What are chicken wires?

First off, it's not a

wire

but a line that is anchored to somewhere on the back of the boat, for the purpose of keeping the crew from being flung forward when you stuff the bows into a big wave. There are so many different set ups on different boats, to try to describe exactly how they are set-up would fill a book. I'm sure someone can post a picture of their set-up.

Here's a clear picture from the Tiger Worlds that shows pretty clearly what it is and does.
Basically its a piece of line that attaches to the transom (rudder casting in this case), then it runs through the rearbeam where it connects to a piece of shockcord to keep it tight when its not in use.

A must on a H16 back when there were actually ABC race courses.

Nowadays everyone is too afraid of stuffing it on a reach to race the classic Olympic course... <img src=

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Gotcha, thanks...

No, the ABC courses don't work well for spi boats, I don't thik it has anything to do with being chicken or not...

Yeah, it takes all the tactics out of it and turns the triangle legs into a parade. Don't get me wrong, I like a good parade - especially if I'm the MC out front.

If remember (and it was a LONG time ago (LOL)),brain drain. I never used the chicken line on my 16 on a reach. Just going to weather on the old ABC courses (got knocked between the tramp and hulls 6 times on one weather leg in 40 mph winds). Just traveled out a bit coming around A mark, hung my butt cheek off the rear crossbar, had crew damm near sit up top on me and YEE HAA what a ride. Bows were inches from sticking most of the time and when they did go under, just sheet out. Crew pumping the jib. Would bury it to crossbar, let sails out and fly again. Those were the good old days in Div 6. Made every race on circuit for two years <img src=

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I was surprised at a few regattas last year - they ran some reachers on a few courses. It wasn't a parade - many people had never effectively done reaches before, and their trim was far too much like their downwind trim. Everything's flying correctly but you are somehow going 1/2 the speed of everyone else! With more experience sailors I bet it's less of a challenge though unless it is blowing hard, hard, hard.

The A-B leg is a parade for sure, but the B corner and the B-C leg can be fun to do something you don't normally do. Ah well...

I enjoy a good A-B leg on a crazy reaching boat like the I20, but... It's also not fun b/c you don't make up any distance (if you need) and there are no tactics B-C.

Don't work well? It is one more aspect of sailing properly for the given course. People make mistakes, wind direction and force changes, so I do not agree it will just be a parade. Even if it is not as tactical, it is the fastest point of sail, so why not include it it in a ABABCAB course? Isn't going like a bat out of hell the reason we sail cats??

Been there, done that.... for the boats at the front it's a drag race. It's the guys already at the back that usually get hammered by it.

But maybe it's the guys at the back who need to at least have some FUN even though they are losing, so they feel like it is worth coming back for more racing. <img src=

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Bingo!

I wonder if all the focus on creating more tactical racing has hurt sport. If you are going to have a 5 to 9 race regatta, why not mix up the courses?

I actually take offense at that... given that I am probably on the losing end more than not. To assume that you have to be winning to have fun is kind of silly. I have had a blast getting myself into last place actually <img src=

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hey i like my last place finishes and fight to defend them. someday i'll figure out my boat and race mid pack. but by then i'll probably want a new boat.

No way man... I think I can beat you to last place!!!

It's like the South Park episode when they are trying to lose at little league.

Which ever way we go, when we have to get to a certain place instead of just off the beach, ramp or (?) and straight back we learn to sail. That was one of the main things I drilled in newbies at the Dike. I told them racing will make you a better sailor whether you come in DFL. At least you get to DFL going around the course, and figure out how it get there.

Comments welcome.

Doug

I can see you and I are going to get along just fine <img src=

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Our courses all include ABC and a couple of months ago while I was on the transom the downhaul let go, the boat didn't know whether to go over forwards or sideways as it skipped over waves I had no control until the gybe mark. It took me two weeks to decide it was fun <img src=

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check them toes , does your crew live up a tree at night : )

The system I use is somewhat different from Stephen's.
With the hook system you can not adjust the position, and the block can get caught when passing through the beam.

Here a diagram of the other system (pardon my CAD skillz), and the spreaderbar used on the harness:

(a)Good stuff never hurt anyone... frankly, with a boat not know for its blazing dw speed, I miss the reaching leg too.