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Foilers and Mustos on same racecourse?

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2016 11:53 pm
by campervan
Anybody got any wise words to say about having foilers and asymmetric dinghies on the same race course. Reasonable numbers of both boats is increasing and theres a suggestion locally that we should share events. I am aware of that big blind area behind our spinnaker and see the possibility of some expensive contact when we would be the windward boat.

Re: Foilers and Mustos on same racecourse?

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 9:21 am
by PaulM
My experience with foilers on a race track I would say has been very positive. I think in general they are good sailors as you need to be to sail them. And because of the speed difference they have, I think they treat everything else as stationary, and as such they keep a good look out. If they come off the foils they loose so much ground it is not worth it for them to mess about rather just go round.

That said I f there is a coming together the expense would not be my worry more how much it will hurt. Musto downwind v foiler upwind will be a massive speed difference. Someone might not walk away from that so to speak.

Just my thoughts! They seem to do ok on the Bloody Mary with however many boats on the water and if memory serves correct last year about 5 moths.

Re: Foilers and Mustos on same racecourse?

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 9:26 am
by campervan
Thanks Paul.

Re: Foilers and Mustos on same racecourse?

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 10:22 am
by paul manning
It's a good question and probably akin to the question asked when asymmetric boats started to appear and race against traditional symmetric classes.

I'm not sure there is anything specific you can do to mitigate for foiling classes.

I agree with Paul in that the foiling boats are going so fast and their angles change so dramatically that it's unlikely another boat could realistically predict what their proper course is far enough away to actually manouvre to avoid a potential collision. It's worth bearing in mind Rule 14, 16.
If the right of way boat is so far away in a straight line (but not in time, as it is going so fast) that the give way boat can't hear them hail, who's responsibility is it to keep clear?

Re: Foilers and Mustos on same racecourse?

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 2:12 pm
by olisouth
we've had foilers and asymmetric (mostly mustos and 49ers) racing together a fair bit, and ive only seen one instance of boats coming together, but then we're not dealing with large fleets of either so and incident is less likely to happen.

on that one occasion it was a cat and moth going downwind in bog breeze, the moth came off the foils due to wave action and the cat had nowhere to go except straight through the moth and its helm. broken ribs, the rudder sliced 2ft into the bow of the cat, broken masts, torn gantry and a series of large holes in the moth, all in all a very expensive day!

i would suggest its best to keep such dissimilar behaving / speed boats separate, especially if large fleets are concerned, just like we wouldn't want to have a fleet of opi's racing on our course.