Cyclops Marine "Guess the Load Competition" winner announced!
by Cyclops Marine 25 Mar 2021 12:40 UTC
Cyclops Marine “Guess the Load Competition” guess variation © Cyclops Marine
Do you know your loads?
Last month Cyclops Marine ran a "Guess the Load Competition", offering a free load sensor to the person who could guess (to the nearest kg) what peak forestay load J/70 World Champions Paul Ward and his team 'Eat, Sleep J, Repeat' clocked while training with a smarttune load sensor in 14-18 knots.
We were overwhelmed with a vast array of answers from 20 different countries, but our winner, Ian Turnbull of Stainton, South Lakeland, England came in at 744kg - just 1kg off the true peak figure which was 745kg.
Ian, shown sailing a Musto Skiff (below), has competed in an array of classes and will be the recipient of a smarttune 5/16", for install on his J/70 - the same sensor used in training by Paul Ward and his team on their forestay.
Ian said: "I was absolutely shocked to hear I'd won. When I was trying to come up with a figure I checked my rig gauge and tried to think of the numbers we pull and I just took a guess."
Ian's hoping his smarttune can give him an accurate idea of his fast rig numbers and allow him to concentrate on winning races:
"I'm big into calibrating everything on the boat, so we can replicate settings easily and get our heads out of the boat, so this will take that to the next level... Normally we're just going by sight and only a ballpark figure. It's not just about pulling to a number that someone suggests, but feeling what's fast and replicating those settings. I'm hoping the sensor will really allow us to fine-tune."
Judging by the range of guesses we received, Ian's knack for rig numbers is a pretty rare gift. Only 6% of entries were within 50kg and a huge number came in way over the true load (with no shortage of J/70 sailors among those who overshot).
Our thanks go out to Paul, Charlie, Mario and Ruairidh, from 'Eat, Sleep, J Repeat' for allowing us to share their peak load.
If you'd like to get to 'know your loads' and narrow in on those optimal rig settings, get in touch with Cyclops Marine and find out how our technology can improve your performance.
Email: or visit www.cyclopsmarine.com