Racing tips, esp downwind

I'm not a fan of most of your USA beer, but I gotta admit Philip that "free" card tends to trump many of the German imports. What did you say your address was?

through exhaustive research we have found that the boat is only capable of hauling 4.5 hours worth of beer. considering making hulls into ice chest...boat will carry more liquer than is safe though...

i would rather drink urine than cheap beer..
i drink neither!

ps my cat only sails under rum power.. (usually in circles)

Backasswards - I agree with your philosophy of peace love and harmony - but in the bedroom, not on the race course. Everything has it's own place in life, and loving does not belong in the races.

Damon admin - interesting point about Hobies being rated faster. How would that translate into a handicap for mixed class racing?? This may well be the key to me returning to my rightful place at the top....

Coast Rat / Backasswards - the thing about excess weight of course is also essential factor - I encouraged my last crew lose 15kg (said I wouldn't let him race with me otherwise) - which he promptly did!!

BEER??? In Kuwait??? Not gonna happen, sadly!! Although I did once trapeze on a 80km coastal journey with a beer in my hand for most of the way, courtesy of an employee of the German Embassy!

come to think of it, if i were to sail in Kuwait, that would be like 47,561 less calories per trip than the current intake(i live in a high calorie environment). no wonder your crew "slimmed" up so fast!...

here are the portsmouth ratings. There is a bunch of info on how it works, the "multihulls" section will have ratings for each boat, though some may show up in the "inactive"
Basically a lower number means a faster boat. The system allows different boats to compete on a level field, so theoretically the better skipper wins, not the guy/gal with the faster design. It would be very useful in your case, where everyone may have a different type.
You'll have to figure out how to use it, I've never raced, so can't help you. The Dart 18 shows as a slower boat than the Hobie 16, so he gets a handicap. Just because he crosses the line ahead of you, doesn't mean he wins.
http://www.ussailing.org/portsmouth/pyindex.asp

edited by: Edchris177, Jul 02, 2010 - 04:53 AM

Portsmith rankings is a good gauge but has pros and cons

PS racing is designed for around the marks.. not really for distance. (our local club does PS distance races all the time, and causes lots of "discussion")

Thanks for that. I'm familiar with how to use a handicap system, since we use it in the Yacht Club! I'll try to introduce it - and since the Darts outnumber the Hobies, I'm hopeful we'll get the vote!!

Now then, I found a fantastic Word file on the internet, written by Dart 18 pioneers. It is full of advice about trim, and crew tips etc... although it is written for Darts, it is just as useful for Hobies and probably any other catamaran... check it out...
www.dart18.com/Docs/TechTalk/UKIDA%20Technical%20manual.doc

Thank you folks, there has been some great chat generated (once some of you got past the beer obsession) - and the handicap idea has been voted in. Mostly so that we can include the lasers, laser 2s and a wanderer in the racing as well.

Not sure if it'll make a lot of difference to my dilemma tho, since the difference is only a few seconds in an hours racing! But the tips have helped, thank you.

Hey CatKat, have you raced again?? How did it go? Did you take down hubby? Post some pics of the Kuwait Sailing Club in action. We'd like to see.