SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 LIGHT WIND SAILING ON BUMPY SEAS

 

SEPTEMBER 30, 2025

LIGHT WIND SAILING ON BUMPY SEAS

Predictions were for 7 knot winds decreasing to 3 knots through the evening. As usual, the flags were flying through the afternoon showing winds of 10-12 knots across the bay.  Even as we were leaving the harbor at 5pm there was enough wind from the southwest for a race.  We set a start  line and called for course W5: S/F>Schuyler>S/F.  As the clock ticked down to our start time, the wind started to dissipate even more.  Another factor was the sea state that was very choppy making it difficult to sail a southerly course to get outside.

As we all fought the challenging, low wind, choppy conditions we shortened course to finish at Schuyler.  As the sun was setting, boats were still sailing to finish.  It was a awesome display of the resilience of our Tuesday Night Sailors with 14 boats slogging their way to finish.  It was a night of light wind sailing on bumpy seas.

To review the tracks of fleet A:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=30.9.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

To review the tracks of fleet B:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=30.9.2025%2018:00:00&language=en

 

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                          PHRF                   ET                          CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE W5 SHORTENED TO FINISH AT SCHUYER:DIST=1.2NM

1             PACIFIC HIGH                          96                          43:43                  41:47

2             TRUE LOVE                              72                          53:47                  52:20

3             DUET                                          140                       55:47                  52:59

4             DOUBLE ESPRESSO                99                          1:02:24              1:02:25

5             AQUAVIT                                   72                          1:10:31              1:09:04

FLEET B: COURSE W5 SHORTENED TO FINISH AT SCHUYLR: DIST=1.2NM

1             BIG MAC                                    222                       1:05:08              1:00:41

2             AZOR                                           243                       1:07:27              1:02:35

3             GOLD RUSH                               126                       1:06:34              1:04:03

4             SIMPATICO                                 165                       1:08:25              1:05:07

5             TOAD                                           150                       1:08:17              1:05:17

6             SAILING PAIR A DICE               180                       1:11:20              1:07:44

7             WIND GODDESS                         165                       1:12:51              1:09:33

8             ABSOLUTE 05                             117                       1:12:54              1:10:33

9             MAKANI                                      147                       1:19:24              1:16:27

ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA

BEANS

I don’t have much to say about this Tuesday’s race except that, after we  slid into the starting mark, did our spin, and footed to the right, the wind went left. At that point the lure of the large pot of barbecue beans flavored with sausage, carrots, onions and yellow bell peppers waiting at the Club began to increase exponentially. (Not to mention the fresh-baked apple cake.) Since Tuesday was our fourth day of racing in a week, crew morale dictated the use of the ignition key. But, also, I hate slatting; it puts as much wear and tear on sails and gear as a week of hard sailing.    

 

SAILING ETYMOLOGY (WTF!) 

Cowboys have ropes. Sailors have lines.  Every line aboard has a specific name. In toto they comprise the running and standing rigging. Lines that move RUN. Lines that don’t move STAND. Standing rigging consists of STAYS, which support the rig fore-and-aft, and SHROUDS, which support the rig athwartships. The term shroud stems from the days of the black plague and poor quality hemp. So many were needed they appeared to conceal or ‘shroud’ the mast from view, just as sackcloth was used to shroud unburied victims of the disease. To really get in the spirit of the times (pun intended) shrouds were tensioned by a system of deadeyes or sheaveless wooden blocks that resembled faces of the deceased.

    

My favorite rigging term is martingale. To a cowboy, it’s a piece of tack leading from the breast strap or girth up to the bridle, limiting the ability of the horse to toss its head. There are even running and standing martingales. To a sailor, it’s a stay leading from the vessel’s stem, to the dolphin-striker, and then up to the  jib-boom, or the outer section of the bowsprit. It counteracts the upward force exerted by the fore-topmast stays’l and jibs. Modern boats don’t have them.  Today, boats with simple bowsprits just have a bobstay leading up from the stem. Which makes perfect sense if you think about a horse tossing or ‘bobbing’ its head.

Thank you Paul

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 BEAUTIFUL SUNSET SAIL

 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2025

BEAUTIFUL SUNSET SAIL

When I got to the harbor early in the afternoon, there was a building Easterly.  By 4 o’clock, the Easterly had switched to a healthy Westerly breeze but the question still remained: which of the winds would prevail at 6 o’clock?  As we left the harbor, we noted a fog bank over Aptos, which can be a precursor for an Easterly wind. We set the offset mark towards Blacks just in case the Easterly prevailed.  At 5:45 it was apparent the Westerly coming from 230-250 degrees was dominant and we announced the course W3M.  This is a course not on the course card but entered into Regatta Hero to be used when a slightly longer course is needed than W5.     

Both fleets got off to a clean start and tacked their way to Schuyler, then Mile and back to S/F.  We all finished just as the sun was setting.   For all the predictions of light wind and  fog, it turned into a beautiful sunset sail.

 

 Photo by Sam Hardin

 To review the tracks for Fleet A:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=23.9.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

For Fleet B:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=23.9.2025%2018:00:00&language=en

PHRF CORRECTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET             CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE W3M  DISTANCE 2.909NM

1             SAGITTARIUS                                  120                       36:27`                30:37

2             PACIFIC HIGH                                  96                          35:52                  31:12

4             MAIN SQUEEZE                              72                           35:55                  32:25

5             WIND II                                             213                          45:37                  35:17

6             ROSIE                                                162                          45:12                  37:20

FLEET B: COURSE W3M  DISTANCE 2.909NM

1             ZOOP                                                  144                           35:25                  28:26

2             GOLD RUSH                                      126                           36:34                  30:27

3             PERFECT 36                                      144                            37:34                  30:35

4             SIMPATICO                                       165                             38:44                  30:44

5             BIG MAC                                           222                             42:22                  31:36

6             SAILING PAIR A DICE                    180                              41:14                  32:30

7             TARA                                                 243                               45:26                  33:39

8             NIDAROS                                         118                                39:45                  34:01

9             PACIFIC SPIRIT                               165                                43:38                   35:38

10          AVATAR                                              132                                43:40                  37:16

11          TOAD                                                  150                               44:48                  37:31

“ZOOP SCOOP” by Paul Tara

A LATE BLOOMER?

Wind checks prior to the start indicated 250° early on, then backing to 240° with a lighter breeze on the beach. No hint of a further veer.  No fog. No foulies. Plus, cirrus over Monterey. I thought, “Hmmm….seems like another Fancy Dancer, but she’s late (then, they are always fickle).  Better keep an eye on the left, especially the C&C 35 Gold Rush, which likes the port end.”  These suspicions were borne out.  A look at the tracks for both fleets shows no advantage to the right on the beat to Schuyler, with boats on the left, outside, gradually being lifted on port. Aboard Zoop, in a virtual match race with Gold Rush, neither boat tacked onto port until we were almost to Mile Buoy. By Schuyler, we had already eaten up the 5 minute head start of the A fleet tail-enders.

 

Our match race continued, until we managed to scrape Gold Rush off on “Lark”, the tail-end SC 27, on the way to the finish.  I mention this because, after all the hints about sailing the shortest course, if you view the track, it looks like both Zoop and Gold Rush got to the bar way too early. That’s because Lark doesn’t show a track. But she’s there, first in front of us, then between us, then behind.  Here’s a hint for slower boats; when racing handicap, it’s a mistake to over engage with an overtaking faster boat. Your competitor is the clock, not the boat.  Especially when you’re not even racing in the same fleet. The best tactic is to figure out how to let them pass as painlessly as possible. Or, to quote from “16 Tons”, a Tennessee Ernie Ford hit from the 1950’s, “If ya see me comin’, better step aside, …..” 

 

“TILLER TOWRDS TROUBLE”

The term tiller is derived from the handles of horse-drawn plows, that were used to “till” the soil; they use the same method of control; push right to go left, push left to go right.

Thanks Paul

 

NOTIFICATIONS:

1)      Jack and Jill regatta is this coming Saturday.  Get your crew together for this fun event.

2)      There was a whisker pole found in the water outside the start area as boats were preparing for the race. It was retrieved by Mark Mccord on Big Mac.

3)      NEXT TUESDAY IS THE LAST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH WHICH MEANS BARBECUE POTLUCK AT THE CLUB AFTER THE RACE!  BRING YOUR BEST GRILLING FOOD FOR THIS AWESOME SOCIAL EVENT!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 A LATE EASTERLY

 

SEPTEMBER 16,2025

A LATE EASTERLY

My first sighting of the flags at 1400 when I got to the harbor was encouraging with a healthy Westerly showing.  As we left the harbor at 5pm, there was a heavy fog  bank surround the whole bay.  With fog in Aptos, I was thinking there would be a sudden Easterly shift.  What to do? We powered down to set an offset mark for an Easterly wind course and set a start line that would work for either an East or West wind.  As the clock ticked down we settled on a Westerly course W5: S/F-SCHUYLER-S/F.     

At the start, the Westerly was dying even more and with a crowded line, boats closer to the line had an advantage catching the last gasp of wind.  Many of us were caught in the doldrums until finally the Easterly built in allowing PAD to cross the line some 20 minutes late.  We were the last boat to cross the start line.  We made the announcement (by radio and Regatta Hero) to shorten the course to finish at Schuyler.

The boats remaining in the race made their way to the finish with multiple boats converging on Schuyler in close succession.  This is how it goes with a late Easterly.  As the fog got much thicker it was challenging retrieving the start line and offset mark we has set for the potential Easterly.  Thanks to my crew for an excellent job in challenging fog!

You can review the track for Fleet A at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=16.9.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

Fleet B at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=16.9.2025%2018:00:00&language=en

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET                          CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE W5 SHORTENED DISTANCE 1.2NM

1             TRUE LOVE                                   72                          28:03                  26:36

2             WATTS MOORE                             150                        30:51                  27:51

3             WIND II                                           213                       38:57                  34:41

4             PEGASUS                                        150                       37:44                  34:44

5             DUET                                               141                       42:00                  39:11

6             ABORIGINAL                                  33                          40:17                  39:37

7             AQUAVIT                                         72                          47:22                  45:55                 

FLEET B: COURSE W5 SHORTENED DISTANCE 1.2 NM

1             MAKANI                                              147                       39:36                  36:39

2             TARA                                                    243                       42:06                  37:14

3             ABSOLUTE 05                                    117                       39:39                  37:18

4             BIG MAC                                             222                       42:23                  37:56

5             HOT TUNA                                          243                       44:02                  39:04

6             TOAD                                                   150                       42:14                  39:14

7             SAILING PAIR A DICE                      180                       43:09                  39:33

8             AZOR                                                   243                       45:46                  40:54

9             NIDAROS                                            118                       43:45                  41:23

10          SIMPATICO                                          165                       44:54                  41:36

THE ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA

PROPULSION

Got a course sheet? Signed up for the series? Good. That means you signed where it says you agree to abide by the Racing Rules of Sailing.

 

RRS, Definitions, states that a yacht begins racing from her preparatory signal.

 

Rule 42 states that when racing “a yacht shall compete by only using the wind and water to increase, maintain, or decrease her speed”. 

 

Rule 42.3.i states that, “the sailing instructions may, in stated circumstances, permit propulsion using an engine or any other method, provided the boat does not gain a significant advantage in the race.”  Our Tuesday sailing instructions deem collision avoidance to be one of those circumstances.  But, the second half of that sentence still applies.   

 

Consequently, on Tuesday, it came as a surprise to see a number of boats all appear to be in imminent danger of collision, well after the preparatory signal.  Especially since this danger appeared to affect those whose bows were pointed at the starting line. Use of the engine is permitted right up to the preparatory signal, but not after. Appeal 69 clearly states that momentum built up by powering prior to the preparatory signal may be used, provided the engine is shut down before she begins racing.

 

In days of yore, powering and then coasting was a popular tactic on the Bay for one particular boat in the Corinthian YC Midwinters.  But not for the reasons you might expect.  The boat was “Carina”, Cal 30 number 2, built by Jensen Marine.  As only the second boat they had ever built with an inboard, she was powered by a lightweight air-cooled Onan gas engine. This was coupled by direct drive to a two-bladed feathering prop. Shifting to reverse involved reversing the propeller pitch via a linkage through the hollow prop shaft. Since the engine was air-cooled, all that warm air exited through a vent on the inside of the cockpit coaming (there was a separate exhaust). Strategic crew placement allowed everyone to take turns literally inflating their foulies with nice warm air.  The faster she went, the warmer it got. So, it wasn’t uncommon to see us ripping around in big circles prior to our preparatory, even when there was enough wind.  We always shut down at our prep. But we were smiling.  

 

Don’t blow it.  Remember Paul Elvtrøm, “You have not won, if you have lost the respect of your competitors.”

 

Speaking of Danes, remember Olaf and his “steer-board”? Well, it didn’t take Norse shipbuilders long to realize that going alongside in port with your steering oar next to a quay or wharf was bad seamanship. Rather than spending all their time repairing steering oars, vessels began trying to always dock with their left, or “port” sides adjacent to quays and wharves.

Thanks Paul

Mix and Match (AKA Jack & Jill)

The annual, fun and all inclusive Mix and Match Regatta is coming up  on Saturday, September 27th.  Many divisions are offered to cover all combinations of family, friends and people who may not often crew. 

 Double Handed Jib & Main  or Spinnaker

 Foursome Mix & Match Jib & Main or Spinnaker

Family & Friends (Unlimited crew) Jib & Main or Spinnaker

Moore 24 DH

 Line up your crew and register now at https://scyc.org/regatta/Bk7xbXYJKu

Need crew? Check out

https://scyc.org/crew-corner---view

 

Kindly register soon so that we may plan accordingly for delicious appetizers, trophies and prizes and end ties.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 AWESOME WIND

 

SEPTEMBER 9,  2025

AWESOME WIND

Prospects for good wind were not looking good.  The flags were showing winds coming from the West, then switching for a while to Easterly.  I got reports from sailors that there was a steady 8 knot breeze on the bay which is enough to have a race.  As we left the harbor just after 5 o’clock there was a good 15-19 knot breeze.  Since we can use Regatta Hero to shorten course if needed, we can call for longer courses. We announced an ambitious course:   W1.  Both fleets got off to a clean start as both fleets tacked their way toward the windward mark.  The conditions stayed the same throughout the evening.   It was great to be sailing in some awesome wind.

The track for Fleet A can be reviewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=9.9.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

Fleet B track at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=9.9.2025%2018:00:00&language=en            

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET                          CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE W1   DISTANCE  3.873NM

1             TRUE LOVE                                      72                          41:13                  36:34

2             ABORIGINAL                                    33                          38:55                  36:47

3             INTERLUDE                                      141                       48:35                  39:28

4             AQUAVIT                                           72                          48:31                  43:52

5             ABSOLUTE 25                                   48                          47:53                  44:47

FLEET B:  COURSE W1   DISTANCE 3.873NM

1             ZOOP                                                  144                       45:48                  36:30

2             PERFECT 36                                      144                       47:36                  38:18

3             BIG MAC                                           222                       53:31                  39:11

4             MAKANI                                           147                       49:48                  40:18

5             SAILING PAIR A DICE                    180                       52:09                  40:31

6             TARA                                                  243                       56:41                  40:59

7             GOLD RUSH                                     126                       50:05                  41:56

8             WIND GODDESS                              165                       54:40                  44:00

9             SIMPATICO                                       165                       55:02                  44:22

10          PACIFIC SPIRIT                                 165                       55:12                  44:32

11          ABSOLUTE 05                                    117                       52:32                  44:58

12          TOAD                                                   150                       58:02                  48:21

13          NIDAROS                                             144                       59:17                  49:59

_)                                  _)                                                      _)                               (_                            (_

Don’t forget, the Jack and Jill regatta is coming up on Saturday  September 27.

ZOOP SCOOP  by Paul Tara

The BIG Shift
On Tuesday, with the autumnal equinox just around the corner, a sea buoy off San Francisco recorded a surface temp of 65° F . Surface evaporation and an upper level low combined to produce a muggy, almost tropical day with a few light showers.  By noon, most of the overcast had started to clear and a moderate westerly was stirring, but without much enthusiasm. It even that showed signs of dissipating around 1500.

Aboard Zoop, on D dock, I thought, “Wow. Another Fancy Dancer. Wonder what she’s got in store.”  Because, if you’ll recall, Fancy Dancer’s don’t follow the usual pattern (fog offshore, strong cold westerly with transition to easterly inshore). We had no fog, and we had no strong cold westerly.  But windexes in the Harbor were showing no hint of a backing southerly shift indicating an easterly transition either.  Then, right around 1600, as Pair-A-Dice left the dock, the westerly began to increase.

The standard westerly in Santa Cruz is 240°.  When we arrived at the starting area, about 1710, it was at 242° with no visible increase outside. A long line was set, with the port (offshore) end favored. Another wind-check at 1740 showed 252°, with the westerly having increased slightly.  That 10° veer, made the port end less attractive, but not enough to discourage Aboriginal, in A Fleet, from making a perfect port tack start. (We could hear the gnashing of teeth aboard True Love and Sagittarius clear at the other end of the line.)  The important thing to note is that, even though Aboriginal started at the port end, she was headed right.  By the time the lead B Fleet boats finished, the wind was at 262° and shortly thereafter, as we approached the Harbor, it was at 272°, due west.  242° to 270°, 30° in 40 minutes; that’s a BIG shift. Not a good night to bet left.

Speaking of port tack starts, ever wonder why starboard tack has the right-of-way? It’s because most of us are right-handed.  Early sailing vessels evolved from canoes and were double-enders that were steered with paddles or, eventually, steering oars. These were almost always on the right side where they were easier for the majority to control (the right hand functions as the lower gudgeon, where most of the force is concentrated). The Norse developed these ‘steer boards’ to a high degree, they were always shipped over the right side, hence it became known as the ‘steerboard’ side.

But, in spite of being quite sophisticated, the steering oar had two drawbacks. First, a vessel on starboard tack, heeling to port, tended to lift its oar out of the water, reducing control.  Second, the helmsman, who had to remain on the starboard side near the oar, often had his view ahead and to leeward blocked by the sail (sound familiar?). Whereas, on port tack, the opposite was true; good visibility and control.  Hence starboard tack earned the right-of-way, “Olaf! Those guys can’t stnd don’t see us. Let’s duck!”

Thank you Paul.

I hope to see you sailing next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

SEPTEMBER 2, 2025 JUST ANOTHER DRIFTER

 

SEPTEMBER 2, 2025

JUST ANOTHER DRIFTER

I was encouraged to see the flags showing a mild breeze.  Though it was not a strong breeze, it seemed to be consistent with no signs of dissipating.  As we left the harbor around 5pm, the same consistent wind seemed to fill the bay.  We determined the wind direction was from 220 degrees and set a start line square to this.  With the wind coming from a southerly direction, we chose an ambitious course S4.  Though everyone seems to be using Regatta Hero, we are maintaining our redundancy of blowing our “10 minute horn” and announcing the course on VHF 69.

Both fleets tacked their way to Mile in a steady 8-9 knot breeze.  As we were rounding Mile for the long downwind run to Blacks, it was apparent that we had been too ambitious in our course.  Noting that Aboriginal had not rounded Blacks yet, we shortened course to finish at Blacks.  As usual, the dead downwind course in light breeze felt like the wind had died completely as we sailed excruciatingly slowly to finish at Blacks.  Even though the apparent wind kicked in once we rounded Blacks, it was the correct move to shorten course since it had turned into just another drifter.

The track for A Fleet can be reviewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=2.9.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

The track for B Fleet can be seen at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=2.9.2025%2018:00:00&language=en

                                        

                                            Photo by Jennifer Kinsman

 PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET              CORRECTED

FLEET A:   COURSE S4 SHORTENED DIST=2.34NM

1             PACIFIC HIGH                                96                          43:43                  39:57

2             DUET                                               141                        45:57                  40:25

3             TRUE LOVE                                    72                          43:38                  40:48

4             GOOD TIMIN’                                 141                       48:00                  42:28

5             ABORIGINAL                                  33                         45:59                  44:41

6             WIND  II                                           213                        56:04                  47:43

7             AQUAVIT                                         72                          52:50                  50:00

FLEET B:  COURSE S4 SHORTENED DIST=2.34NM

1             GOLD RUSH                                   126                       50:58                  46:02

2             AVATAR                                            132                       54:27                  49:17

3             ZOOP                                                 144                       55:54                  50:15

4             SAILING PAIR A DICE                   180                       58:20                  51:17

5             NIDAROS                                         144                       57:40                  52:01

6             BIG MAC                                           222                       1:00:46              52:04

7             HAMACHI                                        243                       1:01:43              52:14

8             TARA                                                 243                       1:01:58              52:27

9             PERFECT 36                                     144                       1:02:01              56:22

10          PATRIOT                                            144                       1:05:08              59:29

11          TOAD                                                  150                       1:08:53              1:03:00

12          WIND GODDESS                               165                       1:11:00              1:04:32

13          PACIFIC SPIRIT                                 165                       1:12:03              1:05:35

 

JACK AND JILL REGATTA:

Remember the Jack and Jill regatta will be on September 27.  Time to get crew lined up!

THE ZOOP  SCOOP  BY PAUL TARA

A HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR

First, I encourage everyone to take note of Gold Rush’s performance in the B fleet.  Newer is not necessarily better.  She sailed a nearly perfect race, nailing the start at the port end, and basically sailing away from the fleet. Not bad for a C&C 35 Mk I built in the 1960’s (making her, by far, the oldest boat sailing on Tuesdays). She was one of the very first boats in the Harbor and I’m sure her previous skipper, the late Allen Morton, is smiling. I bet you can guess what her hull color is.



Now, take a look at these tracks from this past Tuesday. (Regatta Hero did not display individual ‘routes’ in tabular form, so you’re just going to have to face grim reality graphically.)

 

A Fleet (above) B Fleet (below).

 

 

The course was Mile Buoy, Blacks. The compass course to Blacks is the thin black line. Every foot deviated from it is extra distance.  On the eve of the Battle of Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson told his officers, “No captain can do very wrong who places his ship alongside that of the enemy.”  If he’d been around on Tuesday, he might have said, “No skipper can be very wrong who points his bow straight at the next mark.”  

 

Psychology plays an important role in yacht racing, especially when it involves rivalry between similar boats. Plus, nothing feels slower than going dead downwind in light to moderate air.  But, before haring off into the wild blue yonder in search of more apparent wind, try to keep in mind these are corrected time fleet races. There is always a price for straying from the shortest course.  The old adage “up in the lulls, down in the puffs” still applies off the wind, but don’t get carried away. The laws of physics are non-negotiable. What feels better in the moment may not pay off later. And, on Tuesdays, later is often sooner than you think. 

 

Our races are short.  If there’s breeze, most don’t last much longer than the time it takes to rig the boat, making recovery from a poor decision very difficult.  There just isn’t enough racetrack. Generally, when sailing low performance boats, the bet to trade distance for speed is not a good one, because the speed increase is minimal.

It’s the long game that counts, even if it only lasts 30 minutes.

Thanks Paul.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice