Formation Sailing

[Robert The Gray]

all,
Having just seen the Blue Angels performance jet team a few weeks ago, I wondered if any one has ever seen any formation sailing and close order drills. Not quite as fast as the jets I suppose and only in two dimensions, but I used to be in my high school marching band and I thought it would look kinda cool to have five boats of the same make moving through some crossing patterns and some synchronised tacking. We could end the show by pulling up to the docks stern first like the harley guys putting their hogs to the curb. We could have cool matching t shirts. My goodness it sounds like I want a cluphouse with a secret password too! Anyway......I have been practicing my 360's(i.e. spinning the boat from port broad reach to starboard broad reach in a tight 360 degree turn by wearing ship and backing the jib) and my fade away stalls (purposely blown tacks), and my slow sailing skills. Has any body seen any synchronised sailing teams? Displacement boats, not lazers.

r

[Figment]

I vaguely recall a "monkey see monkey do" drill from my collegiate sailing days. One boat was the lead, and everyone else had to try to perform the same maneuvers in synch. The lead boat's object was to get two of the other boats to contact each other as eventually someone would fall out of synch.

I know this is not really what you were driving at, but it's as close as my personal experience comes.