail a Laser Radial at Gosford next season.  However, on a positive note, he will continue to run our website for the time being, which is fantastic.  Great to also see the Wilde family are purchasing the boat to keep it in the Toronto fleet.

·         Kerry Beatty, skipper on Blew True.  Kerry is one of the long-standing stalwarts (characters) of the class, sailing out of Balmoral Club, often very competitively.  He still plans to sail club races, which will be great, and hopefully we will see him around a bit.  He has also volunteered (!) to be the Association Treasurer for next season.  Kerry has shifted more to mentoring various Redlands students that have crewed for him over the past couple of seasons, which typifies the spirit and generosity of our members.

So, gentlemen, good luck with the next phases of your lives.  We look forward to still seeing you around with us at various stages, in different places, as we continue our passion for this sport and the MG14 class.

AND NOW:  TO THE RACING!

Hugh Tait and Tara McCall in CARBON NEUTRAL (Northbridge) are the 2010/11 NSW State Champions, narrowly nudging the National Champs, Rohan Nosworthy and Neil Tasker in AQUA RODENT (Queens Lake / St George), in a very closely contested series. 

As has become the norm, it was a case of these two boats leading the pack, followed by daylight.  However, this should not discount the quality of racing throughout the fleet, which was very high and continues to improve, with the remainder of the top 12 boats regularly swapping places close to the front of the fleet, plus lots of strongly-contested battles exercised with plenty of passion among the remainder of the competitors. 

The results of Carbon Neutral and Aqua Rodent are testament to their extraordinary skills and standards ahead of a quality overall fleet.  Carbon Neutral’s four 1st’s and two 2nd’s narrowly pipped Aqua Rodent’s two 1st’s and four 2nd’s, but that does not tell the whole story.  The series was not decided until the last minutes of the last race after a see-saw battle.  Race 5 went to Carbon Neutral by less than a boat-length, with the final race to Carbon Neutral by less than 30 seconds, although the physical distance was quite small given the dying wind conditions.

Special honourable mentions should go to 3rd place-getters for the series, Greg Roche (former National Champ) and Ben “Famous” Ferguson in ESCAPE (Taree), who sailed very consistently near the front of the fleet for most of the series, accumulating 18 points.  Their closest competition was from fellow stalwart (I dare not say “veteran”) Gary Reeves (also a former National Champ) and Alex Warner in XANADU in 4th place with 25 points.  The competition may have been even a little tighter, but for Xanadu ripping its mainsail in the countdown to Race 5.  However, they limped home and changed mains in time to finish strongly with a 3rd in the final race.  Rounding out the top 5 was Predator (Taree), with 28 points.  Les Barlin, another of the class “veterans” was the crew.  He had recruited Robert Fish as skipper, and they performed extremely well.  Although Robert has a very successful pedigree as one of the leading NS14 sailors nationally, this was his first time in an MG14 series and, despite limited experience sailing with an asymmetric kite, he piloted the boat amongst the top few in most races.

There were a few hard-luck stories.  Bob Taig and Nathan Wilde, in FINAL FASE (Toronto) finished well inside the top 10 in four of the six races, but some hull damage forced them out of two races on the Sunday in the gustier breezes, which ruined their chances to vie for a top 5 finish.  Also, the MGB flag-bearer, FOXEE (Toronto), achieved a 3rd and two 4ths, but had a wipeout on Sunday when, in the first race of the day in a gusty westerly, we rounded the top mark in 2nd behind Aqua Rodent (thanks to a momentary gear failure on Carbon Neutral), only to have the rudder box disintegrate as we bore away to set the kite!  One repair weld too many on that alloy cast rudder box!  The misfortune of Jasper and Alex on Super Nova, which also sustained hull damage on the Sunday and could not continue, turned out to be good fortune for Foxee, as we were able to borrow and adapt their rudder box to get on the water for the last two races on Monday – thanks guys!

The handicap series was also hotly contested, with the father/daughter crew of Brian and Lara Mansfield in FLAME BOY (Toronto) taking the top honours.  This was a well-deserved reward as Lara’s grandmother passed away during the weekend, but they continued to race with the support of Brian’s wife, Annette, despite such a difficult time.  Annette even turned up to volunteer at the canteen on Monday, which is a testament to the support of the family for each other and the club.  Brian had been the chief organiser on behalf of TASC for the event.

2nd place on handicap went to another great participant in the class, Dave Hardaker, and his crew, Bailey Perira in WINEOT (Taree).  They also finished in the top 10 on scratch.  The burglars on ESCAPE jagged 3rd place, followed by the dark horses on PREDATOR.  The top 5 was rounded out by Romana and Damian Ryan on TARDIS (Northbridge), who are in their first season in MG14’s as a father / daughter team and they have been very strong improvers throughout the season.  They were also resplendent in their “Dr. Who” team t-shirts at the presentation!

And finally, before going into the details of each race, on behalf of the MG14 Association I want to thank, firstly, the team at TASC:  Brian Mansfield as the coordinator, supported by Dave Wilde, the canteen team headed by Jane Wilde (including their provision of an excellent BBQ dinner on Saturday night), and all the start and response boat teams:  Troy, Jordan, Paul, David, Ken, Kev, Pete, Mark, Corey (when he wasn’t filling in as a crew) and others (sorry if I missed you....).  You all did a tremendous job, as many of you have for us all season.

Secondly,  a big thank you to Col Chidgey, the Principal Race Officer.  He is also an Officer in the Australian Army, and certainly had that bearing about him.  He was affable, communicative, knew his stuff, and really took the on-water leadership with aplomb.  I believe we will be seeing him in the same capacity in future series, including next year’s Nationals at Port Stephens.

SERIES WRAP-UP, HEAT-BY-HEAT

Heat 1 – Saturday:

Only one race was scheduled for the first day, and just as well!  There was virtually no breeze for most of the day!  However, a light nor-wester trickled in after 3pm and we were sent out.  Amazingly, the “Seabreeze” website prediction was roughly correct and, as the course was being set a moderate nor-easter kicked in.  It had its peaks and troughs, topping at around 10 knots, but averaging a little less.

In the latest start I can remember (particularly without Daylight Saving) at around 4 pm, we jumped  out next to Carbon Neutral and realised that, yet again, they were in another world of speed and height as they climbed away to a comfortable lead, comfortably ahead of Aqua Rodent at the top mark.  Foxee rounded in third, closely followed by Escape.

Whilst the two leaders continued to race away, and Carbon Neutral stretched its comfortable lead to more than 2 minutes over Aqua Rodent at the finish, the next few boats had a constant tussle, with positions exchanged as each boat had its own successes and failures in locating pressure which varied considerably across the course.  At different stages different boats pressed for higher-placed finishes, particularly as the breeze tired in the last lap or so.  Some of the big forward movers included Sea Change, Xanadu, Wet ‘n Wild and Predator.  However, in a downwind finish Foxee prevailed for 3rd place, ahead of Escape, Sea Change and Xanadu, with only 13 seconds separating the four boats!

The fleet hit the shore not long before a beautiful sunset, with many of the sailors hanging around for some liquid refreshment and a fantastic BBQ at the club.

Heat 2 – Sunday:

I can’t comment too closely on the Sunday races, given Foxee’s mishap early in the first race.  However, the “Seabreeze” website was back on form for the day, with the wind being nothing like what was forecast!!  A fresh / strong westerly pushed and continued to freshen in the lead-up to the 11am scheduled start, peaking around 20 knots in gusts.The start was well down the lake towards Belmont, and the chop had some real bite to it heading down there.  A few boats came to grief as they set kites down to the start.  I even saw our series winner have a little swim as they tried to drop their spinnaker below the start.  Ah!  Mortals!

Very exciting first leg as the usual suspects plus ourselves powered ahead of the fleet.  Near the top mark the Carbon Neutral team seemed to have some minor gear problem to address, which charitably allowed Foxee to slip around the top mark behind Aqua Rodent.  As Foxee collapsed rudder-less into the drink, Aqua Rodent blitzed the field with a masterful higher wind display, gapping Carbon Neutral by more than 4 minutes, followed by Escape, which was comfortably ahead of Predator and then Xanadu.

Rohan had the GPS speedometer going on Aqua Rodent, which I believed topped out at an average 19.7 knots speed over a 100-metre spurt, but did exceed 20 knots in a few shorter bursts.  Pretty good stuff!

Heat 3 – Sunday:

This was raced back-to-back after Heat 2.  Just as well, because the wind was showing signs of losing its punch.  It held out at different times during the race, but really started to fade and swing in the latter stages.  Once again, Rohan and Neil demonstrated their strong higher wind capabilities with a comfortable win, although Hugh and Tara narrowed the gap in the latter stages.

Greg and “Famous” continued their consistency with a comfortable third place.  Places further down the order shifted as the wind died, with the Mortons on Wizard of Oz pushing into 5th, just behind Xanadu, and just ahead of the Marsden-Jones sisters on Wet ‘n Wild,  then Locky and Ellie on Total Eclipse.

Heat 4 – Sunday:

The competitors headed in for lunch, and watched the wind die to nothing as the clouds rolled in with a change in the air.  The PRO in his infinite wisdom considered there was still enough wind to warrant a race, so out they went to see who could outdrift each other!

In short, Carbon Neutral and Aqua Rodent were faster drifters, with Hugh and Tara taking the bickies on a shortened course.

As the unsettled conditions continued, the boats which took the western Valentine shore upwind found, to their chagrin, that a big shift to the south-west heavily favoured the boats that choose the left side down the middle of the bay.  The chief beneficiaries were Wizard of Oz, Predator and Filthy Fase, skipping away in 3rd to 5th respectively.  The chief sufferer was Escape, spoiling their consistent leading efforts to suffer a blowout at 15th.

Some of the leading boats needed to be towed home.  The latter boats didn’t because a sou-westerly change hit them as they tried to struggle home, which meant trying to head directly upwind to the club in a squally wet breeze was the final feature of their day.

Heat 5 – Monday:

A nice fresh autumnal day replaced the misery of the previous evening’s weather.  However, there was virtually no wind, which meant another waiting game during the morning.  After a while it became clear that 3 races would be an impossibility for the day.  Hugh was happily on-shore, not needing another race to win on countback.  Greg was hoping for another race, because he couldn’t drop his 15th unless there were 5 races.  Gary was happy to also sit on shore, because no further races would have locked him in to 3rdMeanwhile, on Foxee, we appreciated the raising of the AP Pennant so we had more time to fit the borrowed rudder box and tiller on to the rear of the boat.

Around 12.30 there were faint signs of a filling westerly, so Col said “Let’s go!”, and so we did.  Although onshore westerlies can often be gusty, nasty horrible breezes, this one was reasonably forgiving, with some nice 10 -15 knot bursts, and some quieter periods, but not too violent.  As mentioned earlier, Xanadu’s main ripped during the start sequence, which cruelled their chance of competing for 3rd place in the series.  As they limped home, the rest of us lined up.

In terms of Hugh and Rohan, this was the most exciting race so far for them.  Spectators on the course commented later on the skill of these two crews, as they exchanged the lead regularly amongst each other, with Carbon Neutral taking the victory in the end by a matter of inches.The next group was a complete see-saw, as different crews took turns near the front.  After the start Wineot picked the left side of the course and hit the top mark comfortably in 3rd, closely challenged by Filthy Fase, Predator, Escape, Sea Change, Total Eclipse and Foxee.  The downwind melee amongst these boats around the wing and to the bottom mark saw several placing shifts, which continued through the second work.The real break-throughs came in the last work.  Foxee worked for a shift on the left side of the course, which was successful, picking up several places to round the top mark for the final time just behind Escape, which was in 3rd place, and just ahead of Sea Change.  These places held until the finish, ahead of Predator in 6th and Filthy Fase in 7th.

Heat 6 – Monday:

The final race.  The scenario was this:  Hugh had three 1sts, but had to beat Rohan the last race.  If Rohan won, they would be three 1sts and three 2nds apiece, and Rohan would win the series on countback as winner of the final heat.

The two leaders stalked each other behind the start line, and some of us started to ponder whether their match race might allow one of us to take advantage and steal a top-two finish in the race.... of course not!!However, there were a few anxious over-starters at the hooter, and both Hugh and Rohan took the safe course to circle back and re-start.  In the meantime, Predator, Foxee and Filthy Fase pushed forward in the gusty breeze, with Foxee and Filthy Fase rounding the top mark together in the lead, closely followed by Predator, Wizard of Oz, Xanadu and Escape. The first run to the wing mark was extremely tight, with the leading boats struggling to carry kites to the mark in the gusty conditions.  Carbon Neutral stormed through with no such problem and rounded just behind Foxee and Filthy Fase.  Hugh gained the ascendancy at the bottom mark, just ahead of us, but the big news was that Rohan and Neil had a screamer to the bottom mark as we all languished in a hole, rounding just behind.  We got out of the way as these guys took off to push each other for the title.  Whilst we had a very ordinary upwind leg, the other leaders stayed tightly bunched and rounded the top mark in a close group.In the meantime, Hugh and Rohan exchanged the lead dramatically as each pushed for the final victory.

On the windward-return, the boats which chose to go further along the Toronto shore to capture the land shifts were handsomely rewarded with a screaming ride to the bottom mark that shut out the other major players.  Foxee, Escape and Xanadu were the beneficiaries here, and these three boats fought for the minor placings in the race, with Gary and Alex pulling away in the last lap for 3rd, ahead of Foxee and then Escape, which had already secured 3rd place for the series.

In the end, though, the teams on Carbon Neutral and Aqua Rodent showed their superiority, their skill and their determination.  It's never over until it is over.  On Monday, Hugh and Tara prevailed, but only just.  This friendly rivalry has a long way to go before we can declare any lasting winner.  Let's hope that never happens.  Let's keep seeing that exciting competition, and maybe some others will find a little extra in the next season to mix it up with these elite sailors.

Conclusion:

A great series, a great range of breezes, high quality racing at all levels, and a particularly show of force by the two top contenders, who will be doing at all again at the NS14 State Titles in Teralba over Easter.  Good luck to them, they are true winners, as are all the other participants, young and old.

Bring it on, next season!!

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HOW TO GO FASTER - PART 3: THE STORY FROM THE NATIONAL CHAMPION

clock February 4, 2011 10:32 by author admin John

Hi everyone,

Rohan Nosworthy, the National Champ skipper from Aqua Rodent, has graciously put pen to paper (or should I say index fingers to keyboard), and compiled an excellent piece on the campaign that involve the construction of the boat, its set up, through to strategy and on-water tactics.  An excellent read!  Thank you, Rohan!

This article demonstrates the eye to detail required to hit the top, if you have such aspirations, but there are plenty of gems for the average sailor to take on board to help become more competitive.  A number of photos supplied by Rohan to illustrate his comments are at the bottom of the article.  There is also one extra that Rohan didn't intend to have there :)  Without any further ado....

Aqua Rodent – Nationals Campaign 2011 

Following on from our successes with ‘Water Rat’, Lindsay Mason asked if I could put together a new NS14/MG14 to try and achieve podium finishes in both the NS and MG fleets – with the one boat, and the one rig.  The aim was to show that it’s now possible to be competitive without having to change gear for each class.

 

With a 3rd place at the 2010 NS14 States, 4th at the 2011 NS14 Nationals, and 2011 MG14 Australian Champions, I believe we have pretty much achieved that goal already!  And ‘Aqua Rodent’ was only launched in November 2010!!!

Hugh Tait on ‘Carbon Neutral’ has done a similar thing, achieving 3rd at the NS14 Nationals and 2nd in the MG’s (after winning last year), again showing that ‘bang-for-buck’ the MG is the ultimate sailing boat around.

 

None of these results could have been achieved without excellent crews, and I have been very fortunate to be able to call upon sailors of serious calibre to help me out!

Lindsay Mason is my usual crew in the MG, and Aqua Rodent is his boat - without him none of this is possible!

 

Neil Tasker was my crew for the Lake Illawarra MG Nationals, and it was amazing to sail with him for the week.  No raised voices, simple commands, constant information feed, and an astonishingly natural movement in the boat.  I can’t thank him enough (not to mention he develops and makes the sails!).

 

But for this article, I’m going to focus on the boat.  I am always very open with my boat setups and am of the opinion that nothing is secret.  So here is a rundown of what makes up ‘Aqua Rodent’:

 Hull:               Mark Thorpe Tiger

Stock hull with a couple of small changes, namely positioning of the forestay, maststep and centreboard case.  If anyone wants details, please just contact me. (bigger changes are planned for the State titles… so stay tuned!) 


As the boat is dual registered, the bowsprit is flush and retracting, but the retracting tube is offset to the side of the maststep, to avoid having to cut through the main structural bulkhead below the maststep.  We used a Viper High Modulus tapered windsurfer tip, which was sleeved internally at the butt end for compression strength.  The Vectran tack line also formed the bobstay, which is spliced on 70mm up from the bottom of the bow.  The system worked great, and resulted in an amazingly light and stiff pole, with flex not being a problem.  The windsurfer tip also retails at about half the price of comparative poles from dedicated suppliers. 

We also made sure we had carefully defined the positioning of the fitting backing blocks when ordering the boat, so that all fitting mounts are bulletproof.

 

  Sails:              Barracouta Sails

The sails we used are a result of nearly 20 years development by Neil Tasker at Barracouta Sails, and their finish, performance and ease of use are testament to this dedication.  The mainsail and jib are ‘off-the-shelf’ production designs, and only required fine-tuning of the luff round to suit our custom mast.  The mainsail was built last March for the NS14 States, and despite sailing both the NS14 and MG14 Nationals, plus training prior to each, it still looks like new and will most likely be used in both titles at Easter this year.To transition from NS14 to MG, required changing the sail numbers and logo, so these are now made using black contact (like used to cover school books) as this costs about $2 a roll and is easy to remove!  

The spinnaker was a one-off hand-cut sail to try and refine our past designs, and Neil was so happy with it, that he has computerised the design, and it is now the production cut.  (Mary Tulip used the first computer-cut one at the Nationals to great success!)  It exhausts well, and can be carried as high as you desire, while also being able to be rolled out to windward when running deep.

We paid special attention to getting the luff length correct for our mast rake and as this is critical to the performance of the kite. 

Mast:              CST Custom

Last MG Nationals at Manning Point, we actually left our carbon mast on the trailer, and used a tried and true Flightspar all-alloy mast, as I wasn’t happy with the bend characteristics of the stock CST mast in the conditions that were expected that week.Following that, Lindsay and I spent extensive time with the engineers at CST to come up with a layup that would achieve what I wanted – very stiff down low, with an even bend to the tip, and stiff enough to only require minimal diamond tension.  The HM Carbon mast we received was then rigged using parallelogram diamonds, to assist in just keeping things in column and promote the even luff curve.  The design worked, and the mast performs exactly as I wanted.

Unfortunately, we broke this mast at the gooseneck in the final heat (luckily a drop!).  The reason for the breakage is unknown, but from a casual observers point of view, it appears to be due to the gooseneck fitting supplied causing point loads on the carbon wall.  Now we have to get hold of another mast prior to the States! 

Boom:  CST

The boom was an IM Carbon stock boom from CST.  It is slightly longer than standard, as we have our bridle well back in the boat.  It is rigged very simply with no holes drilled in the section, and all fittings lashed or attached to carbon tangs.  We don’t run an outhaul on this boat, as the rig geometry we use gives enough adjustment automatically. 

Foils:              Thorpe

Stock moulded Mark Thorpe carbon rudder, centreboard and rudder box were used.  These are very stiff, very light and are probably the nicest foils I have used on an MG/NS.  But, next time I will paint a white line down the front, as weed is very hard to see on a black foil! 

Ropes:           Maffioli, New England, Liros, Yale

While any old ropes will do the job, it is the details that give you an edge.  Most people only think about the colour of their ropes as the details, but I spent a heap of time obtaining the EXACT rope for the job.  Mainsheet, jibsheet and kitesheets are Maffioli Swiftcord/Newswift and are a DSK75 Dyneema blend, without a core.  They take up no water, don’t kink, zero stretch, and are the nicest sheet ropes I have ever used.

Vang and cunno are Yale Cordage Yalelight, and vang is a combo of 6mm Liros Dyneema and New England Spyderline.  Kite Halyard is New England FinishLine.  Lines were spliced or whipped wherever needed.

 

 Fittings:         Harken, Ronstan, Lewmar

Put simply, the right fitting for the job!  With different crews planned to be on the boat this year, everything has to fall to hand easily, with no confusion or clutter.  Every fitting does precisely the job it is designed to do.  Every fitting was attached to the boat with double-sided tape before a hole was drilled, and double-checked for positioning and purpose.Only 316 stainless screws and bolts were used to avoid the ‘tea-staining’ that occurs with the usual 304 screws bought from chandleries.Little ‘non-standard’ touches are the airblocks on the jib cars to make sheeting easy for the crew, Ronstan sidestay tracks/cars, Spinlock PX jammer for the kite halyard.  

So, that gives you a brief idea of what went into the building of the boat, but ultimately, it is how you sail it that gives results.  To this end, we focussed on keeping things safe and consistent for all races.  A few key things:

- Neil and I spent time prior to rigging each day to ensure and that every piece of rigging was given the once over. 

- Once on the water, we did a trial run upwind and down and checked that the rig settings and kite were rigged correctly. 

START

- Prior to the start we spent time watching the wind patterns and cloud movements and formulated an overall first work plan.

- Clear the boards of weed.

- Get startline transits, check the course flags(!).

- In the final 2 mins to the start double-check the wind up the course and be confident of hitting the first shift.

- Clear the boards of weed.

- Be on the line in clear air with space below to accelerate at the gun.

UPWIND

- Sail Flat.

- Stay in clear air and tack out if the lane closes up.

- Keep looking up the course and watching the wind.  Lake Illawarra can be quite challenging, but there were patterns most days.  Staying in phase with these and not getting forced to a corner were important.

- Clear the boards of weed! 

A little technique we figured out here, was to clear the boards going into a tack.  As the crew comes in, clear the centreboard, then lift the rudder out and the boat will slide into the tack, put the rudder back in when on the new tack.  Sounds hard, but only took us half a dozen tacks to start doing it well.

- Fleet management – you can’t cover both sides of the course, but the further up the work you go, the narrower the angles become.  Often at the bottom mark we would tack early and then tack back when the following boats rounded.  That way we were in phase and not have to cross the course from side-side.

MARK ROUNDINGS

- know where the next mark is before rounding

- think about your game plan for that leg (high/low/kite/2sail).

- steer around the mark keeping the boat going as fast as possible, no handbrake turns (unless tactically warranted!).

- have the boat flat and pointing in the right direction before any transitions.

- mark your halyard so you know when the kite is up.

DOWNWIND

- sail in clear air.

- on the triangles, work as much height as you can, but remember you can blast off and drop early if needed.

- on the sausages, work your depth.

- look both forwards and behind you for wind.

 

GENERAL SPEED

- Sail the boat flat. 

- Nothing is more important than keeping the boat flat.

- Work on your fore-aft trim to promote and maintain speed and planing.

- We had calibrated settings for all controls.  No guesswork finding the ‘go-button’!

- If you have adjustable sidestays – use them!  We have our kite blocks on them too, and this works really well when running with the stay off as it moves the sheeting position forward.  Not to mention moving them forward lets the mast rake forward, effectively giving you a longer kite luff.  Upwind, it means you can back off the forestay tension and deepen up the jib if needed for the conditions.  Downwind, easing them even a little allows for the mast to be happy and the rotator to stay where it is supposed to!

- Tweakers on the jib (if not a self-tacker) allow you to utilise the full area and slot of the jib downwind as well.  We have limited sail area, and getting that area in the jib working at 100% can contribute 10-20% to your sail area.  Just look at TP52s and the old AC class boats – they all run staysails downwind, and they have masses of sail area!

- Don’t use the trapeze just because it is there.  Have the crew hike until you are easing the mainsheet to stay flat, and then have them push out progressively.  Remind them to come back in as soon as it lightens.  It is more expensive to bear away to keep the crew on the wire, than to sheet out momentarily to let them push out.

- Pressure and angles downwind on an MG should be similar to upwind, but it is not very often that having the crew on wire on the sausage leg is faster.   We didn’t trap on the sausage leg once at Lake Illawarra, and at no time did we feel slow ;-)

- In lighter airs downwind, I sit on the floor to leeward with the crew on the windward side deck.  This way they can see the kite clearly, and I can keep an eye out for wind behind us.  Kite collapsing form the leech means I am sailing too deep.  The crew needing to push out on wire in this mode signals it is time to speed up and move both of us to the windward side.  This is quite a dramatic mode change, but I scrabble across the floor progressively and pick the angle which maintains best VMG for the conditions.

- Upwind, work the boat through high/low modes to maintain optimum VMG.  In light airs, this is quite often a high mode with windward jib telltales lifting a little.   Move the rudder very little, keep the crew still and the mainsheet tight.

In moderate airs, if you can promote planing, then you will be steering quite broad angles to maintain optimum speed and height.  If you can’t plane then work really hard on your height.

In strong airs, don’t be scared to really let the boat go fast upwind, even if it means pressing on the jib, with the main eased out.  You can wind up at anytime, and work your height, but boatspeed is king in this stuff so find the optimum upwind planing speed for your boat and steer around to maintain that.

- Finally – sail flat!

 

I hope I haven’t bored you all, and that you find at least parts of this interesting.  As I mentioned at the start of the article – I am of the opinion that there are no secrets in my setup, so if you want exact tuning numbers or whatever, please just ask.  Just don’t be surprised if I ask for the same info in return!!!

 

See you at Toronto,

Rohan Nosworthy.

 

Photo 1:  Front view of Aqua Rodent

Photo 2:  Side view rigged

 

 Photos 3 & 4:  Set up of ropes and fittings

 

Photo 5:  Aqua Rodent powering downwind, out in front!

 

Photo 6 (not supplied by Rohan, but by a cheeky volunteer from PKSC):  A slow ride home early in Heat 9:

 

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THE NATIONALS - "OFFICIAL" WRAP-UP

clock January 26, 2011 16:47 by author admin John

Hi everyone,

Happy Australia Day!  Probably should be doing something traditional outdoors:  BBQ, backyard cricket.....  However, it is STINKING HOT!  So, right now inside with aircon pumping, watching the cricket.  Hardly any breeze around to think wistfully about sailing.  Just a storm cell in the vicinity, sucking the wind out of the atmosphere....blurghhhh!

Therefore, time to do the official report on the Nationals for you all.  The "unofficial" report and awards will follow in a later post.  The article for Australian Sailing has been drafted, photos are off to the magazine publisher (thank you Martin), so you can read all about it in their National Titles edition whenever it comes out.  Here is the "official article":

AQUA RODENT DOMINATES THE BIGGEST MG14 NATIONALS FLEET IN 15 YEARS

In 2009/10 two boats dominated the National Titles.  In 2010/11, the same skippers dominated, but the tables were turned on Lake Illawarra.  Rohan Nosworthy and Neil Tasker, in the newly-built Aqua Rodent, achieved eight bullets in the nine-race series, outgunning Hugh Tait and Tara McCall, in Carbon Neutral, which finished second in the first seven races.  Xanadu, skippered by Gary Reeves, a class veteran and former national champ, along with Alex Warner, demonstrated the greatest consistency of the other competitors to finish strongly in third place.

This did not mean that the rest of the fleet were slouches.  Reflecting a strong resurgence of participation in the class, in terms of both quality and quantity, the remaining top 10 places were fought closely throughout the whole series.  Aside from the leaders, each of the top 10 achieved some results near the front of the fleet, and most heats were so close that minor mistakes or mishaps were often severely punished in terms of placings.

Sailing conditions were very challenging, with unsettled weather across the whole series.  Predominant breezes were east to north-east, but not classic summer nor-easters.  Pressure varied considerably and wind shifted across the course in most races.  However, there were plenty of exciting kite rides and close racing across all standards in the fleet.

The versatility of the MG14 skiff is resonating among more sailors in Australia.  35 boats competed at this series, the largest fleet for the past fifteen years.  A number of competitors in the “sister” NS14 class are choosing to jointly register their boats, adding a kite and trapeze for MG14 events.  In fact, Carbon Neutral and Aqua Rodent competed at the NS14 Nationals the previous week, finishing third and fourth respectively.  Both these boats, as well as others in the fleet, are utilising carbon spars and innovative sail designs to further develop their potential.  Heavier crews are also now looking to compete with the MGB rig, which operates off the same yardstick as the MG14 standard rig.  The range of crews: husband/wife, parent/child, siblings, youths and adult teams, demonstrate that this boat appeals to a wide range of sailors.  SCEGS Redlands has also promoted the MG14 in its senior sailing program, which has had a big impact on youth participation.  The oldest skipper was aged 69, announcing his “retirement” after many years in the class, and the youngest crew was 10, with a 14-year-old skipper in a very competitive boat! 

A special thanks to Port Kembla Sailing Club, which hosted the series from 8th to 12th January.  They ran an excellent program, both on and off-water.  We look forward to our NSW State Titles at Toronto (Lake Macquarie) on 9-11 April, as well as our next National Titles to be hosted by Port Stephens Sailing and Aquatic Club from 7-11 January 2012.

For details about the MG14 Class and a full list of results, please go to www.mg14.com .

Final Scratch Results, 2010-11:

1.      Aqua Rodent, Rohan Nosworthy / Neil Tasker, St George, 7 points2.      Carbon Neutral, Hugh Tait / Tara McCall, Northbridge, 14 points3.      Xanadu, Gary Reeves / Alex Warner, St George, 24 points4.      Icarus, Josh Marks / Iain Wood, Taree, 33 points5.      Blow Your Mind, Josh Tasker / Bryce Edwards, Cronulla, 35 points6.      Escape, Greg Roche / Ben Ferguson, Taree, 35 points7.      Sea Change, Greg and Emily Junk, St George, 37 points8.      Bung It On, Drew Van Ryn / Philip Marshall, Cronulla, 39 points9.      Foxee (MGB), John Hickey / Phil Moore, Toronto, 49 points10.  Total Eclipse, Lachlan Pryor / Ellie Davis, Balmoral, 65 points.

Following is the full list of individual prizes awarded at the presentation ceremony (I have not included the minor placings for scratch and handicap, as they are all detailed in the major results on the web site.  Also, some of you will notice that I slipped Foxee into the results.  Trust me, this is not an "ego" thing, but I do think it is important to remind everyone that the MGB rig was represented at the titles, and how it fitted in with the overall results):

Young Guns (scratch) Icarus Josh Marks/Iaian Wood Taree
Young Guns (hcap) Blow Your Mind Josh  Tasker/Bryce Edwards Cronulla
Masters (scratch) Foxee John Hickey / Phil Moore Toronto
"Nil Desperandum Trophy" * Supernova Jasper Brown/Alex Graham Balmoral
Youngest Crew Skulker John Richardson/Emmett Walsh PKSC
Oldest Crew Abelia Botox Jim Reeder/Walter Van Prague Canberra
Lightest Crew Felix Sam Kool/Tom Wood BSC/Taree
Heaviest Crew Crikey David Wild/Callum Wild Toronto
Leading Lady skipper Roma Mary Tulip Canberra
Leading Lady Crew Carbon Neutral Tara McCall Northbridge
"Sinking Feeling Award" Crikey David Wild/Callum Wild Toronto
Oldest Skipper Blew True Kerry Beatty

Balmoral

 

* "Nil Desperandum" = "never give up": highest points scored for a boat that completed every race.

For some photos from the series, check out the Gallery on the mg14 website.

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VOX POPS FROM THE NATIONALS

clock January 15, 2011 22:15 by author admin John

Hi everyone,

Hopefully we are all back safely at home, recovering from the great time we had together at Port Kembla!  Now, I have to apologise in advance.  I did a bunch of video interviews, which are posted below.  However, the camera work is poor and the sound is a bit over the place, but at least it will help you reminisce a little. Also, this is a clunky way to post the videos, and I will hopefully get some advice in the next few days to do it more simply.  More posts coming in the next week or so with a wrap-up of the series.

The reports I have on video are as follows:

  • Introduction Day 1
  • Interview with Martin Pryor, MG14 Class President
  • Interview with Locky Pryor, re boat disaster
  • Interview with SCEGS students on their sailing program
  • Interview with Rohan Nosworthy and Neil Tasker, the champs!
  • Interview with Hugh Tait and Tara McCall, the runners-up!
  • Interview with Rob and Sian Morton, "Wizard of Oz"
  • Interview with Toronto Sailing Club team.

There were a couple of others I recorded, but I have not posted them due to poor quality of video.  So, apologies to those of you on those videos, it wasn't you, it was me!!

So, click on the links below and have a laugh at some very amateurish comments and interviews......

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TIPS TO GO FASTER - PART TWO

clock January 4, 2011 15:20 by author admin John

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls,

As promised, I now have the second excerpt in the "Tips To Go Faster" series for your reading pleasure.  I have received a very positive response from a few quarters on the first chapter, so thank you for that.  Hugh Tait has offered to add some wisdom, and I am sure some of our other leading sailors will also be keen to do their bit.

But today I have a Q & A with Phil Moore, my crew on Foxee.  He is going to offer a for'ardhand's perspective on successful racing.  The reason I asked Phil to put forward his views is that he is a very experienced crew of many years' standing in the class.  Not only have we built a strong combination sailing together for more than three seasons, he has also sailed with leading skippers, such as Rochey and Bob Taig.  Despite his protestations that he is almost on the scrap heap at age 56 (!) (remember Phil, 50 is the new 30....), he is enthusiastic, has taught me heaps, and we have managed to keep a smile on our face sailing together.....most of the time!

In the following Q & A, I have decided to add some comments, which you will see in italics and brackets - not for emphasis - just to distinguish between Phil's and my comments.  Thank you, Phil!  Here goes:

TIPS TO GO FASTER: A CREW'S PERSPECTIVE

Q.           When you are out there racing, what do you see as your key areas of responsibility and focus as the for’ard hand?

The primary focus is to balance the boat and keep it flat whether out on wire , hiking or sitting on the floor of the boat.  Looking for breeze, other boats and controlling the jib & spinnaker are also important.

(So, a key here is the skipper and crew having a clear understanding with each other who had responsibility for what.  I expect and appreciate Phil offering suggestions, or at least pointing out things to consider, so I can weigh them up and act accordingly.  The key is not to have an ego about accepting input / advice!  I will repeat that to myself 100 times!)

Q.           What are the main expectations you have of your skipper?

As a crew I need to know what the skipper plans to do so good 2 way communication is important.  I always want to do my best so I expect the same from my skipper.  Sometimes it seems that you can’t do a thing right so motivation from the skipper is a good boost.

(Where possible as skipper I am trying to get better at talking through prospective strategy and potential tactics with Phil before the start and during the race.  That way we are on the same page.  Also, I can get his feedback to help me formulate my actions or reinforce my own views.  For example, I will discuss where I think the favoured side of the course is and, broadly, where I may sail on that basis.  As we are heading to a windward mark, particularly if it is a "sausage", we will discuss whether we might gybe / set, or set, then quickly gybe, or stay on the same tack for a while after setting.  Then Phil is prepared mentally for what may occur.  If we are sailing close quarters we will discuss whether we will cover the other boat, or sail a different course.  Once again, as much as possible, Phil knows what is going through my head which gives him either peace of mind or frustration at my craziness!)

 Q.           What do you find are the hardest challenges you have on the boat, and how do you address them?

For me the stronger the breeze the harder it gets as everything happens so much faster.  Being 56 doesn’t help so I plan well ahead.  Out on wire in 20 knots and rapidly approaching the bottom mark and needing to drop the kite and set up for the rounding is a great challenge.  As I said plan well ahead and communicate with the skipper.

(As much as possible I try to steer the boat to get it flat, so it is easier for Phil to get out on the wire.  Not always easy when you are setting a kite and hit by a gust, but we try to achieve that goal.)

 Q.           Can you give us some practical tips for hauling up a kite, getting it set, and getting out on the wire as smoothly and quickly as possible?

First rule is don’t panic, yes you need to get the kite up as quick as possible but have a set routine and stick with it.  While rounding the mark you have lots of things to do ie ease the jib, get some board up and on a set signal from the skipper haul the kite up.  Use both arms to haul as much halyard as possible ie big armfuls till it is up.  If something jams don’t panic and keep ripping on the halyard.  Find where it is jammed, most common places are at the pulley leading into the spinnaker sock or jammed in the hounds.  It always seems like an eternity till the jam is found but really only a few seconds.  Have confidence in your skipper as they will be watching your progress and will know when to head up so get the kite up, hook up and go straight out (wind permitting).

(We always head to the top mark checking that kite sheets are uncleated and ready to go.  Phil will haul the halyard, and I will operate the outhaul for the kite pole.  Because our chute is on the port side, when setting a kite on that side (so, if it is a starboard course), more things can go wrong with the kite set.  If you go too high, the halyard and kite can get caught in the hounds.  I always go as square as possible on a starboard course kite set, which allows Phil to haul up the kite with a minimum of fuss.  We also have shock cord between the stays across the forestay at the jib head to keep the halyard line out from that problem position.  Another thing to watch out for is the occasional "wine glass" in the kite - the tight twist in the spinnaker which will not release as the kite sheet is pulled.  In those cases it is best to keep the boat fairly square, release the halyard a few feet, which eases the tension in the kite and releases the twist, then quickly haul up the halyard again and sail away.  In any event, the heavier the breeze the squarer we will go to keep the boat flat for the kite uphaul and preparation for it to be set.)

 Q.           Can you give us some practical tips for how you approach going into and out of a gybe, and how you and the skipper coordinate your efforts, particularly in heavier breezes?  What are the key things you focus on to reduce risk of a disaster?

If you are going to swim this is when it usually happens.  To gybe well in any conditions requires good communication between you and your skipper so get some signals worked out and stick to them.  Practice is always good.  On Foxee our routine is for the skipper to get all set for the gybe then call me through.  This seems to work for us (but not always).  When gybing in light wind the battens on the main can be very difficult to tack so I also give the boom a flick when moving across.

(This was always our big achilles heel, but holds far less fear for us now.  Using heavier breeze as a guide, we start to square away at speed, Phil maintaining balance.  He has the new sheet at the ready, but as I call the gybe, I go through first and get positioned for the new tack as quickly as possible with sheet and tiller extension in correct hands.  As Phil comes through I can complete the gybe with an "S" motion if necessary - in other words, turn through the gybe and turn away again on the new tack to flatten the boat.  The point is, I am in the correct position of control, rather than trying to get the point of sail correct whilst still sorting out which hand tiller and sheet should be in.  This manoeuvre has made a major difference to our sailing.  Then the other thing which Phil has drummed into me, particularly in lighter breezes, is not to focus on the main and whether the battens are right, but to focus on finding the correct point of sail to rebuild momentum as quickly as possible.  He fixes the batten problems, if needed.  This is crucial in lighter breezes, because the boat can quickly lose momentum and significant relative distance if you fiddle with the side issues, rather than resuming at the fastest point of sail.)

 Q.           When you go to drop the kite, what process do you go through to achieve it quickly, but also avoid tangles or other mishaps?

Coming into the mark I set the jib, get the board down then when ready I give the retriever 2 or 3 hauls prior to uncleating the kite, 3 or 4  more hauls then uncle at the pole and haul the rest in.  This needs to be smooth with no pauses in between each move.  In heavy air I concentrate on getting the kite in as above but set the jib and board after retrieving the kite.  If you just uncleat the kite and try to haul it in you lose control of the kite and risk going prawning or worse still capsizing.

(I really want to focus on having the jib in place if possible before anything, so I can focus on getting around the mark and into upwind momentum as quickly as possible while Phil does any necessary clean-up.  We are learning to come in squarer now if possible to the leeward mark, particularly if we are sailing in on port tack.  This is because the kite needs to be hauled down and around the front of the jib into the chute.  This is much harder to achieve if you are sailing closer to the wind.  If you are going around the mark and the kite is still not down, you might as well sail squarer down the course to get the kite in, because the chances of hauling it in properly while heading upwinds are VERY LOW!  I usually leave it to Phil to estimate when he is ready to drop the kite.  When possible, he will hand the kite sheet to me and I keep tension on it, just to help keep it under control.  As he drops it I release tension and it usually goes into the chute with a minimum of fuss.)

Q.           Upwind, when going into a tack, how do you and skipper approach working through a tack, in light and heavier breezes, to maximise speed through the transition, maintain momentum, and reduce risks?

Again good communication, on Foxee the skipper gets set for the tack and then calls me through and I acknowledge that I am ready.  It is important that you move smoothly particularly in light air otherwise you destabilize the boat.

(In lighter conditions we work on roll tacks.  We have changed our technique recently.  I used to go through last, probably because I am too much of a control freak, trying to ensure we got a good "roll".  However, I would then be scrambling to get up on the new windward gunwhale and set the right course.  So now Phil stays to windward to push the roll as I go through, then he goes through to resume a position forward in the boat.  I am therefore more quickly in the right position to set the right course on the new tack.  In heavier breezes we focus on both getting to the new windward side as quickly as possible, with Phil hooking straight on to the wire and getting out to flatten the boat.)

Q.           If you had any advice for skippers to make your job easier and more effective, what would you say?

Where possible give me good warning that we are maneuvering and most importantly stay calm, If I stuff up don’t get mad.  I am always willing to take advice in order to improve so don’t hesitate in letting me know if there is a better way of approaching a task. After all I’m still learning.

(Me? Mad? Never! :) 

Q.           And to finish, what do you enjoy most about your sailing and being a crew member?

I look forward to Saturdays as it is a welcome relief to the normal routine.  It's great exercise and I really enjoy the adrenalin rush of a fast kite ride.  It give me great satisfaction when John & I combine well in a race and make no mistakes and of course I like to win, but that doesn’t always happen.

(Phil is far more merciless against our opposition than me.....)

So, there you have it.  Hopefully this will assist you as teams in the racing which is before us.  If you have any other particular areas you would like us to arrange input about, please let me know - email or comment on the blog.I hope to see your smiling faces in Port Kembla in a few days!!

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Pre-Titles Bits and Pieces!

clock January 4, 2011 11:39 by author admin John

 Hi everyone,

Your correspondent is admitting to getting a little bit "excited" about this coming week, but also feeling a tad "underdone" for the Titles.  Tentatively, the series will be up to nine races (including two on the first day, Saturday - so get there early, people!), and right now the old bones and muscles are feeling a tad ordinary.  I am extremely thankful that we have moved the Titles to early January.  It was great to spend Christmas / New Year time with family and friends, but there were downsides....

The festive season also meant that I have been catching up with chores which I have successfully procrastinated against for a loooooonnnnnng time.  However, the excuses had run out.  There was crouching and lying across the roof of our home (in abject fear: I don't like heights) clearing out the garden that had spawned in the gutters.  The only good part of that was that we look across to Belmont and the 29ers and Arrow Cats were holding their Nationals in front of my eyes, largely in some hooting nor-easters!  There were also plenty of Moths out there practising for their Nationals which start today, followed by the Worlds in a few days time.  A slight tinge of regret that I will miss watching them weave their foiling magic: go Nathan Outteridge!!  Aside from that, I spent hours trying to repair pool chairs (which would take a decent handyman a fraction of the time), and a day or so repairing the pool deck, still not quite finished.  Next on the list are the gardens and some painting, but that will be after the Titles.

In the meantime, I have two teenage sons who found several new ways to sprawl across the couch downstairs.  Does anyone know what sort of explosive device works best to dislodge young males from the extended stupor of watching Simpsons re-runs??  Actually, they weren't that bad.  They did respond to extensive written lists of chores without too much whingeing, and we did get to the beach a bit, dodging bluebottles.

So, a diet of festive food, a few beers, the odd wine, a couple of late nights, and not having sailed in anger with Phil for almost a month.... how does that sound for preparation?  I'm sure the rest of you have been assiduously sticking to your diets, cranking out hundreds of ab exercises, completing ever more challenging daily cardio workouts, and even getting more on-water practice??  By the way, Brian and Lara in Flame Boy, I did observe you having a "sneaky" practice session down at Toronto the other day.  And Rochey, Facebook has kept me abreast of your sojourn down to Sunshine as well.  How dare you do this to the rest of us slackers?!

Or, you could be like Hugh and Rohan, and decide to make complete masochists of yourselves and head down to Canberra (Canberra??!! - Lake Burley Griffin??!!) for the NS14 Nationals.  I think they will have a fair bit of "match fitness" under their belts as a result, leading into Port Kembla.  Anyway, I know many of us followed their fortunes and were both excited and frustrated to see them do so well, but narrowly miss out on DOMINATING THE PODIUM!!  For those of you not aware, Hugh on Carbon Neutral finished 3rd, and Rohan on Aqua Rodent finished 4th.  Two points separated 2nd, 3rd and 4th, with a (relatively) disastrous last race for Rohan making a big difference.  Congratulations guys, to you and your crews.  It sounded like very challenging conditions.  Your fellow MG sailors are very proud of your performances.  Peter V won the title for the ninth time, and claimed on video that he wants to get up in the "teens"....  Kylie V came second with a barnstormer at the end.  Anyway, to look at results and also view some interesting interviews with the top performers, go to www.ns14.org .  There is a fair bit of mention about the MG's from both Rohan and Hugh in their interviews, which is great!

The only other comment I want to make about the NS14 titles, is that I got to learn a little more about Lindsay Mason's sense of humour.  Lindsay commissioned the new boat that Rohan is sailing for the NS14 and MG titles.  However, Lindsay is currently focussing on the Skud18 campaign for the 2012 Paralympics, and won't be competing at Port Kembla.  In any event, we can still all marvel at Lindsay's creative flair after selling Water Rat and replacing it with Aqua Rodent.  Special, Lindsay!

Speaking of which, I have a quick report from LIndsay on his current Skud training campaign, a couple of weeks out of date:

Finished two weeks of training here in Medemblik and first races are in two days, so we have a day off tomorrow.

Tuning and tweaking our new boat, with the assistance of coach/guru Adrian Finglas and Beijing Silver Medalist Dan Fitzsgibbon/Rachael Cox, has been great. Even a few of them might appear on the new boat, you never know!

 

Expected cold weather has not appeared (perhaps it is stuck over Aust?), so I have a bag of thermal/fleece/zhik wet weather gear and the damn weather is 25+ degrees! Only way to stay cool is with the extra cold Heinken (served at 0 degrees ;-)

 

Pretty keen to get out on the water and see how we go against some pretty swish and well funded teams. Other Aust boat (Fitzsgibbon/Cox) is a carbon fibre/dyneema rocketship, that I have nicknamed the “space shuttle”. Best bit, is that our relatively low tech boat, has been slightly quicker for the first week of speed testing. Haven’t been able to wipe the cheesy grin off my face. Also managed to beat them in a few one on one sprint races, so can’t wait to see how we both stack up against the front running UK and USA teams. Our team goal is to qualify country for London 2012 in the SKUD18 class and for one of the two boats to place top 3. Preparation has been good, so time will tell.

 

Will send you some photos when I down load them from the camera.

 

Cheers,

 

Lindsay

As a footnote, I can report that Lindsay and Ame finished 3rd on a countback at Sail Sydney in early December, then 2nd at Sail Melbourne, ahead of their major Australian competition.  The Great Britain team, current world and Paralympic champs, dominated each event, but our guys look like they're closing in!

Finally, be on the lookout for the following:

  • In my post on Port Kembla in late November, I included some photos of some of the MG's at Taree performing.  Greg Roche has kindly sent me some commentary on each boat, which I am now adding to the post under the photos.  So, I strongly encourage you to go back and have a look at his comments, which add some good information.
  • Later today I will also post Part 2 in "How to Sail Faster", as a primer for the upcoming Nationals.  This will be an excellent contribution from Phil Moore, offering a crew's perspective.  Stand by....

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SOME TIPS TO GO FASTER!

clock December 8, 2010 18:32 by author admin John

(Locky and Sophie at Port Kembla.....nice team uniform with the white zinc!)

Hi everyone,

I'm feeling a little pretentious writing this article, given that there are several VERY GOOD sailors in our class who would be much better than me at this.  However, I thought I would start something and see if we can get some more contributions from class stalwarts in the weeks ahead, and from there build up a stock of info that class sailors can use to help them improve their performance.

When I started back racing an MG 5 years ago, after more than 25 years away from competitive sailing, some of the stuff came back to me quickly, like riding a bike, but I was a looooooonnnnngggg way from being good!  I was lucky enough to be around top guys in the class who were generous with their advice, and I was willing to observe and learn.  Guys like Rochey, Bob Taig and my crew Phil, have helped me hone my skills.  I know there are many others in the class willing to share their views if you are prepared to ask.

I have read great books, including the great Frank Bethwaite tomes:  "High Performance Sailing" and, recently, "Higher Performance Sailing" (the latter is brilliant how it explains the best ways to use an asymmetric kite).  Sometimes they get technical, but you can pick lots of very practical gems out of there as well.  The parts where he goes into aeronautical engineer mode, I just move on!!

I get Australian Sailing magazine most months, and love reading the Dave Dellenbaugh articles.  Lots of very good strategic, tactical and tuning tips.

So, with all that material, why bother putting together a series for the MG website?  Well, I realise lots of competitors love to just get out there and have a bit of fun, but many do want to improve, and hopefully we can put some info out there, you can provide some feedback on what things you really want to know to help you, and we can keep adding stuff which will be relevant for MG sailors at all levels.

This is not going to be particularly organised, but I thought I would start at some of the obvious things I observe which seem to slow boats down.  I'm mainly reflecting what I have learned and what I have been told in the past few seasons in the class.

So, before going fast, we all need to understand why we might be going slow!  Here are some questions to ask yourself, and some thoughts to consider:

How Do You Rig Your Boat and Sail in Light Conditions?

I often see people rig their boats the same, no matter what the conditions.  Often the rig is set too stiffly for light conditions, with too much vang and cunningham, too much tension on the foot, set and forget the jib at some mythical standard point.  Stay tension is very tight.

During last year's Nationals, which were mainly sailed in lighter breeze, some of the leading competitors had adjustable stays, and rigged somewhat looser, even easing stays downwind.

Here are some other things to think about in lighter breezes:

  • Most leading boats have very little tension on vang and cunningham in light conditions.  However, they will work the vang and cunningham as conditions change.
  • The leading boats sit both crew members way forward.  This may vary a little based on hull type, but upwind Phil will sit forward of the side stay and I will sit close to the stay.  Therefore, the surface area in the water is less, and helps with pointing ability upwind.
  • The leading boats do not set and forget their sails, including the jib.  Often, when conditions are light, it pays to ease the jib a little upwind at the expense of pointing, which builds up a little more momentum.  As speed and wind strength improve, you can consider firming the jib sheet again.
  • In very light conditions, it sometimes pays to lean the boat down to leeward whilst sitting forward, slightly looser jib upwind, and as you gather momentum you can push the boat higher and flatten the boat more.
  • Downwind, the art of getting to the bottom mark quickest is a tricky one!  Ignoring factors such as tide, etc., different boats with different kite shapes will have points of sail which are stronger for them.  However, sometimes it is better in quite light conditions to sail a bit squarer, when the ability to get pressure and apparent wind effect by pointing higher does not seem to make a lot of difference.  I often notice boats trying to push upwind to chase a bit of extra pressure, and end up well upwind of the mark in patchy breeze.  In lighter conditions, unless you see steadily building pressure moving consistently down the course, chasing higher for greater pressure could lead you into another hole, further away than someone running broader to the mark.  This is not a hard and fast rule, because it really is dependant upon sizing up the conditions and opportunities which may emerge.
  • Upwind in light breeze, look up the course to see where there seems to be greater pressure, or at least where there are more visible signs of breeze.  Sailors often head into areas where there is no breeze, and I wonder why.  Perhaps it is a bid to do something different that might lead to catching some advantage.  Perhaps it seems like the shortest distance to the next mark, or it just seems easier to stay on the same tack.  However, the leading boats are really focussing on where they see pressure, or potential advantage of wind off a shore, or tidal influence, to take advantage.  They usually go to points on the course in lighter breeze with a specific purpose in mind, weighing up the scale of risk in making any decision.

There are so many things to talk about light wind tuning and sailing, but hopefully it gives a few simple pointers to think about.

What About Heavier Conditions?

The challenges change here, because it can be about staying afloat, rather than racing!  However, here are a few ideas to think about to help be more effective as a racer in these conditions:

  • As the wind strengthens, there can still be significant fluctuations in pressure, and areas of the course where pressure is clearly stronger.  Therefore, you will crank the vang and cunningham on further, but you don't want to squeeze all the power from the sails.  I can recall sailing at Toronto in some State Titles heats a few seasons ago.  A good 15 knot-plus nor-easter.  I really cranked on the vang and cunningham to try and stay "in control", but quickly watched the leading boats sailing off into the distance.  I needed to experiment and actually release some vang and cunningham pressure.  I had actually stalled the sails.  With a little easing the boat jumped on top of the water and we were able to still balance the boat comfortably.
  • Keep the boat flat!!  This is one of the biggest problems I perceive.  Watch the leading guys, for example Hugh and Rohan.  Their boats are dead flat virtually all the time when there is some decent breeze around.  Skipper working the main hard to maintain that angle, combined with necessary body movement by skipper and crew.  To do this well, you need to be looking ahead at approaching breeze all the time - you and crew - calling it, anticipating it and acting before and as gusts and lulls hit.  Most sailors are very reactive, doing nothing until the gust or the lull hits, then desperately trying to adjust.  Therefore, the boat is constantly off-balance and not really focussed on consistent momentum.
  • Downwind, remember that the rules for sailing with an asymmetric kite are very different than sailing without one.  As you build up speed, the apparent wind moves forward.  So, if you chase the pressure, you need to adjust the main tighter once you have the boat flat, even as you bear away in a gust, because the increased speed is actually moving the breeze forward.  Therefore, when you have decent speed and the apparent wind is dominating, you need to be looking sideways and even forward for advancing gusts, not backwards where the true breeze is.  The other Saturday afternoon at Port Kembla, with a 25-knot nor-easter, before we set the kite to head down to the start, we were sailing almost square.  When we set the kite, at the speed we were going, we were not sailing tighter, but still had quite a lot of main on turning downwind in gusts, and upwind as gusts died.  The normal intuition is to ease the main downwind, but in breeze it is important to keep plenty of pressure on the main.

Anyway folks, these are just a few starting pointers to consider.  What I would love to hear is from you:  what would you like to know to help improve your performance?  I will try to organise answers for you.

In the meantime, the next instalment is an interview with Phil Moore, my crew.  What is a crew's perspective?  What should he / she be responsible for?  How to interact with the skipper?  What are some techniques to handle the kite best, and to set and drop the kite effectively?  Be on the lookout for it in the next week or two....

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About the author

John Hickey is Publicity Officer for the MG14 Association.  He sails out of Toronto Amateur Sailing Club on Lake Macquarie, NSW.  The purpose of the blog is to discuss sailing and events involving MG14's, and to encourage comments and issues which can be discussed among class sailors.

Hopefully over time some of you may wish to report in on activities around your club, offer thoughts on racing, tuning or events, or ask questions on any of these topics that can be added to the blog site and even raise comments from others.

If questions are asked, John will attempt to seek answers from appropriate stalwarts and Committee members where appropriate, and get responses back via the blog.

We look forward to your participation!  Try and communicate via the blog site, or alternatively email John at john.hickey@freemanfox.com.au .

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