BLUEMOMENT

Scenario

Yachts 'A' and 'B' are both cruising, the skippers don't know each other, but have been indulging in a friendly upwind duel for the past couple of nmiles.

Their speeds have been fairly even, with yacht 'A' always ahead.

The windspeed has dropped, so the skipper of 'A' decides to shake the reef out of the mainsail. During this operation, the 'A' maintains her course, but loses speed such that yacht 'B' catches up.

The sketch below shows the position when 'A' is sheeting the main back in, and getting back up to speed which is likely to be slightly faster than 'B' although neither yacht will be at maximum hull speed.

The boats are further apart than the scale of the yachts suggest, but it seems uncertain that either can clear the bow of the other.

Who should do what, and why?



Ash ( Guess who managed to download Serif Drawplus 4 ? )

I must be missing something but..

Since they are on opposite tacks Yacht A, on starboard, is the stand-on vessel and B should probably bear away to duck underneath his stern if the situation develops as you suggest it will.

Or a meringue?

"Who should do what, and why?"

Personally I think boat A should tack off because it will cause him little bother since he will have to tack soon anyway.

...but that's a moral position rather than an IRPCS position.

So, I guess the IRPCS would say either B gives way 'cos he's on port or A has to give B water to tack.

I was T boned once in an identical position when racing. I had nowhere to go, tacked about 5 feet away from the shore and the Sbd boat went right into the side of me.

Silkie wrote:I must be missing something but..

Since they are on opposite tacks Yacht A, on starboard, is the stand-on vessel and B should probably bear away to duck underneath his stern if the situation develops as you suggest it will.

Or a meringue?

Ye're right enough, it's a doughnut

Whatever, I agree with you

Hm. Yacht 'A' seems to have all the wind, so I think it will pass in front of yacht 'B'.

With his sails trimmed like that yacht A is dead in the water and will shortly start drifting to leeward.

But yacht B is a poncey yellow colour so probably crewed by girlies who will bear away to stop their hair being messed up

Ignoring the comments about the trim of the sails - That's more to do with my driving of Drawplus 4.

Accepting that 'A' is stand on, then surely she is obliged to hold her course and speed.

The situation has only arisen because 'A' had been moving at a slower speed, allowing 'B' to catch up.

If 'A' maintains her (slower) speed then 'B' would pass safely ahead.

However 'A' would want to get back up to speed.

Ash

If I was skipper in Yacht A, I would make sure I got no where near a colission with anything moving or stationary. I would probably tack early, it costs nowt and I would be doing it soon anyway.

If I was skipper in Yacht B I would make sure I got nowhere near a collision with anything either.

If it's been a friendly duel for a couple of miles, I would give a big smile and a nice wave too. A smug testosterone fueled smirk wouldn't seem to fit somehow.

Rule 8 rules....

Who cares who wins?

With due acknowledgements to the SAS

lady_stormrider wrote:He'd also have me turning my unmentionables into a double-headed spinnaker [/color]

JPEG!

Several pegs to hold it, actually