Round Mull

[claymore]

Bit gutted to get to finish line 20mins after the race closed. Bet the other 10 or so also wished for an extension after battling it out in long periods of no wind. But a great fun race, and good camaradery between those in class 3. Pleased with the outcome anyway.

DNF - what is there to be pleased about being given a DNF?

[stevepick]

Geoff,

Having sailed in class 3, and invariably got stuck in a wind hole somewhere - usually near the torran rocks, I could only sympathise yesterday. We just managed to catch the wind past rankin rocks. The Erraid steamer channel caught someone again, which looked sore. We had a stunning weekend of mostly spinnaker sailing , in mostly sunny weather.

I liked Marisca's race within a race plan yesterday

Well done on your win on saturday.

Steve

Ataraxia

[marisca]

DNF - what is there to be pleased about being given a DNF?

I managed to be 3rd Class 3 boat across the line - the 1st yin made it just before the time limit - along with a wheen of others and I think, while we were disappointed to have missed it by such a small margin, I think we were very happy for the winner. 8 hours of racing and we all ended up together. I have no idea how many times Marisca went from the front of the fleet to the back. It was a lovely day for a cruise along the south of Mull with a lot of lovely people.
If Contender had made it in time she would almost certainly have won the whole shebang - how did Geoff wangle that handicap?

[claymore]

Good Effort. I always thought Race Officers would be doing a better job if they used a bit of initiative and factored in a weather element - especially on races which run on in excess of 8 hrs. it seems they miss the point when boats and crews put in such an effort to be rewarded with DNF. It wouldn't have to alter the top order but would reward and encourage the rest. I was Race Officer on the Tobermory Race a time or two and in lighter airs so many boats couldn't be given a finish so many retired. I didn't have the authority to change the rules but it wouldn't have been difficult to give finishing positions to those that were "out of time"

[mm5aho]

Well having only really got back into any sort of racing recently after a break of over 30 years (I used to race a lot way back then), I really enjoyed the two entered so far (SIPR and Round Mull).

Yes I thought with so many boats so close to the finish line, that extending the finishing deadline would have been quite in order.
If we'd known for sure that we could not finish and that they would not extend time, Marisca's idea would be good. It was amazing how bunched the fleet in Class 3 was. Might have given us something to accomplish at the end.

We were about 20 mins late over the line (can't judge exactly the committee boat moved already, but judging by the buoy). Adding that completion time and then applying my very helpful handicap, might have meant a total corrected time of about 43991. That would not have beaten Old Flame, but would have beaten many class one corrected times.

We turned right at the finish line and motored back to Crinan, through the canal next morning, and Rhu last night. Still no wind most of the way, though there was some wind in the canal !

So there's life in the sluggish Rivals yet eh?

[DaveS]

Many years ago, racing in the Forth, PEYC OODs had a habit of abandoning the line after most of the fleet had crossed and heading for the bar, leaving the tail enders to record their own times. Since I then sailed one of the four slowest boats in the fleet (we used to enjoy our own wee race at the back) this happened to me quite often. On one occasion I handed in my time to discover that on handicap we'd come third. This caused a certain amount of peevishness among the keen brigade, but there was nothing they could do about it.

[MrMcP]

Geoff, I promised a photo of you with the spinnaker up, so here it is:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/673 ... C01125.jpg

Edit: There's a few more photos of the race here: http://s163.photobucket.com/user/andymc ... und%20Mull

[mm5aho]

MrMcP: thanks for the nice pic. I have a couple of hundred stills from the race too, as well as loads of various video. The video needs editing yet, and probably 1st mate Matt will do that - he took it all, he can sort it.

If anyone wants a pic of their boat underway, I might have one! Let me have a sail number or something.

[mm5aho]

I've posted some images of RMR2014 here...
http://s248.photobucket.com/user/mm5aho ... ace%202014

[stevepick]

some more here:

http://s157.photobucket.com/user/stevep ... _rock_2014

[MrMcP]

Geoff,
The Erraid steamer channel caught someone again, which looked sore.

Both Stoirm Mhor and Ajax had a crunch on the rock. Spoke with Ajax later and they seemed happy no damage done. Bodach just added it to his collection of rock encounters....

We thought someone also hit the rocks just after the channel as well, but weren't close enough to see who.

[stevepick]

I thought I saw someone on Rankin's rocks, but they may just have been stuck in a wind hole? I was too busy looking for the breeze at that point. Its starting to feel like the tinkers hole rock should have a pole on it. Glad to hear no damage was done. The instinctive jink of the fleet to starboard was something to see.

[mm5aho]

I've been using two sources of info on these rocks.
I was impressed with SeaClear and its charting. Shows the three relevant rocks very clearly.
The other is a very old chart we have for the sound and Erraid area. pre 1900 engraving, but this is a 1930s print. These rocks don't seem to move about much, and the charting of those days is surprisingly good. (but the buoys are not shown of course). I wonder if that chart was used in Kidnapped??

One rock was slightly awash as we passed it (South entrance to Tinkers Hole), and another clearly visible as a dark patch.
I was following An Sulair through there. Her skipper kept shouting at me to follow him (I was a boat width to port and a boat length behind), but I was reasonably confident of where I was going. I had explored that area in a dinghy about 5 years ago, and been over the various rocks to have a look. Have spent many a night inside Tinkers Hole, and clambered up over the rocks to the original lighthouse quarry over the hill from there. That area is full of history from the time of building lighthouses on Skerryvore and Dubh Artach.