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RBIR Day 9, The wind lottery
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
The good news is that it was 'Playing Around Logic' made up the most ground overnight, taking some 11 miles off 'British Soldier' and 3 miles from 'Encore'. The yachts to the east of the course are now travelling quickest, but this will probably steady off as they near the next mark of the course, when the yachts from the west converge and all yachts have a similar wind.
During the night 'Playing Around Logic' had a slight technical issue with their engine – it is working fine, but their system alarm keeps going off when the engine is on, which means that anyone down below off watch trying to get some sleep, has to bury their head with hands over their ears to stop the noise.
The engines are allowed to be used so long as they are not put into gear to propel the yacht forward. The engine is needed to charge the onboard battery system which in turn powers all the instrumentation, navigation lights, interior lights and the essential water-maker.
The teams have now been at sea for nine days. It is about this time when everyday tasks on board, and the watch system is becoming second nature and the thought of getting up at 2am to do a three-hour night watch is just routine. Gone at the moment are the fierce weather conditions they encounters three days ago, and they have beautiful sunshine, flat seas and glorious sailing, Peter Robson, Skipper of 'Playing Around' has said that they have been accompanied by dolphins for most of the sail from Muckle Flugga, and that they have watched them endlessly 'playing around' in the bow wave of the yacht. We can think of no better sight!
During the night 'Playing Around Logic' had a slight technical issue with their engine – it is working fine, but their system alarm keeps going off when the engine is on, which means that anyone down below off watch trying to get some sleep, has to bury their head with hands over their ears to stop the noise.
The engines are allowed to be used so long as they are not put into gear to propel the yacht forward. The engine is needed to charge the onboard battery system which in turn powers all the instrumentation, navigation lights, interior lights and the essential water-maker.
The teams have now been at sea for nine days. It is about this time when everyday tasks on board, and the watch system is becoming second nature and the thought of getting up at 2am to do a three-hour night watch is just routine. Gone at the moment are the fierce weather conditions they encounters three days ago, and they have beautiful sunshine, flat seas and glorious sailing, Peter Robson, Skipper of 'Playing Around' has said that they have been accompanied by dolphins for most of the sail from Muckle Flugga, and that they have watched them endlessly 'playing around' in the bow wave of the yacht. We can think of no better sight!
posted by Hyde Sails at
07:28
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RBIR Day 8, 29/08 View from onboard
Monday, 30 August 2010
Peter shares the thoughts from on board 'Playing Around Logic'
"What can we say? 24 hrs go we we're just surviving, changing helms every 30mins, everyone down below. Now we're using our brains and top sailing skill to escape the clutches of this incoming high, extracting every last ounce of speed from 'Playing Around'. At one point down a very large wave we hit 19.9 knots on the GPS. Not that we were tying to go any faster at that point. We even had a warp trailing...
"The sleigh ride down past St Kilda was beautiful, crew slowly making the transition from survival to racing. We deliberately put the jib-top up early (from storm jib) to shake ourselves out of our previous thinking.
Quite hairy as we were over-canvassed in the big waves, but made a difference to our speed by almost two knots.
"You can probably see our strategy now is to go far east, and like buffalo bill, go 'round the outside'. We can see those who went west have slowed, and we don't think will get going for some time. it won't look good for some time on the skeds, but watch our boat speed and let's see the result in 24 hours.
"Mood now is one of intense concentration, the crew have been superb in knuckling down, everyone doing there bit on what ever they can. The top sailors have spent more time on deck firstly on pure survival now top trimming and strategy, while others have made sure the running of the boat, food etc has been as smooth as possible. Total team work, and everyone has pushed their corners of endurance and performance.
"We're thinking about whether our dear old no3 should be given a true sailor's burial at sea with honours, or brought home in its bag.
"There is so much of this race left to go. Now we're flying along on large A-sail and full main with 7-10 knots of breeze at 5-7 knots. The sea has warmed up thank goodness. Thermal layers are being discarded, not just because they are wet!"
"What can we say? 24 hrs go we we're just surviving, changing helms every 30mins, everyone down below. Now we're using our brains and top sailing skill to escape the clutches of this incoming high, extracting every last ounce of speed from 'Playing Around'. At one point down a very large wave we hit 19.9 knots on the GPS. Not that we were tying to go any faster at that point. We even had a warp trailing...
"The sleigh ride down past St Kilda was beautiful, crew slowly making the transition from survival to racing. We deliberately put the jib-top up early (from storm jib) to shake ourselves out of our previous thinking.
Quite hairy as we were over-canvassed in the big waves, but made a difference to our speed by almost two knots.
"You can probably see our strategy now is to go far east, and like buffalo bill, go 'round the outside'. We can see those who went west have slowed, and we don't think will get going for some time. it won't look good for some time on the skeds, but watch our boat speed and let's see the result in 24 hours.
"Mood now is one of intense concentration, the crew have been superb in knuckling down, everyone doing there bit on what ever they can. The top sailors have spent more time on deck firstly on pure survival now top trimming and strategy, while others have made sure the running of the boat, food etc has been as smooth as possible. Total team work, and everyone has pushed their corners of endurance and performance.
"We're thinking about whether our dear old no3 should be given a true sailor's burial at sea with honours, or brought home in its bag.
"There is so much of this race left to go. Now we're flying along on large A-sail and full main with 7-10 knots of breeze at 5-7 knots. The sea has warmed up thank goodness. Thermal layers are being discarded, not just because they are wet!"
posted by Hyde Sails at
05:07
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RBIR Day 7, 29/08 Washing machines
Sunday, 29 August 2010
According to 'Playing Around Logic' this morning, this is how the yacht has been feeling like all night. The wind filled in very quickly as expected later on yesterday evening, culminating with them having gusts of up to 43 knots (Force 8). Although their point of sail is ultimately a reach, the confused state of the seas (coming in at three different directions) meant progress was slow and very uncomfortable over night.
Peter called this morning to say that the wind was decreasing a little, but they were still sailing with two reefs in the mainsail and a no 4 jib, and still making good speed at over 7.5 knots. The washboards are in to prevent water going down below and those off watch in their bunks or navigating have described the feeling as been inside a washing machine and tumble dryer! I am sure you can understand the analogy! However, all is well onboard however even after a broken jib halyard meant the loss of their No 3 headsail, which was so damaged by flogging itself to death before the crew could get it on deck, that it has gone to a watery grave.
'Playing Around' is doing really well still third in class but ninth overall, and gaining at every schedule over 'Encore which at one point got away by over 40 miles. The deficit is now just 32 miles at 1100 BST.
Peter called this morning to say that the wind was decreasing a little, but they were still sailing with two reefs in the mainsail and a no 4 jib, and still making good speed at over 7.5 knots. The washboards are in to prevent water going down below and those off watch in their bunks or navigating have described the feeling as been inside a washing machine and tumble dryer! I am sure you can understand the analogy! However, all is well onboard however even after a broken jib halyard meant the loss of their No 3 headsail, which was so damaged by flogging itself to death before the crew could get it on deck, that it has gone to a watery grave.
'Playing Around' is doing really well still third in class but ninth overall, and gaining at every schedule over 'Encore which at one point got away by over 40 miles. The deficit is now just 32 miles at 1100 BST.
posted by Hyde Sails at
06:41
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RBIR Day 6, 28/08 Muckle Flugga
During the night, 'Playing Around Logic' went past Muckle Flugga and the eight hours previous to that clawed back some astonishing mileage against 'Encore' and 'British Soldier'. Unfortunately as these two went round, and 'Playing Around' was still heading to the tip of the Shetlands, they once again increased speed, so this morning 'Playing Around' is about 34 miles behind 'Encore' having being just 14 miles at 10pm last night. Peter called in last night to explain that they had been 'Sailing their socks off' during the day and it certainly showed with the gains that they had made. All is well onboard, they have had their first dehydrated meal last night, and the comments were favourable – 'not as bad as we thought' was probably the best comment heard!
The conditions at the top of the British Isles at the moment are superb – light winds, clear blue skies, a little chill in the air but most importantly, superb sunshine. Peter commented that the sea was virtually flat calm as they headed towards MF, 'like sailing in the Solent on a beautiful summers day'.
The conditions at the top of the British Isles at the moment are superb – light winds, clear blue skies, a little chill in the air but most importantly, superb sunshine. Peter commented that the sea was virtually flat calm as they headed towards MF, 'like sailing in the Solent on a beautiful summers day'.
posted by Hyde Sails at
06:39
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RBIR Day 5, 27/07/10 Polar bears and penguins…
Friday, 27 August 2010
A 1pm call from Playing Around Logic this afternoon finally made us realise that they are all quite, quite mad! Peter explained that they were having the best sail ever, under beautiful sunny skies, whooshing along in a good 11-12 knot north-easterly breeze, with dolphins playing around the bow, everyone back on top form after seasickness, and that the day was good. He then went on to say that they had seen albatross and penguins but hadn’t spotted the polar bears yet! I will let you draw your own conclusions to all of that! But what it does mean is that everyone onboard 'Playing Around' is having the best of times, and thoroughly enjoying every second of it. The yacht had a good night and made some small inroads into the leading two yachts, 'Encore' and 'British Soldier' and put more distance between themselves and fourth place 'Cheeki Rafiki', so that is good news. They are now, at 1700 hrs BST, still rolling along at 6.5 knots and have only 35 miles approx to go before they round Muckle Flugga.
posted by Hyde Sails at
12:20
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RBIR Day 4, 26/08
Today's developments at the top of Class 1 find 'Encore' being headed but 'Playing Around' and 'British Soldier' able to keep their rhumb line course direct to the next mark. This means that although 'Encore' is 22 miles ahead of 'Playing Around', if they cannot sail directly towards Muckle Flugga with the wind that they have, then the others will start to catch them quickly.
The crew blogs that have come from the yachts today have been extremely interesting and very moving, It is often difficult to imagine what life is like onboard a racing yacht in a race such as this. It is three times the distance of the Sydney-Hobart Race and also three times the distance of the Fastnet Race. It is the longest offshore race in the world that doesn’t cross an Ocean….Life onboard becomes a routine of sleeping, eating and sailing, and then it all repeats itself, again, and again, and again!
We are sad to hear of another retirement today which means that they are only 22 yachts still racing after 28 started.
The crew blogs that have come from the yachts today have been extremely interesting and very moving, It is often difficult to imagine what life is like onboard a racing yacht in a race such as this. It is three times the distance of the Sydney-Hobart Race and also three times the distance of the Fastnet Race. It is the longest offshore race in the world that doesn’t cross an Ocean….Life onboard becomes a routine of sleeping, eating and sailing, and then it all repeats itself, again, and again, and again!
We are sad to hear of another retirement today which means that they are only 22 yachts still racing after 28 started.
posted by Hyde Sails at
01:06
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Day 3, 25/08 It’s Cold Up North!!
Thursday, 26 August 2010
As the south of Britain descends into Monsoon like conditions, the yachts in the Round Britain & Ireland Race were having relatively better weather.
'Playing Around Logic' is now listed in Class 1, where it should have been since the start of the race – it was an error of the Race organisers which had them on the incorrect handicap. Now all is resolved and the team are battling it out with 'Encore' and 'British Soldier' for the podium positions in Class 1.
Peter called to say that all is well onboard and that they are working hard to go as fast as they can. Morale is high, but they say it’s cold up North….. The wind has dropped further since this morning which can be seen by the drop in boat speed by all in Class 1.
The weather forecast is looking very interesting. 'Playing Around' has moved further east and have come away from hugging the coast and re-joined the main pack on the rhumb-line to Mukkle Flugga. 'British Soldier' is now ahead on the water and on handicap.
'Playing Around Logic' is now listed in Class 1, where it should have been since the start of the race – it was an error of the Race organisers which had them on the incorrect handicap. Now all is resolved and the team are battling it out with 'Encore' and 'British Soldier' for the podium positions in Class 1.
Peter called to say that all is well onboard and that they are working hard to go as fast as they can. Morale is high, but they say it’s cold up North….. The wind has dropped further since this morning which can be seen by the drop in boat speed by all in Class 1.
The weather forecast is looking very interesting. 'Playing Around' has moved further east and have come away from hugging the coast and re-joined the main pack on the rhumb-line to Mukkle Flugga. 'British Soldier' is now ahead on the water and on handicap.
posted by Hyde Sails at
12:00
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Southampton Boat Show
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Your chance to get a fantastic deal on your new Hyde sailsWandering around the forthcoming Southampton Boat Show (September 10-19, 2010), you’ll spot the distinctive Hyde logo on a wide range of boats, from dinghies to cruiser-racers. While you might not be ready to buy a new boat right now, investing in a suit of sails can give your current craft a new lease of life.
If you would like to talk to meet with a Hyde sails representative during the Southampton Boat Show to discuss a new or outstanding quote then we have people on hand during week. Rather than operating from a dedicated stand, with all its associated distractions, we have always chosen to use the time to sit down individually with our customers.
Not only is a great opportunity to get some expert advice about your existing sail wardrobe and your plans for the future, but it's also your chance to benefit from Hyde's amazing winter deals.
So why not book an appointment for a chat? Appointments are available Monday-Friday,and all you need to do is call +44 (0)7764 933 894 and speak to Wooderz to arrange a time.
posted by Hyde Sails at
06:01
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The latest from the Round Britain and Ireland Race
The latest from the Round Britain and Ireland Race, in which the Hyde Sails-clad 'Playing Around Logic' is still battling away, while numerous boats have been forced to retire.
Day two 24/08/10
An eventful start to the Round Britain and Ireland Race continued through the night. At one point in the early hours, 'Visit Malta Puma' were 2nd overall in the race and 'Playing Around Logic' was biting their heels in 3rd place overall.
The weather continued to act as forecasted, with conditions at the moment 25 knots westerly which means that the yachts are now reaching, and will either have their Jip tops up or gennakers. 'Playing Around Logic' called in during the morning to say that all was very well onboard and everyone really enjoying the very close racing, They had Incisor of Wight off their starboard side and could see at least four other yachts around them, including Puma. At 8.20am they had sailed 170 miles from the start which means they have averaged 9.5 knots over the course to date, which is very good. Mate Graeme has the speed record for surfing downwind at 15.3 knots, and were rolling along at 11 knots of boat speed. They unfortunately are not going to be able to repair the torn A Sail from the start yesterday, but Skipper Peter is confident that it will not affect their overall performance!
Day three 25/08/10
'Playing Around Logic' has lost a little ground overnight but it still heading exactly on the race rhumb-line to the next mark. They are currently adjacent to Sunderland/Newcastle area and will be in Scottish waters very shortly. All is well onboard although there has been a few bouts of seasickness amongst the team due to the stiff breeze and short, choppy seas over Dogger Bank. They found a stowaway yesterday, an electric kettle, not the most useful piece of equipment on a yacht with no domestic power! Yesterday's weather was very challenging for all the yachts with consistent 35 knots of breeze with squalls recorded at 50 knots – not particularly pleasant for anyone.
News from the fleet is that 'Tonnerre de Breskens 3' has taken over the overall lead from TP/52 'John Merricks', and the leading yachts (the two Volvo 70s) are just 100 miles from Muckle Flugga, the northern-most part of the course.
Day two 24/08/10
An eventful start to the Round Britain and Ireland Race continued through the night. At one point in the early hours, 'Visit Malta Puma' were 2nd overall in the race and 'Playing Around Logic' was biting their heels in 3rd place overall.
The weather continued to act as forecasted, with conditions at the moment 25 knots westerly which means that the yachts are now reaching, and will either have their Jip tops up or gennakers. 'Playing Around Logic' called in during the morning to say that all was very well onboard and everyone really enjoying the very close racing, They had Incisor of Wight off their starboard side and could see at least four other yachts around them, including Puma. At 8.20am they had sailed 170 miles from the start which means they have averaged 9.5 knots over the course to date, which is very good. Mate Graeme has the speed record for surfing downwind at 15.3 knots, and were rolling along at 11 knots of boat speed. They unfortunately are not going to be able to repair the torn A Sail from the start yesterday, but Skipper Peter is confident that it will not affect their overall performance!
Day three 25/08/10
'Playing Around Logic' has lost a little ground overnight but it still heading exactly on the race rhumb-line to the next mark. They are currently adjacent to Sunderland/Newcastle area and will be in Scottish waters very shortly. All is well onboard although there has been a few bouts of seasickness amongst the team due to the stiff breeze and short, choppy seas over Dogger Bank. They found a stowaway yesterday, an electric kettle, not the most useful piece of equipment on a yacht with no domestic power! Yesterday's weather was very challenging for all the yachts with consistent 35 knots of breeze with squalls recorded at 50 knots – not particularly pleasant for anyone.
News from the fleet is that 'Tonnerre de Breskens 3' has taken over the overall lead from TP/52 'John Merricks', and the leading yachts (the two Volvo 70s) are just 100 miles from Muckle Flugga, the northern-most part of the course.
posted by Hyde Sails at
03:28
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‘Playing Around Logic’ heads round Britain
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Peter Robson's Beneteau 40.7 ‘Playing Around’ has joined forces with Sailing Logic for the forthcoming Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race, which starts on August 23. We found out about the team’s preparation ahead of the event...The Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is one of the most challenging races in the world and for the 2010 edition, the non-stop race has attracted 28 entries from a diverse range of ocean-going yachts.
Among the entries is the Hyde Sails-powered 'Playing Around Logic'. 'Playing Around's owner, Peter Robson, explains how it all came about: "Following a successful Fastnet campaign with Sailing Logic last year, a few of the crew expressed interest in a greater challenge. What could be greater than the iconic Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race? Several sailing friends also expressed interest, in particular Graeme Castle (many years ago Mirror World champion, Captain of BUSA, Miracle national champion) and Roger Yeoman (FD Olympics 1984). The seed was sown, and by Christmas the idea had germinated - we were going to do it. "We decided to work again with Sailing Logic, as their ethos and values matched ours. We wanted to put together a highly competitive team, one that would gel together and work to achieving this goal. Heavily oversubscribed (later Sailing Logic entered 'Puma' as well), Allie did a fine job of whittling down the CVs and selecting the seven crew to join Peter, Graeme and Roger. First up was Jon Barnes, an RBI veteran who loved doing the Fastnet on 'Playing Around', followed by Ian Randall, Gareth Thomlinson (both having done Fastnet previously with Sailing Logic), then Rebekah Adey, Richard Field, Lousie Scanlon and Elaine Maslin."
Preparing the boat and crewPeter explains that when it came to preparing the boat, sails were obviously a key consideration: "We looked at average wind conditions for the time of year, and came to the conclusion that we needed make amendments to our sail wardrobe. First in was a new Hyde 119sq m A-sail, designed for beam reaching in 5-15 knots, but which could also be used for light wind running when a chop on the water might not allow a symmetric kite to fill properly. This was used to great effect in the RORC Cherbourg race, winning class and third overall. Second was a new Hyde heavy weather sail, a flat yankee-cut #4, in case we get horrendous conditions when sailing so far north. Next up, we replaced our long-lasting Hyde GPL mainsail and heavy #1 with some new Hyde string sails, the new mainsail with Taffeta backing, to reduce
stretch and sail weight.
"Finally, we put a watermaker on board, to again reduce the weight of the water we would otherwise have to carry. Some of the crew are commenting that 'Aqua d'Playing Around' tastes so much better than the bottled water with some French-sounding names!"
"Our sailing programme centred around the RORC offshore races," explains Peter, "using them as practice for as much as trying to win them. This, with some tight inshore races really honed the crew. A second overall in the Nationals in May, and then just a few weeks before the start, 'Playing Around' started to reach peak performance, beating all other top 40.7 crews to First place in Cowes week.
"Aside from being one of the great Yacht Races of the world, the SRBI is also quite unique in that all the rounding points are rocks! There are many headlands, tidal gates to negotiate, and of course the great British weather is there to throw in a few challenges. There are few other long distance races that present such challenges as this one.
You can follow our progress on the RORC website and twice daily updates from Sailing Logic.
posted by Hyde Sails at
07:39
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Hyde Sails at Hamilton Island Race Week
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Hyde's sails are set to make their presence known at one of Australia's top regattas, the forthcoming Hamilton Island Race Week.
Hamilton Island Race Week, which starts at the end of August, is sailed around and amongst the Whitsunday Islands in North Queensland. This is a must do regatta for all racing enthusiasts owing to the warm climate, excellent race organisation and fun appeal. Hyde Sails in Brisbane have supplied a new mainsail, three headsails and three spinnakers for a Jeanneau 49i commissioned by Ross Perrins late in 2009. This beautiful yacht will be named 'RawHyde'.
Ross has had great success in previous yachts entering in all the classic ocean races on the Eastern seaboard of Australia. This will be the crews' first race series aboard 'RawHyde'. While this is a relaxed affair, 'Perro' has gathered an experienced crew including Peter Cavill, Andy Ogilvie (ex Farr Design) and Rick Byerley from Hyde Sails. Expect to see this yacht racing for line honours in her division.Menawhile, Russell McCart's Farr 40, 'Night Nurse' will sport a new carbon mainsail and two spinnakers supplied by Hyde Sails in South East Queensland.
For them, the first leg north will begin with the Brisbane to Keppel Isles Race beginning early August. On board are experienced sailors, Greg Torpy, Peter 'Scallops' Jones and Andrew Wilson. Peter and Andrew are from the Hyde Sails SEQ loft. Rick Byerley is also on board for this race.
posted by Hyde Sails at
06:13
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