Regatta Preparation

D

dself

New Member
hi,
i'm wondering if anybody has any tips on how i can prepare(mainly my boat) for 2 Australian nationals regattas that im doing in early january?
 
I assume there aren't holes in your boat.

It might be good to put an inspection port in with one of those viking port bags to keep a lunch and some extra line and gloves ect...

Wash the hull with soapy and water and rinse it.

Check to make sure all the screws and rivets on the boat are secured and not coming loose or fraying.

Make sure you have a long enough mainsheet and your cleats are functional.

Check the hiking strap eyes, if it breaks your screwed.

Make sure your ratchet works.
 
Make sure all your lines and blocks are in good working order. Your boat is cleaned and does not leak. Check your spars are in good condition and straight and check your tiller and foils are in good condition. Basically make sure you have done all you can before the event to minimise risk of gear failure.

Don't put an inspection hatch in for the simple purpose of carring food - not needed. You can usually find a rib to carry it for you or the race boat will often take bags if you label it clearly. You'll also be surprised at just how much food/gear you can carry on board. I tape spare drink to the mast and have one bottle in the back of the cockpit (attached with some elastic). I have choc bars and extra hats etc in my buoyancy aid pocket or taped choc bars to my boom. This way I survice 6hour+ days on the water at events.
 
I make a point of never using new kit for a big event [clothing sails gear sheets]. You never know what problems could arise. At least test them out in a couple of races. New lines /sheets may be ok but wash them first in soapy water to get rid of the manufacturing chemicals- this improves grip in cleats and your hands.
 
I didn't say put a port in for food, It just helps cuz u can keep stuff in there like line, gloves, a hat, and a sandwich or something.
 
janson murphy said:
I didn't say put a port in for food, It just helps cuz u can keep stuff in there like line, gloves, a hat, and a sandwich or something.
Click to expand...

I still wouldn't put a port in unless it was needed for a major repair to the boat. Storage to my mind is not a good reason to cut your boat open to fit a port.
 
What I dont get is why people just don't tie a bowline to terminate the main on the boom block becket. Theres no possibility it would come undone.
 
I wouldn't recommend tying a bowline to the mainblock, as it's hard to set your maximum out, and if you drop it, it's hard to grab under tension. I like a stopper knot and 1 foot of line after the stopper to keep a hand on
 
I always seem to have trouble with rivets at regattas, so my tip is to replace all rivets with monel. Even brand new spars can suffer from loose fittings if the spar is old stock. Corrosion between the aluminium and the stock ss rivets is relentless, so swapping to the monel rivets will fix the problem permanently. (About $1 each)
 
I have tied a bowline before and it has come undone, and this has never occurred with the figure of 8 stopper knot. Also, I agree that an inspection hatch is not necessary and is just another place for the boat to leak. :)
 
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