Hello all - just wanted to gauge opinions on the recent 18s hcap system of setting different windward marks for hcap races, but having the fleet start off together. I am trying to get head around it..............sublime race cover by the crew as always today in diabolical conditions......see here............I made sure I mowed the lawn before the storm and then went fishing but had to take shelter..........really good to see the rain out west............
www.18footers.com.au/18-footers-sailing/18-footers-tv/
My response to the 18s site was as below.
Anyway responses would be welcome as I might be a tad out of touch.....................so nearly 4 decades out of touch.......
Yes brilliant sailing there by all - about once every 5 years that sort of weather comes to the harbour. Is it permissible to ask why the 18s have gone to that shorter windward mark system for handicap races rather than the staggered start of the good old days? I sailed sheet hand for a season on the mighty TC Metal Products in the early 70s with Fred and Pete Lavis.....we were the limit boat but always tried our guts out as do the blokes today - we won some sort of plate that season it might have been 3rd place but it was always expected that club championship, state, nationals and world title races would be scratch starts, and the rest hcap starts. All boats would sail the same course. So Bob Holmes in Travelodge on scratch caught us off the Clark Island leeward mark after one lap of a nice mid rig 20kt noreaster - there was another lap to go - we got the inside rounding and were off to Bradleys to keep them out - of course they went through to leeward sailing 2 to our 1 and were gone........a race in a murderous westerly we came out from Pt Piper and I couldn't get the main off quickly enough and Fred tried his best to bear away behind Travelodge but the tiller snapped and we slammed into their rudder box - still don't know how the whole lot wasn't sheared off the transom.........T went on to win the worlds that year the last 4 hander to do it. Anyway the question still stands - for hcap starts why set up these different windward mark bouys rather than do hcap starts - with the fleet these days the hcap difference limit to scratch would be a lot less than in the early 70s?
Yeah, tried watching. I could understand if there were different divisions racing, but to have one designs being mandated different marks is just confusing, and unfair to participants.
