CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING MONTEREY BAY ON TUESDAY NIGHT: OCTOBER 28, 2014 THE END OF THE SEASON

THE END OF THE SEASON

October 28, 2014

SKUNKED!  We can’t be skunked with no wind on our last Tuesday night sail.  We have not been skunked on any Tuesday night this season.  We had nine boats out for a float-fest?  But wait, you can feel the whisper of a wind from the East.  Looking to the East there was a band of dark water on the horizon. We picked a short course for the limited wind and  light: Start, Blacks, Finish. As we started the count down, it seemed like the wind was actually blowing from the south.

On Pair A Dice, we were a little early to the line and had to stall.  Homer was right on line right on time and Kicks was also there but a little further down the line.  We threaded our way between Blue Ribbon and Kicks.  On the way to Blacks there were many headers and lifts.  It was a game to see who could take advantage of these shifts in the very light wind.

At Blacks it was Odonata, Kicks and Blue ribbon rounding with a substantial lead over Pair a Dice.  After rounding Blacks, Blue Ribbon and Kicks headed outside looking for more wind as Odonata set their spinnaker in the non existent wind.  We were all bucking the swell in the light wind.  On Pair A Dice, we set the pole on port and took the rhum line toward the mark.  We noticed the poled jib was getting backwinded, just as Blue Ribbon was catching a filling Easterly and sailing very fast toward the South.  We doggedly sailed straight toward the mark, but switched the pole to starboard.  Odonata’s spinnaker filled beautifully as they sailed over the line in first place.  We limped over the line in second, Toad was third, then Kicks, Blue Ribbon, Aeolian, Sea Quake and Free Spirit.

We had a great turnout at the barbecue with lots of food and sailing talk.  You would have never known that there was a World Series game on the TV in the Yacht club.  That’s OK, everyone knows that sailors don’t take the World Seriesly.

This Season:

For 13 years some of us have been enjoying Catalina Tuesday.  The early participants KNEW we had something very special and FUN! We tried many different ways to get the word out, but with little success in increasing the number of boats coming out.

For all of those years we raced with two or three other boats.  After each race, whether it was Tuesday night or a regatta, on Pair a Dice, we always discussed in detail three questions win or lose:  What did we do right?, what did we do wrong? What could we have done better? These discussions often continued in E-mails during the week after each race.  It was these e-mail discussions that lead to the development of sailingpairadice.blogspot.com. 

During the season, I have attempted to share the little things we learn while racing and sailing.  Sailing is unique in that people are always sharing the things they learn.  I encourage everyone to share in these discussions on your boat after each race.  This is the way you can really advance your sailing skills: always keep an open mind and learn more.  You will keep learning more, but you will never know it all.  To me, this is one of the things about sailing that keeps me coming back: always learning and knowing there is even more to learn!

I hope to see you guys out there this winter on the weekend and the mid-winters regatta.

Thanks to all of you for participating this summer and I hope to see you out there next summer.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING ON TUESDAY NIGHTS OCTOBER 21, 2014 A NORTH WIND BLOWS

A NORTH WIND BLOWS

Tuesday October 21,2014

Finally, we got a good North Breeze and a chance to use one of the courses on the “North Wind” part of the card!  Even though the nights are getting shorter and there was a big swell, we had 5 or 6 boats out for the fun.  We decided on course #15.  This course uses a start line between the start mark and Blacks, around Gov and back to start.  Since there was no designation in the course for rounding Gov to port or starboard, the instructions at the beginning of the card “all marks shall be left to port unless designated as SB” applied.

The start had Pair A Dice, Diver Down and Pacific Spirit charging off the line.  Pair A Dice started with clear air but Pacific Spirit had better speed and was sailing windward of us.  Diver down got caught in a position to leeward of both Pair A Dice and Pacific Spirit.  When we started getting the shadowed by Pacific Spirit, we tacked over for clear air.  Once we got in clear air, we tacked over again.  By tacking over earlier, rather than later we were able to take advantage of any lifts on our way to Gov.  When we met up with Pacific Spirit and Kicks again, Pacific Spirit was just ahead of us and Kicks had to tack over to avoid T-boning us.  Pacific Spirit went for a starboard rounding and Pair a Dice took it to port.

The long run back to Start had Pair A Dice leading with Pacific Spirit and Diver Down striving to outsail each other for clearer wind.  It looked like Pacific Spirit was second over the line and Diver Down was third.  Kicks had lost a piece of equipment overboard and were doing “man overboard drills”.

Winter sailing:

We are rapidly approaching the end of the season.  Next Tuesday is the last Tuesday night sail of the season.  What are your plans for winter sailing?  There are many winter sailing options.  There are races sponsored by Santa Cruz yacht club including the midwinter series of regattas. Find out about these on their web site SCYC.org.

People frequently say “sailing in the winter? Too cold for me!”.  Of course sailing in the rain is no fun, but frequently there are perfectly sunny days with 12-15 knots of wind and NO FOG.  I absolutely love sailing in the winter here.  Frequently a few boats go out and race on either day of the weekend (whichever day has the best weather).   Let me know if you want to be kept in the loop on these informal weekend get togethers.

_’)                            _/)

NEXT TUESDAY IS OUR LAST TUESDAY SAIL OF THE SEASON.  THERE IS ALSO A BARBECUE AT SCYC AFTERWARDS.

BRING YOUR FAVORITE GRILLING FOOD.

See you next Tuesday for a short sail and a great Barbecue!

Barry

 

CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING MONTEREY BY ON TUESDAY NIGHTS: OCT 14, 2014 'ONE GNARLY EVENING'

ONE GNARLY EVENING

Tuesday October 14, 2014

I started this Tuesday morning like I usually do with a cursory look at Sailflow to see what kind of wind we would have.  It was a dismal forecast of 8-10 knot breeze and I was wondering if we would even be able to race in these conditions.  I was quite surprised when someone commented on how windy it was outside.  On the way to the harbor, I was wondering if we would have the time to swap out the 155 for the 135.  Sure enough as I pulled up to the boat, my crew was already in the process of changing the headsail.

As we motored out of the harbor, there was 15 knots of breeze in the harbor and it looked like victory at sea out in the ocean. There were already two boats out so we ventured on out.  The waves at the harbor entrance did not look too bad, but as we sailed further out toward the start buoy, the waves got bigger and steeper with a very short period.  It took tremendous concentration to keep the boat going straight up the faces of the waves and angling down the backs.  The slightest distraction would douse the whole crew with buckets of water.  Four boats ventured out: Free Spirit, Aeolian, Pair A Dice and Kicks.  Free Spirit was heading for the harbor as we were leaving the harbor.  As if to lend credence to the conditions we were fighting, a 32 foot sailboat lay grounded on seabright beach next to the harbor entrance.   Aeolian went over toward the pier and lowered all sails to motor into the harbor.  Kicks was just coming out when we decided to head back in to the harbor.  There was no way I wanted to negotiate the entrance in diminished light.  Suffice it to say, the boats that did not come out did not miss much, except a little learning experience.

Back at the Crow’s Nest we discussed the various techniques we all used to get into the harbor.  Someone asked me why we sailed into the harbor with both main (reefed) and the jib (partially furled).  There were several decisions that came into play.  Someone thought it would be good to decrease sail area by furling the jib and someone else pointed out the danger: the boat would be out of balance and if a wave caused us to broach, we could get rounded right up into the rocks!  We could have lowered all sails, but doing so would leave us with no control if something should happen to my small, 11 horsepower engine.  Another problem that occurs in rough seas is dirt getting stirred up in the fuel tank and clogging filters.  Engines seem to have perfect timing to go out just when you really need them, so it is usually best, in gnarly conditions, to at least have some sails up. Of course a boat without a folding prop and a strong engine could feel safer motoring in with no sails up.

A proper tack:

One of the maneuvers that sailors must complete that can lead to big gains or losses is tacking.  Done correctly, you lose little, done poorly and competitors will leave you behind.  While the helmsman plays a crucial role, the crew’s actions can improve or destroy a tack.

The following are my observations of  what constitutes a perfect tack.  The proper tack begins with a helmsman announcing their intentions, waiting for the “Ready” signal from each crew member.  The loaded sheet should be uncleated or taken out of the self tailing jaws in preparation.  As the helmsperson begins the tack, he announces either “tacking” or “helms to lee”.  The mainsheet trimmer can travel up on the main to help turn the boat. The helmsperson begins the tack by turning the wheel quickly until the boat is head to wind.  One exception is in very light wind, this turn of the wheel should be much more gradual so there is not much drag from the rudder.  As soon as the boat is head to wind, the loaded jib sheet is released.  The crew member releasing this sheet should make certain the line is free to go (not tangled or lines being stood on.)  Stalling momentarily with the boat head to wind, accomplishes two goals: coasting directly upwind and it gives the crew time to get most of the sheets in while the sails are not full. The helmsperson after the momentary stall, continues on with the tack until the boat is between  3 to 10 degrees beyond hard on the wind.  Less in more wind and up to 10 degrees in very light wind.  This allows the boat to accelerate.  As the boat accelerates and the helmperson comes up to hard on the wind again, the crew cranks in the sail until it is almost touching the spreader, while someone goes forward to skirt the jib.  What is fun is to practice tacks to see who can tack the boat with the least drop in speed in the process.  I encourage comments from readers on ways to improve this maneuver.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: WHAT A DIFFERENCE 24 HOURS MAKES!

Midwinter series:

This winter, SCYC will be putting on the midwinter series.  It is time for all of us to show off what we have learned this year on our Tuesday night sails.   These races are very fun and often run in very light conditions and a perfect way to get introduced to fleet racing.

See you out there next Tuesday,

 

Barry L. Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING MONTEREY BAY ON TUESDAY NIGHTS: OCTOBER 7, 2014 A CARBON COPY TUESDAY

 

A CARBON COPY TUESDAY

OCTOBER 7, 2014

Repetition is normally boring!  Two perfect evenings of sailing that are carbon copies could never be boring.  We had the same wind as last week, the same sunny weather and the same number of boats (11) out for the fun.  With the light being so short, we decided on the same course as last week: Start, Blacks, Gov and finish.

On Pair A Dice, we were a little late to the line and watched as Homer forced Aeolian off for barging and we followed Homer’s Blue Ribbon.  With him just ahead and to windward, we were not in good position.  Makani was steaming up behind and to windward of Homer.  Fortunately with our bad position, it was not a long leg to Blacks.   Makani and Homer rounded blacks and immediately got tangled with each other trying to out maneuver each other.  We rounded blacks right behind them and aimed for clear air further out than they  were on the race to GOV.  It was quite a drag race as we all tried to get downwind as fast as possible.  We set our pole on port and heated up first outside then jibed and heated it up inside.  As we reached Gov we were clear ahead of Makani and Blue Ribbon and after rounding, we headed inside until we got headed and tacked out.  It seems the further we got outside, we got lifted more and more until we were not far from the finish mark when we tacked over and finished first.  Pacific Spirit was second followed by Makani, Blue Ribbon, Diver Down, Kicks, Emeritus, Aeolian, Sea Quake, Andiamo and Free Spirit.

It was a beautiful evening with the sun setting on one horizon and the full moon rising on the other.

Tactics:

When going down wind it is very important to have a good whisker pole to hold the jib out to windward. With Pair A Dice we have found the best angle of sail for maximum speed is with the windex pointing “at the box” one of the two tabs you look at on the mast head that help you determine if you are hard on the wind.  Pacific Spirit used this very concept to move rapidly through the pack on the down wind run.  As Makani and Homer were sailing straight down wind (wing on wing) we heated up and pointed directly ahead of them, as we approached the zone for the mark we straightened out to break the overlap.  This worked well for us as we rounded the mark well ahead of the other boats.

THE PACK MOVING TOWARD GOV

Kick it up a notch:

MAKANI AND BLUE RIBBON

I can say we have all improved our racing abilities this summer!  Why not engage in other races through the winter to keep your skills up?  SCYC is putting on the midwinter series.  This is a series of races through the winter and they actually have a jib and main division which is right up our alley.  Unlike our Tuesday nights, we actually have a committee boat and trophies are handed out.  I think its time to kick it up a notch and have a great showing in the midwinter series. Who know, you may even get some hardware (trophies) to hang on the wall!

Do not forget about the predicted log regatta also.  This will be a great way to test your seamanship and knowledge of boat speed and distance travelled.

SUN SETTING ON ONE HORIZON: MOON RISING ON THE OTHER

 

See you next week,

Barry L. Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING MONTEREY BAY ON TUESDAY NIGHTS: AN INDIAN SUMMER'S EVE

AN INDIAN SUMMER’S EVE

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

During the regattas this last weekend the wind was all over the place.  From nuking to light it seemed to vary by the day and even the hour.  For tonight we had the fortune of a great Easterly filling in at around 8-10 knots.  We had eleven boats out for the fun.  We decided on a course that we have used before that plays heavily on a strong Easterly: Start, Blacks, Gov and back to start.  It had to be a quick course because there wasn’t much light left and we had a barbecue to get to!

On sailing Pair A Dice, I had determined that the heading hard on the wind was 60 degrees, so I set up sailing away from the line keeping 60 degrees on the compass roughly lined up with the start mark.  The problem was estimating the time to the line since sailing away from the line we were bucking waves and going the opposite way we would be surfing and going much faster.  Somehow we made the jibe at the right time and only had to stall a little at the line and ended up over the line first with some larger boats attempting to roll us to windward.  We scalloped up enough to leebow first Diver Down then Pacific Spirit.  Slowing these boats down allowed us to round blacks first and we were off on the long run to Gov.  It was interesting watching all of the boats behind us.  The ones using whisker poles were able to accelerate through the pack.  Odonata  was flying its spinnaker and showing the advantage of spinnaker use in downwind sailing and was moving quickly through the pack.  All the boats did their best to prevent getting their wind blocked by other boats.

 Finally we rounded Gov. and started our way back to the start mark.   The most critical decision was: inside or outside?  We decided to sail inside for a while 

and then tack out.  This seemed to work well, since the wind difference between inside and outside was not that much and the start mark was straight up wind.  We were able to maintain the lead to the finish  and were followed by Blue Ribbon, Pacific Spirit, Diver Down, Odonata (Santana 22), Sea Quake (C&C 29), Makani, Iris, Kicks, Aeolian and Andiamo

We had a great turnout for the BBQ with close to 50 people joining in the fun.

EXPANDING BOATING HORIZONS;          

Santa Cruz Yacht Club is hosting a brand new kind of regatta.  They are calling it a “log regatta”, and it is being held October 18.  How good are your boating skills and your knowledge of boat speed and navigation?  I think it would be fun to find out.  Sailboat and power boats will be participating.  The only instrument you can use will be your senses and a compass (no gps, watch, or speedometer).  The course will be over 11 knots long and you must judge how long it will take for each leg.  Your accuracy in these estimates will be how you are scored.  Your times for each leg will be recorded and documented  and the boat with the most accurate estimates will win.  If we get five Catalinas or similar sailboats, there will be a first and second place trophy for our division. Keep an eye on the SCYC.org website, which is your portal to the regatta network.  The notice of race and rules for this “regatta” will be posted after October 4. The fee for entry is $10 and it seems like it will be a blast!  Lets show the power boaters and other sailors what us Catalina sailors can do!

See you next Tuesday.

 

Barry L Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

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RACING CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING MONTEREY BAY ON TUESDAY NIGHTS: 9/23/14 SURPRISE: WE GOT WIND!

SURPRISE: WE GOT WIND!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

I checked sailflow in the morning and they predicted 6-8 knots for the evening.  When I got to then the harbor there was no talk about the wind.  As we sailed out of the harbor it looked like the wind was building rather than dying.  By the time we sailed out to the start mark we were seeing 21 knots apparent.  With the 155 Jib, we had way too much sail up, so we swapped out for the 135.  Even with that, there was too much wind.  We called course 3: start, wharf, Blacks and finish.  As we were counting down the last five minutes, we put a reef in the main.

Right at the start, Makani and Pacific Spirit sailed out on starboard tack.  The rest of us (Pair a dice, Blue Ribbon, Aeolian and Odonata (Santana 22) and Sea Quake (C&C29) sailed inside on port tack.  Pair a Dice was pinned by Blue Ribbon and we could not sail faster to pass her so we finally tacked out as the rest of the port tackers continued inside.  We tacked up the middle of the course and had a front row seat as Pacific Spirit and Makani were fighting it out, with Pacific Spirit passing Makani to windward, Makani tacked out for clear air.  When we all met at wharf mark, Blue Ribbon was first around with Makani and Pacific Spirit and Aeolian, Odonata and Pair a dice following behind.

After rounding wharf, it was a long downwind run to blacks. Makani did a great job setting their pole in the 20+ knot winds. Most of the boats ran the rhumb line to the mark.  On Sailing Pair A Dice, we thought we saw more wind outside, so we ran high of the rhumb line.  Alas when we all rounded Blacks Makani had a great lead and, once again we had 5 boats (Blue Ribbon, Pacific Spirit, Aeolian, Odonata and Pair a Dice) rounding blacks at the same time.  Since all of the boats ahead of us were sailing in for the layline for the start finish mark and we saw more wind outside, Pair A Dice immediately tacked outside after rounding Blacks.

  Once again all of the boats converged on the finish mark.  Makani had a healthy lead at the finish. Pair a Dice finally tacked over toward the finish mark attempting to  cross the line within 5 boatlengths.   It appeared that Pacific Spirit and Pair A Dice crossed the line simultaneously. Since Pacific Spirit was closer to the mark, I would have to say they took second place. Since we were sailing down the line formed by the mark and lighthouse it appeared we crossed the line before Blue Ribbon then Odonata  and Aeolian and Sea Quake.  Congratulations to Makani for a first place finish.

Once again a beautiful windy evening on the Monterey Bay!

CROSSING PART TWO:

While we were beating our way out to wharf, I witnessed a beautiful example of an excellent duck. Makani was on port and Pacific Spirit was on starboard.  Makani headed lower to show his intentions and swept close around the stern of Pacific Spirit and then took advantage of the lift from the disturbed air and immediately headed up.  I am not saying Makani won the race because of this excellent duck, but it certainly did not hurt them as they went on to win the race!  Well done Makani.

BACK INTO THE FOLD AS “KICKS”

For over 13 years there have been three boats consistently enjoying Catalina Tuesdays: Pair A Dice, Pacific Spirit and Odyssey.  About 3 years ago Todd Johnson moved Odyssey up to the city for a place to stay when in the city.  Todd recently purchased a newer Catalina 30 (Kicks) and moved it to Santa Cruz.  It’s great to have Todd and his crew back for Catalina Tuesdays.  When you see them give a warm welcome to the crew of Kicks: Todd, Dan,Chris and Ford.

 

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PLEASE NOTE: NEXT TUESDAY IS BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE YACHT CLUB AFTER THE RACE.  BRING YOUR FAVORITE GRILLING ITEMS FOR THE FUN!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EASTERLY WINDS AND CROSSES

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

It sure looked light as we were leaving the harbor.  I thought maybe we had finally been left flat with no wind at all.  We motored out to the start mark and just as we got there we  looked toward the East and saw wind on the water.  It seemed like within five minutes our chances of having a major float-fest were diminished by the building Easterly.  It was great to have Chris on Odonata  (Santana 22)out for the fun.  We decided on a course not on the chart: start to blacks (port) Gov to starboard and finish to port with a start at 6:10.  With the light but building Easterly many of the boats had to motor to get to the start line on time.

On Pair a Dice, we were a little late to the line and a few boats that came in parallel to the line sprinted across the line ahead of us.  If we were 50 yard further toward the line we could have called “barging” and forced these boats off.  We were toward the back of the fleet as we made our way to Blacks.  Finally, we tacked over for clear air.  As we all rounded Blacks it was a long downwind run to Gov. Odonata set their spinnaker and we all picked our way through the kelp fields.  Those of us with whisker poles set them for the run.  Their seemed to be little difference in wind between outside and inside.  Odonata went further out which worked well for them as they were first to round Gov with Homer right behind and Pair a Dice hot on their sterns.  Homer left room for us at the mark and we immediately headed back outside as all of the rest of the boats took the inside tack toward the beach.  It was clear to us that Odonata was clear ahead of us as they tacked back out toward us, even though we were experiencing a huge lift the whole way back to the finish mark.  Even Homer cleared us well ahead.  After Homer cleared us, we tacked over inside as none of us wanted to sail too far from the mark. When we crossed again we were slightly ahead but leeward to Homer as we sailed to the mark. We scalloped up so we were lee-bowing Homer.  At the correct time, we over sheeted our mainsheet to slow him down even more. Pair A Dice was first over the line with Homer’s Blue Ribbon followed by Odonata, Sea Quake (C&C29) Pacific Spirit, Makana and Iris with Aeolian and Emeritus following.

It was a beautiful sunset and the usual fun gathering at the Crows Nest discussing sailing and tactics.

Crossing Situations:

It is inevitable when boats sail in close quarters and in tight races that there will be crossing situations.  There were at least two crossing situations that occurred this night.  Nobody is going to intentionally crash boats on a Tuesday night race, but it is important to develop a few techniques in crossing situations.  A proper duck really does not give up much distance to a competitor. The techniques that must be learned are:  determining if you will clear a boat or need to duck, letting a competing boat know your intentions, and finally setting up for a proper duck.

Most sailors know if a boat is ranging or moving backwards against the background, you will pass clear ahead.  It is possible for a person on your bow to observe a boat moving backwards and a crew on your stern to see the boat moving forward against the background.  This is why it is critical to judge a crossing situation from the stern of your boat.  When you judge that you will not cross you need to initiate ducking maneuvers.  Acknowledge the competitors “starboard”hail and start to turn toward their stern actually aiming for their midship.  It is important that at least the main is travelled down so you are able to dip and not get rounded up into the other boat. If played correctly, you should take the stern of the other boat very closely and enjoy a lift from the disturbed air from the other boat.

As I say, nobody is going to wreck their boats intentionally, but if a starboard tack boat must steer to prevent a collision a two turn penalty is usually expected, however most SI’s now call for a one turn penalty.  In a real race, if penalty turns are not taken on the course, expect to be protested and experience standing before the protest committee.

See you next Tuesday.

 

Barry L Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING MONTEREY BAY ON TUESDAYS SEPTEMBER 9 2014: WHALES PORPOISES SEA LIONS AND BIRDS OH MY!

WHALES, PORPOISES, SEA LIONS AND BIRDS,

OH MY!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

I went to the boat Monday evening and as I was leaving the harbor I noticed an easterly wind was blowing.  I thought “it sure would be sweet if an Easterly came in for our Tuesday night!”  As I approached the harbor on this Tuesday, I saw the flag on the Crow’s nest showing an easterly.  There was question as to how strong it would be, but as we left the harbor we saw it was strong enough to have a good race.  We called course 11: start to Blacks, Mile to finish.  Once again we gave a 5 minute horn so everyone could synchronize their watches. 

On Pair A Dice, there is always a discussion between crew and skipper before each start.  What is the plan? The skipper says what he would like to do, like “fight for a starboard start at the mark”.  Feedback from crew is considered and when everyone knows what the agreed upon strategy is, we set about executing the plan.  This night we were headed for the mark and Homer was in position to force us out on a ‘barging’ call.  I luffed up to stall for a few seconds which gave Homer time to actually start.  Once he was over the line I was clear to start, just slightly behind but to windward of him.  It’s what I call the dance at the start.  It requires quick thinking and a crew that is in tune to adjusting sails for quick actions taken on the helm.  Pacific Spirit was just to windward and behind us for the start.  Since they were being lee-bowed by us, they made the correct tactical decision to tack over for clear air.  This plan worked well for them because as we all approached Blacks, Pacific Spirit was coming in on starboard, had right of way and was first around the mark.  Right after rounding Blacks, Homer and Pacific Spirit ran a hotter line, mixing it up with each other, while we rhumb lined it to Mile.

Despite the different strategies used to get to mile, Pacific Spirit once again beat us around the mark, as Homer (Blue Ribbon) and Pair a Dice followed close behind.  After the long slog into the waves toward Mile, it was great to actually be sailing again.  We finally were able to sail into Homers wind and he tacked over for clear wind, while Pacific Spirit sailed further in toward the beach before tacking over for the Mark.  We thought we would meet with Pacific Spirit, but they tacked back over toward the beach.  As it ended, Pair A Dice was first, Blue Ribbom second, Pacific Spirit third, Diver Down, Makani, Iris, Aeolian, Dreamer (cat-27), Andiamo and Emeritus.

Tactics:

There were some great tactics employed tonight.  When we gave Homer bad wind, he immediately tacked over for clear air as Pacific Spirit also did right after the start.  One critical rule in tactics IS to ‘stay BETWEEN your competitors and the mark!’. You obviously must be ahead in order to accomplish this.  Right after the rounding of Mile, Pacific Spirit had enough of a lead to tack over to “stay between us and the finish mark”.  By delaying and allowing us to freely tack over to the layline, they gave up their advantage. It would have been very interesting and possibly a different outcome if they had defended their position.

BLUE RIBBON AND PACIFIC SPIRIT ON THEIR WAY TO MILE

BLUE RIBBON ROUNDING FINISH MARK

I witnessed one boat approaching the finish line, but just leeward of rounding the mark on the correct side.  Several boats passed this boat as they attempted to luff around the mark.  It impressed me once again on the importance of knowing your tacking angle.  How do you know when you are on the layline for a mark? Every boat is different and individual boats will have different laylines for each jib sail and each velocity of wind.  When you have sailed your boat enough to know all of these factors you can still be destroyed by a header that comes up at the most inopportune time!  So on top of learning our tacking angles, you must keep an eye on the wind: Is it consistent or shifty?  Learning tacking angles is no easy skill to acquire!  On Pair A Dice, with one jib, we will sight across the bulkhead.  With a larger jib, we will sight across the traveler.  Some people know their tacking angle and use their compass to determine what their new heading will be after a tack. Whatever method you find that works best for you, learn it and use it to your advantage!

With the beautiful, warm, clear weather and the whales all over the bay and porpoises and birds, capped by a gorgeous sunset it was a spectacular Santa Cruz evening to be sailing on the bay.

THE END OF ANOTHER PERFECT DAY!

See you out there next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair a Dice

 

CATALINA SAILBOATS SAILING MONTEREY BAY ON TUESDAY NIGHTS: SUMMER IS ENDING

AS SUMMER DRAWS TO AN END

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

 Another cold, overcast night on the Monterey Bay.  At least  the wind was pumping with 15 to 20 knots out of the northwest.  There seemed to be fewer boats out tonight, but the usual crew was out with Aeolian, Free Spirit, Blue Ribbon, Iris, Sea Quake (C&C29) and Pair A Dice.  There also was an Olson 25 and maybe a few more out for the fun.  Pacific Spirit didn’t make it out in time for the start but came out later.  Just to mix it up, we decided on Course 3: Start, Wharf, Blacks and Finish with a 6:10 start time.  The new five minute horn seems to work well for everyone and Iris had a 3 minute head start this time.

For the start Sailing Pair A Dice decided to start on Starboard tack at the start mark and accomplished this pretty much on time.  Blue Ribbon, the Olson and Aeolian all started on port tack.  When we tacked over on port, we met Aeolian who was tacking out  on starboard tack and were able to tack in front of them and effectively lee-bowed them.  As we all made our way to Wharf, we were amazed that Blue Ribbon had taken their port tack all the way beyond Gov before they tacked over.  Since the wind was much less in there, we thought they were sailing into a disadvantage.  As we rounded wharf, we were amazed that Blue Ribbon was right behind us, followed by Iris and the Olson.

Right after rounding wharf, we set our pole to port and sailed the rhumb line to Blacks.  Aeolian and the Olson mixed it up a bit, but ultimately the Olson came out ahead in that squirmish.  We rounded Blacks comfortably ahead of Blue Ribbon.  At the finish, it was Pair A Dice followed by Blue Ribbon then Iris, the Olson and Sea Quake.  Aeolian bailed out of the race due to technical difficulties (darn sheets wearing out).

We had a great turnout at the Crows Nest, recapping the evenings events.

SURREAL EVENING

 INREGATTADAVID

 

We are coming to the end of our sailing season, you can feel it in the air and the shorter nights.  We have had a great summer of sailing. I can’t think of any time we did not have wind, though there were a few times we had to wait for it to come up.  It has been fun watching everyone improve their sailing and racing skills as the summer has progressed.  Whether fighting it out for the lead or trying to get ahead of another boat back in the pack, it has really been a fun summer of sailing. 

As the season winds down, what are your plans to keep your skills up during the winter?  There are many options to do this.  Some of us continue to meet out on the bay on Saturdays, weather permitting.  You can get a PHRF certificate and participate in the Yacht Clubs Midwinters regatta.  The first day of Score was on the 24^th of August and we only had one Jib and Main boat out (go Diver Down!).  If you are intimidated by the process of entering a “real Regatta” and don’t understand the flags and horns, let me know and I will help in whatever way I can.

BLUE RIBBON WITH RED SAIL

See you out there next week!

 

Barry L. Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING ON MONTEREY BAY ON TUESDAY NIGHTS AUGUST 26 BLUSTERY WARM EVENING

BLUSTERY WARM EVENING

TUESDAY AUGUST 26, 2014

On my way to the harbor, my first glimpse of the bay showed no apparent white caps, but the wind sure seemed to be blowing in the harbor. We saw at least one boat putting a reef in while in the harbor.  As we left the harbor,  I could not believe the number of boats already out.  Ultimately there were 15 boats out for the excitement and fun.

With the wind blowing between 15 and 20 knots roughly from the northwest, we selected course 2 with a start time of 6:10.  I tried a new technique on blowing the horn.  One single blast at 5 minutes to start, this way everyone can sync their watches. On Pair A Dice we decided to attempt a port tack start.  Normally you can find a break in the stream of starboard tackers to cut through, but not tonight as we had to dip every boat in the line before we were able to harden up and head for our first mark: wharf.  We were the furthest in of all the port tackers, with Homer coming up behind us and just to windward.  We were able to pinch up until we could finally tack out for better wind.  Meanwhile, all of the starboard tackers tacked over toward the wharf.  Since the wind was lighter in there, we thought they were sailing toward a disadvantage.  We thought wrong though, because as we rounded wharf, Diver Down had a healthy lead on us and then the other boats followed us around wharf.  We were still quite a ways behind at Mile.  On the way to Gov, Pacific Spirit and Blue Ribbon got a little mixed up with each other in a luffing battle.  We love seeing boats in these conflicts, because it usually slows both of them down!

We rounded Gov with Diver Down way out in front.  We did our best to catch them, but they ultimately crossed the line a good 4 minutes ahead of us.  Well done Diver Down!  After Diver Down, Pair A Dice was second, followed by Pacific Spirit, Blue ribbon, Emeritus, Makani, Iris and Aeolian.

We had a wonderful barbecue at the yacht club with everyone recapping the fun they had on the water. Cheers to Stuart Pearce on Makani whose crew did not show up and he came out by himself, coming in sixth in the fleet.  Great job!  Stuart racing and sailing by himself!

Catch a wave:

I was talking to a top sailor at the yacht club one night when I opined “you know, what you do with waves in Monterey Bay is EVERYTHING!”.  He agreed wholeheartedly.  So what do YOU do with waves as a helmsperson?

Years ago we were competing on a Tuesday night and found ourselves in a transition zone (what’s new?).  We had the boat pointed straight toward our next mark as the waves swept under our boat from the side.  The boat was tipping side to side as each wave passed under us, sails flapping in the lack of wind.  I instructed the helmsperson to steer the boat so the waves took us from the stern making the boat rock fore to aft.  It seemed that every time a wave hit us and the mast whipped forward, we made forward momentum.  Before long we were out of the transition and sailing toward the mark.  I jokingly called it the “Keeler effect”! 

This is only one example.  I witnessed the same sailor I talked to at the yacht club sailing to windward with waves coming from behind.  He never lost speed as he caught waves and fell off on the wind to keep speed up.

Sailing downwind is another challenge with the waves coming behind.  In the recent BBBS regatta, by catching wave after wave, I was able to keep the boat speed between 6.5 and 7+ knots on our way to SC3.  It is difficult to explain this technique. With sails perfectly trimmed for maximum speed, wait for a wave which you can feel as the stern rises.  When I “feel” a wave coming from behind, I will turn the wheel quickly so the wave pushes the rudder, then straighten out for the ride down the face of the wave. At the trough I like to head up to maintain speed in anticipation of the next wave.  Experiment and find you own way to steer through waves, keeping an eye on your GPS speed since speed through the water is not relavent at this point.

One great barbecue! You can almost smell it now.

See you next Tuesday!

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

CATALINA SAIL BOATS RACING MONTEREY BAY AUGUST 19, 2014

A MISTY SHEARWATERS EVENING

 

TUESDAY AUGUST19,2014

As I left work in anticipation of another Catalina night of sailing, I was impressed at what a gloomy evening it was.  If I was in any other state than California in such conditions I would expect a cloudburst at any moment.  The mist was so thick in the air, I could swear I felt a few drops on my face.  Despite these conditions, I was looking forward to sailing, but doubted there would be much of a turnout.

Getting to the boat and out of the harbor, I was pleasantly surprised to see eight boats already out and  another 3 boats following us out of the harbor. We decided on Course 4 with a 6:10 start time.  Course 4 is start to wharf, gov then finish.  We had 11 boats out for the evening.  It was great to have Brian Kieft join us on his Catalina 27 “Intrepid” for his first time this season.

On Pair a dice, we decided to try a port tack start.  This is quite a gamble with 10 other boat in the mix and we paid dearly having to duck almost every boat.   We sailed inside until we felt the wind die a little and we tacked out, going clear out until we saw a wind line to tack on.  This worked out well for us, as on this tack we were able to clear wharf just ahead of Homers “Blue Ribbon” and Pacific Spirit with Makani and Diver Down in hot pursuit. 

Next stop was GOV which was obscured by literally thousands of Sooty Shearwater Birds.   As we ghosted through the birds they were taking off by the thousands.  The sound was incredible,  sounding like we were at the foot of a 500 foot waterfall.  Behind us, Blue Ribbon and Makani were trying to close the gap on us as Diver Down and Pacific Spirit tangled with each other.

After rounding GOV, there was a long reach to the Start finish.  We paid close attention to sail trim to maintain our lead as Diver Down waterlined Blue Ribbon and started closing the gap on.  Ultimately the course was not long enough for them to overtake use.  The order around the finish mark was Pair a Dice, Diver Down, Blue Ribbon, Makani the Pacific Spirit.  Even though the conditions were damp and dreary, the sailing was red hot with great competition all around.  Dinner at Crows Nest rounded the evening out perfectly with good food and good discussions about sailing.

Tactics:

On Pair a Dice, we went for a port tack start, knowing how risky it was, but felt it was worth it.  The wind at the time seemed to be the same inside and outside and we felt it would be better to go on port tack until we saw the wind decrease.  I think what gave us the lead was going out until we saw the wind line and tacking on this windline.  More wind=faster boat speed.  As Vance said once “wherever you go, it’s a crap shoot”.  Sometimes you choose right and sometime you choose wrong.  This night we lucked out.

_/)                                     _/)                        _/)                                       (\_                               (\_

 

NEXT TUESDAY NIGHT (8/26) IS BARBECUE NIGHT AT SCYC AFTER THE RACE.  BRING YOUR FAVORITE GRILLING STUFF AND BEVERAGE.

See you next Tuesday,

Barry