A leap of faith or a question of belief

Based on the predictions for the start of the Melbourne Tasmania races tomorrow, it is either a leap of faith for the Westcoasters or a question of belief for those going to Devonport.

PredictWind.com routings for the Westcoaster show a preferred course outside King Island for all weather models. In the past this has been disastrous for all who attempted it. It will be interesting to see if any of the fleet take the ‘Leap of Faith’ required and go to the West of King Island. Previous experience has seen competitors try this unusual strategy but never with any success. However never have we seen the modelling look so clear on the Western route.

The picture is a lot less clear for the Devonport race. Here the routes for each of the different models shows a completely different course to Devonport. Which one navigators choose to bet on will depend on which model they believe is more accurate, making this decision a question of belief.

Tomorrow’s weather briefing for all competitors will not just be compulsory but essential listening.