Radials

F

Fuzzy Metal

New Member
For Radial sailors(young and old). Any bad experiences with race commitees treating you differently then full rig Lasers? In particular sitting around longer waiting for starts, not having your course adjusted for wind shifts, unadjusted start lines(not changed after the Laser start to reflect the numbers in the radial fleet or wind shift). It has been my experience that RC's do not take Radials as seriously as full rigs. I find the sailors in the radial fleet to be as competitive as any fleet they are just smaller and "fit" the weight of the radial better. There is a higher number of youth and woman sailing the radial but that does not make them less competitive. Just looking for some thoughts and feedback.
Steve.
 
About half of the regattas I have sailed in have mixed starts, the frostbiting I have been doing uses mixed starts as well.

The regattas where Radials had their own start, they were treated to the same level of RC work that everyone else was.

Are you sailing on the same courses as the full size ? That makes it harder for the RC to adjust courses if they already have one fleet out on the course when a wind shift occurs etc. (Not saying it can't be done, but it's more complicated)
 
i've only sailed in mixed fleets, but changing the course while another fleet is racing is hard. I guess they could change the line.
 
hey my new boat came with a radial sail the new ones with the blue tips and sailing with that sail and with the old radial it dosent has a good shape for more that i tried i cant get the sail with a good shape going upwind why is that
can somebody help me i have races in five days
 
i have (kinda) had that... but its most probably due to radials always being raced second start - (if radials were 1st start the full rigs would catch up). They cant change anything - the full rigs are currently using some of the marks, and they would have to mess around etc... so they just leave it for the sake of getting some better racing in... I dont think its anything to do with the rigs being radial?
 
what about you're radial sail (mk5/wo blue) isn't getting good shape. you have to go easy on the vang or you'll hook the leach. if you wanna put the draft forward, you need A Lot of cunningham. don't 2 block the main either, you can get pretty close, but unless it is really blowing, don't 2 block it. i think the outhaul controlls are the same as a normal rig: 1-1.5 fist lenghts between the boom and point of most draft (upwind)

hope that helped
 
Before anybody here complains about RC work, please please please go out and try it yourself. It is very hard to do well in return for barely any thanks, recognition or reward....
 
Definitely work a few races as part of the RC. You will get a very different view of racing. You can learn much to help your own sailing by just watching the race. You will get a good understanding of what the RC is up against and will also learn many new combinations of four letter words.
 
I already do race management (level 3) I also coach, judge and race. The last 3 major regattas I have been have not treated radials with the same respect as full rigs. I would like to know if anyone else feels the same and if we as a class should be ensuring that our fellow competitors in the Radial and now the 4.7 are receiving the same respect that full rigs do. I am not RC bashing. I am just concerned that the smaller rigs are seen as less competitive then the full rigs by RCs. I agree we should all run races. We should also jump into the coach boat and the judges boats as well. (I learned more about rule 42 at the worlds driving around with one of the IJ's and for this I am truly greatful and so are my athletes)

Steve.
 
laser161116
Grinder
Max Hardage

Registered: Dec 2002
Location: Atlanta, GA
Sail Number: 161116
Posts: 119

what about you're radial sail (mk5/wo blue) isn't getting good shape. you have to go easy on the vang or you'll hook the leach. if you wanna put the draft forward, you need A Lot of cunningham. don't 2 block the main either, you can get pretty close, but unless it is really blowing, don't 2 block it. i think the outhaul controlls are the same as a normal rig: 1-1.5 fist lenghts between the boom and point of most draft (upwind)

hope that helped

hey thanks for tha advice it really helped alot (i just came from sailing)
 
Going back to Fuzzy Metal's post...
Radials are likely to get the worse deal because they start later in most cases. RCs cant go moving the line half way through the start sequence so later starts are bound to be less precise in terms of start line quality.
 
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