Stability Index Test

In all yacht racing a ‘Notice of Race’ is issued inviting entrants who have a qualifying yacht to participate, a document which includes the eligibility requirements. As a Cat1+ event, the NoR for the Melbourne Osaka Cup states as a requirement, that each yacht must have “a Stability Index of not less than 115 degrees as verified through an inclination test”. This must be conducted by a suitably qualified person.

Recently a test was carried to out to establish a Stability Index for one of our race entrants Meltimi, co-skippered by couple Ian Howath and Lynn Boulton. Their initial instructions were to lighten the boat in readiness and to have a couple of spinnaker poles available, set up on either side of the boat. We went along to have a look at exactly how such a measurement is carried out.

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One of our earlier video clips looked at the process of weighing boats, another requirement for race eligibility. If you haven’t seen it, you can take a look at it here.