GREAT NORTH WIND AND A GREAT BARBECUE

 

 

MARCH 31, 2015

GREAT WIND, GREAT BARBECUE

With the flag on the Crow’s Nest as flat as a board, it was apparent we had plenty of wind for this night.  On closer inspection, all of the windexes on the boats were pointing toward the North.  Another great North wind night! As we left the harbor we were seeing winds in excess of 20 knots.  With about 10 boats out for the fun, we set another impromptu course starting with start to port and the other end of the line being the radio towers.  First mark was Gov to port, then wharf to port and finish back at the start buoy to port with the line being an extension from the jetty lighthouse. We gave a horn to designate the 5 minutes to start time.

 

In all of the excitement, I neglected to mention the standard “ten boat lengths from the buoy” start area.  This error on my part left it up to individual interpretation.  Many of the boats tried to start at the buoy.  The more intrepid boats took off much closer to shore which was the much favored end of the line.  The closer you started to shore, the closer you were to the lay line for Gov .  It is prudent racing to pick the favored end of the line, but without the restriction of a length of line and left to individual interpretation, starting 20 boat lengths ahead of other boats does not inspire other racers.  This was definitely my error and I will explore ways to prevent this in the future so the races will at least start even.

 

At the start Diver Down, Makani, Odonata and Pair a Dice were off the line romping toward Gov.  Diver Down rounded easily in front of Makani, then Odonata, Sea Quake (did they round Gov?)and Pair a Dice followed.  The boats in the second wave were Emeritus, Aeolian, Andiamo (welcome Katie and crew!) and Pacific Spirit.

 

On the way to Wharf Diver Down lengthened their lead and Makani followed Diver Down around wharf followed by Odonata and Pair A Dice.  On the long reach back to start the order did not change much except we were finally able to “waterline” Odonata and we rounded just ahead.

 

GROWING PAINS:

Catalina nights is a very unusual phenomenon in sailboat racing.  We have no committee boat to “sight the line”, nobody to call out OCS. We all try to abide by the rules and round all of the buoys.  We all have competitive spirits and I would like to think we are all attempting to improve our sailing abilities.  To me, Catalina Nights is all about improving sailing abilities. 

 

Regarding OCS situations, I have come to the conclusion that without a committee boat, the only way to have a start line that is valid is to use extensions.  In other words, start line would be an extension of the line between 2 points.  Examples would be an extension of the line between start and light house or an extension of the line from blacks to start.  This way any bow person can sight the line and tell if they are OCS.  In these situations, if the line is obscured by other boats, you can politely point out that they are OCS.  The penalty for OCS is to go back and dip the line and restart.  This is obviously a penalty we all want to avoid. Using extensions seems like a no brainer.  The problem is that it forces all of the boats into a tighter area and increases the danger of collisions.  We all need to be cognizant and abide by the racing rules of sailing to avoid collisions. These changes may need to be indicated on the course cards.

 

 

 

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We had a great BBQ at the yacht club.  I did not count, but it seemed like there were 50-60 people showing up for the fun and food.

 

OTHER RACING:

If you really are enjoying Catalina Tuesdays, it may be time to broaden your horizons.  SCYC is putting on regattas through the summer with their SCORE series.  There is a Jib and Main division in this series, so all of us could participate.

 

The Leukemia Cup is another regatta taking place on the weekend of May 3.  This will be a reverse PHRF start like the Big Brothers Big Sisters regatta.  You will need a PHRF certificate for all of these regattas.  This is a simple procedure that requires filling out a form and paying $20.  Entering in this regatta helps raise money for Leukemia research, a worthwhile cause and a fun event!

 

See you next Tuesday,

 

Barry