Racing

[wingman]

Bay Wings just completed the Cedar Point Race, a 24-nm race on the Chesapeake Bay and finished second out of 10 on corrected time. For results, go to http://www.gibsonislandys.org/results.html.

Bob Orr, who recently bought a T28, was one of my crew. We had three total, which is the maximum, and optimal, crew number.

We started the race in light winds from the east and the mark was at about 185 degrees. The true wind went from 060 to 110 relative to our heading, and was 4-6 knots at the beginning of the race. We continually reassessed the use of our spinnaker, but were afraid that we would have to sail too far off the rhumb line. After about 4 nm, we passed under the Bay Bridge and the wind shifted to the North and lightened. We sailed at 140 degrees off the wind, gybing down the east side in a narrow wind band. We could see the leaders parked at the turning mark. The wind was so light, they were barely moving against a strong ebbing tide that ran well past its time for turning. We had had a lot of rain and the entire basin as draining.

Just before we made the mark, the wind freshened and the entire fleet (we have the highest handicap of 0.887) started north. After we did a windward takedown, we hardened up to make the mark, and started slipping sideways. Oh no, we forgot the centerboard! Bob made a quick dash below to lower it and we missed a big metal mark by several feet.

Upwind, we found that VMG dropped 0.6 knots every time we got into deep water, so we tacked upwind for 8 nm to the bridge in shallow water, again on the eastern side. As we passed under the bridge, we had to move to the center of the bay and the fetch built the waves, slowing us, as did the current. Storms were to the left, right, and south, but no lightning and just light rain. We easily beat a monohull with whom we had crossed tacks all the way up the bay.

Just after the finish, the heavens opened and wind and rain attacked. Fortunately, Bob had remembered that we had to put lazy jacks back on the boom, so we could quickly lower the main.

It was a great race and we learned a lot about the boat, including we could fly the spinnaker in 2-3 knots in flat water.

Bob, feel free to add your comments.

John

[Andy]

How many have raced a Telstar and how do you go about getting a PHRF rating? There are a few longer distance races I would like to try up here on the Great Lakes but few of them allow multihulls due to the difficulty getting a comparable rating to monohulls. Has anyone succesfully got a PHRF rating for a Telstar? if so what did it rate?
Many thanks
Andy on Telstar #371 Leslie Ann II

[Ron]

Andy -

The real reason why they sometimes don't let us race is that we are significantly faster on some points of sail. Down here in SW Florida most of the clubs mandate that we run in our own multihull class. If they don't have 3 or 5 boats (varies) to make up a class, we're out for the entire season. That's one of the reaons why I quit the local sailing club - last winter they did not have enough boats to form a class for us. This attitude is somewhat surprising considering all of the multihulls down there. A lot of the multihulls don't really enjoy this windward - leeward stuff anyway. The boat performs a lot better in between. I joined the local multihull club where they think that a race course should be a triangle - the way god intended.

Many of the multihull classes and clubs don't really use PHRF. They have their own system based on a percentage of elapsed time, rather than seconds per mile. For example, my boat is rated at something like 0.875. At the end of the race they multiply my time by this factor. An F33 could be rated at 1.2 or so. Note that many sailing or yacht clubs who require multihull classes for them to race will use this system instead.

That said, you can apply for a PHRF rating. Note that every region is different and the numbers are all over the place, especially on a boat that does not have a history. West Forida PHRF gave me a 180 non-spinnaker and a 156 with either chute. The numbers are very favorable, but it doesn't matter because the local clubs won't let me race in a PHRF class. I've heard that some of the other regions are somewhat higher on the Telstar (meaning lower numbers). It works as long as the spread between the various boats remains about the same, but that's not always the case.

I'm positive that you can apply for and get a PHRF rating, the real question is whether your club(s) will let you use it.

[trashpad]

Andy,

Take a look at
http://www.chesapeakemultihulls.org/
There is some good multihull racing info there. Send the rating guy an email and he might be able to help you.

[trashpad]

Here is my rating sheet from CMA. Some of the info will come in handy when you go for yours.






CMA Rating for 2009 (System 2009)
Last Name Koenig First Name Kurt

Boat Name Reboot Boat Type Catamaran Trimaran Proa

Boat Class Telstar 28 Length 27.67 Year 2007

Sail Number 346 Home Port Rock Creek, Passadena, MD

Rating .871

Measurements are based on the builder’s figures and drawings.
Center board shorter than the standard (Bay Wing) by 1 foot, and 50 horse OB instead of 20 horse standard. 130 lb added to the weight
estimate based on Bay Wing measurement (x 0.96). (Check the weight difference)
The main sail (Dacron) may be smaller than that on Bay Wing (Kevlar). (Check which one is the non-standard)
Genneker MGF has not been confirmed.

Remarks P C S
Max Draft .54 4.25 .54
Keel Draft .54 1.1 .54
Canoe Draft .54 1.1 .54
Hull Length Overall 25.2 27.67 25.2
Hull Length WL 11.63 26.5 11.63
Hull Beam Waterline 1.35 3.48 1.35
Hull Type parabola round parabola
Mid Section Coeff .68 .75 .68
Calc Displacement 202.94 2678.07 202.94
Beam Overall 18
Length Overall 27.67
Waterline Length 26.5
Rated Length 26.85
Draft Ratio .08119
Propeller Dia
Propeller Inst
Ref Sail Area 465.27
Measured Sail Area 524
Light Sail Area 29.403
Rated Sail Area 512.87
Water Ballast 0
Rig Height 34
Spin Hoist 36
.84
Measured Weight 4272
Calc Weight 3083.95
Estimated Weight
Estimation Method builder’s estimate x 0.99
Rated Weight 4097.02
Calculated Rating .898 % Adjustment -3
CMA Rating .871
Port Center Starboard
Hull Dimensions (FT & LBS)
Overall Hull Dimensions (FT)
Sail Area (SQ FT & FT)
Weight (LBS)
Rating
File Date 7 / 2 2 / 2 0 0 9
Measurements
Boat
Owner
5.48456 .84
Aspect Ratio 1.7875
Effective Draft
Bowsprit 4
Effective Spin Hoist 39.6
Screach Geneker Midgirth 0.65
Light Sails None One Screacher Genneker Two Screacher Gennekers One Spinnaker Two Spinnakers Both Screacher & Spinnaker
Phone (C) 443-527-3752
Hiking Rack Beam
Hiking Rack Correction 0
Foil Area
Foil Lift Vertical 0

[Ron]

Here is my rating sheet from CMA. Some of the info will come in handy when you go for yours.

That's the multhull rating system. PHRF is entirely different, with whole numbers running from about minus 150 to about plus 400. Since it equates to seconds per mile, a faster 100 PHRF boat would get the 100 seconds difference per mile added to his elaosed time over a 200 PHRF boat. I've sailed on a boat with a PHRF rating of about minus 120 - a Santa Cruz 74 that moves like a rocket ship. I wonder what sort of PHRF rating something like the BOR90 trimaran would get. Perhaps minus 400? He'd be giving almost every other boat on the water at least 6 minutes a mile.

[trashpad]

From what I understand we are using a take on PHRF Time-on-Time scoring and you are talking about PHRF Time-on-Distance scoring. Regardless of what handicapping method your club uses your Handicapper will need the measurements. I can post a cleaner copy if anybody needs it.

[Ron]

Kurt -

As a former monohull racer, I've never seen a PHRF time on time scoring system. The ratings are always time on distance - seconds per mile. Not saying that it doesn't exist, just have never seen it. The Portmouth Yardstick is time on time, but is usually divided by the handicap number to get corrected time.

The sailing and yacht clubs that are allowing multihulls to compete (almost always in their own class) have used both the regular PHRF numbers (seconds per mile) and a time correction factor system which I thought they borrowed from the local multihull club - depends on which club. Not sure where it came from - maybe someone else knows. The handicap there would be a decimal fraction that is used to calculate corrected time. Mine is about 0.875. Something like an F33 would be around 1.2.

[Pat Ross]

Cal Markwood with Multihull Dyanamics, Inc http://www.multihulldynamics.com has contibuted to the handicaping for the Heineken Regatta in Sint Maarten. He used the Texel Rating system. He can be contacted at the following email address if you want more details: multihull.analysis@comcast.net

Pat