Well finally entered my first regatta with my ODOM. Got run over, shot down, and beat up. After 30 years of real racing thought it would be a snap. Actually won the start, but then found that flunky winds, inability to remember which way to put the stick to go in a change of direction, lack of depth peception at a distance, actually hit the weather mark, and overshot the turning mark by a wide, wide margin, continuing confusion how to use trim control on stick to correct weather helm and a few unplanned 360’s left me a bad last. Oh well, tommorrow is another day and I stayed warm and dry.
Exactly!
I wonder if I will comment “my first IOM race”…thinking:nuts:
Why don’t you try some practice by yourself or with others?
Wasn’t today practice?
Seriously I have, I live in a marina off the pacific and have practice quite a bit in the marina but we have a fairly steady ocean breeze, both in direction and speed. The Model yacht club I belong to races in a lake formed by a dam on the LA River and the winds there vary considerable both in speed and direction. I’m trying to get some big boat sailors here in my harbor interested in RC both no luck, and the lake sailor’s don’t like to sail in salt water. BUt tomorrow is another day, for real, another class race on a different lake. I spent this evening tuning the rig differently and increasing the inboard sheeting of the main.
Another difference I found after one outing…can’t blame the crew.
Hoooray Ernie -
Just remember, when at it’s worst, it’s better than working, and can only get better. Hang in there! :smile3:
After 20+ years of radio sailing the first time out every year is like I am a rookie. Can’t mentally focus, busy trying to socialize, tune is not right ( can’t remember how or what to do), cant see around other sails, in general lost. Get focused, stay focused, don’t try to talk( except for rights and rules ), relax because this is supposed to be fun. Don’t worry about the stupids on the sticks as everyone has these. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Find a mentor willing to talk you through a few times around the course. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Stay focused, don’t look away for a second as your boat will have a mind of it’s own. My 2 cents, Clyde
If you think getting to grips with RC Sailing takes a bit of doing, you should have seen my first (and second and third etc etc) efforts with an RC sailplane!
Oops, it’s coming towards me and the wing is dropping. Which way does the thumb go again? This way? [Thud]. Ah - no, it was the other way. 
Well today it was a bit better, four races, one last, one next to last, one 2nd from last. Won two starts and over early twice. Both wining starts managed to get to weather mark in middle of 10 boat fleet but died trying to reach in light air. Did figure ou I had constant weather helm I had to correct with trim, hence drag, will try and move mast back before next race. You guys are right about never taking your eyes off boat, every time I did boat went in wrong direction.
just have one question.
didi you have fun?
if the answer is yes. you will get better as time goes by, you will even have people help you
if the answer is no. you will sink , be crabby and lose. and it wont even be your time of the month.
have fun it will get better. i practise all the time. shooting for bouys i set up
cougar
Funny, early in my big boat career, 1978 Ercicson 35, I sailed with my fat old friends and used to have a great time, after a few years we usually ended up in the top 3th, 30 boats, around 10th, 10 boats around 3 or 4th. My middle son, the pro, by age 14 was too good for us and and usually crewed for the gold platers and travelled the world by 18. When he was around 25, I was tired of hanicap racing and he wanted a J-24 for and a fiberglass shaping shop, so I bought one. We started a bottom reshaping business and Colorblind was our factory boat with the world’s greatest bottom, my crew was me, Jeff my world class pro son, plus two former college All-Americans who were also pros. We got sponsored by Ullman then North Sails, had new sails for every major regatta, and the fun when out of racing. We had to win everytime, for my crew it was a business and their reputations. After awhile I hated it, it was ruining my personality, I started to belive an old saying, “show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.” we were protested at almost every race and I earned my nickname as Hager, the Horriable. By 96 I sold both boats and bought a motorhome. So, the point of this story is I am having fun now at the end of the pack, enjoying the other guys, not underpressure and not being a threat to the Type A’s. So perhaps I don’t want to be top dog, just get back to the upper third, stay warm and dry and enjoy a warm day without my ass hurting from hours and hours rolling across a fiberglass deck in bumby seas.
Ummm - too much weather helm - mast (center of effort) forward - not back? (or back to original location?)
Your right, don’t know what I was thinking. Weather helm means center of effort is BEHIND where it should be, therefore need to move MAst forward.
Will do in next few days and take out to Marina. Don’t have another race for a month so have plenty of time to figure it out.
Now if I can only figure out right from left.
lol these older guys know the way of things. my wife. loves to race. and she is seldom in the top flight. but she has a blast sailing and chatting and just pure enjoying the sport. me on the other hand. practise everytime I am on the water. i seem to have a craving to be in the top 10. we both love to sail. but lynn would be happy with a 17th as she would 1st. now on the bigger boats i am better. and more competitive. people have told me so. maybe it is because I AM ON THE BOAT. and not just running it.
but these more experience sailors have taught me know how to looked at things. race for the devil. on the water. then off the water drink the worm. or in my case the rum and coke
cougar
Don’t think of it as right or left. More like port & starboard. That way you won’t have to “think”, because it will just happen. Later, when you get the hang of it you might start thinking right & left.
I’ve seen people put colored tape stripes on the one side of the boat (ex. port side) so they know which side is which. You could also but a piece of tape on the radio so you will know which way to push the stick to turn to port.
will do that asap!! great idea!
Thanks