Boating chit chat thread.

neris wrote: »

going by the tracker you might only get to see 1 boat if your lucky. the leading monos are only west of lands end.

on the tracker what are the red boxes off the scilly isles and fastnet? rocks or no go zones?

TSS - exclusion zones for the race

1st boat in fastnet well home in time for breakfast

I spent about 8 hours hanging around the Fastnet Tuesday. Conditions were rough and at times very miserable. Some fantastic racers!
I counted at least 14 other RIBs at one point, but after one nasty wet squall i nearly had it to myself for the evening! Not everyone was dressed for the conditions!
I'll try post a few pics next week if my camera survived a series of settings but this one from YBW shows Hugo Boss rounding and gives a sense of the conditions. Amazing machine.
You'll also see the most unlikely spectator boat I've ever seen at the Fastnet!
http://www.ybw.com/pictures/pictures-of-the-week-august-2017-57267/attachment/screen-shot-2017-08-09-at-16-24-29
I followed HB south a mile or so and a few minutes after turning back saw her almost broach! Went way over and then luffed up sails aflapping for quite a bit!
I was in Baltimore yesterday morning and was talking to one of the guys from the boat pulled in by the RNLI Tuesday night after almost dismasting. He was feeling pretty lucky about how bad it could have been. They kept the mast up using the boom to counterbalance and some halyards. Two of them were having some issues trying to fly home with their IDs back in the UK. They also had engine issues which is why they'd given up on repairs in time to rejoin the race.

I spent another four or five hours yesterday in much nicer weather but less spectacular boats going past. But these are the guys with huge grit.

I overstayed waiting for a group of racers and paid for it heading into steep breaking fresh NW driven seas combined with full Spring tides at the Fastnet, Mizzen and Three Castle Head!
Worst race I've ever seen at the Mizzen and way too wild to even contemplate a photo. Turning West into Dunmanus bay was "interesting" and possibly even wetter running before and occasionally surfing a steep swell.
Summer weather in Ireland!

The_Pete_Fella wrote: »

hmm dear prudence? (quick observation base on your usual HYC connection). couldn't sail calves week this year due to work commitments but I would have been in a class 3 boat so wouldn't have got the chance to round the rock in any any way.

I am a dub, but my fiancee is a Schull native so i spend alot of time down west. the one thing I miss about the old calves week (and I believe it is prendervill who change it) is the start and finish line being in the harbor. I know the traditional racer in us all will miss the first beat from the start line, but its nice to have a spinnaker start some times to liven things up.

I wasn't there this year, but was last year, and the finishes were all just south of the moorings in the harbour. (I remember clearly because in the last race we came careering up past Long Island sound and the Bull Rock mark under tight, tight spinnaker and I really seriously doubted we'd be able to stop in time! ) Did it change this year? The starts were a bit further south alright, but not outside the harbour really.

I've only done four Calves Weeks, and it's by far my favourite regatta by miles! But while I can see why they changed it, I really miss the format where it was the full week with a lay day in the middle - the four days just feels like we're getting a bit cheated!

I'd like to offer the full size/rez versions for sale with the proceeds going to the RNLI, Any suggestions on how best to go about it?

Hope you enjoy some of them and sorry about the heavy watermarking, but I've learned that even when selling my photos in aid of the Irish Cancer Society people will nick 'em!:o

The sequencing is a little erratic as dates/EXIF data went awry after my trusty Canon shipped one wave too many. The heavy rain apparently wasn't enough to wash the salt out of it and the folllowing day some program modes were a bit off hence some blue tinged photos

just spotted this on tv listings if any one is still bothered with Rte 1 tv. Tonight at 830

Tracks and Trails

This episode of Tracks and Trails features the Royal Canal which is fondly known as the green and silver line and is presented by Dublin native Annalise Murphy who captured the hearts of Irish audiences during the 2016 Rio Olympics when she realised her dream in the Women’s Laser Radial sailing competition by winning a silver medal for Ireland. Annalise will be accompanied on the walk by her mother, Cathy McAleavey who herself was an Olympian competing in the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Final.

somehow i doubt Annalise's dream was an olympic silver medal