Hobie 16 Open in Kingston - event has started

Great Turnout... 54 boats in a down economy.... great job.

Kingston is one of the top place in NA to go racing. Enjoy!

I think it was 7 minutes last time Mike, but that was just a coincidence... <img src="<>/wink.gif" alt="wink" title="wink" height="15" width="15" />

I'm completely disgusted about the fact that we aren't there, but that's my wife's job's fault.

Anyway, as you know, this is like crack to me, you can't possibly post too much information!!!

One question, obviously, Erika isn't sailing both with Tom and Sue?

Mike

Off the top of my head, she sailed with Mom in the Ladies and Tom in the open.

Some amazing places to eat here. Kingston is a old town with some of the buildings downtown built in the early 1800's.

If you check out my blog, you can see I actually was in the water! http://walkerphoto.blogspot.com/

Not only that, check out my internet speed. LOL

What's the scoop with the FIGUEROA name?

3 of em in the top 10 4 in the regatta.

Are they all related to Enrique?... and it's just in your genes to sail fast... or is Figueroa a common last name in Puerto Rico?

Witness protection program?

On a serious note, how the hell did Matt get OCS in the first two races???

Mike

NO!... we have to wait for him to return to the keyboard and have a chance to defend himself! Should be much more entertaining

Of course we could speculate on what Matt was thinking...

"Hmm.. I wonder where they call the line on a Canadian committee boat ...

Didn't you see Mike's pic of the signal boat? They have a giant f-ing ARROW!!! Might as well hold up a sign that says,

Start Here Stupid!!!

Can you tell I'd rather be there???

Mike

Hilarious, I wish I was there too. My boy Madge is kicking butt and taking names.....

Mike, where are you guys hiding the live updates? Mark roundings, prelim finishes, etc?

Mike

Do you think I posted that picture by accident! <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />

Someone up there needs to do something about those easterlies that seem to only show up for 16NA open events (ghost of 2000?)...

Mike

I raced against Francisco Figueroa last year at Spring Fever. He's in his 20's and I think is a nephew of Enrique. Francisco had won the NA H16 championships that year and he was sailing a F18 to prepare for the Alter Cup. He came in 5th at SF but was up against some stiff competition. I think everyone in the top 5 competed in the AC. Nigel, Krantz/Leonard, John Casey, David Ingram.... I remember Francisco well cause we seamed to get tied up at mark roundings several times.. Unfortunately he got he best of me.. I came in 6th overall that weekend.

One OCS (2nd race) I was waaaaaay over. Pictures prove it.

First race OCS I took to the room when I found out the RC's voice recorder wasn't working and the pin didn't have me. I still lost.

Guide to Puerto Rico:
Enrique (Queque - pronounced KEY-kay) Figeuroa is the multiple NA, Nationals, etc. champion. In his late 40's. Sailing with young Victor

Enrique (Keke - pronouced KAY-key) Figeuroa is not related to Queque. In his 30's. Sailing with the lovely Natalia.

Francisco (Faccio - pronounced FA-key-oh) Figueroa is last year's NA champion and Queque's cousin. In his 20's. Sailing with Jolliam (Jolli - pronounced JOE-lee) Berrios

Alfredo (Fredo) Figueroa is Faccio's father.

There's also Pedrin, Kuko, Julio, Rita (Kique - KIE-key) - Pedrin's wife) and a few others.

Light air today, one race (no, I was not OCS). Sat around almost 2 hrs waiting for wind to fill. Mark sent us in at 3:30.

There was a big protest brewing between Tom Korz, Jason Hess and I think Bob Merrick when I left. Tom was tired of people coming in on suicide port and tacking in front of him. If he wins, and Jason Hess gets tossed, that will mix things up a bit. Jason already has an OCS as his throw out.

Thanks for the update Matt!

Plenty of proof that light air rots the brain...

Mike

Jason Hess and Bob Merrick got tossed on the protest. That shakes things up a bit as Jason already had an OCS as his throwout.

Results after 7 races.

Don't see a link to the SIs. I assume there's only one throwout, regardless of how many you get in?

Mike

I see Greg Raybon is closing the gap on his kid. I see Mike Madge is doing well (go D7)
and I see Bounds is sailing really well too (when not scolding me via email)

For the rest of the class, can you talk about the Protest Committee's findings? What rule was broken?

I had dinner with Mike Walker, who is on the jury (but not in this case, since he provided photographic evidence).

The basic scenario was this:
Wind about 6 kts, light current running upwind. Tom K. coming into the mark on stbd. Because of the current, it was easy to overstand. Tom was probably cracked off and footing to the mark.

Jason Hess and Bob M. were coming into the mark on port. Jason was to weather of Bob and overlapped from behind.

Jason tacked, and Bob tacked about a second later, well within the zone.

Tom had room to duck beneath them and still make the mark, so 18.3a didn't apply.

The jury found that Jason and Bob broke rule 13 (While Tacking) and tossed them both.

More excitement for Pat this evening, by the looks of it?

What's the story with Matt Perkins DSQ and John Curtis RDG for today?

Mike

Don't know - they were way behind me in both races. (Not that I did spectacular today.)

Will find out tomorrow.

Big party last night? With the only day all week with a good wind forecast, I'm surprised you didn't start at 9 or 10 this morning.

Mike

This is the jury drawing in the facts found.

We are the green, Tom is yellow and Jason is blue. The jury threw Jason and I out on Rule 13.

bigger picture here

Scheduled start time has been noon all week.

That's when the thermal is supposed to check in - which it did today.

Noon starts have been really nice. Don't have to get out of bed until 8ish.

As a matter of fact, I was rumored to have consumed some wine with dinner at the Division 11 house last night. But that's just a rumor. I don't recall drinking any wine 😉

Little Perky put a hole in somebody's boat - that's why the DSQ and RDG.

Thanks Matt, great job with the inside scoop all week.

Yes, hole-y boats are slow...

I thought for sure a bunch of people would be chomping at the bit for some fat-boy wind, and would have wanted more on the final day. But, wine is nice too...

Sorry you got the Q Bob, but that's a pretty compelling picture.

Wait, how did you pick up another one today???

Great job by Jason and The Doctor to smoke up the charts on the final day. Wow...

Mike

The word is out that the Hobie class is breaking the 'tacking too close' rules (no kidding). How many times have we either done it or had it done to us at A Mark on the first rounding.

Since I was at the windward mark alot, you could see the difference after the results of the protest were posted. Mark roundings were much more 'legal' (he says as a jury member).

I also wanted photographic evidence, so I mounted a camera on the mark to take pictures every 5 seconds.

http://walker-photo.smugmug.com/gallery/8963691_xAVNu/1/#600665536_J9fHL-A-LB
http://walker-photo.smugmug.com/gallery/8963691_xAVNu/1/#601307411_AaLF3-A-LB

(did something break in the forum code --- those images used to display on their own -- yes, I was adding an image to a linked picture).

So what’s too close? The way I understand it you need to be on or past a close hauled course before the other boat needs to maneuver. You don’t need the jib filled or even on the correct side and you don’t need to be moving at all to have the tack completed. At that point the other boat is the overtaking boat and needs to avoid you as you get up to speed. If you happen to be inside the zone there needs to be room below you so that a boat can get through to the mark and you can’t cause the boat to go above close hauled if they decide to go over you.
Do I have it wrong?

You are correct, but the rules are a shield, not a sword. The onus is often on the boat that was initially 'in the right' or had the right of way.

You have to be pointed in the right direction, however, before you are pointed in the right direction, the other boat need TIME to change course. So, very simply put, you need to be 'finished' your tack long before (in the hobie world) the boat you just tacked right in front of gets there. Then there is an entire other discussion of taking IN the 3 boat length circle.

IF you go to jury room over this (and the members are very experienced), you will likely loose every time.

I am not as experienced on the current rule book as I have been in the past as I have been 100% focussed on race management. I was the junior jury member for this event and this is my simple explanation of the event. It is best explained by a senior judge.

Hope that makes sense.

I’m not sure about the sword and shield stuff. The rule book makes no mention of those items. <img src="<>/wink.gif" alt="wink" title="wink" height="15" width="15" />

Regarding the subject of tacking in front of a starboard tack boat the rule is not that complicated. (Getting the facts nailed down off the water does tend to be complicated.)

Consider a port and starboard tack boat (Rule 10 we understand) Port must keep clear of starboard.

Then what if the port tack boat begins a tack?

The boat is still on port tack until she is head to wind (still Rule 10). When she reaches head to wind she is tacking (Rule 13) until she is on a close-hauled course (defined by the direction the boat is pointing). During this time the tacking boat must keep clear.

When the tacking boat reached a close-hauled course Rule 13 stitches off and Rule 12 goes into effect. That is provided the starboard tack boat is still clear astern of the boat that just tacked.

At this point the boat clear ahead (the one that just tacked) has the right of way. But because she gained the right of way by her own actions she must make sure the boat behind has room to keep clear (Rule 15).

What this means is that once the tacking boat is on a close-hauled course on starboard the boat approaching from behind must maneuver promptly in a seamanlike way to avoid the boat that tacked.

Now if the boat behind had to start avoiding before the tacking boat was at close hauled then the tacking boat fouled. Also if the boat from behind didn’t start to avoid until after the tacking boat was on close hauled but had to do so in an un-seamanlike way to avoid collision then the boat that tacked also fouled.

But if the boat from behind begins to avoid when the tacking boat is on close-hauled and is able to avoid her by maneuvering promptly but in a seaman like way then there is no foul.