sail-world.com -- JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiffs: Big rigs for Day 1 - PredictWind
JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiffs: Big rigs for Day 1 - PredictWind
Sat, 16 Feb 2013
Moderate winds from a southerly direction are forecast for the first race of the 64th JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship being sailed on Sydney Harbour
PredictWind is showing a a breeze expected to average 10-13kts around race start time of 4.00pm, slowly easing to 8-10kts a couple of hours later. Gusts will be above this average strength.
There is no certainty as to the direction of the breeze, which is expected to be just south of east around noon, however the two feeds on direction developed by PredictWind as the basis of its forecasts sow the breeze moving in opposite directions after that time. At this stage one feed shows the stronger breeze clocking around to the SE as it eases during the day. The other feed shows a lighter breeze shifting north as it also eases later in the day.
Bottom line for crews is that there is some certainty for rig selection (big rigs a certainty) and the options for direction will have to be made on the water once the direction becomes evident and the expected trend can then be determined.
This prognosis has been based on a reference point in the centre of Sydney Harbour, and will obviously vary on the edges of the course
Developed by former Olympian, Jon Bilger (470, 1992), PredictWind application was used by the Swiss team Alinghi to win the 2003 and 2007 America's Cups, and has become the leading wind system used by racing and recreational sailors around the world. It is available on a subscription basis and also with a free forecast option.
A mobile app for Andriod and iPhone is available and PredictWind is probably the most used app on the Sail-World iPhone.
Real time local wind observations have been added as further functionality.
You can check the weather anywhere in the world, and get a five day forecast, plus a variety of other features and functions of PredictWind. The app is synchronised with your PC, so that your latest set of locations are always available without resetting each time you change a device.
Viewing the JJ Giltinan 18 Ft Skiffs:
Spectator ferries will follow each of the seven races in the championship, leaving Double Bay Wharf 30 minutes before the start of each race. Races 1 and 6 (Saturdays 16 and 23 February) start at 4pm while all other races start at 3pm.
Races 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 will be sailed on 17, 19, 20, 21 and 24 February.
For those who can’t make it onto the spectator ferry, there are many ways to follow the championship:
OziOpti
OziOpti is all about 'getting kids in boats' and the Australian company supporting the introduction to of the world’s most popular junior sailing yacht, the 'International Optimist Dinghy' [More info]
http://www.oziopti.com.au
Performance Sailcraft Australia (Asia Pacific)
Laser builder Performance Sailcraft Australia has taken on the successful RS Sailboat range from Britain, and is now licensed to build and distribute all of the RS range in the Asia Pacific region. [More info]
http://www.lasersailing.com.au
Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week
Entries for the fourth annual Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week have opened! 4 days of racing, 5 days of fun – that is what you can look forward to from 3-7 September at Magnetic Island. [More info]
http://www.magneticislandraceweek.com.au