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