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Autopilots and asymmetricals...

S

svShearwater

Shearwater & Spadefoot
After the latest round of bug-lighters making a trip to Hawaii, I'm really interested in the current thinking regarding racing offshore with asymmetricals and autopilots singlehanded. Are people finding the autopilots struggle because of the forced reaching across waves? Are people finding it difficult to get a competitive VMG with an asymmetrical?

Maybe an even more general question. For SHTP, if you were starting from scratch and wanted to be competitive would you prefer a light boat or heavy boat with a symmetrical or asymmetrical? Or would the ideal be to carry both sym and asym and accept the rating hit?
 
I noticed on page 6 it's stated under sail handling instruction the only one head sail may be flown at a time. I know SHTP have flown twin headsails. What's the rule or exception that SSS uses.
 
Critter said:
NCPHRF no longer applies a penalty for carrying both sym and asym. Page 5 here: http://www.yra.org/PHRF/docs/ncphrf_rules_and_guidelines.pdf
As to your other questions, I have no idea. I ran what I brang.
Click to expand...

There is no penalty for having both types of spinnakers. Which ever has the greatest area is what you are rated for, but there is a penalty for carrying a sprit and a pole. Essentially you are considered to have an articulating sprit in that scenario, even if the pole is much shorter than J+sprit.
 
Steevee said:
I noticed on page 6 it's stated under sail handling instruction the only one head sail may be flown at a time. I know SHTP have flown twin headsails. What's the rule or exception that SSS uses.
Click to expand...
I believe that section applies only to non-spinnaker divisions. Certainly most of us don't restrict ourselves to bald-headed jib changes (as in the following line).
 
Here is 17.1 SHORTHANDED SAILING DIVISIONS from the recent OYRA/SSS Drakes Bay Race weekend Sailing Instructions:

17.1 "RRS 50.2 is modified to allow two jibs 'poled out' for downwind sailing."

I believe you will find a similar modification of the RRS 17.1 for most shorthanded divisions. I think it's been a modification in the SSS for decades and in the OYRA since they established the SHS (and recently Singlehanded) divisions.

Rule 1.7 also allowed autopilots: "RRS 52 is modified to allow the use of autopilots" is another change allowed on the Drakes Bay race and most shorthanded races.

A Racing Authority may modify many of the RRS that don't involve boats meeting each other.
 
It depends.......

When it was rough I wished for a bigger slower boat.
When it was light I was very happy I had a light boat.

My experience was this.. In the mid portion of the race when winds were light 6-10 knots.....I had my A2 up and had a run of 39 hours without touching a thing. Autopilot (NKE) drove beautifully. During the last portion of the race winds typically 18-26 I had an A2.5 (smaller A2 cut to need less trimming)....It was fast as heck but the waves were big enough that when sailing deep I would accelerate to the point that I would outrun the trim level and kite would collapse. If I ran higher any puff would lead to a broach. I could hand steer with the kite a little overtimed and manage for an hour but was pretty exhausted since with the kite overtimed the tiller was loaded up a bit more than ideal. I tried trimming with the pilot driving but often that was a bit of an exercise in frustration since the NKE wouldn't respond to voice......I repeated this experiment multiple times. Jib winged out on a pole was stupidly simple and stable. Hit 15.9 knots with this combo in the middle of the night. Generally winged out would see around 7.5 knots direct at Hawaii hour after hour after hour. With the kite up sailing higher I could see 8.5 knots (or so VMC to Hawaii) but at a much higher work load.

If I was to do it with an asym again I would probably have a smaller kites still... once the winds were mid 20s the winged out jib was giving a steady 10 knots direct. I have been told that this was a rougher year with sea state than usual and that may have been part of the challenge with an asym..

Having both sym and asym seems like a cool idea sitting hear while typing....but the biggest thing I came away with was energy management. If you are in better shape you are going to be able to stay in faster mode longer. The asym has the big advantage of simplicity and takes less energy because of that. If I was to do one thing differently it would be to look at how to go back and forth between kite up or poled out jib with the least energy and greatest speed.

Then again in two years the weather will probably be vastly different.

Chris
 
Great info Chris.

I agree, in two years the weather is unlikely to be like this year and it does seem the asym is a better option the lighter the winds.

I guess a part of the fun is trying to figure out the optimum solution for maximizing VMG over the long haul.
 
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