OCTOBER 6, 2015: BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN NIGHT

  OCTOBER 6, 2015

BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN NIGHT

As we approach the end of the season, all we can hope for is decent wind to fill our short evening sails.  This evening did not disappoint us.  We were all early getting to the harbor and by 5:40 most of the boats were out.  We called for course 3: Start, Wharf, Blacks and start finish. Stefan was steering Pair A Dice and we executed a decent start closer to the buoy than most of the boats.  Most of the boats started further down the line from the buoy, so they were windward of us but a little behind.  It did not matter because we had the one crucial element going for us: unobstructed, clear air!  One by one the boats all tacked over for the inside track along the beach.  We sailed a little further out and tacked over also.  The wind seemed to be as consistent outside as it was inside, so it should not have made much difference. When we crossed  with Pacific Spirit the first time, it was close but they were  just slightly ahead as  they were on the crossing just before rounding Wharf.

After rounding wharf, or objective was to steal the wind from Pacific Spirit.  About a third of the way to Blacks, we started to see their jib collapse as we finally succeeded.  Just as this happened, Pacific Spirit Jibed  and headed straight toward the beach.  We were tempted to cover them, but the consensus was that there was more wind outside.  It looked good initially, but ultimately our wind died as the inside wind filled in.  Pacific Spirit rounded Blacks comfortably ahead of us.  On the way back to start, we gained a little on them, but it looked like they crossed the finish line about one and a half minutes in front of us.  We were followed by Emeritus, Kicks, Aeolian and Sea Quake.

Tactics:

When discussing sailing tactics, it is commonly said to stay between your competition and the next mark.  It is also a basic tenant to stay with your competition.  Tonight would have been a little more interesting if Pair A Dice had followed this concept.  We had Pacific Spirit in our shadow and instead of jibing when they jibed, we second guessed and thought there was more wind outside.  We gave up a golden opportunity to continue to steal their wind all the way to blacks.  The point is if you stay with your competition, even if they sail into less wind, you can block their wind and have a better chance to pass them. 

Rule 13:

A couple of blogs ago I brought up rule 13.  In essence this rule says while tacking you must stay clear of another boat until you are on a closed hauled course.  My perception was that a “close hauled course” was achieved when sails were all in and you are sailing on your new tack.  I asked a sailing judge what a “close hauled course means”.  He said the trim of the sails is not considered in this discussion.  What is considered is the angle of sail the boat is heading on.  In other words, if your tacking angle is 90 degrees and your boat has turned 90 degrees, you are on a close hauled course regardless of how well the sails are trimmed.  

The season is coming to an end and the evenings are getting shorter.  Lets get out as eary as possible next week also.

See you out there next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler