I'll keep writing and will post as soon as there's an opportunity.
Venice is spectacular. A very special place with old and new mixed together, boats everywhere, big and small, official and working, choppy water and white coloured water (not to clean). I feel privileged to have to have the opportunity to come here.
This morning Thibaut (yes, the guy who writes Boat Scenario) an I went out with the ribs. We had to drive trough the big canal to get some fuel for our umpire boats. We went past all the famous sights - with piazza San Marco as the most prominent one - all packed with people.
Water taxis left and right, but no vaporettas (that's the public transport boats - instead of buses), who are on strike today.
Cruise ships 8 decks high sliding by, between two tugs, carabinieri and police all over the place. One thing we must definitely do is put up an Italian courtesy flag!
This afternoon we are going racing in very narrow water, a little more to the east then I showed on the map yesterday. The channel where we can race is cordoned of between 1430 and 1730 and only 200 meters wide… Hopefully we will have an up- and downwind course.
Rules. Well a lot of changes to the SSI, amendments left and notices right. A bit on the heavy sight I would say. A lot for all the sailors to soak up. We didn't have many questions, but that's more to do with lack of understanding then anything else, I suspect. I'll ask for permission to post them, since a couple of you have been mailing me asking this
Friday 19:01; still no connection. *&^*&$&^@&^#
We went out and had five races. Pretty good in these light conditions. The canal was completely cordoned of and all the traffic was directed to a side canal. Only very big ferry's and cruise ships were allowed to pass. In between we did our course A and B races…
Shortened to two laps to stay within target time of 15 minutes.
Today I went with David and we did the windward roundings. Staying pretty much up there. A couple 18.3, a couple Port-Starboard and other incidents.
In the fifth race there was a collision between two boats. Rule 11. One going downwind to the finish, one still on the beat going upwind.
We had a pretty fundamental discussion about rule 14 in the hearing afterwards. What does the rule actual say? When should the keep-clear act to avoid the collision?
One direction is that the keep clear boat always has an option before going into this situation to go another way. Not choose the "risky" option and thereby avoiding the collision. Besides breaking the appropriate right of way rule - he then, in this school of thought, would also break rule 14
The other approach to this issue is that we only look at rule 14 at the moment the collision course is established and find out what a boat has done from that moment on. Both boats need to be scrutinized from that exact moment but not before.
The keep clear boat has an obligation to avoid contact from that moment forward. The right of way boat only after is becomes clear that the keep clear boat isn't keeping clear and a collision is imminent.
I'll get back to this issue later this month.
It's now Saturday 18:34 and since I'm finally been able to go on-line myself I've posted this. I'll try to keep you updated from now on. But tomorrow is already the last day! Time flies when you are having fun.
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