Round the Island - walking the course

In part one of this series leading navigator/tactician Mike Broughton takes us to the Needles

Clear Wind versus Dirt! - Never is it so critical, than on the RTI Race with so many other boats around. Pick your lanes carefully and avoid having to tack too often and getting 'buried' in a pack of boats. Two years ago with a downwind start, I raced on an Admiral's Cup boat, got clear ahead of most the Class by sailing close to the Cowes Green, but struggled to extend in the lightish winds. Why, because we did not take into account the total wall of spinnakers behind, which significantly reduced the energy in the wind by the time it got to us. Likewise slugging it out in a beat along the Cowes Green, works well for the leading boats, but in such a large fleet, those a little further back, end up 'eating dirt' for along time.

Beware the Escape Route - Beating against a southwesterly along the 'Green' with a close fleet can easily end in tears! You may be in great shape, as you race in on starboard tack, in clear air, with the fleet lined up on your starboard hip, but you have to be able to plan your escape! If you have larger faster boats inside you, it can be very tricky and if you have a poor tack, you could well end up dipping a lot of sterns as you exit on port tack. If the fleet is close up to you and you approach the shore and have to call for water, start the dialogue early. The boats close by inside may also be trapped on starboard by other boats on their hip. The fifth boat in may not have anticipated the pending problem, as she merrily continues on starboard tack, leaving you sweating as the shore fast approaches. It was here that one 'Fastnet Race favourite' ended their race damaged after only 200m, while another boat sailed the whole course, thought they had won and later got disqualified for an infringement after only 55 seconds of racing.

Winds Bends and shadows - The river valleys in the western part of the Isle of Wight have a marked effect on the wind in the western Solent. With a wind left of 250 degrees, the valleys such as the Newton River, create relatively large lefthanders over a local area, as the wind funnels out of the estuary and then fans out, creating significant gains on port tack. In east/west winds, there is a wind bend around Egypt Point as well as an area of lighter winds close into Gurnard Bay. In an easterly wind, this is created by the hill directly inland, while in westerly winds, it is created by the wind 'detaching' from the surface to get over that same hill. In an easterly, it is quite possible to find an extra couple of knots of wind towards the north shore of the western Solent, as it becomes a 'convergent shoreline'.

Bullets from 'on high'! - A northwesterly wind is often gusty and allows for decent gains, if you can read the wind as it rolls down the racecourse towards you. After a cold front, a northwesterly wind, is unstable polar maritime air that mixes in the lower levels and often creates stronger winds and gusts on the leading edges of clouds. This stronger wind from aloft, is veered by about 20 degrees, creating down-drafts that are often experienced as bullets of wind on your boat, giving significant local 'right handers'.

continued on page 3...

Tomorrow Mike Broughton looks at the second quadrant of the course...