TUESDAY APRIL 19: WHALE OF A SAIL

Tuesday April 19:  A WHALE OF A SAIL

As we exited the harbor, it did not look good for sailing.  It looked like the easterly was making a feeble attempt at building.  There was enough wind to at least start the race.  We settled on the short course: start, Blacks, Start, Blacks finish and gave a 5 minute horn for the count down.

It is one thing to start a race when there is plenty of wind to play with.  It is a real challenge when the wind is so light, everyone is ghosting along at 1.5knots.  To make matters more critical, clear wind is much more important in light wind than in heavier wind.  The wind shadows have much more impact on boats that did not get off the line in the front row.

Once again, Pair A Dice was challenged with two or three boats around sailing close to us.  Pacific Spirit nailed the start perfectly, but could not fend off Sagitarius coming in on their lee and passing them.  It was a short course as the wind continued to build.  To add to the excitement, whales seemed to be everywhere. You could see them off in the distance and then practically right under our boats.

In the end Sagitarius won with Pacific Spirit right behind and Kicks and Pair a Dice. 

Starting tactics:

I should not be the one lecturing on this with the starts we have had recently.  There are several things to consider when starting.  Which end of the line is favored? (the one closest to the wind).  Is starboard or port tack favored?  Sometimes the answer to this one is easy, but when you get in larger fleets, it can be nerve racking to have a bunch of SB tackers coming down on you.  If given enough time, for starting, I like to find what the tacking angles are for each end of the line. This can come in handy as you are sailing parallel to the line 2-3 boat lengths away.  You know it is time to tack when the mark is on the compass bearing of the tacking angle.

REGATTAS:

This Sunday (April24) will be the first race day of the Score series.  Check the SCYC website for information.  Keep in mind also the Leukemia cup coming 6/4.

NEXT TUESDAY IS BARBECUE NIGHT AT SCYC AFTER THE RACE. BRING YOUR FAVORITE GRILLING FOOD.

Fair winds,

Barry Keeler

APRIL 12, 2016: ON YOUR MARK!

April 12, 2016: ON YOUR MARK!

The wind was consistent out of the North and the SCYC marks were out so we didn’t have to set our own start mark!  Some boats were swapping out to smaller head sails with so much wind showing on the Crows Nest flag.  On Pair A Dice, we considered it, but decided to stick with the 155 at the last minute, even though we only had 3 crew for the night.

We ultimately decided on course Golf 1: start, Gov, Mile Blacks, start.  On Pair a dice we got a little discombobulated on the start and by the time we started we were watching the fleet sail off ahead of us, with Pacific Spirit in the lead.  We were slowly creeping up on the pack, but decided to take a hitch inside, since we needed to do this anyway to get around the mark.  As it happened, we did not judge the mark right and had to give the lead we had gained on several boats up again.  Once again, after rounding Gov on the way to Mile, we had the fleet layed out in front of us.  We set our pole and made up a little on the fleet until we found ourselves in a westerly right at mile where we dropped the pole.  We Jibed around Mile and set our course for Blacks.  As we all came closer to blacks, the whole fleet seemed to be compressing with Pair a dice getting closer to Kicks and Sea Quake getting closer to us.

As it ended, Pacific Spirit lead Sagittarius across the line followed by Kicks, Pair A dice, Sea Quake, Odonata and Famous Lady.

Tactics:

Starting tactics, once again played a role in this race.  The best starters I have seen have an uncanny ability to judge time and distance and put the boat in a certain position at exactly the right time.  Another critical factor is to make decisions quickly and follow through as soon as possible.  This can be challenging on your crew, especially if shorthanded.  So you have to plan your start, but if things do not work as planned, you must abort and follow the new plan.  I often refer to this as the “dance of the start”, because you are not doing this alone.  One boat leads, the other follows just as in dancing.  Without a doubt, starting is one of the most challenging and if done right, rewarding parts of racing.

Other Regattas:

 Keep in mind the Leukemia cup regatta on Saturday June 4.  If you need crew or would like to take some passengers, let me know.  This is a very fun event for a good cause.

See You Tuesday,

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A DIce

TuesdayApril 5 : SAILING AGAIN!

Tuesday APRIL 5:  SAILING AGAIN!

Harbor entrance clear? Check! Is the tide high enough to not present a problem? Check!  Is there no swell to speak of? Check!  Will there be wind tonight? Check!  It has gotten to be a very interesting sailing environment these days in Santa Cruz.  But boy is it worth the hassle!

As I got to the harbor, my crew had already swapped out the 135 for the 155.  This seemed interesting to me since the crows nest flag was not limping at all.  By the time we left the slip, their prediction had come true and the wind seemed to be dying already.

It was great to have 6 to 7 boats out for the fun.  We set the start buoy and set the course: start, SC7, gov and finish.  Initially I had thought it would be good to include Mile, but with SC7 being more to windward, Mile was scratched off the course.

We gave a 5 minute and a start horn.  At the start line, Pair a Dice was just ahead of Pacific Spirit which attempted to climb to windward of us.  We successfully pinched up to give them bad air and they tacked over for clear air.  We continued out like most of the boats.  We all had the waves slowing us down.  When Pacific Spirit tacked out to meet us, she seemed a little ahead of us but before crossing us, she tacked over again.  It seems like the flatter water on their port tack was working for them.  This became apparent because they rounded SC7 just ahead of us.  As we sailed toward GOV the wind was dying and all of the boats compressed together.  After rounding Gov it was off to start again.  Pair a Dice had a fun time messing with Pacific Spirit sailing above and below her trying to slow her down.  At the finish it was Pacific Spirit (once again) just ahead of Sailing Pair A Dice.  There was a heated contest between Kicks and Odonata (Santana 22 flying a kite), but Kicks prevailed in this duel.  Then Sea Quake squeaked over the line just ahead of Aeolian.

What a Beautiful night for a sail!

Tactics:

On the way toward Gov, we noticed Pacific Spirit sailing below the mark making it look like they were getting headed.  We sailed higher in anticipation of this header and may have made a little time on them by doing this, or was it just the compression of all of the boats?

After rounding Gov, Sailing Pair A Dice should have made a definitive move to roll Pacific Spirit to leeward.  We were having fun trying to steal their wind, but the object is to round the mark AHEAD of them.  If we had maintained a leeward position on them, we would have had overlap at the mark and would have been able to round ahead of them.  Always plan ahead for the next mark rounding!  Where do you want to be to establish an advantage at the mark? These plans are usually made right after rounding the last mark.

OTHER REGATTAS:

SCYC is hosting another Leukemia cup regatta on Saturday June 4.  I participated in this regatta last year and it is very fun.  It is very similar to the Big Brother Big Sister regatta we have every summer, but this regatta is a benefit for research to treat Leukemia.  There are employees of Dominican Hospital Outpatient Oncology that are very interested in participating in this regatta and are looking for rides on boats.  If you have room for one or two novice sailors on your boat and are going to sail in this regatta, let me know and I will get you in contact with these potential participants.

See You Tuesday,

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

Catalina sailboats sailing Monterey Bay: March 29 FIRST SAIL

FINALLY SAILING AGAIN

The long wait was over.  The harbor was finally open and we were able to sail on our first Catalina Tuesday of the season. With all of the anxiety over the entrance and the necessity to report in to the harbor office before leaving, it was not surprising that we only had 4 boats out: Pacific Spirit, Sea Quake, Kicks and Sailing Pair A Dice.

We definitely had wind in the 20 knot range.  Without any of the racing buoys in place, we dropped a start mark and set a course:  start, Mile, Gov, back to start.  We delayed the start a couple of times to give Kicks time to approach the start.  On Pair A Dice, I wanted to start a little down the line from the star mark, which allowed us to not have to pinch to make Mile.  Pacific Spirit started right at the mark.  In retrospect, starting at the mark, Pacific Spirit had the favored end of the line.  Note to self: always surmise which is the favored end of the line!

As we slogged toward Mile, it was true that we did not need to pinch as much as Pacific Spirit did, but we were still not able to catch PS and they rounded well ahead of us. We  were not able to close the gap on the way to Gov or back to finish and Pacific Spirit finished well ahead of us.  Sea Quake and Kicks followed.

The harbor is now open with no restriction and no necessity to call in.  The sounding chart at this point looks like it is wise to exit closer to the west jetty than the east. There is still a little shoaling closer to the east jetty.  I realize that I may have been a little precautious in last weeks post.  Though what I said about surfing a wave into the harbor and bottoming out is still a hazard to be avoided, the harbor seems to be sufficiently dredged to be safe at this point.

Though we only had 4 boats out on Tuesday, nearly everyone showed up to the yacht club for the barbecue.  It was great to see everyone getting reacquainted after a longer than normal winter.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone out this coming Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A DIce