Catalina Sailboats racing on Tuesday Nights in Santa Cruz: A quarter in the wind machine

 

TUESDAY

MAY 27, 2014

A QUARTER IN THE WIND MACHINE

As we left the harbor, it looked as though we were in for a major float-fest with the boats floating listlessly around the start buoy.  We made our way out wondering: will we be racing or bobbing?  By the time most of the boats got out, the wind seemed to be gradually increasing.  We gave a 10 minute count down and used course 12A, our shortest course for an easterly breeze.  Our usual routine of watching the wind die during the countdown was reversed, as the wind continued to build during the count.  By the time of the start, we had 8-10 knots of wind.

Sailing Pair A Dice wanted to start right at the pin and achieved this goal, but were stuck right behind Peter and his C&C 29.  Somehow, we were able to head a little higher and crept up on his starboard side.  Being the leeward boat, he used his luffing rights and tried to pinch us up.  By the time we reached Blacks, we rounded right behind the C&C, but passed them on the leg to start.  About this time we all agreed to make the race two laps rather than the one.  Homer, who had been close to us passed us on our way to start, so start was rounded first by Iris then Blue Ribbon then Pair a Dice.  Since both Iris and Blue Ribbon had to tack to make Blacks the first time around, they rounded start and sailed up on port for a while before tacking over toward Blacks. Pair a Dice tacked immediately and headed straight for Blacks extending our lead.  We were first back to start followed by Blue Ribbon and  Iris.  Meanwhile Pacific Spirit and the C&C 29 were battling it out with Pacific Spirit finally prevailing.  Just as the last boat crossed the finish line, the wind died once again.  It was as if someone had put a quarter in the wind machine and had purchased just enough wind for the race.

After the race, we had a great turnout up at the yacht club.  It was a great end to a beautiful evening of racing and sailing

The Captain and the Crew:

The dynamic between the captain and the crew is critical for success.  Success can be a pleasant sail or a properly sailed race. A good captain cannot win races alone and an excellent crew cannot either.  I once asked a top racer in the club what was the key to winning races?  His answer was a crew that works well together!

What qualities about a boat, its captain and crew make you look forward to your next sail?  I think qualities that are desirable in both captain and crew are a continuing interest in learning more about sailing.  Additionally, the captain or owner is responsible for the safety of everyone on board, making certain crew has PFD’s on and nothing dangerous is going on.  Additionally, I think the owner is responsible for improvements and upgrades on the boat and making certain all is working.  I would propose that the captains demeanor is maybe a little more critical than that of the crew.  There should never be any cursing or yelling between the crew members.  Everyone should check their egos on the dock. Sailboats are too small to contain big egos!

As a crew member, how can you make yourself a desired asset on a boat?  In addition to the points above, I think one thing that is desirable is for the crew to pay attention to everything!  Many crew members become good friends and it is only natural to catch up on old times.  Cementing old friendships is a wonderful thing if you can trim sails while talking.  If you are a sail trimmer, always check to be sure sails are trimmed properly.  Frequently, captains will have to drive up or down for tactical reasons or changes in wind direction.  As a trimmer you can help immensely by keeping the sails in trim for these transitions.  Frequently jib sail trimmers, not on their game, will round the windward mark and cinch the sail in tight when the boat is on a broad reach.

As a boat owner I have observed that people that have a special talent, such as: excellent main sail trimmer, Jib trimmer, know rules and tactics, have strength and speed when needed, are always in demand.  People that show up on time and help get the boat ready for the sail are also in demand.

As far as learning, I subscribe to almost every sailing magazine (I'm kind of a nut in this respect).   There are two publications that every racer should subscribe to: “Speed and Smarts” by Dave Dillenbeck (quarterly) and “Sailing World”.  Both of these cover rules and tactics extensively in every issue.  Reading is a great way to improve your sailing!

Please comment below: what qualities do you look for in captain and crew? Also, any books or publications that you have found to be helpful can be mentioned.

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I was lucky to help out with the 505 regatta this last weekend and got some great pics of these red hot sailors. Enjoy

                                               Do you know the mark-rounding rules?

 

 

 

 

RACE WINNING TACTICS IN GREAT WIND

 TUESDAY MAY 20, 2014

MAY THE WIND BE WITH YOU!

As Tuesday approaches, I think all of us are watching and wondering: How much wind will there be this Tuesday.  I certainly saw that it was extremely windy on Monday evening and was relieved that it   appeared to be less windy on Tuesday.  I was surprised when I showed up to the harbor and there was still a lot of wind, so much that some boats opted to not go out.  As we exited the harbor, it was apparent the wind was in excess of 20 knots from the northwest.

We settled on course number 3 and a 6:15 start time, attempting to keep everyone inside where it was more tame.   There were quite a few boats out, so on Pair A Dice, we decided to start on starboard tack so we would have right of way at the line.  As it turned out, there were very few boats at the line on the start, so we started at the pin on port tack.  Almost as soon as we crossed the line, we had to duck Makani’s stern since they were on Starboard tack.  We carried on inside on port  until we saw the wind lighten.  Since we had a reef in, we either had to shake the reef out or stay in the wind.  We tacked out to stay in the wind.  Makani was charging down on us on port tack.  It was going to be a close crossing, and just as I hailed “starboard” it looked like they were going to clear us, so I tried to wave them on. They came right up to us and performed a perfect Lee-bow on us.  Yes, a boat sailing just off your bow to leeward can really mess up your clear air!  We continued on for awhile and finally drifted down directly behind them and noticed how the wind got a lot better, sandwiched between the wind shadow and the bad wind from the leebow.  We finally tacked over so we could be on starboard on the approach to wharf.  By the time we crossed again, Makani crossed in front of us and tacked to steal our wind again.  These guys know a thing or two about tactics!  Fortunately, we had inside overlap for the mark rounding, so we came out of that rounding just ahead of them.  On the long downwind run to Blacks, Makani was trying to camp on our wind again, but finally decided to sail straight to the mark once we sailed too far inside.  This tactic worked great for them: straight toward Blacks and staying outside in more wind!  Why didn’t we think of that? By the time we got to Blacks they  were way ahead of us. Makani was first (again!), Pair A Dice came in second and Emeritus and Pacific Spirit followed.

Tactics:

Stewart, Chris and Paul on Makani played tactics perfectly on this night. The Lee bow was perfectly executed!  Pair A Dice should have tacked over immediately to keep clear air.  After rounding wharf,  Makani also made the wise choice of sailing the rumb line for the next mark and staying in the greater wind that was outside.  Their superior tactics won them another race!

After racing, we once again had a great turnout at the Crow’s nest.  Meeting upstairs, out on the enclosed patio seems to be a great place to eat and discuss the night’s activity on the water.

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THIS COMING TUESDAY IS BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE YACHT CLUB BRING YOUR OWN EVERYTHING AND EXTRA FOOD TO SHARE IF YOU WISH.  ONCE AGAIN THE BAR WILL NOT BE OPEN.  SEE YOU THERE!

Till next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

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ANOTHER WINDY TUESDAY! CATALINA TUESDAYS

Tuesday May 6, 2014

Another one of those blustery spring days in Santa Cruz.  With anticipation, I watched how windy it was all day long and this evening would not disappoint!  I had a request from another boat earlier in the day for extra crew, so I took one of my crew members with me and went to his boat.  His boat was nearly ready to go as we arrived.   I was impressed to see that the sails were already reefed and the reefing ties were already cinching the sail around the boom at the pre-determined first reefing point.  We started the motor and headed on out of the harbor.  Many of the boats were already out as we hoisted our sail.  Most boats were already reefed in preparation for the predicted wind.

With the wind blowing from the North, I called for course 14: Start, Gov, Blacks, finish.  With the wild wind, even though ample time was given for the start, boats were all over the place.  Few boats were right on time at the line and the boat I was on was just as far from the start as any others.  Sailing Pair a Dice romped ahead of the rest, and from my perspective, it looked as though they never gave up the lead.  They finished ahead of Emeritus (2^nd place) and Pacific Spirit in third.

We met at Crows nest afterwards for a brisk but chilly discussion outside on the deck.

REEFING SYSTEMS:

What are the elements of a good reefing system? It should be quick, simple and easy to do! As the wind pipes up, these are not easily accomplished unless you have an appropriate reefing system in place.  Every boat has its proper sail set up as the wind pipes up.  Do you reef the main or furl in the headsail first?  This is all determined through experimentation.  On Pair a Dice, we find we can sail with a properly balanced boat up to 27 knots of wind with a full 135 Jib and one reef in the main.

  One common misconception with novice sailors is that you lose speed when you reef.  The opposite is true: Nothing is less efficient than a sailboat sliding sideways through the water.  By standing the boat up more, you move forward more and point a lot better.

Most of the boats use a jiffy reefing system. This system uses a line tied around the boom, going up through the port side of the leech cringle, down to a block on the boom, then along the boom to a block on the starboard side of the boom at the gooseneck, up through the luff cringle, down to a block on the deck and preferably back to the cockpit to a cabin to winch. You can use a hook in the end of a line that can be used as both a Cunningham and to help keep the luff of the sail taught when reefing.  This is the system I have on my boat and it takes less than a minute to put the first reef in with any wind up to 30 knots.  For this to work flawlessly, it is critical to not deal with a topping lift.  This is taken care of by installing a solid, spring loaded boom vang.  From my experience, it is not usually necessary to use ties to cinch the sails to the boom.  If ties are used, they should be tied only AFTER the sail is hoisted and the reef is in.  The purpose of the ties is to tidy up the sail mass.  If tied before the sail is hoisted, undue pressure is put on the tie cringles and the sail can be easily ripped.

The most interesting time  I ever had reefing was crossing the Santa Barbara Channel in 40 knot winds and 12-15 foot following seas.  We were making good progress with a single reef in, but were going so fast surfing the waves, that as the boat rounded down in the trough of the waves, water was flooding over the corner of the cockpit.  Though the mainsail had cringles for a second reef, we had never put the second reef in. I climbed on the cabin top and with one end of a line tied around the boom, attempted and finally succeeded in threading the line through the second reef leech cringle, with sail flogging wildly in the wind.  We tied it down as well as possible and used the Cunningham hook for the luff.  Later an experienced sailor told me that you should always have a light line looping through the first and second reef cringle with a loop tied in this line.  No need to deal with a flogging sail, put your reefing line through the loop in the line and pull it up and through the cringle.  No fuss no muss.

We’ll see what next week has in store for us.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

 

T-BONES ON THE WATER-T-BONES ON THE GRILL: TUESDAY APRIL 29,014

APRIL 29. 2014

T-BONES IN THE WATER…T-BONES ON THE GRILL!

Finally the weather cooperated with us: no fog, no rain no massive winds, just a very warm, sunny evening.  Just what we like for Catalina Tuesdays in Santa Cruz!  The boats just kept coming out of the harbor and the wind appeared to be steady from the northwest.  Some people said there were 15 boats out, by I only counted about eleven that were actively participating. With the wind so persistent, we decided on Course number one: Start,Wharf,Mile Blacksand finish.  By the time we started though, the wind seemed to be dying rapidly.

For the start, Pair a dice was attempting a starboard start at the pin, but we were a little early so we were stalling and Aeolian passed us to leeward.  About the time the wind had died on us to the point we were barely creeping along, Aeolian cut in to clear the mark and we had a very slow T-Bone with crews from both boats fending off, the boats barely kissed!  As I have pointed out before, you are better to take the least advantaged end of the line IF you can get clear air.  Pair a Dice had to tack a couple of times before we made it over the line.  Meanwhile, Homer’s Blue Ribbon and Diver Down started off in clear air and romped off ahead of everyone.  It appears, since they had such great starts that they were able to get to better wind sooner than most and extended their lead over the rest of the fleet.

As we all headed for Wharf, the wind was steadily dying and we decided to shorten course to end at GOV.  As the wind died even more, I figured it would be more fun at the Barbecue than having a float-fest out there.   Homer’s C&C 25 and Vance’s Diver Down were way ahead of everyone else and rumor has it Vance was sailing after Homer had started his engine.

Rules and Tactics:

Tactically, you are always best starting in clear air.  This was demonstrated tonight as the clear air boats romped on ahead of everyone!

At the start, Aeolian missed a prime opportunity to luff Pair a Dice up over the line.  As an overtaking Leeward boat he had every right to do this.  As a leeward boat on the line at the start (on same tack), you simply head up slowly hailing: “LEEWARD, HEAD UP!”  The emphasis is slowly, the leeward boat must give the windward boat TIME to move out of the way.  The windward boat must heed the hail.  In these situations, the windward boat can be forced right up and over the line.  As it was,  Aeolian waited and tacked on to port tack giving up any right of way, since we were still on starboard tack.  It was a great s-l-o-w motion learning experience.

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As it turned out, calling the race early got everyone up to the barbecue at roughly the same time.  We had an awesome turnout with close to 50 people showing up, socializing and talking story.  And the T-bones on the grill were much better than the T-bones in the water!

We had a few newcomers that showed up for both the race and the barbecue.  Lets hope they come back for more!

Here is a listing of most of the waypoint

Mark Name	Mark Location	Mark Description
Black Pt.	36°57.22’N – 121°59.29’W	Unmarked yellow ball
Capitola	36°57.86’N – 121°56.60’W	Rectangular yellow float (aka: Sponge Bob)
Government	36°57.47’N – 122°00.72’W	Large white metal ball marked “CG”
La Selva Beach	36°56.39’N – 121°53.56’W	Yellow inflatable tetrahedron
Mile Buoy	36°56.35’N – 122°00.56’W	Large RW “SC” WHISTLE buoy
Needle Rock	36°56.70’N – 122°06.20’W	Yellow inflatable Tetrahedron
Natural Bridges	36°56.58’N – 122°03.67’W	Unmarked yellow ball
SC3	36°56.49’N – 121°58.00’W	Yellow cylinder marked “SC3”
SC6	36°54.73’N – 122°01.97’W	Yellow cylinder marked “SC6”
SC7	36°56.30’N – 122°00.97’W	Yellow cylinder marked “SC7”
Start	36°57.09’N – 121°59.62’W	Unmarked yellow ball

s we use and their GPS coordinated

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I hope to see you all out there this coming Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice