Yacht Racing Topics to Kick Off the 2010 Season

[budster]

Hi All...

I have reviewed the presentation that Brian Kyle is to deliver this Wednesday. Useful information, tools, and visuals. I don't usually toot, but you might consider being there...

Bud

[Charles]

I'll be there.
Chas.

[AndyH]

I saw the handout for "Racing Starts" session.  Are there handouts to be posted for the other sessions?  Tnx.

[budster]

There will be handouts for the Topics I present, but no guarantees for the other speakers. I know tonight's speaker has a powerpoint presentation, though and I will ask him if I can post it. Tonight's presentation will have a lot more (verbal) information than the handout documents, however...

See you tonight.

Bud

[ChrisK]

More great information last night...thanks to Brian Kyle at NOAA, and thanks again Buddy for putting it together.
We need to get Brian sailing!

NOAA has made alot of improvements to their website.

To get to that nifty hourly forecast:

Go to http://www.noaa.gov/
Put your zip code in (Seabrook is 77586), top left corner, then click  >>Go
Scroll down all the way to the bottom right corner and click the link for 'Hourly Weather Graph'

You should get something that looks like this
Link

It was very interesting to hear what NOAA is about, and their relationship with the private sector.  One 'would think' getting the offshore buoys fixed and the rest of PORTS back online (866-447-6787) post-Ike would be a high priority.... at a minimum to verify what all the fancy computer models are saying.

Speaking of the private sector, another local weather resource few people know about, based near Hobby is Universal Weather/Impact Weather I got a chance to tour their office and they have an impressive 'mission control' where they do much more than weather forecasts for rich guys with jets and the weather on KUHF 88.7FM...

[budster]

Last night, Brian Kyle had a little something for everyone at the Club Classic. I know I learned a few tricks...I never knew the wind blew the wtaer forty-five degrees to the right! (Eckman principle). Whodathunkit...

The handout link is here:

http://www.gbca.org/WednesdayNightNotes/ClearLakeRacingAssoc.pdf

Next week, Gerard Coleman, TAMUG instructor and sailing coach, will be revealing the excitement associated with a totally different game we can play with sailboats...

Team Racing

If you don't know, it has its own rules, strategies, tactics and desired outcomes.

Gerard is a really bright person, and a good speaker. Hope to see you there!!


Bud

[ChrisK]

More on the Ekman effect

The info on current being roughly 3% of wind speed was good stuff.

So I'm fairly certain we had an encounter with a shelf cloud during a Rum Race #4 this past summer...a pic of the outflow and the associated 30 knot blast making it's way from the ship channel.....

[Bee]

Would not be surprised one way or the other. Whether its a shelf or a wall is not material.  Its a very strong indicator of thunderstorm strength and some possibly not so nice things to come. Anytime you see one of those things you can probably assume that you will be hit by strong winds, maybe some slashing rain, and even some hail.

Having lived in the middle of Tornado Alley for 24 years, and having one of those nasty things come right over the top of my house, I can tell you off the cuff that had I seen that cloud while racing I would have screamed something on the order of "get those damn sails down NOW."   I am not too proud to have great and immediate concern about safety.

Sure wish I could have made those Wednesday night events.  Sounds like they were really spectacular.

Good on you Buddy.

[jayhefty]

yep, for the 8 year old on a bike roaming the feilds. Clouds that looked like that was ride home quick and stay of the top of the ridge. Great times, everyone should grow up in the plains. 
Thank you chris for integral calculus application. 

[ChrisK]

Calculus? I thought that was french....oh well...

[Charles]

Here's a picture of Millenium Express shortly after Chris' photo.  Woohoo

[budster]

Thanks Bee... I hope everyone is getting something out of it. I think the Topics are a great way to get together through the winter, keep up the interest, and make better sailors of us all.

If you have a suggestion for a Topic, please don't be bashful... send me an email and I'll see about finding a qualified person to address the area of interest.

Booked and upcoming are:

Team Racing
The Racing Rules of Sailing (perhaps I and II)
Aerodynamics
Shaping Sails for Speed and Control
Race Strategy
Eliminating Loss on the Race Course

Sailing videos will start at 6:00 next week and will be shown again after the Topic for the evening...

[budster]

Gerard Coleman, TAMUG professor and sailing coach will be presenting on Team Racing tonight at the Club Classic at 6:30 pm.

Fleet racing is fine and dandy. That's what we do, and we do it well, and we do it a lot.

Team Racing is a fun, challenging, refreshing addition to the sport of yacht racing...sure to put a smile on your face!

Gerard is an excellent speaker, and he is totally stoked on Team Racing.

I hope you're out tonight to hear what it's all about!

Bud

[Christopher]

Tonight's team racing topic was an excellent presentation!  An exciting and challenging aspect of racing.  It would really be great to get a fleet of these going in our area.

[ChrisK]

Still trying to wrap my head around some of the team strategy.  As for the letting boats pass you for the 'good of the team' pretty much goes against my every fiber as a fleet racer.  
Interesting stuff.

Looking very far ahead, TCYC made mention of a club/team sonar racing event in September.
So we might see some of the team racing plans 1,2,4 in action.