Hi,

and happy New year to all of you. I have just recovered from the first race of the year. This was the 18th annual New year race of Stavanger seilforening. The race started in nice conditiones, sunny, 6 degrees celcius and 14 knots Wind. The fleet was divided in a short, 10,2 nm and a long 12 nm race distance. Marie G is rated high in the short class, so I had a late start. There where only 4 boats starting behind me, 2 of them rather fast, a Rainbow 42 and a Farr ILC 40. I also had to deal with a Bavaria 36Cruiser and a Maxi 1050 sailing the short course. I managed to keep the Bavaria at bay untill the second rounding. After that we all ran into a hailstorm! Wind at 32 knots with large hail was quite hilarious, no visibility and all straight in your face. My cap and hood/buf combination helped. I reconed the wind would drop after the passing shower, and just forced Marie G hight into the wind without taking a panel down. At the next rounding Marie G was not the last to the mark, having exelled in "survival" conditiones. Next leg was a dead run. I just put the barndoor out, put the autopilot on, and helped myself to some food. Rounding the mark,I could congratulate my self with more boats behind me. The Bavaria had fared well in the hailstorm, but was now behind. He passed me on the next leg by a boatlength, but I retook my position on the following reaching leg in turbulence from the land. The rest of the race was a run to the mark, and a beat back, round the bouy and to the finishing line. The fast fleet had to make the last course twice, thus the last rounding became quite crowded. Marie G was the fill in the sandwitch between the Bavaria and the Farr ILC. On the last run to the finishing line, I lost out to the Farr, but gained on the Bavaria. Other boats tried to pass, but Marie G managed to get to the finishing line 2minutes and 40 Seconds behind the Farr, 2 Seconds Ahead of a Bavaria Match. The Cruiser was beaten with 1 minute and 13 Seconds. I thought I had a 15th position, but was positively surprised when I learned I had gotten the 8th place. Naturally I am pleased with being in the higher 1/3. Breaking it into numbers, Marie G travelled 1 nm in 13,33 minutes. The cruiser 14,21 min/nm. The Farr: 10,66 min/nm. All in all not bad for a sail that will not sail to windward

Ketil - just wanted to say thanks for your racing report postings.  Being interested in performance and having raced BM rigs the past 20 years - and now looking to simplify without slowing down too much, they are informative!

[Webmaster comment: Ketil's recent post moved here]

Report from the Shorthanded week end, Stavanger 28th and 29th September.

The start on saturday 11am went off in feeble winds. We all got away from the line upwind to a can and then downwind for the rest of the race. Marie G is really no good in light conditiones, but I was lucky with the choise of way forward, as some of the boats was becalmed, and I managed to sneak along the shore of the fjord where some draft was present. I could round the mark in 17th (of 21 boats) position. Thereafter it was  a good reach in light winds, unfortunately enough to lift the spinnakers, but I could still gain 4 positiones to the next rounding. On the very long running leg, the fastest boats sailed steadily away and left me in the last group of boats, 7 of us. A few hours and quite a distance covered, we all started to gain on the leading group. They had sailed into a windhole, and was lying still. When we caught up, we brought the wind with us, and the regatta was virtually restarted. Very frustrating for the leading bunch. The wind died and became fluky. The spinnakers would not set. The little wind started coming from all directions, so Marie G really enjoyed herself. The Junkrig is superb in turbulent and "hopeless" conditiones. I could se myself as the overall winner, but there was too little time left, and too far to the finishing line..... nobody finished!

The finishing area was in a marina with a restaurant. It was booked as a part of the race, and we all enjoyed ourselves with the usual bragging and lying.

Next morning was the sail home. It turned out to be a steep beat all the way with just too little wind to move Marie G efficiently. It was a long sail home, and I managed to finished the race with 51 seconds to spare for the cutoff time at 1700. The last 500 meters was the longest distance I have ever sailed. I had one boat behind me, but that was so far behind that they did not bother to cross the finishing line.

Braking it down to numbers, I could compare with a friends boat 40 minutes ahead of me, taking the handicap regulationes in the calculation. I could figure out that his boat was 15% quicker than mine. Not too bad in the conditiones. I got real comfort from the resultsheet, as I got beaten by 16 seconds by an Elan Impression 434. The boats name is Lazy, and that, I guess, sums it up.

Well done Ketil.  "Racing improves the breed!" 

Edmund Dantes, first race, November 2011 "Not much to brag about after the first race this season, although it was promising. The wind was 20-24 knots. The running bit was fine, with much more control than the spinnaker users, and more speed that a Hanse 350, even with one of my panels down. Upwind I tried to keep the relative wind angle at 35 degrees, boatspeed 5.4 knots and a VMG 3.7- 4.0 knots - quite respectable, but not really a challenge to the more slippery hulled and superbly sailed yachts."

Marie G: second race, August 2012 "I had the boat measured, and got a very good LYS of 1.18 for the Stavanger Race, but they put me in the touring class. The day came with very light and flimsy winds, and the starting line was moved away from the congested Vågen. The start was 'Gunder' method, ie the slowest boats start first and the fastest last, figured from the handicap. There was some fighting for space at the finish... Starting first in the touring class I could enjoy looking at it all from the stern. The race was straight out and in. Out was a port tack leg that allowed me to sail straight to the mark without tacking. I rounded the mark in 10th position from 32 contestants, and was looking forward to a reach home. The wind died a bit and became even more flimsy. I really had to work the sheet to keep the sail working with such little wind. I managed to keep my position and came in 10th overall, 2nd in class. At the prizegiving dinner I heard somebody mumbling "letting in the serpent". Big Smile. There was much interest in the rig, and many questions. I told them that the only way to understand the efficiency and easy handling of a junk is to come and sail Marie G."

Marie G, third race, September 2012 "The race was around Kvitsøy, an archepelago west from Stavanger consisting of a thousand islands and rocks. Very nice to anchor in, and very nice to sail around in a summer breeze. Today it was not a summer breeze, it was 22-26 knots wind, heavy swells from west and confusing waves from the south west, whipped up by the wind. Marie G performed well until we went out to sea. The race was more of taking care of the boat and my seasick wife. Rounding the south end of the islands gave us a good reach with waves from behind. The next rounding mark gave us a dead run - I could use full sail again. We had one yacht behind us, an Albin Nova, and despite her using a spinnaker, she could not catch us, and that was the position going around Tungenes and into sheltered water to the finishing line. I crept up on a few yachts, but could not overtake any of them as they where too far ahead. A good day's sail in heavy seas against the wind, with not a too bad result."

Marie G, fourth race, September 2012 "Yesterday was a great day for us junkies! On racing day, the weather was too nice. The race started at 1 pm with 4 knots wind from behind. Spinnaker starts are always interesting (of course I don't need one) so, after making a good start, I had a great wiew of the ongoing dramas while I had an easy job, letting out the sail and leaving it to the autopilot. The best sailed boats left me behind, but most of the boats could not sail away from Marie G. Well, I thought, as I turned the mark onto a tight reach - all good things must end. The wind picked up, and it became quite sailable. Spinnakers were now no use, but the junk sail really came into the right groove, and I could play 'catch up and run away from'. The next turning point gave us all a headwind. I did not look forward to that, but I was astonished at how well I could keep up. I was passed by an Elan Impression 384, but managed to keep a First 375 at bay. The route was up a narrow sound, with the wind from the side in catabatic turbulence. I entered the sound as the first of 3 boats. A better demonstration of the superiority of our rig could not be asked for. I gained more than 200 meters lead in a 500 meter sound. No wonder the Chinese used the rig on rivers! From the sound it was a run to the next turning point and a beat to the finishing line. The wind had increased and was now a healthy 18 knots, and Marie G did fine, passing the finishing line as number 6. Having 9 competitors behind left me with a very warm feeling. I am sailing with too high a handicap, but that did not prevent me from taking 1st place in the tourers' class. I have said it before, and now it is proven: if spinnakers are not used, our junk rig is superior!"