Friday, May 29, 2015

MAY 26, 2015 CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING MONTEREY BAY: STEADY WINDS


MAY 26, 2015
STEADY WINDS
My first glimpse of the harbor had the flags as stiff as boards.  The wind was blowing very hard indeed.  As we left the harbor we were considering reefing, but decided not to since the sea state did not look bad at all.  The wind was blowing steadily from the Southwest between 15 to 18 knots.  We all filed out of the harbor and congregated around the start mark.  We chose course number 1 with a start time of 6:05.   

On PairaDice we decided to approach the line on port tack and tack into the first hole we saw.   As it turned out, Diver Down and Pacific Spirit were charging down the line on Starboard tack.  We had to wait for them to clear before we could tack over on Starboard.  Doing this move made us a little late to the line.  Everyone that crossed the line on starboard tack immediately tacked over on port ended up sailing inside on port tack as we sailed out on starboard tack for a little bit before tacking over and following everyone on port tack. At least we were not stuck in everyone’s bad air for once.  When all boats met again, we passed in front of Toad and Diver Down and Pacific Spirit cleared us easily on the layline for Wharf.  We sailed a little further and tacked over toward Wharf right in front of Aeolian.
 
As we sailed toward wharf we realized we had tacked too soon and had to pinch to make the mark.  We wished for a lift and we prayed for a lift, but it never materialized and we ultimately had to do two quick tacks right at the mark in order to get around it. 

This did not help in our attempt to close the gap between Diver Down, Pacific Spirit and us.  They were well on their way to Mile. We had our own problems with Aeolian trying to steal our wind.  We were barely able to keep out of their wind shadow and jibed around Mile just ahead of them.  We made our way to Blacks watching Diver Down and Pacific Spirit fight it out as we slowly shortened the distance between us.  Meanwhile the splendor of Monterey bay was displayed behind us with the rest of the boats sailing in bright sunlight with dark clouds behind them.
THE SPLENDOR OF MONTEREY BAY
 
 At the finish it was Diver Down, Pacific Spirit, Pair A Dice, Aeolian, Kicks, Toad, Andiamo and Sea Quake.  It was a great night to be on the bay!

 

After the race, we had a BBQ at SCYC with the bar open for us for the first time on Catalina Tuesday.

 

FIRST SCYC 'OPEN' BARBECUE
 
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG:

It doesn’t matter how long you sail and race, things will go wrong at the most inopportune time.  The greatest chance for errors is when boats are in close proximity: starts and mark rounding.  How do you handle it when you are fouled? How do you handle it when you have fouled someone?  Obviously we all do everything to avoid fouling other boats, but things do not always happen as planned.  Someone standing on a sheet, kinks in sheets that prevent the jib from coming around or simply errors in judgement.  Obviously, if you can abort a move and prevent a foul go for the abortive measure!

 

Let me illustrate with a true story.  We were in a score race and determined that pin end on port was the preferred start.  As it turned out, by the time we crossed the line we were inundated with a bunch of Moore 24’s on starboard tack.  I was on the helm and knew if I ducked one, I would have to duck them all.  I tacked over onto starboard trying to get in line and stay out of their way. One of the Moore drivers told me very politely (considering the circumstances) that I had fouled him: he had to divert his course to avoid collision.  We waited until we were clear and did a turn for the penalty.  I found later that you should “immediately sail to a clear area and complete 1 turn including a tack and a jibe”.  The penalty in the rule book for this (failure to yield right of way) is actually 2 turns, but most SI’s now say 1 turn.  In the heat of the moment, it is hard to be polite and not yell if you are being fouled.  It is necessary sometimes to speak louder to be heard, but screaming insults and profanity does no good.  As I say, we all find ourselves in these awkward situations sooner or later.  All you can do if you foul someone is apologize and take a turn.  Notice the course card indicates, as most local SI’s do, that a one turn penalty is all that is required.  Always follow the SI’s for your race. As terrible as fouling someone feels, thank your lucky stars if there was no contact/damage or injury.

 

CURRENT EVENTS:

All sailors know how to read currents if there is a buoy in the water looking for eddies around the buoy.  Buoys are not always available.  How can you tell which way the current is going?  If there is a kelp bed around observe the kelp.  It’s not good to sail through the kelp, picking up hitch-hikers is never a way to win races.  Sailing by the kelp have one of your crew observe it.  If all of the kelp that is still attached by a root is streaming in one direction, that is the way the current is going.  If the kelp is all disorganized with some strands floating every which way, the current is negligible.  Sailors always curse kelp, but it can help decipher currents and win races.

 

RACE QS UPLOAD:

Copy and paste this site and you should be able to replay the race on Race QS:

 


 

Please download and use RaceQS.  It would be great to have every boat accounted for in our replays.

 

See you next Tuesday.

 

Barry

Thursday, May 21, 2015

May 19, 2015: HEAVY WEATHER JIBE


Tuesday May 19, 2015
                                                            HEAVY WEATHER JIBE
 

What a great spring we have had for wind!  This night was no exception.  As we left the harbor and got close to the start buoy, it was apparent we needed a reef with 21 knots of true wind.  We had over 10 boats out for the fun with about 9 taking part in the race.  We established course 1 with a start time 6pm.  With this much wind, the longest course seemed appropriate: Start, Wharf,Mile, Blacks finish. 

On Pair A Dice, we approached the start line on port tack and tacked over onto starboard tack just in front of Diver Down.  We came very close to lee bowing Diver Down, but she was too fast and just rolled us.  We tacked over to port with Makani closing the gap behind us.  When we both tacked over on to starboard we were so close we could have shared drinks with each other.  What a sight to be so close to a 34 foot boat with it’s rail buried in the water.  When they finally got ahead of us, we tacked over on port again.  The next time we crossed we barely cleared ahead of them, but just before the mark, we had to duck them.   

Meanwhile Diver Down rounded way ahead of us all.  It is quite a complement to our Catalina fleet, having such an accomplished sailor as Homer Lighthall sailing with us.  Diver Down is certainly a very fast boat, but with Homer at the helm their lead over other boats becomes incredible.  I wonder if Jimmy Spithill would be interested. J  On the way to Mile, Diver Down was way in front followed by Pacific Spirit,Makani and finally Pair A Dice with Perfect 36 just behind us.
 
 

The rounding of Mile was rather interesting being a heavy weather Jibe.  Several of the boats rounded up right after the jibe making an interesting spectacle. On the way to Blacks, Pacific Spirit and Makani took a higher line and we took the rhumb line straight toward the mark.  Diver Down was way off in the distance.  Makani Rounded ahead of us and we rounded with Pacific Spirit.  Since Pacific Spirit had an inside overlap, they were entitled to “room at the mark” which we freely gave them.  Right after rounding, we tacked back out for clear air to get away from Pacific Spirit’s bad air.  Ultimately the inside tack was preferred and their lead over us extended.  At the finish: Diver Down, Makani, Pacific Spirit, Pair A Dice, Perfect 36, Aeolian, Kicks and Sea Quake.

 

THE HEAVY WEATHER JIBE:

This maneuver is correctly accomplished differently on different types of boats.  For the heavier Keel boats, like Catalinas, the key person on the boat is the main sheet trimmer.  In lighter winds the mainsheet is released as the boat passes from a reach to dead down wind, then as the stern passes through the eye of the wind, the mainsheet trimmer quickly sheets in and releases out on the other side.  In heavier wind, it is critical to be sheeting in as the boat heads dead down wind.  The helm person can stall momentarily in the DDW position to give time for the mainsheet to come in.  The critical point is when the boat finally is on the new heading is to NOT CLEAT THE SHEET!  If the sheet is cleated you will surely round up.  It helps for the helmperson to ease into the new heading to allow the main to ease out.  Taking the turn too rapidly with the sheet uncleated creates tremendous force which you do not want to slam into your aft shrouds.   These are my thoughts on heavy weather jibes.  Any comments from readers would be appreciated.

 

RACEQS A VERY COOL ‘APP’

This app is very cool and free.  Download it onto your phone and mount your phone in the center of the boat, set the start time and it tracks your boat.  It gives valuable feedback on your steering technique, tacking technique and many other features.  The cool thing is that you upload to their website and everyone can download to your computer and watch the replay on your computer at home. We already have 4 boats in our fleet using it and I watched the replay of our whole race showing how well all of the boats were being handled.  It would be very cool to have an upload from all of the boats.  Download it and use it!

 

NEXT TUESDAY IS BARBECUE NIGHT AT SCYC AFTER THE RACE.  BRING YOUR FAVORITE FOOD TO GRILL, AND GREAT FELLOW SAILORS.

 !*PLEASE NOTE: SCYC BAR WILL BE OPEN.  DO NOT  BRING DRINKS.  TAP BEER AND MIXED DRINKS, A PERFECT WAY TO END A NIGHT OF SAILING!*****

See you next Tuesday,

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

Thursday, May 14, 2015

TUESDAY MAY 12, 2015: NIGHT OF SHIFTY WINDS


Tuesday May 12, 2015

NIGHT OF SHIFTY WINDS 

The wind was blowing insanely for the second night in a row, from the North with a little West in it.  It had blown all day, but seemed to be decreasing slightly.  We still raised the sail in the harbor with a reef in.  As we left the harbor, the wind seemed to switch around to the West with a little North in it.  We set a course for the Northwest wind and the wind shifted to North (straight offshore).  We switched to a North wind course 14.  With the wind blowing a steady 20-22 knots, timing the line was rather challenging.   

Everyone seemed to be aware that the start buoy end of the line was the preferred place to be.  The problem was with the steady wind, we were all stalling to not be over the line at the start.  We all nearly crossed the line in unison, with Pair A Dice slightly behind Perfect 36 and Diver Down. We were  getting bad air once again.   Finally, we tacked over to get clear air and to sail in smoother water.  Diver Down tacked on us to cover.  The problem was to choose a lay line for Gov with all of the wind shifts.  We tacked over way before our normal lay line.  Initially, it looked like we had tacked way too soon, but we ultimately got lifted and rounded Gov with Pacific Spirit after Diver Down and Perfect 36.  Makani was in close pursuit right after us.  

It was a mad dash to Blacks after rounding Gov.  Diver Down had taken a turn to mile (sorry for that confusion) and it was Perfect 36 and Pacific Spirit sprinting toward Blacks, with us sailing to leeward in their bad air and Makani right behind us. There was no room for bad sail trim in this drag race.  Diver down had made the turn toward Blacks and was making incredible time toward Blacks surfing every wave possible.  With a good puff of wind on us, we hardened up to try to get to windward of “36” and Pacific Spirit.  After we ducked their sterns, we were not able to catch up enough to take their wind. As much as I wanted to see the tail of our windex pointing into their sails, it just was not going to happen! 

By the time we got to Blacks, Diver Down had caught up and we all rounded nearly in unison, Perfect 36 first, then  Diver Down, Makani,Sailing Pair a Dice and Pacific Spirit.  In the drag race to the finish mark, it was Diver Down first, Perfect 36, Makani, and  Pair A Dice leading Pacific Spirit by less than a boat length. 

Another great night of racing!  Great job Diver Down (again!) 

CORRECTION:   Everyone with a course card please note: Course 14 needs to have MILE  scratched out, otherwise it is just a repeat of course 13.  I am sorry for this error which was pointed out to me after most of the cards were distributed.

Tactics:  INSIDE OVERLAP

Onc tactical rule to follow: ALWAYS SET UP FOR AN INSIDE OVERLAP AT THE  NEXT MARK.   While we attempted this on the way to Blacks, we were unsuccessful and could not take the wind away from Perfect 36.  Having inside overlap enables you to claim “Mark Room” and  have the inside track rounding the mark.  Though we tried, we were unable to claim inside overlap at Blacks and this is where we lost the race. 

I must say, it is very exciting to have everyone in such a tight race.  Everyone is definitely bringing their game up.  This is very exciting sailing!


See you next week.


Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A DIce

 

 

 

 

Friday, May 8, 2015

Tuesday May 5, 2015: SHOOTING THE BREEZE


TUESDAY MAY 5, 2015

SHOOTING THE BREEZE

 

It was a clear, windy evening.  All memories of last week’s drift fest were quickly erased.  There were 8 boats out for the fun.  To avoid going outside into the gnarlier wind, we decided on course number 4: Start, Wharf, Gov Fnishish.  We set the start time for 6:05, but had to postpone because Makani was coming out of the harbor halfway through the count down.  On Pair a Dice we decided on a Starboard tack start right at the pin.  Our plan was flawless, but Diver Down was right with us a little to leeward of us.  Right at the start, Diver Down had no problem leaving us in her dirty air, perfectly lee bowing us!  This was Frustrating for us: Continue on in bad air, or tack over into lighter wind!?   We continued on until we could tack over into some wind.  By that time, they were way ahead of us.  You gotta love a properly faired bottom. Homer did quite a job for Diver Down on their last haulout.  We finally tacked over for clear air, and Diver Down tacked to cover, but they were far enough away to not affect us.

 

Diver Down rounded Wharf comfortably ahead of all other boats. Pair a Dice was the second around Wharf followed closely by Makani and Odonata.   The gap between Pair a Dice and Makani and Odonata was closed even more on the way to Gov.  The race was on to the finish mark.  Diver Down rounded finish with a very comfortable lead.  Pair a Dice was being slowly overtaken by Makani and Odonata which was flying a spinnaker on this leg.  We put our pole up and maintained our lead to finish second followed by Odonata, Makani, Pacific Spirit, Aeolian, Kicks and Andiamo all in rapid succession.  It is amazing how fast everyone is bringing their game up and finishing much closer than they were even a month ago.

 

I was feeling pretty smug keeping ahead of Makani, a 34 foot boat on the last leg.  Over dinner, Stuart informed us that he was chartering the boat for visitors from Minnesota that really wanted to get out on the ocean.  He had none of his crew on board, so in essence was sailing the boat by himself.  This answered our question “Why doesn’t he put his pole up?”.   What an amazing performance!  I am sure the people from Minnesota had no idea what was going on.  They were able to see the whales, participate in a race and enjoy a beautiful sunset while on the ocean.

 

I am looking forward to what next Tuesday brings.  See you then.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice