Hyères Report

I am in Hyères at the Master Worlds 2014. 

On arrival I was very happy to re-experience the Mediterranean atmosphere.  I have always had a weakness for the Mediterranean and seeing the landscape and smelling the particular Mediterranean odors was very nice.

Hyères is nice little town and, like all of France outside Paris, has a laidback attitude.  It is also fun hearing the Provençal Midi accent which has a real charm – and reminds you that you are no longer in Paris, Dorothy.

Getting the charter boat and checking in went OK, although at measurement I was informed that the little plastic tips on 2 of my battens were not official Laser tips and had to be changed.  I duly did that, but what on earth can tips on battens have to do with ensuring a fair one-design race?

The first race day was a non-event for the Radials, including the Great Grand Masters Standard fleet which also sails with the Radials.  We spent most of the day watching the AP flag and finally a bit after 3PM, most of the fleets were sent out.

The GGM Standard fleet went to the Radial course area and were started first. We got off in winds around 10 knots and went up to the windward mark, around the offset mark and back down to the leeward gate. We rounded the leeward gate and the wind was noticeably dying.  About a third the way toward the windward mark, the Race Committee called it quits and sent every one home.   The Standard fleet (except us) was more fortunate and obviously in better wind – they got in 4 races.  

The next day we got in only one race and it was relatively light winds.  I came in next to last but it was close with a couple of my buddies.  Then I made my first stupid mistake - in my rush I forgot to take my bracelet off the check in board. A ten percent penalty bumped me down to last. Oh well.

Then, things changed (not the results but the weather).  Yesterday, it was raining heavily in the morning and we finally got on the water in the afternoon with the wind at least 20 Knots and waves to match.  Although I understand this is normal for a lot of my Aussie friends, I am definitely not used to those conditions and, in addition, being in a Standard, I suffered battling against the waves upwind.  But the downwind and especially the reach was a screaming joyride.    In terms of lessons learned – stay away from the marks in high winds.  I  got too close to the offset mark and a wave pushed me too close and my boom grazed it. So, I did my 360 with a tack, then a gybe and then a capsize.  Not a way to win.

Similar conditions today, without the rain.  The wind was a bit less but still a struggle for me.  In the second race I was getting tired and paying less attention. A surf with the boom too far out turned into a death roll/capsize.  I righted the boat and it immediately went over again. I got it back up and realized the problem – my vang had come out of the slot.  So, after lots of fussing around with it I managed to get head to wind long enough to get in quickly.  Now I know why some people put tape or a bit or cord over that. 

Anyhow, it has been quite a learning experience for me with the wind and waves bigger than what I am used to.  But, in addition to the hard work upwind, there is also a lot of fun – those reaches and surfs are amazing when they are in the groove.  They remind me why I like the little Laser so much - screaming along on a reach and catching a wave to boot - hard to feel more exhilaration that that.

Tying Two On

I have been experimenting lately with 2 techniques you probably know about or use -  to hopefully keep the vang and mainsheet a bit more manageable.

For the vang, this means tying the end of the vang tail just under the front end of the toe strap so that it is always easily reachable even when entirely off and the rope handle is up by the mast or when it is on and sometimes flops over the side during a tack.

For the mainsheet, it is, instead of making a stopper knot, tying the end to the back of the toe strap, the  theory being that it will never tie itself into an overhand knot or worse.

Overall I like the vang being much more easily reachable and plan to stick to that.  But I am not yet entirely convinced about tying the mainsheet.  I thought it would be good since it thought it would guarantee no possible knots - but that only applies to knots where the end goes through a loop and makes an overhand or worse knot.  There could still be loops (I think the term is bights?) that can get entangled. And that if my major gripe - there seem to be a lot more loops forming - and reaching to go around my foot.

Do you tie your mainsheet or just knot it?  Which works best?

French Review of the Aero

Tillerman has shown keen interest in the Aero and ordered one.  He has blogged several times about it and it does seem to be a very attractive new boat.

A leading French boating magazine, Bateaux, has reviewed the Aero in its September issue and for those of you not subscribed to it, I thought a few excerpts might be interesting.

The review is summed up in the 2 photos above. The top one says "8 knots of wind, finesse is everything" and the bottom one says "18 knots of wind, fitness is everything."

The reviewer starts by saying he always preferred the more extreme "fun" sports like windsurfing, kitesurfing and sport catamarans and that Lasers hadn't convinced him to change. However, an opportunity to test the Aero seemed to him a good opportunity to reconsider and, after testing, he concluded that it is a good "toy" to add to his collection for satisfying his board sports desires.

In his "verdict" he lists the pluses

• lightweight which facilitates logistics and spices up the sailing
• intuitive, reactive and fun
• comfortable hiking position 

and negatives

• upwind performance in higher wind
• you will have to be patient for regattas to develop

He stresses how sensitive the boat is.  At the slightest puff, there is impressive acceleration. Adjusting the mainsheet by one centimetre has a big impact and you must move around delicately.  As in windsurfing, your body becomes a part of the rig and you must sheet in and out constantly. You must constantly adjust the boom-vang.

Close-hauled, the sail is quickly powered up and in a sustained wind progress is harder. You shouldn't hesitate to bear off a few degrees and he said he would trade his 9 m sail for a 7 m one better suited for his size. 

He praises the ease of righting it after a capsize, but says it is so easy you have to be careful not to tip it over the other way.

Bonus for the Laser Masters

Those of you who are planning to go to Hyères for the Laser Masters and can spare a day or 2 before the races start on 5 October should seriously consider taking a day excursion to St. Tropez and catch a bit of an amazing regatta -  Les Voiles de St Tropez.  Its last 2 days of racing are 3 and 4 October which are registration days for the Lasers.

This is a regatta which brings together 300 boats - split between classic and modern.  Take a look at the Regatta website and drool over the beautiful J class, JI class and others.  St Tropez is only about 40 Km from Hyères although you will need a car since St Tropez has no train station.

I realise that some of you dedicated types (such as you folks who have been spending a lot of quality time with your special hiking bench) may be too busy with last-minute training/practicing to consider this, but it should be a great opportunity to see something a bit different from Lasers.