Shane Baker has loaded his photos up from last weekend. Some good ones in there. http://www.shanebaker.net/Photo%20Images.htm

Nice overtaking seq' at img 3841

Looks like a bit of serious horse power being put on the water in 3407 spotty[}:)]

3407 seq' was my fastest run for the day,
cutting across the channel and getting pulled upright a bit by a gust as you bear off and slingshot down the run. PB sec' peak of 46.88

Its a great to see the way my sails were set that day. I think i,ve found my new settings.

I can see that I still need to lock my rig down... i'm not closing the gap. I also need to tilt the shoulders back a bit more.

Yep sure was fun. Great pics. A bit more work to do if I'm going to crack a 46 or 47 peak. Time to start training again and pack on a few kg's! 45.5 just isn't fast enough! I want more wind! Was really good just to sail after a two month drought.

The start of my best run is captured in pictures from 3613 to 3620. Looks pretty normal really............

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sailquik said...

The start of my best run is captured in pictures from 3613 to 3620. Looks pretty normal really............

pretty normal? pretty normal for a bloody quick run! well done Andrew, stoked for you guys and looking forward to getting down there soon to be a gybe marker. I like the close up shot, just to see the water at that state indicates it is a pretty windy!

I'm just wondering all you guys (daffy, spotty etc) have their harness lines positions realllllly wide apart - is this a speed specific thing? Just comparing it to the freestyle guys who have their lines almost touching. Why?

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latedropeddy said...
I'm just wondering all you guys (daffy, spotty etc) have their harness lines positions realllllly wide apart - is this a speed specific thing? Just comparing it to the freestyle guys who have their lines almost touching. Why?

There are a number of reasons:
- even the best sails have their draft move around... having a wider connection point makes it easier to take that load.
- a wider connection point reduces the likelyhood of sheeting in/out as frequently (as compared to a narrow connection which can get twitchy).
- some say wider allows for bigger sails, thus faster...

take your pick... they are probably all valid.

cheers, thanks Matt. I will have to give it a go.

Thats why spotty can overtake me while sailing one handed resetting his Navi, Or Daffy doing a no hander layback for ages while I'm on the edge of control. (not to mention they are bloody good sailors and I )

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latedropeddy said...
I'm just wondering all you guys (daffy, spotty etc) have their harness lines positions realllllly wide apart - is this a speed specific thing? Just comparing it to the freestyle guys who have their lines almost touching. Why?

I like to have my harness lines about shoulder width apart. Slightly wider and longer on large sails and slightly shorter and narrower on small sails. It is partly a hangover from the early days of sailing with very unstable no batten sails where the harness hook can be slid back and forth to match the movement of the center of effort. Todays sails are super stable but I still like to have totally neutral balance in the harness. Wider lines help me find and maintain this.
I also use heavy plastic tube on the lines and relatively soft swinging setup. With my setup they can easily be swung in and out of the hook. The wider loop makes it easier for me to hook and unhook.
Another difference is I have my harness line attachments loose enough to move during sailing to get the perfect balance. I often find my upwind lines are set in a different place and length from my downwind lines when speed sailing. (Upwind wide, further forward and short).
Another benefit is that this spreads the load on the boom and reduces flex (I don't use carbon booms).

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sailquik said...

latedropeddy said...
I'm just wondering all you guys (daffy, spotty etc) have their harness lines positions realllllly wide apart - is this a speed specific thing? Just comparing it to the freestyle guys who have their lines almost touching. Why?

I like to have my harness lines about shoulder width apart. Slightly wider and longer on large sails and slightly shorter and narrower on small sails. It is partly a hangover from the early days of sailing with very unstable no batten sails where the harness hook can be slid back and forth to match the movement of the center of effort. Todays sails are super stable but I still like to have totally neutral balance in the harness. Wider lines help me find and maintain this.
I also use heavy plastic tube on the lines and relatively soft swinging setup. With my setup they can easily be swung in and out of the hook. The wider loop makes it easier for me to hook and unhook.
Another difference is I have my harness line attachments loose enough to move during sailing to get the perfect balance. I often find my upwind lines are set in a different place and length from my downwind lines when speed sailing. (Upwind wide, further forward and short).
Another benefit is that this spreads the load on the boom and reduces flex (I don't use carbon booms).

Wise words Sailquick. To sum up: if you're speedsailing with an assy fin, then your whole setup should be in tune with that, including footstraps and harness lines. Otherwise you will work harder in one direction than the other, and that requires more energy.

Much the same as Sailquik, wide for stability and allowing more fine tuning for locking in trim without fatiguing your arms. The width apart is relative to the width of your shoulders in general. Freestylers have them close to probably allow for thier hands to play freely on the boom during manouvers.

Love the Avatar Ado,

Smoking!!