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A very intersting topic indeed !
I find myself in agreement with many of the sentiments here, and it’s really good to see Anne on-line here flying the flag too.
Having done the past 6 nationals – and enjoyed them all – I agree with Shane that there is merit in the idea that SA, Tas and Qld could be more adventurous with their host club selection. In saying that though, one would want to have obtained recent feedback from other classes as to how well particular clubs handled an event where the class was not ‘one of their own’. I also believe that we sometimes get too hung up on choosing a ‘cheap’ club for nationals – without first wondering whether an extra $50 on the entry fee will actually deter people contemplating a $2000 holiday.
The nationals are our premiere event, and they are so much more than just the means of finding the national champion. We must have a good 300 or so actively racing Sabres around the country – and (IMHO) one of the key objectives of organising committees should be creating and marketing an event that makes as many of these people as possible want to come along. (So selection of a venue is important)
I think we do need to dust off the draft document that Phil refers to. Maybe having the management of the nationals by the national association would be too big a leap for the Sabres – but I think there is much to be said for better sharing of information and experience. 5 years is a long time between hosting these events, and too often it seems to be back to square one for the state committees.
Phil is also right in raising this issue of race management. I think we’ve had far too many examples of poor race management in recent years – I’d say 4 of the past 7 fall into this category. (yep – Blairgowrie included).
The race officers either don’t have the necessary experience (as distinct from ‘qualifications’ they have gained) or they are completely unwilling to accept feedback before or during the regatta. It is imperative that all organising committees address this whole area at the time of agreeing a venue – and if need be bring in an ‘outside’ PRO and or starter.So I guess I’m not a huge fan of the ‘if you don’t like the venue then don’t come ‘ arguement; and even less of a fan of the ‘I’m the race officer, and I’m a volunteer, and this is how we do things here’.
See y’all in Cleveland.
The laser fitting would be legal but I think the Holt Allen would be a better fit.
Phillip Johnson
National MeasurerIf an old boat is being renovated the rules current at the time of building will apply. However it is permissable to repair an old boat to comply with the newer rules if the owner wishes. The only exception to this the replacement of foils which must comply with the new rules. This is particularly relevant to rudder blades.
Phillip Johnson
National MeasurerHi Anne
Unless I missed a year I believe you are holding the 29th National title. You have the 30th on your web page.
I believe you may be moving the dates of the nationals?
Is the event going to actually run from the 29th Dec 2006 to 5th Jan 2007?
Also are you going for afternoon sessions?If you have any questions on what we did in Hobart, please feel free to contact me.
Cheers
Andrew “Nanna” Bradshaw (just for Wayno and Team Chic)
SSAT – SecretaryQueensland is a very popular tourist destination at Christmas time, Southport was a venue that was put forward but due to the increased amount of water traffic, it was decided Cleveland would be more suitable. We are presently promoting the Sabres by having a “Travellers Series”, Ballina was our first race, 11 boats attended, Southport next and then Cleveland, we are also looking at travelling to venues on the Sunshine Coast in the near future to gain interest in our class, hopefully when it is our turn to host the Titles again we will have more venues to choose from.
In the meantime I’m sure if you ask around you will find those who attended the titles at Cleveland last time enjoyed the traffic free and steady breeze waters even though most races were 20knots or more, as
for things to do for the non-sailing members of the family, Cleveland is
only 45 mins. drive from the Gold Coast and theme parks, Cleveland also has water taxis and vehicular ferries to take you across to Stradbroke Island, something to think about on your lay day perhaps, links to these will be added to the Qld section of this web site in due course. So Cleveland is it, we hope you will come and decide for yourself, I am sure you will enjoy the friendliness of our Club and the sailing on Moreton Bay.
Anne Mussett (Go-anna 1701)I have been to many titles Interdominion,National and State in a variety of classes and have generally found that the venues were adequate but the event organisation was lacking. It seems at present that various race officials believe that their job is to make it as difficult as possible for all the competitors to get a fair go.
At the present time any criticism of race management gets met with the explanation that it is fair for every body and how dare you criticise the race officer because he is a volunteer and therefor a god or at least minor royalty.
This class sometime ago published a draft set of requirements for a national championship, sent it to all the state bodies for comment and got met by a stunning silence.
So the question for this class is simply this, do we want the National Championship to be a sailing event not to be missed or just an excuse for an interstate holiday each year.
On the subject of Cleveland I thought that the championship that they organised was one of the better ones and that their facilities were perfectly adequate for the Sabres.
If the above seems to indicate that I have bee in my bonnet you are right.Phillip Johnson
Shearwater
1644It is legal to use a ratchet block with a cleat. As for the halyard I use stainless steel wire.
Phillip Johnson
National MeasurerVolunteers quickly withdraw their time and commitment when their best effort is criticised or undervalued.
The purpose of the annual National Championship needs to be at the forefront of effort associated with organisation of the event.
Are race management capability of the host club and potential of the venue to be a fair test of sailing expertise primary to organisation? I hope so.
Am I correct in assuming that organising a holiday for the participants is NOT within scope? Nor is catering for non-participant needs? Because if they are, then count me out.
Volunteer
Thank you both for your advice. Its nearly more than I can comprehend at my stage of development but I will try it at the next opportunity. Its fantastic to be part of a group thats so generous with advice. Next time I meet you Alan I will let you know how I went. To date I have never used much vang except to stop the boom from lifting when off the wind. To windward with the Hooper sails I have used any vang pressure seems to close and hook the leech, so I am probably doing somthing wrong there also
Hi David,
Good question. You are right, most people concentrate on upwind speed and trim but ask little about down wind and reaches.
On a close reach, use your telltales the same as for upwind. Use your vang to set the overall fullness of the sail, let the outhaul off a little bit (but not too much), and let the downhaul off until the front of the sail starts to wrinkle a bit. The mainsheet is then used to control the angle of the sail to ensure the telltales are all streaming.
On a broad reach it’s more difficult because the boom and sail are limited in how far out they can travel by the side-stays. Let the outhaul nearly right off (ie. make the sail really full down low), and the downhaul off until the sail starts to wrinkle a bit. For me, however, the top telltales are the most important on a broad reach and the boom vang is the most important control. On a broad reach the bottom of the sail is generally stalled because the boom can’t go out far enough. But if you let your vang off a bit, the sail will twist so you can still get some flow over the sail and keep the top telltales streaming properly. The trick here is to play the vang while going downwind. Being a high aspect ratio sail, it is very sensitive to wind pressure. Thus, when a gust hits the sail twists way too much and you lose power, so you must pull the vang on to control the twist. This is especially important in strong winds, because if you let the sail twist too much it develops power in such a way that it will roll you in to windward! Conversely, when the gust dies, your sail will stall unless you let the vang off again to let the sail twist and get the top flowing again. All of this needs to be co-ordinated with heading up a bit in the lulls, and bearing away in the puffs.
Do all of this, and you will not only have lots of fun, you’ll go very fast downwind too!
Alan Riley
Sabre 1564Telltales should always be your guide for sail trim, upwind, reaching and running.
Things to look out for:
– Never stall out the top leach telltale
– Carry as much vang as you can without stalling the top leach telltale
– Try to get the telltales streaming off the wind as you would to windward.
– Sail the boat flat, you will go faster with less mainsheet and the boat flat
– If in doubt ease rather than pull on both the vang and the mainsheet
– Work harder – you can never work to hard off the breeze – big gains to be made…Nic,
I have found the Victorian measurer, John Dixon, to be the most helpful in this area. He runs his own boat building business and can sell you all the fittings you need. His details are on the list of class measurers, and his contact details are below:
John Dixon
H 03 9802 6385
M 0402 008 808
[email protected]Regards,
Alan Riley
Hi
In Vic there is a trailer company called “McKay” who build a pair to suit a Sabre. They have developed this over many years to suit our specific requirements. I think they cost about $1500-$2000 for the pair. But give them a ring to confirm
Regards
Fiona (Vic President)
