Anthony Kotoun:

Having just returned from two events where current was a major factor, I’d like to share a few ways the ProStart helped us around the racecourse. Current can wreak havoc on a sailor’s mind, but once you learn how to use the features of the ProStart, things can become a little less confusing.

First the basics:

Heading- where your bow is pointed.
COG- Course over the ground- where you are going.
Speed- How fast you are going through the water.
SOG- Speed over the ground- How fast you are actually traveling over the ground.

If the current is on the axis of the wind either with it or against it, the current will impact your Speed-SOG relationship more than your Heading-COG relationship. If the current flow is 90 degrees (perpendicular) to the wind, your Heading-COG relationship will be affected more than your Speed-SOG combo. Another key thing to remember – current has a bigger effect on your race in light wind conditions.

The Starts In Charleston

At Charleston Race Week we had current with the wind, against the wind and across the wind. To help us get our heads around what was happening, we did a few practice starts near the RC boat to see how the boat behaved when we did our usual routine. To put it mildly, things were way different than what we were used to.

A Melges 20 usually goes upwind at 5.5 -5.8 knots. Going upwind with the current,  the ProStart told us we were SOGing 7-8kts. That means we were doing our normal speed plus 1.5-2 kts additional, thanks to the current. Even in our down-speed mode (when the jib’s furled and where we usually do 2kts) we were doing 5 kts.  So, judging our closing rate to the starting line took a little mental recalibration.

Later on in the day the current switched 180°, fighting us upwind.    As you can imagine, it took some practice to get used to going 3 knots upwind instead of 7-8.

Throughout CRW the ProStart’s SOG display was very helpful. Since the start line is anchored to the bottom, you need to know how fast you are traveling over the bottom, not through the water!

On the last day we had current perpendicular to the wind.  I thought – “Great, now we have to get our heads around how this is going to affect our heading-COG relationship.” Adding fuel to the fire, the wind was under 7kts which meant the current’s effect would be more pronounced.

We sheeted in and headed upwind. On starboard tacks the current hit us on our leeward side, pushing us to the right.  Axis wise let’s say the weather mark and wind were at 360,  the current was coming from 270 and we were sailing a heading of approx 325. BUT, the ProStart told us we were COG’ing at about 350-355.  So with the mark set at 360 and us having a COG of 355, we were only 5 deg off the mark.

With this information I was able to make a quick decision: spend the majority of the race on starboard and make any time on port short- or we stand a very good chance of overstanding or worse: getting flushed out of the harbor for an unscheduled tour of Ft. Sumter.

The Beats in West Palm

The week after CRW I sailed Melges 32s in West Palm Beach. This was my first time buoy racing in Palm Beach and I was surprised to experience the power of the Gulf Stream first-hand.  Along the beach there wasn’t much current, but once you reached the weather mark (about 1.5 miles off the beach) it was going at 4 kts!  It was so strong that on the first day it ripped the bottom off a mark! In the name of preserving RC assets, the rest of the week we had powerboats motoring in place as our weather marks.

Come race time we had wind out of 90 and a current flowing from the south. With this cross current we had to keep an eye on our COG-Heading relationship. On port tack, near the bottom of the course, our heading and COG were very close together. As we progressed up the beat to the east, however, the current strengthened and created a divergence between our COG and Heading. At some points this difference was up to 25 degrees.

The ProStart was helpful for two reasons.  First, it helped us find the easy to overstand port tack layline (which seemed to be a honey hole!) Once on port, it helped us to know what mode we needed to be in.

To find the port layline when we were on starboard we would recall our port tack COG.  Peter Holmberg, our tactician, would use his handbearing compass to tack us onto port when the weather mark’s  bearing lined up with our port tack COG.  Once on port, our heading would be far below the mark but the ProStart revealed that our COG was right at it!

On the port layline, speed is how gains are made.  Hence, our mode was important.  We could sail high and slow or low and fast.  Which mode?  was decided by inevitable inconsistencies in the current and boat on boat tactics.

As the mainsheet trimmer these decisions are my responsibility.  To help me make good decisions and to not let me get too low or too high, Peter let me know what the bearing was to the mark.  I would then compare that number to the ProStart’s COG and use the difference to make trim adjustments. For example, if someone tacked on us and we were COGing low of the mark, I knew it was ok to sheet in a little and set up in clear air above.

Wrap Up

Sailors are wired to think they’re heading wherever the bow is pointing or they’re going as fast as the water is moving by.  However, this is not often the case when you sail in current.   Having a ProStart and knowing a few tricks to unlocking its potential can help you understand what is actually happening with your course and speed. You can use this information to make far better decisions, which in turn, will help you achieve better results.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’re excited to announce we’re hosting a Speed Challenge at the Spring E regatta, being held May 19-20th at Lake Geneva Yacht Club.  40 of the best E-Scow crews from across the Midwest will vie for the fastest speed of the day.  Whoever comes out on top will win both the glory and a $1000 Line Honors gift card.

We’re anticipating a stiff breeze, stiff competition, delicious cheese curds, and some record setting speed runs.  Stay tuned, this could be the fastest Challenge yet.

Here are the official rules.

Fun fact:  In the days of yore, before hiking straps and trapezes, the most spry crew would “ride” the E’s windward board to balance out the enormous rig.  As you can imagine – sudden lulls resulted in sudden lulz!

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Whooa, he got a good start maaan.”

]]> http://blog.velocitek.com/2012/04/25/sailing-video-of-the-week-the-port-tack-attack/feed/ 0 http://blog.velocitek.com/2012/04/23/proud-sponsors-of-sailors-for-the-sea/ http://blog.velocitek.com/2012/04/23/proud-sponsors-of-sailors-for-the-sea/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:16:51 +0000 Max http://blog.velocitek.com/?p=398 Continue reading →]]>

In honor of Earth Day, Velocitek is proud to announce our support for Sailors for the Sea.

Velocitek has been a member of the environmental organization 1% for the Planet since 2006. 1% for the Planet is a coalition of businesses financially committed to helping the environment.

Each year, 1% members are required to donate 1% of their gross revenue to an approved environmental non-profit.

This year, we’ve decided to shake the hand that feeds us.

Our 1% contribution to Sailors for the Sea will be used to support the organization’s core programs including its Clean Regattas program. This third-party certification program helps regattas, yacht clubs and sailing programs voluntarily achieve higher environmental standards.

From the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to the Deepwater Horizon spill, it’s evident that the world’s oceans need our help today, more than ever. Individually, we have a small impact in preserving our oceans, but together, we can make a difference.

Join Velocitek this Earth Day by making a contribution to Sailors for the Sea. Click here to learn more about the organization and about how you can promote healthy sailing in your local community.

Velocitek strives to provide excellent customer service.  We believe in the quality of our products and for the majority of instances, provide free replacements if our products somehow fail.  There is a point, however, where we have to draw the line.

A customer case I received a few weeks ago demonstrates this point.  Here’s the email I received from “Wally.”

Wally:  Front panel broke off of back panel and fell into the drink… The velcro held the back panel on but the front panel was not so lucky and I lost it. It was screwed on just fine but the threading seems to have broken and I guess it just didn’t work anymore… Please send me a new one, thanks!

Following policy, I told Wally that if he sent back the remnants of his SpeedPuck we would provide him with a free replacement. Wally then sent me this email:

Thanks for the quick response as I do need this item soon for my next race but I have a couple of concerns. I do not have the original box or manuals. I lost the usb cable it came with and have been using another one and I used the sticker it came with too and I am not sure what happened to the lanyard it came with; will any of this be a problem? Also, the back panel was mounted to my boat and I had some trouble removing it in one piece… The back isn’t exactly recognizable but is instead in a few pieces… Will that be an issue as well? Please let me know as shipping is expensive, even for a few pieces of plastic, and I don’t want to find out that I spent the money only to have issues with the replacement. Thanks again!

I was somewhat perplexed (Wally wasn’t in our system, he had no proof of purchase and all he had left of his SpeedPuck were pieces of plastic?) but I let him know that it wouldn’t be an issue and directed him again to ship what remained of his SpeedPuck to our warehouse.

One week passed.  I had almost forgotten about Wally when I received this email from our warehouse supervisor:   

Max, we received a carton that contained a plastic bag with small broken pieces of plastic that we cannot identify as Velocitek product. I researched the name on the return and it does not match any original order.  I’ve attached pictures of the return to this email.  Please let me know how I should handle this.  

The name on the return?  Good ole Wally.  So I opened up the picture to see what our supervisor meant.  Wally had cut up a Tupperware container, put it in a plastic bag, shipped it to our warehouse and labeled it “SpeedPuck.”  I wish I was kidding.

So how did we respond?  Well I was all for mailing Wally a severed horse head gluing the plastic pieces together, slapping a Velocitek sticker across the front and shipping it back to Wally.  But after further consideration, we decided to ignore him.  A few days later, I received this message:

I have not heard back from you at all since sending in the remaining parts to my SpeedPuck!!!  Please update me on the status of my replacement!!

I replied:

As we cannot identify any of the parts of the “SpeedPuck” you returned to us we are unable to send you a “replacement” product.

We haven’t heard from Wally since.

Here’s how to change the display.

1. Download Velocitek Control Center here.
2. Connect your SpeedPuck to your computer using a USB cord.
3. Open Velocitek Control Center
4. Click “Update device settings”
5. In the drop down menu to the right of “Speed Displayed in” you can select your preferred unit of measurement.
6. Click “Ok.”  The Puck’s display is now changed and now you can avoid an awkward “Ha well, actually officer, I have no idea on how fast I was going.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Seb owns the title of the “Fourth Fastest Sailor in the World,” at 54.28 knots (100.54 km/h).  This December, Seb will travel to the wind-swept canals of Namibia to attempt to set a new world record.  You can keep up with the Frenchman here.

]]> http://blog.velocitek.com/2012/03/26/video-of-the-week-sebastien-salerno-rips/feed/ 0 http://blog.velocitek.com/2012/03/20/foiled-again/ http://blog.velocitek.com/2012/03/20/foiled-again/#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 23:25:26 +0000 Max http://blog.velocitek.com/?p=335 Continue reading →]]> This past weekend the Layline Moth regatta was held in Biscayne Bay, Miami.  What was expected was a steady breeze and great sunny weather.  What wasn’t was the full on spring break party taking place at “Club Sand Bar,” where hundreds of co-eds cheered on the regatta from their anchored powerboats.

Weaving in and out between boats at 20 knots+, the racers gave quite the show.  At the end of the day, Velocitek sponsored Anthony Kotoun had edged out our good friend Bora Gulari by three points to take home first.   Eric Aakhus, a ProStart user, placed third.

Everybody then headed over to the party, gave Moth rides to weight appropriate spectators and cracked open a few brews with some newly minted friends.

John Harris gives some pointers on how to get a Moth foiling.  Later, he gave an impromtu lesson on capsize recovery.

If you’re considering purchasing a puppy as a potential way to meet single women, maybe you should consider buying a Moth instead.  They’re a lot more fun and they don’t crap all over the carpet.

Photos courtesy of Marco Oguendo.