Reminds me of this, but WOXI wasn't kidding!

Bananabender said..
Just goes to show that if one of the WO family had been reading SB they could have phoned them up Wed and told em to turn the bloody ais on
SB has caught you out.

And that would constitute outside assistance and render them liable to a further penalty!

Richards non denial of what they did is an attempt to bully the CYCA. If WOXI isn't hit with a penalty the CYCA will be seen to be cowering to Richards bullying arrogance.

You don't have to be clever to be a good sailor .

WO crew probably will argue that they give lat/long positions at each radio sched ........ barrp!!!!

still in breach of a rule boys and girls !!!!

I keep thinking how AIS in a race is a godsend to keep tabs on your nearby boats.
I'm so used to it being on, I don't even think about it much anymore. We all use it to keep tabs on each other, and to wind each other up at the bar ("Trawling for prawns at the downwind mark again were we?") Most of the other race boats I know have a silent button, and when/if its safe they might go dark and then try and gybe away. Some have it but might not turn it on at all when racing. By and large, easily over half the fleet would have AIS, and have it on when conditions are sub par (like low vis, high traffic areas). I even use it to give my crew half hourly updates on our position and all our closest competitors.

At then end of the day it's all a bit of fun, because it's NOT a rule requirement for our local races, even though if you're offshore at night near a busy port, you do have AIS and you don't turn it on, then to my mind you probably shouldn't be in charge of a boat. It's good even for the crew picking out lights on the horizon and guessing who is who to pass the time!

I do get and understand that when sheep stations are on the line you'll take any advantage you can get to win that DOES NOT break the rules. The maxis are big money, and I get the pressure to perform.

But this broke the rules.
And, not transmitting on AIS when everyone else is in a race?
That's a massive advantage, especially in low vis.

Edit: Betcha they weren't the only ones either.

G'day Donk,
Yep wouldn't surprise me. A big issue I see with mandating it, which I personally think is a great idea for AIS plb detection, is what happens if its just a rubbish unit that weakly bleeps out to 4-5km? (not that ANYONE would ever do something so sneaky as that :) )
Add in a little boat, in big seas, pinned on your ear, how do you determine an infringement?
If your VHF is only getting a few miles, so is the AIS.
Policing it......man, now that's a hard one.

Oh no, not again.

Oh, I think so too. He's hard to like when he opens his mouth.
I just can't face another 12 months of Mark Richards moaning how hard done by WoXI was.
"Robbed!"
I think he might be flicked after this year, Or he should be. Public comments that look smart arse are never good PR for any brand.

I personally think that nothing will come out of this and that the clubs are just going through the motions

regards Don

shaggybaxter said..

Donk107 said..
I personally think that nothing will come out of this and that the clubs are just going through the motions

regards Don

Don't forget Don the Race /protest Committee is completely independent to the club. Will be interesting to see if there was intent proven, the penalty could be harsh if so.

Richards has already said to the press that he thought it wasn't compulsory to have it turned on .

They have to penalize them ,or it will turn the whole race into a farce .

Even if there was not intent to break a rule ,they still did break a rule , so a heavy penalty should apply .

How much time would a 100' yacht loose if it did 720 turn ?

LooseChange said..

SandS said..

Richards has already said to the press that he thought it wasn't compulsory to have it turned on .

They have to penalize them ,or it will turn the whole race into a farce .

Interesting, the navigator, Juan Vila said that he thought it was turned on for the entire race and now Richards comes out and says he didn't think it was compulsory to have it turned on. In my mind this is an indication of wilfully turning it off as it implies intent and forethought.

On another note, Blackjack said they couldn't 'see' WOXI on the AIS, therefore not knowing where WOXI was in relation to the other boats. Doesn't it then also work the other way that WOXI would not know where the others were?

HI Loose,
Nearly all the Class B transponders have a "silent"mode, where you are receiving but not transmitting. You even have a pair of wires on most units for a simple external toggle switch for only this purpose. If WoXI flipped the switch she'd be able to see everyone perfectly.
That of course signifies intent, a lot worse than oh bugger it wasn't working.

Reluctant to depart from the WOXI discussion that's taken over the thread, but what'
s happening to the yachts down the East Coast.

The one I'm following (Wings) has been going the wrong way at slow speed three out of the last four times I've looked (and has dropped back three places in the process). And I just noticed another doing the same.

Are they rounding up and being spun into tacks by vicious gusts?

shaggybaxter said..
Hi Tamble,
Wings looks like they're match racing a good friend of mine at the moment in Matrix!
I see her just trucking along at the moment pegging 16knots (must be having fun on a surf!), her track looks pretty good ?
Which tracker are you using?

Both the CYC one and the Windy one at the start of this thread.
Yes, it does look like they've got the issue under control. or at least I hope so. I'm sure the person I'm following will be keen to beat a yacht which, while not nearby, is within a place or two of them.

Wild Oats XI protest dismissed - found to be invalid.