Ultimate trapeze?!?

A picture send in by Stevie Kouris I think you shouldn't miss:

He had the following questions:

Then I went to the IJreport website to read the report from the regatta and there was a protest against that boat but the protest was dismissed because no rule was broken. Thinking it over and over and reading the Rule book it seems that actually they don't break any Rule, but the following question (more like a curiosity) came to my mind.

Is the helmsman considered to be on board? If yes, what does being on board mean? Is he considered to be on board only because he is not in the water? If a crew member is in the water holding himself onto a sheet is he considered to be on board?

Stevie is referring to rule 47.2 which states: No person on board shall intentionally leave, except when ill or injured, or to help a person or vessel in danger, or to swim. A person leaving the boat by accident or to swim shall be back on board before the boat continues in the race.

One thing is for sure. These guys will have a hell of a climb to make when they tack.....

Kite Boarding in Turkey; part 3, Bosporus

Instead of continuing at Burc Beach we went on a 'school' trip..

The organizers set up a venue along the Bosporus and invited us all to go and do some 'show' kiting there. It was a fun day. There's were snowboarders, freestyle jumps, course racing and even a guy balancing in water jets:

The snowboard ramp. The guys would accelerate down and then did their jumps after a smaller uphill ramp, landing in the water. They were picked up by a rubber-boat and started all over again.

 Traffic on the Bosporus, from small to huge tankers and container vessels. This is 'push' tugboat.

 

Our VIP-tent. Free drink and food with an elevated view on the Bosporus

The launching area was concrete/asfalt - not very good for kites - and very small. But the riders managed and with the help of others managed to launch and land their 18m2 kites.

 Brian Lake with his biggest kite weaving between passenger boats and other traffic on the Bosporus.

The passengers - and the crew - must have thought those kiters were mad. Coming so close to their boats. But there were no collisions or entanglements. All riders showed their amazing skills in maneuvering between boats and obstructions.

The water-jets are powered by a jet-ski and this guy balanced on four of them (two below his feet and two on his hands) several meters above the water. He could also jump like a dolphin out of the water. Amazing. If a kiter came too close he blasted them with a water spray.

Like I said, a fun day.
Today we're back at the beach hoping the wind will pick up a little more so we can back to our courses. Five races in, three more to go. Should be possible. For tomorrow Wind-guru predicts 20 knots.
J.

Dark Side of the Moon

A picture in our "Heineken Green Photo Competition", send in by Gus from Massapequa, NY.:

Here's a picture of my Buccaneer 18, "Lunatic".
Am I advertising Pink Floyd??!!
No-one's ever said anything regarding advertising, but I get a lot of people who tell me they love it!  The prism is also on the transom with the name. I'd love to see her picture on your blog.

I wrote to Gus, that it's certainly within the definition of advertising as written in regulation 20!
He's on the Dark Side of the Moon with this spinnaker....


Does anybody else have examples?

Heineken Green Photo competition.

I don't know about you, but when the word 'advertising' is written on a protest form, I always hope it goes away, before my panel has to deal with it. You can argue that this is an "Ostrich reflex", but there you have it, I'm flawed.

From: cokethai.com

11/2/13; Received a mail on 15/10/13;

Hi,
Please be advise that the Heineken image you have in your blog belong to Yachting Insider.com If you want to use this image credit http://www.yachtinginsider.com/yachtads.html
This is my IMAGE I TOOK IT, AND IT WAS MY BOAT AT THE TIME!!!
Yachting Insider.com

In the Netherlands there's a prescription in the RRS about boats that want to display advertising. They need a certificate from our MNA, the "Watersportverbond". That part can be checked relatively easy. But it gets tricky when a boat claims it is not advertisement. They just painted their boat "Heineken Green".

If you look at the definition on regulation 20:

20. ISAF ADVERTISING CODE
20.1 Definitions
20.1.1 The following definitions shall apply to this ISAF Advertising Code only:
"Advertising" a name, logo, slogan, description, depiction, a variation or distortion thereof, or any other form of communication that promotes an organization, person, product, service, brand or idea so as to call attention to it or to persuade persons or organizations to buy, approve or otherwise support it.

In order to be able to keep my head ABOVE the sand, I have a request.
Do you have a picture of a boat where advertising is implied but not actually displayed?

Dog food?

Irish Luck?

Please send me your picture(s) together with your opinion whether it is or is not, 'advertising' according to the definition. If you don't have one now, keep your eyes peeled this year and make the photo.
I'll repeat this request every month or so. At the end of the year I'll raffle a prize among the senders.

J.

Sunday Rules Snap

Too 'good' to let go without a second posting:
Shamelessly stolen from Blur, this week's Sunday rules Snap:

How many boats
DSQ-ed?

National Championship FLITS 2011

Today I travelled to Gdynia in Poland for the Regional Finals of the Nations Match Race cup. During that time I thought about what to report about my experiences from the last three days. At my local club we did the National Championship "Flits" - a national youth class (probably most comparable with Cadets) on our lake the "Langweerder Wielen". Three days with lots and lots of wind and therefore difficult circumstances for all sailors, especially for the less experienced.

This class has a three tier solution to get some fair racing. Group C are the first year sailors, group B are more experienced with two or three year sailing done, and group A are the top. But during a National Championship there is no difference. All start at the same time, all sail the same race, all are potentially able to sail to the first place.
With the wind conditions we had it was however very difficult for the first year sailors, whatever they already had sailed in this year. We had lots and lots of capsizes and also - in the final races - lots of boats that did not come out to sail.

With eleven races scheduled it was a long tournament, but also one where the champion has really really earned that victory.

I was RO and really struggled with the question to keep racing - particularly on the final day (Monday). Wind averaged 18-20 knots, during showers picked up to 24 knots and all the time with gusts up to 30 knots.

I do not know what your experiences are, but I can tell you that you get a lot of people second guessing your decisions it those circumstances;

"You already have more then enough races to make it a valid championship"
"It is irresponsible to go racing in these circumstances"
"How can you do a race when half of the boats do not come to the start"
"You need to remember that this is a National Championship"
"Focus on the best sailors, don't base your decisions on the weakest"

We did all races and I never had any moment doubt about the safety of anyone on the water - due to a fleet of ten to eleven support ribs - but I still struggle with the that question. You feel vindicated afterwards if nothing goes wrong - but an accident is only an incident away.

What do you think?

 

This photo is of the runner up, who capsized in the final race in the second beat.....

For more photo's and the result:
Visit my club's website: www.kwvlangweer.nl

Valken!

I have been updating my LinkedIn and Facebook Network today, as well as preparing for events in China and India (Visa applications in a short time frame is a hassle!)

Anyway, during my wanderings I came accros a picture which I do want to share with you:
Since my own boat is a "Valk" it caught my eye.

Valken in the Seventies?

If you click on the caption you can find the page where I got it from. The description states it's from the SNEEKWEEK in the Seventies....

Hmmm. I don't know....

We build our boat in 1974 and it was already permissible to fit it with trapeze and with a spinnaker. The boats in the picture have neither.
So my questions to all Dutch LTW-Readers are:

Does anybody recognize this picture?
And if so, what can you tell me about it?
Is it really from the seventies?

Number 430 does not have a valid certificate anymore, but there's a photo of the boat on the class website:

 

Boot nummer: 838, 528, 833, 699, 503, 430, 84, 528

The caption on that website suggest that the 430 was sailing in the Sneekweek 2010. I can't find her number in the picture, but the sailors might recognize her from her colours.....

Anybody?

LANGWEER 2010

GWS (Grouster Watersport Schouw) ready for the start….

 

KWV Langweer, one of my local clubs, organizes an annual regatta for open one-class sailboats. Last weekend we did the 151^st edition. It was difficult this year. In response to comments from previous years I added a fourth race (two each day) and shortened the races itself. That is a busy schedule for us. Two times eleven classes to start, every five minutes (with two breaks of five minutes). But with enough volunteers you can accomplish a lot.

What made it more difficult was that the weather was not very, well, consistent..

Showers and wind one minute and calm and lack of wind the next. Add the threat of thunder and lightning, made me look for the N-flag on both days.

On Saturday the rain-detection radar on the internet predicted a very nasty one at the end of our first starting cycle. We postponed the last two classes and told them to seek a little shelter. Monitoring the approach of the dark clouds and counting the distance for the next 45 minutes made us realize that the hart of the cloud would pass the lake at least for a couple of kilometers.

We recalled the last two classes and started them an hour and fifteen minutes late.

 

On Sunday the weather predicted was that the really bad stuff would come late afternoon/evening.

But as always a few ‘front running clouds’ made life difficult. We measured Beaufort 7 in one of them.

Every sailor knows that stronger wind itself is not a problem. You rig your boat for it and adapt your sailing. But sudden unpredictable gusts are killers. You almost have no time to respond and every mistake results in punishment immediately. I’m afraid some of the boats did score DNF’s due to capsizing.

Well we sent out all our safety-boats, towed the unlucky boats to shore and continued racing with the rest. I did however shortened the race to just under an hour. That was enough I thought.

My brother found time to shoot a couple of pictures from the starting vessel. You can have a look by clicking on: Langweer 2010

The Regenbogen had a hard time coping with the gusts… only two of the original eight showed up for the last race. But these two had a great race!
The photo also shows you also who won and who came second in the series.

We use to have such nice late summer balmy weekends….. ( deep sigh.)

J.

FTBD (27)

If you don't know what the title means - I suggest you do some research.

Been fiddling around with the layout a little bit, last couple of weeks, but still am not completely happy with the results. I think I'll do some spring cleaning next. Getting rid of the side-clutter to the fixed pages in the top horizontal bar, some more. That will reduce loading time, which has gone up again, since I last checked. Suggestions are welcome.

The AC posts - still running - have generated an increase in traffic with an new LTW record of 1855 visits on a single day last Tuesday. And total visits have passed the 100.000 mark. To keep the average of one post a day before my next year-day, I'll have to post 1.623 posts/day. Well, this month it looks like that will succeed.

Please keep sending in your Sunday rules - snaps. The crew hanging outside the lifelines was a hit!

The list of ten highest referring sites to LTW:   

1	http://blogger.com
2	http://sailingscuttlebutt.com
3	http://propercourse.blogspot.com
4	http://destinationonedesign.com
5	http://forums.sailinganarchy.com
6	http://google.com
7	http://wayfarer-international.org
8	http://ukhalsey.com
9	http://draft.blogger.com
10	http://tss.peronneau.net

My thanks to you all, but particularly to "Lord T' who celebrated his fifth B'day only yesterday! Congrats with that, indeed!

Google ranks LTW as fourth with "Racing Rules of Sailing" as search, after ISAF, US Sailing and Wikipedia. I can live with that.

We've  had a couple of months winter here, with lots of ice and snow - on and off. And it doesn't look like it is going to let up anytime soon. So, no winter sailing, alas. Maybe in April.



Cheers,
J.

Sunday Rules Snap; Rule 49

Luigi send me the following snap (together with his best wishes for 2010):

and asks in his mail: "Is this an infringement of rule 49?"

Dear Luigi,
I hope your year may be eventful and happy as well and I'll let the LTW_readers come up with the answer to your query. Thanks for sending it in!
Cheers, Jos

Ladies Only 2009 Hamburg, Final part

Back home I’ve sorted out the photo’s and uploaded them to Flickr.

You can find them here: Ladies Only 2009

I’ve also made a video! My apologies beforehand for the shaking and un-sharp parts. I’ve used my camera to see if I could get any kind of usable result. You be the judge. The video is of the prize-giving ceremony, particular of the winning team: Silke Hahlbrock, Maren Hahlbrock, Julie Wolf & Marion Rommel

Again, my congratulations!

Second and third teams are in the pictures… Winning has it’s rewards…

I enjoyed this event very much. I’ve been going to Hamburg for several years and the club is very hospitable and takes good care of it’s guests. Teams and Umpires alike.

Match Racing on lake Alster is great and I can recommend it to all!

Flog the Blog Day (23)

A short one this time. I've just returned from an event in Rotterdam and already busy packing for the next one. Tomorrow-morning I'm flying across the Atlantic to the US of A to umpire the Osprey-cup in St.Petersburg Florida.

You know what to do on FTB-Day, don't you?
(If not, well .... I suggest you read the previous 22 (EG))

I'll report back once I'm settled and found a reliable internet connection.
For those of you who want some pictures. I've uploaded a bunch on my Flickr account from the iSharesCup events I've done this year: iShares Cup 2009

iShares Cup Almeria Photosnaps

The contents of my camera after Almeria. I've returned home yesterday from the iShares Cup.
Madrid lived up to it's reputation and lost my bag. Luckily they found it again and a courier brought it back this afternoon.

From my hotel balcony
The event venue

Mother and her Ducklings

Getting ready for the picture...

You can see the rest (and from the iSharesCup-event in Venice) at: Flickr

KWS; Kleine Sneekweek

One of my local clubs (KWS) organizes a four day event each year from Ascension day until the following Sunday. I've been going to events outside my country for the last couple of years, but this year I decided to stay and do some PC-work at the "Kleine Sneekweek"
I've started up the work this morning by getting all the paperwork ready and after that was finished, I thought it would be nice to give you a virtual tour of our regatta centre:

It's a compact building on the edge of the lake; this is the view when you walk from the ferry.

Protest-room 1 (my work room for the next couple of days)

Hallway connecting protest rooms and information desk, all on the ground flour; to the right toilets and left the stairs

Information desk, with Fronie & Alet

This room covers the left-half of the building with a work bench and three information windows.

Same windows from the outside.
The covers protect against rain but also cover the windows at night.

The 'tower' with finishing rooms and terrace.

Second floor, scoring desk in a room separated from the club room with screens

The club-room

The other quarter of the club room with a small coffee-bar
and access to the front terrace

The terrace in front.

With a view over our lake: Sneekermeer.

Looking back toward the ferry, you see the restaurant
and partly the marina for smaller boats.

Two ladies from scoring and finishing looking at the starts, before their task is beginning

Same terrace, looking the other way. A brand new harbour for bigger boats...

The lower of the two finishing rooms.
The finishing marks still have to be lined up.
These rooms have been raised half a floor so that if the terrace is occupied
and full of guests, the view is still unhindered.

Corner window of the same finishing room.
Note: no corner stiles!

Third floor looking at the corner of the second finishing room on top of the first.
That way two separate teams can watch the same line.

Looking up at the tower from behind on the second back terrace.

I'm standing on the back terrace on level three looking at the marina

And snapping a picture looking down at the front terrace

The highest view. Can you see the starting vessel?

Ko- building /electrician / manager - should have cleared
the wires, but at least everything is working with new speakers.

Looking the other way with Sneek in the far background (my home town)

KWS-Flag

I tried to zoom in a little, to snap the starting vessel,
but it's to far away today.
It should be in the middle of the white cluster of sails.

This year the island got a little bigger, because the new (bigger boat) marina
was finished. Two 'Regenbogen' just leave to go to the start.

The box with signal flags... in case we need to signal from the tower.
On the third floor hallway

Going back down the staircase, along the wall the plates
from almost every year. Each year a picture is handpainted on 40 plates
and awarded to the winner of the Sneekweek.

And almost back on the ground floor.

This concludes our virtual tour.
Please leave any tips at the box next to the exit....