Not the same ring
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 22 Jul 2018 15:00 PDT
My precious! © Event Media
No, it certainly does not vibe you up. Well not unless it is the latest Greek Isle to be 'found', has 24-hour parties, wicked beaches, awesome restaurants, and stellar views on offer from just about everywhere you look. Yet what its name may lack in marketing panache, the goods certainly have more than enough clout to look after themselves.
Alas Vakaros is not an island, but note that in the world of competitive sailing this is quite the standout bit of kit! Now it may not be as synonymous (yet) with wind and tactics as say B&G or Tacktick, but Vakaros' Atlas is a global phenomenon. And so with the use of that name the Greek connection is now completed, and 'he' can keep on holding up the sky whilst we all keep playing underneath it with the instrument named after him.
For the last few years I have been sailing on a boat with fried electronics, save for the trusty compass whose light was even a wee bit tragic. Whilst seat-of-the-pants may have been fun, and often super-rewarding and fruitful, the number of times we came back ashore to ask what the wind got to, who did really well on the massive left or right hook, and what kind of pace they achieved running back downhill does really standout in my mind.
On that particular patch of water, the tide can run at five knots, so very often you kind of end up picking a side, for the trek across the fast flowing channel can be a travelator in exactly the wrong direction. If you go back to the 12s they had CRT screens in binnacles mounted behind the mainsheet winch, and the 'data' was relayed to them from the tenders trundling along not so far behind.
So as the pace of the craft grew, and the information age jumped into hyperspace, the need for more data, more often, and with better relativity not only increased, it became the game. Provided the American military wasn't protecting certain GPS 'aspects', you could really start to get a handle on what you, and the competition were up to. That meant being able to get on the podium more often.
It was into this world that the Vakaros Atlas was born and they wanted to be very 'real' when it came to the time that the information was delivered to you. Ah. Got you, now! One instrument with multiple displays, genuine real time intel, and the ability to have a bundle of data to explore afterwards. Gee I love sailing with propeller heads!!! Want to see what you might be able to do with some help? You can learn all you need to about the Atlas right here www.vakaros.com/atlas
Duck for the gybe now, and as the main gets ground back in under gorilla gear, and Bow 2 runs the kite sheet down the deck, it is hard not to get all fired up about the impending Sydney International Boat Show. Cannot wait to find the Belle of the Ball, and if you have an idea as to what it should be, then please let us know. We'll happily evaluate your thoughts on the matter. By the by, it has been a while since we relayed one of our reader's thoughts, but after receiving one from Ecuador during the week I am more than open to hearing about something you have seen, so in the week after the show, if you want something to be crowned Belle of the ball, then let me know. Thanks!
Set up! One and in. Helm down. This iteration of the Clipper is drawing to a close. Jules, who is in charge of ensuring we all know exactly what is going on in the world of the Clipper, wrote to me highlighting that, "Firstly, it's looking very likely that Wendy Tuck (AUS) is going to become our first female skipper to win the Clipper Race when we finish next week in Liverpool." Right on. Now there's an achievement!
"Either way, we should get our first female winner, as it is really between her and Nikki Henderson for the overall lead. Wendy is currently 14 points ahead. You get 12 for a win, but interestingly Nikki is the only skipper to leave her Joker Card to the final race, which means her team doubles their race points. With some bonus points on offer in the sprint and the scoring gate, it is still too close for calling. But to have both our females finishing on top is going to be great news." You bet, and whilst it will be terrific to see Wendy get the gold, having chatted at length with Nikki and her mostly female crew in the Whitsundays, I'll also be happy (but not as much) if they get the big prize.
Right oh - here today there are some gems for you to review. We have information on the Clipper, Bermuda Hamburg, the tremendous J/121, the Aussie Youth Team at Corpus Christi, The Hague Offshore Worlds, TP Worlds, Governor's Cup, the Golden Globe has been super-interesting to follow, Sail Paradise, the Five-Ohs from France, the pretty dinosaurs known as 12s, Tornados, and certainly there is much, much more.
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John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS