Foiling Long Distance BA Dec 17 2016

Yesterday we had multiclass Long Distance, this time around many were out on vacations or work to race but we had 3 F20FCS , the FP , 3 F1s & 3 Exploders A14s and 3 kite foils and 2 F18s.
Before the start some good pressure was still present and the top F1 went matching one of the double handed foilers, around 12knots gusts super flat Northerly. The interesting to see was that the A-Cat Z foil had better speed, again nothing scientific, but rather an eyeopener on the 4pt foiling system replacing in the future 100% the 3pt TNZ setup.

Once racing, last year winners Juan Faustín & Nico Aragones (Nacra F20FCS) got ahead of the pack and managed to foil in decreasing winds speed. It was a reaching course from Buenos Aires to downtown BA near where we held the F18 Worlds and back x 2.

Blue ribbon went for the Kite foilers (wing and foil) by far. On the cats the F20FCS sailed by Juan & Nico was superior to the other F20s and the FP which also broke spi haylard but while being behind the leaders. Juan & Nico showed their hours together onboard the F20 & the F18.

The start was floating mode for the rest and the F1s hold ground with the double handed foilers, but as stated the leader F20FCS was gone airborne as soon as they got extra pressure.

Juan & Nico Sailing shot from 2015. No pics of this edition as I sailed myself on the A14 / re cut Decksweeper & J/Z.
The interesting thing to report  was how another A14 with original A14 foils and square top main and a rookie onboard was clearly doing really good in floating mode, in fact he passed me coming from behind, later I realized I had some weeds, but nevertheless his speed was excellent , and confirmed again that we need an hybrid Decksweeper, as the Glaser one Matt Strubble is sailing.

In floating mode and with gusts / lulls later I could catch two F1s on better pressure ,  but  1 to 1 they were gone again as in past course racing we did weeks ago, Nothing to do even in floating mode.
I will try to get a D3 next year, in parallel I’m analyzing to built a platform here and fit with latest Exploder foils.

So not much to analyze this time around, as we didn´t had stable conditions and teh A fleet abandoned… I finished though as I like to keep learning to sail & race the A in marginan conditions. For Long Distance racing clearly the As suffered downwind in non foiling conds vs the spi cats, upwind or reach they hold really good and what left me wondering was the F1 little matchup vs 3pt TNZ double handed foiler. Specially thinking on the new Essentiel and the convertible F18 project.

We’ll try to do more Long distance in February. January is vacation time and people leave BA for a month or two.
———-