Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg
Are you thinking of the America's Cup race? 
I don't recall a mast breaking during that race, but then, it wasn't much of a race anyhow.
In other news: I started reading the first book in the Master and Commander series. It starts on land, getting to know the characters. So far I would say that it is delightful, though it starts up rather slowly. |
Right boat race, wrong boat bit.
They had the "running backstay", a standing rigging on a turnbuckle, hauled up tight, to pull and curve the top of the mast back. This puts a bigger belly in the sail and, not unlike an airplane wings chord ratio, more belly gives more drive for a given wind speed. Hauled that backstay up
too hard. They actually snapped the boats keel in half and she went down in about 13 seconds.
I might check out Gutenberg Press on that book.
I don't mind the pure text version, and I can always get Verbot to read it to me.
And I do enjoy historically based stories.