The inventors of the Heated Wetsuit and series winner on last years New Inventors TV Programme have just finished developing a Heated Kidney Belt which can now turn any wetsuit into a Heated Wetsuit.
How does it work? It has a built in reusable chemical heat pack which can be activated through your wetsuit when required by locating and then pressing an activator button.
A chemical reaction (phase change) will then provide an instant heat of 50C/122F.
The pack remains warm for up to an hour and can easily be recharged after each surf and sail by boiling it in water for 15 minutes. This process can be repeated hundreds of times.
Chris Lyons, founder and inventor of Hotsuits says "We wanted to change the way you think about cold water forever. It's a fact that when your body is subject to prolonged exposure in adverse conditions it will inevitably lead to heat loss. Using an external heat source assists in maintaining the core temperature allowing you to remain in the water longer even in the coldest conditions."
I don't expect any self -respecting Laser sailor would ever use one of these.
Some of the Racing Rules of Sailing are very clear, logical, black and white...
- A port-tack boat shall keep clear of a starboard tack boat.
- A windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat.
- A boat clear astern shall keep clear of a boat clear ahead.
This is a good thing. We need to know when we have broken a rule and who should take a penalty if there is a collision. The writers of the rules have worked diligently over the years to make everything as clear as possible. To that end they have even defined some of the terms in the rules so there will be no confusion.
- A boat starts when after her starting signal any part of her hull, crew or equipment first crosses the starting line ...
- One boat is clear astern of another when her hull and equipment in normal position are behind a line abeam from the aftermost point of the boat's hull and equipment in normal position.
- A boat's leeward side is the side that is or, when she is head to wind, was away from the wind.
All very logical. So mechanical and straightforward in fact that if you were writing a computer program to simulate a sailing race it would be very easy to program these rules into the computer. It's all binary. You are either on starboard or port. You have started or not. You are clear astern or overlapped. Once the facts are established there is no wiggle room for competitors or protest committee.
But wait. Is it that simple? How about some of these concepts in the rules?
- Room: The space a boat needs in the existing conditions while manoeuvring promptly in a seamanlike way.
- Proper Course: A course a boat would sail to finish as soon as possible in the absence of other boats referred to in the rule using the term.
- Initially -- as in "When a boat acquires right of way, she shall initially give the other boat room to keep clear."
How can you program concepts such as "promptly", "initially" and "seamanlike" into a computer - let alone such a subjective concept as "proper course"? Surely these things are open to human interpretation and argument? Well, if you were the programmer for a sailing simulator you would have to give it a shot. Maybe to keep things simple you would program "initially" as two seconds, say. Or interpret "proper course" downwind as the straight line to the next mark.
So my question for today is: Would sailboat racing be a better game if the Racing Rules were so clear and logical and black-and-white that they could be programmed into a computer? Would it be better if none of the rules had vague fuzzy undefined terms like "seamanlike" and "promptly"? Or would it change the game in such a fundamental way that we would lose more in fairness than we gained in clarity?
Hypothetical question: Suppose you found a sailing club that was just right for you but when you inquired about membership you were told that there was an average two year waiting list, but with an implication that members were not necessarily accepted in strict chronological order...
What would you write on your membership application to encourage the powers-that-be to accept you as a member earlier?
What other steps would you take to get accepted early?
So there you are screaming down the run in Tacticat trying to keep out of the way of the Tactifools gybing and capsizing and steering all sorts of unpredictable courses and before you know what's happening the leeward gate is coming up fast and there are crowds of boats stopped, crashed, tacking, gybing, swirling around each mark like a swarm of bees and you have to make a decision about which side of the gate to round in about three milliseconds and........ disaster strikes.
And even though all the other advice you have read here about Tacticat sailing hasn't helped you one iota you are back here again for some help on how to deal with the leeward gate? Never learn, do you?
As with my last post on Downwind in Tacticat let me adopt my modest posture and confess that there is probably a lot more I don't know about gate rounding than I do know. So if you are a Tactichampion then please feel free to abuse me in the comments and to improve or correct my advice. But here's a few things I try and remember to do as I approach the bottom of the run...
First thing is to decide which gate you are going to round. Seems to me that there are two strategic factors -- and one tactical issue -- to consider...
Which side of the course has stronger wind? Other things being equal round the gate mark on that side and start heading to the pressure. Sure you could round the other mark and then tack but the problems with that strategy are
- you have further to sail to the stronger wind,
- you have to cross through the mayhem of boats still on the run. (Remember there's a reason all those idiots are behind even you.)
Which side of the gate is further upwind? Check the wind direction using the indicator in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Obviously if you round the upwind side of the gate it is as good as starting a race at the favored end of the line. You are already ahead of all the Tactichumps rounding the other mark.
So make your mind up well before you approach the gate and position yourself to approach the desired mark, preferably on the inside of those 17 other boats that rounded the windward mark with you.
Then as you approach your preferred mark let's suppose that you notice that there is total chaos there. Boats jammed up in a raft six deep. Capsized boats. Usual Tacticrap. This is where quick thinking comes in. Do not under any circumstances plow right into the back of the raft of boats at the mark. Seems to me you have five choices...
- Slow down and hope the mess clears quickly.
- Aim for that tiny gap between the inside boat and the mark, get penalized for hitting both, and then spend the whole of the second beat complaining about how unfairly you were treated.
- Take the long route around the slow boats going nowhere.
- Change your mind and make a nice close rounding of the other mark and sail away in clear air with time to hit the M key and leave a sarcastic comment for the 23 other boats still stuck on the mark.
- Pray.
Your choice.
And in case you think this has nothing to do with real world sailing then let's see what a real world real expert has to say about real gates. However, sometimes weird things happen at a real world gate that would never happen in Tacticat.
So what have I missed? Anything else to say about Tactigates?
If I still lived in the UK and if for some reason I grew tired of racing a Laser then I suspect I might seriously consider switching to the Laser SB3. Not because it has the Laser trademark but because it seems that it retains so much of the Laser philosophy of combining fun, convenience and strict one-design rules.
More information here and a couple of videos here and here.
But I live in the US (where there is no SB3 activity as far as I know). And after 25 years my enthusiasm for the original Laser shows no sign of flagging so I guess I will stick with it for another 25 years.
Steve Cockerill at Rooster Sailing has come up with a more powerful rig for the Laser, the Rooster 8.1, that claims to deliver "amazing performance" and would suit anyone over 90kg. I see he hopes to develop a racing circuit and a national championship in the UK.
Hmmm. Wonder if it will ever take off in the US? Perhaps I should volunteer to be President of the US Rooster 8.1 Class Association?
So the race is going pretty well. You made a good start, did well on the beat by watching the wind and heading for the side of the course with more pressure, found a good lane and sailed the whole beat in clear air, stayed out of trouble by avoiding the idiots, bots and other general mayhem, avoided getting trapped on the port tack layline, judged the starboard tack layline perfectly and rounded the windward and offset marks with the leaders.
Now you're ready to sail the run and you've come to Tillerman's blog to seek advice. What? You must be joking.
Sure. There are places to be gained and lost downwind in Tacticat. But it's the part of the game that I understand the least. So I will expose my ignorance by telling you what little I do know and perhaps some more experienced Tacticat players will tell you their secrets in the comments.
First some obvious things that apply to all three kinds of Tacticraft: cats, skiffs and Lasers...
- If there is more wind on one side of the course go there.
- Keep your air clear.
- Sail the headed tack -- the one heading more in the direction you actually want to go.
- Think about the leeward mark rounding. Which side of the gate will you round and how will you approach it for maximum gains. (More on this in the next Tacticat Tip). Unlike real sailboat racing the end of the run will come up much faster than you think. Or to be honest much faster than Tillerman can think.
The actual technique for downwind sailing varies a lot for the three different kinds of Tacticraft.
1. Tacticats. Tacticat catamarans are boring. (Or am I missing something). Head down to the "sail by the telltales" course by hitting space bar. Is there any more to know? As I said, Tacticats are boring.
2. Tactiskiffs. Tacticat skiffs are the opposite of boring. They will capsize at the slightest opportunity downwind. So hoist the kite and prepare to swim a lot. In a blow the person who capsizes the least will win.
So what do I know about avoiding capsizes? Not much. The little flashing dots and the "Flip Prob" number of the display you get by hitting the "E" key will give you some clue as to how much danger you are in. If the hairs on the back of the neck are telling you that you are about to invert then try one of the following...
- Ease the mainsheet.
- Head down to a dead run.
- Try sailing without the kite.
Beyond that I know nothing.
3. TactiLasers. Ahah. The most popular boat to race in Tacticat (and in the real world). To be honest the TactiLaser doesn't behave exactly like a real Laser downwind (except perhaps when there are real world waves). The best way to sail the TactiLaser is to start it planing and keep it planing while sailing as deep an angle as you can. Avoid excessive rudder movement. Use the space bar to bear away rather than down arrow or page down keys. Use the I or E keys to display your speed and keep it in the range that planes.
Sound easy? See you at the windward mark later.
Update: Apparently some of the above is crap. Check the comments for real expert advice.
I sometimes wonder if I don't take sailing seriously enough. I know some readers of this blog become frustrated when I veer off-course into flights of fancy about urine tests or church signs. The number of posts already labelled Utter Nonsense is a testament to this weakness of mine.
But then I came across this post Carrot Fibre Yachts on the official blog of the America's Cup Challenger Commission.
Hmmm, maybe I'm not so different from these elite sailors after all. Seems like we can all take our sport seriously and laugh about it occasionally too.
