Well nursing a wounded knee after hitting a log at Primbee yesterday got me thinking on how to improve it for speed sailors and general blasters like myself. I'm sort of comparing Primbee with Sandy Point. Basically at Sandy Point everyone sails down the same line. You can be pretty sure there are no obstacles on that line.
The other advantage is it's much more sociable, everyone gathers around the starting zone waiting for the killer gust, having the chance to chat about all sorts of important things. By contrast once someone launches from the carpark at Primbee you may not see them for hours. " See you on the water" said Bushie yesterday? - no, didn't happen. ( The carpark at Primbee however beats Sandy Point carpark hands down as a social hangout ).
The disadvantage at Sandy Point of course is that the wind angle may not be ideal for the course. But everyone is in the same boat, it's a level playing field on that particular day.
Two different skill sets: maximising speed down a defined course vs. constantly adjusting your heading to maximise speed.
Anyway if the crab fishermen can lay out buoys for crab pots surely speed sailors could lay out distinctive buoys to define a speed channel?
The upwind start buoy would have a gps co-ordinate everyone knew about. If it had drifted overnight, the first sailor out could correct it. Maybe the start in waist deep water, half a dozen optional courses towards the bank at 10 degree intervals. The 55 course, the 45, 35... Maybe each 600 metres long ending in say 350 mm of water depth at low tide. Only 6 or 7 way points in your gps. A nautical mile wouldn't be to hard to do either.
Speeds wouldn't be as fast of course, but nobody would force you to sail between the flags or stop at the finish line. Whether you did or didn't sail between the flags could be noted when you posted.
Be safer and more sociable. Want a couple of buoys, not too attractive or the crabbers would pinch them.
OK here's 3 suggested courses. They all start at 34deg30'36" 150deg 51'54" anybody with a gps can type that in and go straight there. Someone with a drink bottle and a brick can mark it. The red line is the 50 degree course, the blue the 130 degree course, the yellow is the 60 degree course. They are each 600 metres long ending 250 metres clear of the bank. That should be enough water depth. You might have to start a little off the start mark and come in tighter before bearing away but that's OK. Can't say right now whether there are any obstacles on any of them, but they'd soon get reported if there were.
