Wild Oats XI(CBTF) WINS 2008 Sydney Hobart(Well,I hope!)

This incredible canting keel yacht is going to try again-for an unprecedented fourth time. Good Luck!
http://mudgee.yourguide.com.au/news/...s/1393652.aspx

Watch the start LIVE here at 8:30pm EST tonight:
http://au.sports.yahoo.com/

Spectacular coverage! And Wild Oats got the best start by a long shot. Go Wild Oats!
---Skandia got the lead for a bit then back to Oats. Both now(11:53 EST) at 19.4 knots! What a race!
---Skandia got back at least once but now Wild Oats leading-both doing the same speed -about 12 knots....9:20am est.
---Skandia 2.2nm in the lead -going 4 k faster----11:41am est 12/26 (appears that the data is sometimes off?)

http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/

[ancient kayaker]

At 50 or so degrees, the design of the canting keel must have presented some serious engineering challenges. Do the rules require only manpower be used for keel positioning?

Originally Posted by ancient kayaker

At 50 or so degrees, the design of the canting keel must have presented some serious engineering challenges. Do the rules require only manpower be used for keel positioning?

----------------------
No,if modified by class rules. Oats uses power for her winches as well.

[Chris Ostlind]

Nope. No men in the sewer save for the sail handlers and the dudes who are trying to get some off-watch sleep

The keel is driven by a running-nearly-full-time.... engine, which powers-up an hydraulic ram system.

Engines for sailing control systems on board a sailing yacht.

Make your own decisions as to the threshold they have passed on their way to this status.

[Chris Ostlind]

Originally Posted by Doug Lord

No, if modified by class rules.

And class rules are modified by those who have the money invested in the full-time running engine equipped boats.

When you get that it's not a sailboat race at all, but a race between the weenie size of the guys with the checkbooks, it turns the whole thing into a very funny parade.

The real sailboat racing is down further in the pack if engines leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Coincidentally, the same race does not allow multihulls. $5 if you can tell us as to why that is... ;-)

[masalai]

"cause the folk with tiny weenies and big fat wallets don't sail fast cats as the "money club" feel that is "cheating" (they prefer motorsailer monohulls as they cannot find deckapes who are photogenic & don't hog the TV cameras) and they will be ashamed and beaten nearly every time.... Same applies to the Brisbane-Gladstone and the Whitsunday series that get "televised" - not a cat or multihull to be seen.....

[Chris Ostlind]

Masa,

We have a winner!!!!!!! Where do I send the Five Spot?

By the way, I just had to give you rep points because you were stuck on 666 and it is the Christmas season, after all... ;-)

[masalai]

Your favourite charity so long as it is not the organiser or associated with a monohull only facility/race/activity... (Towards your next shout, -booze-, is acceptable, after all, charity begins at home?)

Thanks, but I have been advised 666 is not the devils number as 3 x 6's = numerologically 9 and 999 is the bad number so a while before further concern - then I will seek advice to point elsewhere...

A Happy & Prosperous new year

Somethings just happened -speed down from 20 to 13...Skandia pulling away.

[masalai]

and the server must be overloaded as it takes minutes to download... Sadly no race records this time around.... Just pray everyone stays safe and enjoys the sail....

[catsketcher]

Whilst I have strong views about Skandia and Wild Oats being motorsailers. I don't think mutlhiullers can still keep on complaining about being left in the cold by the media. Multi races in Oz are few and far between, even in Brisbane the multis are outnumbered by the monos. The monos organise themselves better, get better media people and get more people sailing their boats. Maybe it is because that monohulls are better boats to race - at least for the vast majority of people.

We can keep on perpetuating the statement that no one likes us because of some inbuilt prejudice and sound like other minority groups who are keen to cast blame elsewhere or accept that multis are great cruisers but not fabulous racers for the majority of sailors.

A bit off thread I know

As to the thread I would be interested in a design competition that would be to design a motorboat that could beat the canters. It would be great to find out how much fuel Skandia and Wild Oats use and then design a fast and efficient motorboat to beat them using less fuel and far less money. One could even put up a radio mast with a scrap of sail and try and get it rated.

Cheers

Phil Thompson

[masalai]

catsketcher, have a look here http://www.icecat.com.au/trial.htm - - - Maybe a good "publicist" and some money could make an interesting event, but where would one find a cruising yachtie (multihull) prepared to put his comfort and home in such a race? - I like the better performance but would pick "windows of opportunity" for comfort and a pleasant passage....

There are plenty of multihulls that could push scandia and wild oats out of the frame, but until yacht races remain OPEN TO ALL SAILING VESSELS in the snobbish attitude of many yacht clubs, multihull owners will remain "on the outer": - - - - except in Europe and trans-Atlantic & circumnavigation events where multihulls now dominate through sponsorship.... and the sponsors media machines...

[catsketcher]

I like Robin's work a lot - I built one of his boats and am working on it during my holidays. He has so much cred.

My point is that we have been complaining for all the time I have been involved in multis. Since that time the multi community hasn't tried to branch stack the mono clubs, do better media coverage in the Gladstone, invite monos to races they organise (bar the Coastal classic in NZ) , or organise a rival Hobart event. There was one back in 1966 but that was it.

I say let the monos have their fun and wish them well. Monos are great racing boats. In my opinion and I cruise and build multis, monos are much better race boats than multis. They require such skill to keep on their feet under kite and manouvre so well that you can get in really close to each other.

It is probably silly to get into a flame war here. I like Chris' ideas and your own Masalai, I just have a foot in either camp - I grew up racing monos from 10 and cruised multis since I was 16. My mono friends from Sydney shunned me big time when I turned up in a Piver Nugget in 1984. Things are very different now and I am gratfied for the change. I get respect now for my choice of cruiser wherever I go. I think multihullers should allow monohullers to race other mono boats if they wish.

If you were down here we could have a good talk about this over a drink and I think we could understand each other but probably not change each other's point of view

Cheers

Phil