TUESDAY JUNE 25, 2013
Tuesday, I was volunteering for the yacht club setting up for the Laser Nationals, so I had my eye on the conditions as they developed through the day. It was not looking good. There was not a whisper of breeze all day and the rain made it even more depressing. Imagine hanging out with a bunch of teenage Laser sailors itching to go sailing without any cooperation from the elements. I resigned to go out anyway on Tuesday night, for a soggy floatfest.
I was somewhat surprised as I pulled over Murray Street bridge, to see wind on the water and the rain had also subsided. We headed out in clear conditions, but were soon engulfed in pretty heavy fog. Shortly after getting to the start mark, another sailboast appeared in the fog; it was the only other Catalina joining us that night. It was Joel on Tres Santos. We had 10 knots of wind and no rain. Since Joel had no GPS, we wanted to make sure he made it back to the harbor and stayed close by his boat. It was a great experience sailing in such mystical conditions. We went to the club and fired up the Barbecue for some burgers and Ahi, for a great end to the night.
THE ART OF ANCHORING
Anchoring is something you never hear racing sailors talk about. Indeed, many excellent racers really have no clue about anchoring. Fortunately, I have been on my share of bareboat charters, where anchoring is often required. A well set anchor is essential if you want to sleep through the night peacefully.
EQUIPMENT OPTIONS:
When chartering, you are stuck with the equipment that comes on the boat. Even though you are not familiar with the equipment, you can almost be certain that charter boats have more than adequate anchor tackle, with a lot of chain and a windlass to help deploy and retrieve the anchor. I have never seen a charter boat with the rode marked off to show how much rode is out. If you are not familiar with a windlass, listen closely when the equipment is explained. Frequently chain will come around the windless and be fed through a ring to the anchor locker. If the locker is not deep enough, the chain will pile up. If this pile is not cleared by hand, it will cause the windlass to skip.
On your own boat, you can set up an ideal system, with your favorite anchor and rode (with your ideal amount of chain and line) and all marked off so you know how much rode you are deploying. The type of anchor to use depends a lot on the type of bottom you plan on anchoring in. Preferably, you want to anchor over sand, mud or fine gravel. For versatility, I like my Danforth, but some of the new anchors like Delta or CQR are also preferred by many cruisers. The purpose of the chain is to lower the angle of pull on the anchor to assist in setting the anchor. Obviously having an all chain rode is best if you have a windlass to pull all of that weight back on board. An all chain rode guarantees the the angle of pull on the anchor will always be low. This same effect can be achieved by using a kelet which is simply a weight that is lowered partially down the rode after the anchor is deployed.
ANCHORING TECHNIQUE:
You can have the best anchoring equipment money can buy, but if your technique is poor, it will all be worthless. Good, expensive equipment is no guarantee your anchor will hold. I think the most important consideration is the bottom conditions. Check your charts to see what the bottom is like, preferably sandy, mud or gravel bottom. Avoid anchoring over a reef, especially if you are leaving the boat or sleeping on the boat. I prefer to anchor in water that is 30 feet or less of water. If the water is deeper, it gets difficult to deploy enough rode for the proper scope.
Other considerations for your anchoring location are proximity of other boats. Are they on anchors or mooring balls. Mooring balls have very short scopes and boats on anchors swing completely different. Without vast experience, you would not set an anchor in a crowded mooring field, though I have seen it done very skillfully. Proper etiquette requires leaving enough space between you and other boats.
You must also consider how much tidal variation is expected and whether the winds and currents change direction. If wind or current changes, the anchor may come loose as the direction of pull is changed.
So you have picked your perfect spot over a perfect bottom and proper depth and the wind and current is not expected to change direction. Pull up to your spot preferably under engine power pointing the bow directly into the wind. With the last forward momentum of the boat, turn the boat so the boat is broadside to the wind. Wait until the boat is pushed sideways by the wind. As the boat starts to move, slowly deploy the anchor and rode. If you let the rode go too fast, all of the anchor chain ends up in a pile on top of the anchor, defeating the whole purpose. As the boat is moving sideways downwind and you have about 3:1 scope out, the anchor will hold and the boat will suddenly swing with the bow directly into the wind. At this point, you can but the engine in reverse and back down hard on the anchor. While backing down, look sideways toward shore setting up a range to see if the anchor is dragging. With an all chain rode, the person on the bow can touch the chain. Vibrations felt on the chain indicate the anchor is dragging. An anchor set in sand properly is nearly completely buried in the sand. Once the anchor is set properly, I would let out additional rode. I usually feel pretty safe with 5:1, some people recommend 7:1.
Things get very interesting when there is a lot of wind, because if the boat is moving quickly downwind and the anchor is not set, the anchor can skip over the bottom like a stone skipping over a lake surface. The secret is to deploy the rode slowly, to give the anchor a chance to settle in.
CONFIRMING THE SET OF YOUR ANCHOR:
If you plan on sleeping on your anchor, or are leaving the boat for an extended time, you must confirm a proper set. In the tropics, I always dive on the anchor to verify the set. It is horrifying to see a bruce anchor with one of the claws on an outcropping of rock, just waiting to slip off. Regardless, always look around to get ranges set up to tell if you are drifting. At night use a puck compass to get bearings on lights or landmarks on land or other boats. Write these "LOP's" down to verify you are not drifting. Alas, it is always good to use your GPS anchor alarm.
With enough experience, you will learn your own favorite techniques and be able to sleep peacefully on your well set anchor.
JUNE 18, 2013
THE WIND FINALLY COMES
The turnout for this Tuesday night was a little light with only 3 boats showing up. It seems the heavier winds keep many of the boats from coming out, even though our heavier cruising sailboats are made for these conditions. At the start mark, we were seeing in excess of 20 knots and there were rumors of 30 knots out at mile buoy. We all opted for a course that would keep us all inside in more protected waters. We decided on course 3, even though the wind was more from the north and I was told, "you know we can lay the mark with no tacks!", I thought it would be ok. The Participants were Sailing Pair A Dice, Pacific Spirit and Aeolian. Two Catalina 32's picking on a lonely 30: Game ON! Start time 6:15. I am still trying to get the horn signals down, so some of the signals were missing. It makes it interesting, trying to sail a boat in 20+ knots of wind, tracking time and where did I put the horn!?
We got off to a start with PAD ahead of the pack, but had to stall so we weren't over early. Both Aeolian and Pacific Spirit hit the line running and it was quite a jog to Wharf, our first mark. Two minutes before the start, we on PAD decided to put a reef in, but as we sailed toward wharf, it seemed to be a mistake. The wind was coming in gusts, separated by sections with very little wind. Aeolian, the only boat without a reef in AND flying a 110 jib, had a distinct advantage in these conditions. Of course their excellent boat handling didn't hurt them either as they passed both PAD and Pacific Spirit. Aeolian was the first to round Wharf.
As we approached wharf, we noted that the mark was right in the middle of light wind (those transitions zones will get you every time) and we had a reef in. We shook the reef out before we rounded wharf. Pacific Spirit shook their reef out as they rounded. Having our reef out gave us a huge advantage and we romped on ahead of Pacific Spirit. By the time they got their reef out, we had a substantial lead on them, but Aeolian was taking us all to school, teaching us how it should be done.
Aeolian rounded Blacks way ahead of PAD. Pacific SPirit could never completely close the gap on the lead PAD got rounding Wharf. Then it was the short beat to start, with Pacific Spirit rapidly closing the gap on PAD. The course was just short enough to prevent them from overtaking us. Aeolian got first (AGAIN!), Sailing Pair A DIce got second and Pacific Spirits, breathing down our necks got third. And yet another fantastic, exciting Catalina Tuesday.
At Johnnies afterwards, it was decided that the course should have been more inside, like GOV, Blacks finish. Oh well, Aeolian sure showed us how to sail on this night.
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-I should have looked at all of the courses when selecting. Since the wind was from the North with a little West in it, I only cosidered the Northwest courses and should have looked at the North Wind courses. This left no room for tactic, it was all sail trim and boat handling.
Next Tuesday, after sailing, we will meet at Santa Cruz Yacht Club. The club will not be open, but we will be using the Barbecue to cook food. We must all bring our own burgers and buns. Any salads or other dishes people want to bring would be good. It would be good to have a good turnout. This would be the perfect venue for some people to see what the club has to offer and a better setting to meet and greet fellow sailors.
There is some interest in exchanging crews between boats. When some boats are out of commission for some reason or other, the crews want to participate in Catalina Tuesdays and would like to get on other boats. I have always found it interesting sailing on other boats. It's all about sharing knowledge. You may get on another boat and know more than anyone else on the boat, or it could be flipped, where you are the one learning. It's what makes Catalina Tuesdays so much more fun than Wednesday night: the opportnity to learn. If you would like to share crew or want to sail on any other boat, respond to the comments below. If you need to contact other boats and don't have contact info, call me on my cell 234-0322.
See you next Tuesday.
Barry L Keeler
Sailing Pair A dice
JUNE 11, 2013
ROUND AND ROUND WE GO
This was a special night for me. Our commodore at the yacht club had expressed an interest in our Tuesday night outings for quite some time. Finally on this night he was joining us to find out what Catalina Tuesdays was all about. Rob Schuyler, our commodore is no slouch when it comes to racing. He has won the Santa Cruz 27 Nationals multiple times and I was really excited to sit front and center to see how he does it.
The night was another Santa Cruz stellar night, with an Easterly blowing at about 10 knots. We finally decided on course 9 with some modifications so that we finished taking the start mark to starboard rather than port. This course would take us from start to blacks (SB) around SC3 to port and finally taking the start mark to starboard. We gave Iris, the 27 a 2 minute head start and watched as they nail the start right on time. Sailing Pair a Dice, with our fearless commodore at the helm ended up barely making it to the start line in time for the start, being too far away before we even started the countdown. We ended up in a "barging situation" with Andiamo and ended up hitting the mark. After our penalty (our first round about) we had all of our "ducks in a row" looking at their sterns. The Easterly wind really seemed to be filling and was stronger nearer to the beach. We called the lay line to tack over to clear the mark on starboard, but somehow got headed and cleared the mark alright but on port. The influence of too many Wednesday nights sailing was prevailing in all of our minds: "Just continue on, who cares if we rounded the mark on the correct side anyway" . But wait, this is Tuesday, we follow the rules, so we turned around and rounded properly (our second round about), poor Aeolian got suckered and followed us. It should be stated at this point: "never EVER think Pair A DIce NEVER makes mistakes!". By this time we had quite a few boats ahead of us and it was time to reel them in.
I climbed up on the windward side and was amazed at Rob's finess with the wheel. I have always enjoy sailing on an Easterly wind, surfing the waves into the wind. The exhilaration of catching the wave and then the letdown as the wave leaves you behind and you slow down again in anticipation of the next wave to push your forward. The cycle keeps repeating itself, pickup, let down over and over. Somehow, with Rob on the wheel, there was no slow down between waves! How was he doing this? The boat never slowed down between waves: physically impossible! I got my range finder and sure enough, we were reeling the boats in ahead of us, little by little. Could they possibly be in less wind, and we were just compressing on them? As we headed out straight toward SC3, Aeolian split tacks with us and went back toward the point. Pacific Spirits had a strong lead and Diver Down, Iris, and Andiamo were in hot pursuit. We noted how well Aeolian had done going inside (must be better wind inside). Our goal, as soon as we rounded SC3 was to GET INSIDE to the better wind. As it turns out, the boats staying outside got stuck in a hole and got left behind: sometimes the shortest way from one point to another IS NOT a straight line. Joe taught us long ago: "go where the wind is" RIP Joe, we miss you!
Pacific Spirit kicked butt once again! Diver Down was second and Pair A DIce was third. Somehow, I just can't remember who was DFL... but it was all fun at Johnnies after the race!
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At Johnnies, I asked Rob how he did the thing with the waves: simple, just bear off before you lose your speed as the wave leaves you behind. It is a beautiful thing, melding the power of the surf and the power of the wind to maintain consistent speed. I thought I knew a thing or two about surfing and sailing, but obvisously still have a lot to learn!
I also learned, by observing, how important it is to note how boats that split tacks with you did as you meet again. The fact that Aeolian had done so well inside confirmed our belief that there was more wind inside.
I apologize for the course alteration (rounding start to starboard for the finish). It confused a lot of people and I have to realize that our "SI's" may not be perfect, but you can't change SI's on the fly. We will improve on the sailing instructions next year, but I will attempt to not institute changes while on the course in the future.
I have received positive feedback on our sound system: Short beep at 5 minutes, 4 minutes and the start. Long beep (4 seconds) at 1 minute. This is very similar to the sounds given by race committee boats and helps boats that don't have a timer or GPS on board.
I want to encourage the beginners in our group of sailors to keep on showing up. There was a near miss a couple of weeks ago that scared the bejesus out of all involved. These things happen in sailing, and though disconcerting, we can't let them discourage us. Keep on coming out and keep on learning. Most important, show up at Johnnies after the race to discuss things that happened. You may learn a lot from the very experienced sailors in our group.
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Please note: We are set to use the Yacht Club BBQ on Tuesday June 25, after the race. This is NOT next week, but the week after next. We will need to bring our own fixings and food, but it should be fun. Anyone who is not a member and wants to see what the club has to offer should try to come.
See you next Tuesday.
Barry L. Keeler
Sailing PAIR A DICE
TUESDAY JUNE 4, 2013
While I was gone on vacation, I understand there were some exciting times. On one Tuesday there were 35 knot gusts and sailing Pair a Dice had only 2 people sailing the boat. Thank God they were excellent sailors. On the same night Tres Santos blew out their main sail. I really appreciate the dedication people are showing to our Catalina Tuesdays.
The night of June 4 showed consistent winds between 13 and 18 knots from the northwest, with no hint of an Easterly filling in. I had reservations for Johnnies for all of us at 7:45, so we couldn't use a long course and chose course 3, with a 6:10 start time. With Homer's suggestions and talking to at least one other boat owner, it is apparent that many of the boats are operating without timing devices. We have decided to implement a horn system similar to the horn system used in normal racing along with a count down on the radio, so everyone will know the time of the start. We will perfect this with time, but the intention is to give one short (2 second) blast on the horn (with count down over vhf channel 69) at 5 minutes, 4 minutes and at the start. There will be a long blast (4second) at one minute before the start. This will be an immense help to boats without GPS or time pieces.
Once course 3 was decided and agreed upon, we decided on a 6:10 start time with the 27 given a 1.5 minute head start. Since I had Fred Molnar (an excellent sailor) on board, I put him on the helm. We somehow ended up on a Port tack at the start ahead of everyone else. We sailed for a few minutes on port tack and Fred called for a tack over to the outside. I noticed that every time we got into a consistent header, Fred called for a tack. We rounded Wharf just ahead of Aeolian, then it was the long slog to Blacks with Aeolian hot on our tail. We finally rounded Blacks just ahead of Aeolian and continued to the finish for another win.
At Johnnies after the race, Dave, who was on the 27 asked me point blank: "why did you tack outside? Everyone always stays inside as long as is possible." I referred him to Fred who was on the helm. As an aside, Dave is also an excellent sailor, he was fordeck on Moorgasm, which took fourth in the nationals last weekend in the Moore 24 nationals (congratulations!!!). This regatta was a very competitive 31 boats fighting it out. In short, THIS is what I appreciate about our Catalina Tuesdays. What other venue is available for people to go out, compete, then discuss tactics afterwards: What a learning opportunity! Discussing tactics after the race with top notch knowledgable sailors, and the price of admission? being there!
The real world of sailboat racing;
Ultimately, everyone moves from the casual racing style we so enjoy on Tuesday nights and endeavors to compete in a real regatta, put on by the yacht club. This is not such a huge leap, but you do need to know the flag system used. After spending this last weekend on the committee boat for the Moore 24 nationals and Santa Cruz 27 nationals, I acquired a little knowledge on the flags used in racing. The sequence goes like this. At five minutes before the race, there will be a horn blast and the class flag goes up. This flag designates what class will be racing: delta (D), Foxtrot (F) etc. These classes are all designated in the Sailing Instructions (SI's) for the race. You need to know what the FLag that represents your class looks like. When it is raised, your class is in sequence. By this time, there should be a course flag designated. Courses are layed out in the SI's and are designated by number flags: course 1, 2...etc. At 4 minutes before the start, the P flag goes up on the committee boat, with a short blast on the horn. At 1 minute to the start, the P flag comes down with a long (4 second) horn. At the start, there is a horn. Believe it or not, with a few races under your belt, all of this becomes second nature.
See you next Tuesday.
Barry L Keeler
Sailing PAIR-A-DICE
