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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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tactics for the slow boat in a PHRF fleet

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/22/2008 : 13:46:10

Nov. 15 is the last race in our season - the new season starts Jan. 1.

I am tied for 4th and 6 points out of 3rd overall. 3rd is pretty much out of reach unless he does not show up and I win but even then there are 2 throwouts.

I'd like to beat the Catalina 30 I'm tied with.

I'm reading some books on tactics but nothing seems to apply as they cover things like reaching across the stern so you can pass them later.

I'm so much slower than the other boats I can't really pass anyone (except downwind in very light air with my spin up - I pass all the non spin boats).

It seems like my only tactic is to get a good start, sail in clean air, sail without errors, and try to stay close. Don't get caught in holes. We don't have oscillating shifts. We do have ribbons and puffs, and often a persistent shift during the afternoon as the wind moves from W to N.

I'm wondering what other tactics a really slow boat can take against a much faster fleet. Keep in mind at 228 or 247 non spin I am racing against a fleet around 150 PHRF.

Really, the next race is going to be a match race, me against this one boat. It doesn't matter how I do as long as I correct out in front of him.

Indiscipline 1978 FK SR #398

Edited by - on

millermg
Navigator

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159 Posts

Response Posted - 10/22/2008 : 16:01:27

I spent several years racing a Santana 20 as the slowest boat in our class (and almost our fleet) here in Olympia, and we were always in your position. For us, the thing we always remembered was being behind, you've got your 20/20 vision- hindsight.

This meant that upwind (with the exception of right after the start) you really aren't racing other boats, you're racing against time, and that means you are concentrating on finding the best wind on the course, watching for the shifts, considering the current. With boats ahead of you, you've got sources of great information to help with those decisions, since they get the wind before you. Really study and compare how boats ahead of you are pointing and heeling, this tells a lot about the wind speed and shifts. I tried to have 1 person on board whose major responsibility was to study the course and the boats ahead.

Downwind is a little different- here is where if you are at all close (within wind-shadow distance of 10 boatlengths or so) you can cast your shadow and beging to gain ground (at least handicapped ground) on boats. Being in back downwind, however, means your getting the wind <i>first</i>, so its imperative you have someone watching off the stern of the boat to identify shifts and puffs so you can take advantage of them. As a general rule, many racers do a bad job of looking behind when sailing downwind, and puffs just pass them by. Hopefully you can pass them by by being in these puffs (or at least gain some ground back lost in the upwind legs) On days where the wind is not steady and shifty, we had some great come from behind finishes by paying attention to what's off the stern and of course a little luck:)

Couple other observations: Follow the best sailors in the fleet, try not to go your own way. Going your own way only works in one-design racing. Also in PHRF, wind strength over the length of the whole race makes a huge difference. If the wind is strong for most of the race and becomes very light at the end, it just kills the time for the slower boats. Imagine finishing 100 yards behind another boat in a race w/ a steady 10 knots of wind- you may finish 30 seconds behind. But if the wind dies to 3 knots during that last leg, you may finish 3 minutes behind the same boat, over the same distance. PHRF death. Of course the inverse is true if the wind builds at the end of a race, especially on a downwind finish.

Well, there's my back-of-the-pack observations. Which by the way is why I've yet to race my C-25 and have gone to strictly dinghy racing-it's much more fun to sail at the front of the pack!

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 10/22/2008 : 17:11:15

Miller, I hope you don't mind, but I am passing your post along to my crew regulars. Hopefully it will give them something to remember for next season!

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5909 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2008 : 09:17:54

Very good discussion by millermg. Also, Whenever you have an opportunity to slow down or impede your opponent (the C30), take it. Use your right of way to force him to tack when you can, get on his wind when you can (either on the downwind leg, or on the windward leg, by tacking on his wind.) Every little bit that you can slow him down makes it harder for him to make up his handicap time.

Also, become skilled at light air racing. It is very difficult, and many excellent racers fall apart when they have to race in light air. Often they even become so frustrated that they drop out of the race. If you can finish the race before the deadline, you might win first simply because all the rest withdrew. If you're good at it, you can beat much faster boats, and do it consistently.

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2008 : 13:49:01

In a careful look at the standings, I am tied for 4th with a C30 and 2 points ahead of a C36 in 5th.

I've been practicing every night this week.

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Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3324 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2008 : 12:19:16

And if you have one of the competition directly behind you going to weather, overtrim your main and you'll gas him and make him tack away. It's even more effective than sitting on his wind downwind.

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millermg
Navigator

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159 Posts

Response Posted - 10/27/2008 : 12:31:31

Very true Steve about light air sailing- It's something I've not mastered, but there was another very skilled Santana 20 sailor in our fleet for which it was not uncommon to take firsts over-all on very light wind days (0-3knots). His #1 piece of advice to me was "let the boat BREATHE!" What he meant was don't worry about pointing, worry about getting the boat move as fast as possible. Under-trim the sails, build apparent wind, and (unless you can roll-tack your boat) tack as little as possible. You can do this quite effectively on a C-25- I've found putting about 7-8 degrees of heel w/ leeward weight, trimming the 150 genoa to just outside the lifelines, and keeping weight forward to get the transom out of the water works well. I'm convinced in light air there's no way around lee helm (at least I've not figured out how to avoid it) and that is just something to deal with.

Another very experienced Lightning sailor gave me great advice for very light wind spinnaker trimming, those days when there's barely enought wind to fill the chute (happens often here in Puget Sound): don't trim the sheet. Trim the guy (pole). Work the pole out slowly, and bring it in quick to get the sail full. Ride it as long as it stays filled, and repeat. Very effective. It's sort of 'pumping' your spinnaker, but if it collapses on it's own, perfectly legal.

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5909 Posts

Response Posted - 10/27/2008 : 16:02:40

It sounds like you've got it about right re: light air sailing. The only thing I would add is to ease the main and jib halliards, and the outhaul on the mainsail, waaay off. One of the best racers I know on the Chesapeake Bay eases his jib halliard so much that it is scalloped. You should only start adding tension to the halliards and the outhaul when the boatspeed reaches about 2 1/2 to 3 knots, and then only do so gradually. If you don't gradually flatten the shape of the sails (especially the mainsail) as the boatspeed increases, then the air won't be able to remain attached to the surface of the sails, and you'll lose power.

Also, when light air sailing, the masthead vane and telltales don't register very accurately. When you heel the boat to leeward, gravity causes the vane to tilt to leeward, and it <u>looks</u> like your steering is in the groove, when in fact you're pinching. Steer a few degrees farther off the wind, to make sure you're not pinching.

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
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