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  1. Francis Vaughan

    Forward Facing Sonar

    The OSCAR system info is pretty light on detail. Given the price I would not be expecting much capability in the FLIR system used. You don't get much resolution or signal to noise until you pay serious money, and then you run into dual use technology restrictions.  This is what real systems...
  2. Francis Vaughan

    Sydney to Hobart 2019

    Seems we had this exact same conversation in 2017.  Nothing if not consistent.  IMHO the only thing that makes the tack look close is the amount of money involved if they touched. Otherwise SW nailed the move, unlike WOXI in 2017, when MR overcooked it, badly. 
  3. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    It is worth reading the cited articles. The one from gCaptain covers most of the questions raised and only takes a few minutes.  AIS is very likely going to become a self limiting technology very soon. A core problem is that it is intrinsically designed to only cope with limited number of...
  4. Francis Vaughan

    New Hugo Boss Spotted

    Pedantically, if it is an adjustment it isn't a fuse. The point of a fuse is that it breaks instead of something else. You want the thing that breaks to be the one that leaves you in the safest possible state relative to any of the things that the fuse is protecting failing would leave you in...
  5. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    Last leg up through the Suez Canal on the back of a freighter? It is getting just plain weird.
  6. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    Last time they added a virtual waypoint to the route around Santo Porto, making the leg closer to 2,000nm. So going to Capo Verde is about double; but with a pitstop it is closer to two 2,000nm legs. So each leg is no longer than last time’s first leg.  It is odd. But if this is the intent, not...
  7. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    I would guess it is a stop that breaks the first leg, Alicante to Lisbon. Last race they were diverting the boats out and around islands to make the leg a bit longer. Putting a pitstop at the turning point makes little difference to the race. Being on the first leg it might be a good opportunity...
  8. Francis Vaughan

    THE IMOCA thread, single/double handed & TOR

    I think you just answered ctutmark’s question about the drain holes on Paprec. 
  9. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    No. Ironic that the attempt to align with IMOCA comes at the point where the single handed IMOCAs are really starting to optimise around their nature, and the advent of foils will probably drive that optimisation even harder into a different regime. So the design space will bifurcate in a manner...
  10. Francis Vaughan

    THE IMOCA thread, single/double handed & TOR

    Looking at the shape of the opening and the shadow in the hole it looks as if it is angled both forward and upwards, and looks as if it might intersect the deck near the midline forward of the mast. Given its size (not exactly small), and that angle, suggests it is intended to drain significant...
  11. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    Groan. That is a pretty wishy washy release. "more announcements expected in the coming weeks". Lordy, "expected"? Seriously? This seems to be an admission that they are well behind. I'm sure there are negotiations ongoing, but it really doesn't sound good.
  12. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    Much of this is treading ground that has been covered many times. There really doesn't seem to be a right answer. Comparing TOR with F1 racing is not a great start if you have been following the current woes in F1. Everyone is waiting with bated breath for the 2021 rules to drop in the next few...
  13. Francis Vaughan

    THE IMOCA thread, single/double handed & TOR

    The trouble with aluminium is that there is no safe load where it doesn't propagate cracks. Which is its dark secret. Most other metals you can reason about when cracks grow or not. But aluminium has a use by date that is baked in. (This worries me with the rise of aluminium in car construction...
  14. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    You could be right. I can’t say I have had enough enthusiasm to keep track. Which is a worry. If a fanboy like me is bored with progress, it doesn’t bode well for engaging a wider audience. 
  15. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    And another VO-65 entry. https://yachtracing.life/mirpuri-foundation-announces-return-to-the-ocean-race/
  16. Francis Vaughan

    How about a The Ocean Race thread?

    With no course set yet it seems a bit premature to be locking in a design if you are intent on winning. I guess assuming the course will be much as last time is a reasonable bet, but if it isn't, your optimisation assumptions might mean the wrong compromises are made, enough maybe to tip the...
  17. Francis Vaughan

    New imoca boats

    It isn't going to be easy to work out what the right answer is. One thing that hobbles the design space is the prohibition on active control surfaces. Adding a control surface to the foil and allowing active control would likely solve most issues. But there is a general allergy to countenancing...
  18. Francis Vaughan

    New imoca boats

    I think cat sailors have a significant sense of deja-vu looking at the progress and arguments about foiling here. Th A-class cats went through years of argument as foiling was developed with multiple attempts to restrict the design space. Eventually we have full foilers with t-rudders. The Nacra...
  19. Francis Vaughan

    VOR AUCTION - OPPORTUNITIES LOST & STILL THERE?

    "merger"  ???  Hmmm, that is a pretty strong word to use. Right now it has more the feel of a quickie in the car park. Long way to go before making an honest couple out of them.
  20. Francis Vaughan

    New imoca boats

    Deck spreaders already cause significant misery in terms of space needed.  It is interesting that Initiatives Coeur doesn't seem to have them. I wonder if they have crunched the numbers and the tradeoff has swung away from such a rig. (Good thing IMHO if true.) The foils motion looks half-way...


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