News Third Day of Hyeres Blown Out (Campbell Sailing)

TLF

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**Yet another day of breeze greeted us here in Hyeres, but unfortunately another day of racing would not materialize. The race committee had all classes postponed ashore at 10 o’clock when many sailors would have been ready to go sailing. Tension built throughout the regatta center when the first announcements came over the loudspeakers in [...]

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We went back to the house to wait another hour or so for the instructions about our start time and watched the carnage unfold. As the fleet sailed downwind to the racecourses the wind picked up from a steady 25 knots to an overpowering 28-35 knots. The wind blew. The sailors zipped around ragging their sails and doing their best to stay upright. The race committee reneged on their ambitions of starting, and the fleets struggled back to the dock in 40 knot gusts and legendary conditions. Even with the breeze coming over the flat beach the waves picked up quickly into white caps in as quickly as fifty yards from the beach.

Insane. 30 knots is about my limit and I'd have to be caught out in that, not purposely leaving the beach for a happy sailing time. Once my mast starts to flex in the puffs like it's made of spaghetti I figure it's time to head in. At weeny club level the cost of broken gear just isn't worth it. And if you're sailing alone, the prospect of a long drift home isn't much fun. But if I were an olympic contender with a couple of boats at my disposal, all the sails and masts to waste in the world and a competent rescue crew on hand, hell, I'd give it a go, and be a lot less inclinded to regard the RC as munters.


...and the racecourse was downwind from the shore? Nice. Wear yourself out during the race then beat back to shore in 40knot winds. Who needs enemies when ....
 
I like it in here. It's like giant echo chamber. I can talk to myself all day and know that no one will ever reply. It's like the internet version of paradise.

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I wonder if anyone has ever chosen not to race at an international event because the conditions are too unsailable? Maybe at an olympic level there is no risk of injury, and it's just a matter whether you can beat to windward or not.
 

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