2023 Cro Melges Cup Mornar, Race 2

Race Area

Start

Looks like still some distance to the line for most of the boats. The pinged data of Zen shows the pin lower than the GPS tracker. It can easily be that with the depth of 60m is very easy for line ends to move a lot. It was also pinged 10 minutes before the gun, so it could have still moved.

Actual line vs pinged line of Zen (bottom red and green dots). 1 square is 10m

5 boats started within 2 meters of upwind distance. After a minute, Rzjr was leading with mataran following and everyone else was already more than 14m behind.

1st upwind

Rzjrn got the edge of the others by being able to tack and cross the fleet. Mtrn needed to go behind Joyrnr and SuggarD. All those boats held together on the port tack. Point1 made it back from a bad start by quickly clearing out and tacking back to the fleet. However, it lost some meters from three boats above on the way to the right.

The approach to the top mark was the key point. Ending up on the right layline too early with other boats can lead you over it. The first one guessing the layline will go always a bit over and the others have to go even more. This opens up the opportunity for the left-approaching boats to jump in. Rzjrn and Point1 did this.

Note how much less sailing on port tack RZJRN and PNT1 have on the left, compared to the boats sailing extra meters and ending up over the layline. Left approach can be very powerful tool, especially if fleet is not so condensed so a gap can be found to tack around the mark.

Tutta and Bllb were behind and going to the right layline too soon ends up in either being covered (Tutta) or way above the layline (Bllb)

Zen was losing a bit from the full left, getting lifted a bit later.

Clean sailing, no maneuvers, rounding and VMG>3.5

1st Downwind

Earlier gybe ended up being good. Maybe not even due to the wind, but just that boats doing it were cleaner on the way to the mark. Zen had pretty solid downwind, almost the fastest of the fleet. Joyrunner has lost the most with two extra gybes.

Gate Rounding

One mark was 30m above the other. This just cannot be ignored since it leads into 60m more direct up/down sailing, so loss is even bigger than that. There can be no excuse, even if big traffic, to go to the leeward one.

How much more upwind boats were rounding the gate compared to Joyrunner (brown 0).

Joyrunner leading in, trailing out by far. Even to Sgdaddy that had pretty bad rounding.

2nd Upwind

Things have stayed pretty much the same. Small gains to the leader by Pnt1 and Joyrn by being under the left layline.

Clean sailing, no mans, rounding and VMG>3.5kts

2nd Downwind

Rzjrn has stretched out of the fleet, being the only one sailing the fast mode successfully and even doing some extra gybes.