I've just realised that all 3 races at rutland are going to be back to back!

Has the world gone mad?
What is the obsession with this endurance sailing?

Personally, I prefer to have a nice sit down and a cup of tea in between races. If I don't get home in time to watch the Antiques Roadshow, I'm not all that bothered.

Is it just me?

Tim, do the geography (not the math)

We were sailing up against the dam last year and the wind was blowing from over the back of the club.  I think it was a 2 mile beat back to shore.  That's a bloody long way to sail back for a cup of tea and a bit of cake!

Perhaps you can do what my crew is doing as we speak and sew mesh bags to store water bottles and muesli bars!

Back to back racing is so much better, more sailing less sitting around in damp clothes, as long as the OD gets a move on it's so much more fun.

Tim, I think your comment about endurance sailing must relate to the marathon we undertook at Salcombe!  I hope if the races are 3 back to back then they will be a bit shorter and also consider the length for the poor folk like me at the back who have slogged round after a refreshing dip at some point.  Will fit some clips for water bottles in preparation then.

What about the loo breaks? OK for men more difficult for girls. It's not just Merlin Rockets that are suffering under the shorter back to back race formats a retrograde step I think, fewer longer races with a break is much better.But I doubt it'll change OOD's for obvious reasond prefer the new format and now regattas are increasingly commercial - and everybody wanting to watch telly too! It's hard to see it changing.

So Thinking with a tactical Head, Miss the first race, do second and third, as in the third every one will be bursting for the loo, not enough energy food and not concentrating.

Sounds like the way to go.

Or just do the radcliffe?

You mean sit down at the side of the boat, burst into tears when everyone passes you and give up?

prob with doing a Radcliff, is you get wet feet in a drysuit

But you do get warm feet!

Come to Blithfield with a westerly wind.
Start at the clubhouse - 'finish' at the clubhouse
Tea - cakes - and chat with friends between races. I think it is called 'been sociable'

Interesting, if everyone thought like Dave F, then no one would go out in the first race. Thus, they would be forced to rethink the format, or provide afloat conveniences, like they did at the Nationals at Hayling. However, if every on stayed ashore, then I bet some one would break rank and rush our at the last minute to try and score an easy first!

personally, i prefer shorter races with or without tea breaks.  At Rutland it is a long way back to the clubhouse so back to backs are the way to go.  How about a tea hut/boat on the shore up there somewhere?  Sometimes difficult to land though, believe me this tribesman has been forced to.

The reality is that, if you want a one day 3 race meeting on a large stretch of water with the racing area at a distance from the launching area, races  will have to be back to back.  Alternatives are: two races only with no discard, or start the first race at 10.00 a.m. - neither of which may be all that attractive.

Or the other way is to win the first two races then go home.

OK Mr Geek things may have been easier for the boys in the days of crinkly waterproofs held up with string but believe me it's still quite a mission having a pee in either a long-john wetsuit with a buoyancy aid and spray top over or even worse a rear-zipped drysuit!

Catheterisation by appointment (& for a fee)

Andrew M (M.B.)

Why can't you just hop over the back and pee in your wetsuit?

As long as you're in the water it'll flush itself out.

Its so hard to steer hanging on to the stock...

Andrew, would you recommend a catheter and a bag, or simply have it poking out of the wrist seal, which I think would be more intimidating for the opposition. Are they easy to insert? Is it special tubing, or can you buy it at any chemist or DIY store? Do you need to steralise it each time, if so how? or is it cheap enough to be disposable.

Many thanks

p.s. Andrew, what do the intitials M.B. after your name mean - 
Meat Butcher?
Medical Bodger?
Mean Bloke?

As a newcomer to the class I find our format and this thread quite interesting....  Do three short races require more endurance than one long one?  Surely if we have more shorter races then it gives us the chance to have a rest in between and if you make a compete balls up, you can have a rest and start again....

Some classes have gone as far as 5 laps in 40 minutes - 3 races a day.  It's very exciting to compete and to watch and is a little different from getting the binoculars out to try and see the next mark - it's out there somewhere, honest! 

If you need a comfort break in between races then probably better to wear a wetsuit than a back zip drysuit, don't you think?

Most quick merlin races are aprox 60 mins for the leader, last man need to finish in 30 mins, =90mins
reset startline 10-15mins
general recalls 10 mins +
+ sail to the start and sail back 30mins
total time for 3 races 385 mins, aprox 6.4 hours. 
so get praticing holding that bladder!!!
so in salcombe terms about 1.3 races.

Some of us don't need the catheter to have something poking out of a wrist seal............

Also Alan, didn't a bloke get into trouble for that, or was that poking something into a dolphin.

Reality Checker might be pushing it a bit far with 6.4 hours on the Water, but I recall many races of 5 hours on the water.

Aha! Confirmation that Merlins are indeed old men's boats. You'll risk scaring the young'uns away with all this talk of tea and cakes.

Depends what you put in the 'tea and cakes'.  Maybe the old men know something the young'uns don't.

Does the Ancient Geek remember the taste of bromide in his tea?

It's the Ex Lax in the chocolate cake that you have to look out for!!

Indeed.  Then your drysuit becomes a wetsuit.

If I (And I'm sure it was only a rumour.)do it didn't work! But what's that got to do with needing a leak, how about catheterising the fleet? Maybe some of the older ones (men of course.) have prostate problems so needing a pee doesn't occur?

Will ther be a minimum weight limit on the catheter and it's contents?

Surely a minimum weight limit would be for a bare catheter with contents exempt? While we're at it, perhaps you could have carbon catheters with kevlar bags.

Glider pilots may be able to help source the equipment which used to connect your fathering tackle to the outside of the aircraft but apparently they now go in to a plastic bag. Don't think it would be comfy though!

Who's going to volunteer for jacko to take a mold for his soon to be marketed carbon catheter?

I have a feeling that if I give a detailed reply about what to get, where to get it from, and where to stick it up our dear moderator will remove the answer from the forum...
As for what it stands for, thanks for asking, it now occurs to me that despite the passing of 24 years since obtaining my medical degree (M.B.,B.S.) I know what the B.S. is (bachelor of surgery - even though I was married at the time and had done absolutely no surgery) the M.B. is a bit of a puzzle.  I don't think it is Medical Batchelor as that just doesn't sound posh enough for the poncy physicians, it's probably in Latin.  However it is now 31 years since I scraped through Latin O level, so, in short, I don't know.

Batchelor of Medecine (despite the order)

BS is alternative to BCh (Ch is Chirurgia - Latin for surgery)

Thank you - what a stupid idea to just reverse the order

The mem sahib's father who was medic to the NASA Astronauts says nappy's are the answer! Though the concept of nappy rash with that other yachtsmans problem hemeroids makes the eyes water a bit!

I know a man with piles of gold - he says he feels rich but very uncomfortable!!

Terrys' or disposables? Can you suggest a good supplier. Will the clubs provide those buckets that you put dirty nappies in to soak at the end of racing?

Perhaps crews could bring their own carbon buckets for disposal of their hiking nappies?

It took us months of grief to potty-train our kids...and you are suggesting that adults regress back on purpose?!?!

Ah! but imagine lying on your back having your bum wiped with one of those little wet squares...... Ooops shouldn't be letting my fantasies out!

Just had a chat with our resident glider pilot.

They've got it all sorted bless'em!