Bonsoir Paul

The most important issue on this sort of single handed long time race is the tireness and obviously you performed very well as the end of you race was very performant. 

In order to preserve yourself it is better to set the auto-pilot almost all the time. Hand stering is more efficient, when tired, only if you are on a reaching course in the swell to prevent broaching. 

It is more important to check, and adjust if necessary, the sheet, sterring angle... frequently.

When you are near an other boat you always have the feeling that she is going more in the wind than you are because with the heeling, you consider the boat axis to be more to windward than it is realy.

It's just a optical illusion due to the fack that he boat (if not a scow) is wider at the stern than at the bow. 

Eric

Mark, see you at the starting line in 2026? ;-)

Bonsoir

As an experienced ex-racer, I had a sharp view on the race and the data available.

First, thank you Paul for the work you are achieving. 

Unfortunately, The « odd » boat moment in the price giving ceremony was taken by an interesting yellow prao with a crab claw rigging.

Second, Ilvy was the smallest boat in the "smallboat" category. It is definitly not good when it is not a handicap race ! 

Third, the small boat category is THE category with a lot of professionals, boats prepared by the shipyard,, superbe sets of sails… and this year the Beneteau world championship for the First 27SE (16 boats), a dedicated racing boat....

At Start, Paul went to the rear of the fleet before the start and was unable to reach to starting line on time because he had the tide against him. He is not the first, and not the only one on this race, to be trapped ! But it seemed that the boats ahead were faster.

Most of the first part of the race towards the northern end of the Island was headwind or almost headwind. Ilvy performances were un-even and I suspect that she might have been over-sheeted by time. When the boat was well trimmed, her track and speed were very similar to those of the surrounding pointy boats.

I'm working on a comparison with the IF boat "LAILA". Its interesting because both boats are taking the lead alternatively. 

At the northern end, Ilvy is rather at the back of the fleet. But a "passage a niveau" - "level crossing" with light headwinds against tide stopped the end of the fleet for several hours.

Then a "new start » for this group, ,headwind again as the wind had shift to the south.

Then, Ilvy was in the first group to succeed to pass the gate, but a few boats flew away a little. Then Ilvy started to overcome all the boats one by one and finished ahead of this group of boat.

They arrived at the finishing line almost at the tide shift and a boat just behind Ilvy (Maraca) didn’t succeed in crossing the line and resigned. 

Some good shots of Ilvy on https://portals.wetransfer.com/portals/a5ea8dc6-a5d2-4b1d-a0f3-0a059242f588

Eric

Anonymous wrote:

Bonjour Paul

I suppose that it is a handicap race. If so, how did you get a handicap and what is the value in comparaison of the same boat with a bermudien riging ?

Eric

Bonjour

I checked and it is not a handicap race. 

The small keel boat is THE most important serie with a lot of professional or semi-professional sailors with dedicated single handed racing boats as for example the Dehler 30OD (One design). 

This class is rather heterogenious (25.01 to 30.00 feet incl) and Ilvy (25,26feet - 7.7m) is among the smaller boats in the class. 

At start Ilvy was rather late with a 55tth position out of 65 starters. She kept in the same group for almost all the race. When they arrived at the northern part of the island, this group was blocked by the tide (in French racing terms we call it a "passage a niveau" -" a level crossing") while the most of the fleet passed before the tide shift (at the arrival time there is a gap of 5 hours betwenn Ilvy and the boat just ahead). In that narrow passage head wind against the tide, Ilvy started to overpass boats and she finished at the head of this group. 

Eric

Paul’s approach to everything is really impressive:  he make his plans, then finds a way to test his work against competition or with data.  Thanks and congratulations to him!!

I agree 100%