12/10/19 CROSSING SITUATIONS (CONTINUED).

December 10, 2019

RULES AND CROSSING SITUATIONS (CONTINUED)

CHRIS HOFMANN

This was another excellent presentation by Chris about crossing situations. There was a lot of audience participation and kudos to Chris for keeping order with multiple participants in the discussion.

The discussion started with a situation where a port boat is approaching a starboard boat.  The port boats hails “tack or cross”.  The starboard boat can hail either “tack”, “cross” or “starboard”.  If the starboard boat hails “cross” starboard must avoid the port tack boat, even if he must alter course.  By hailing “starboard” the indication is “I have right of way, do not cross unless you are sure you can clear me”.  In any event, the starboard boat should avoid contact (rule 14).  In a close situation, the starboard boat should dip to avoid collision.  In a situation where it is not close (possible T-bone), a protest should be hailed and STILL avoid contact.

A lengthy discussion ensued about the port tack boat Lee-bowing the starboard boat.  Mike Gross presented a dynamic demonstration of how the wind approaches and wraps around a boat and how to use this “altered wind” in when lee-bowing.  In short, the wind on the leeward side of the windward boat accelerates and if you are lee-bowing a windward boat, you can capitalize on the accelerated wind and pull ahead of a windward boat while also slowing them down with disturbed wind from your sails.  The ultimate concept presented by Fred Molnar was that if you cannot comfortably cross in front of a boat, you should not attempt a lee-bow.

There was discussion about how to protest a boat that has fouled you.  In short, you must hail the word “PROTEST”.   Anything else said does not count!  “Do your turns”, “You just fouled me” do not count.  You must hail “PROTEST”.  You must also fly a red flag (immediately) indicating you are protesting the actions of the other boat.  People that are really prepared for racing will have a red flag tucked away on the body somewhere to be able to comply with the “immediate flying of a red flag” requirement.  It is important to be aware that the protesting boat MUST appear at the protest hearing to present the case.  I once filed a protest in a national regatta, but never showed up to the protest hearing so it was dropped.

I think the biggest point of the evening was the acronym presented by Chris: IWIWHD.  This acronym stands for “I WISH I WOULD HAVE DUCKED” and refers to the situation where a port boat is sailing in front of a starboard boat and not quite clearing. It is much better for starboard  to duck to avoid contact than to keep on your course and collide and then protest. 

There was also discussion about the penalty for fouling another boat.  The RRS indicated a 2 turn penalty for fouling another boat.  The final word on this is indicated in the sailing instructions which will frequently indicate a 1 turn penalty for fouling another boat.  So if you are a port boat, and you think you can clear a starboard boat and they protest you, you can do your turn(s) to exonerate yourself.  For our Tuesday night sails the sailing instructions (as indicated on the back of the course card) is a one turn or a 270 degree turn to exonerate (#4 on the course card).

A good reference for crossing situations can be found at: https://www.yachtingworld.com/5-tips/5-tips-port-starboard-cross-simplest-rule-70870

These crossing situations can be close calls.  I remember once when it was certain I was going to clear a starboard boat and a power boat crossed in front of me and it’s wake slowed me down enough that I didn’t clear.  It is important to consider all aspects of a crossing situation. 

‘

Something that was not discussed is the concept that a person on the bow can be gauging the crossing and will see that he is clearing the starboard boat while the guy at the stern (assessing the range) indicates you will not cross.  In this situation, you are headed for a T-bone situation unless someone alters course. The part of the boat that must CLEAR a starboard tack boat is the stern, the person judging the ability to cross MUST be at the stern of the port boat.

Because of the impending holidays we will not be meeting for the next 3 weeks.  Keep an eye on your e-mail for the next meeting announcement.  We will continue with rules in the next few meetings (after the holidays), but many people have expressed interest in presenting.  Homer Lighthall would like to talk about modifications to improve boat speed.  Some people would like to talk about destinations they have sailed.  Stay tuned for future topics to be presented.

Thanks to all of you for your participation.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

12/3/2019 TRS: RULES GOVERNING CROSSING SITUATIONS

DECEMBER 3, 2019

TRS: RULES GOVERNING CROSSING SITUATIONS

CHRIS HOFMANN AND FRED MOLNAR

This was a fantastic presentation and introduction to the racing rules of sailing.  Reference sources were presented and examples of protests and resolution of appeals were explained.  There was active participation and questions from many of the 30 people that attended.

Some other websites that may be interesting regarding racing rules.

An animated Rules Quiz (poke around a bit, there is a lot there):  http://game.finckh.net/indexe.htm

RacingRulesOfSailing.org, a GREAT site with the rules, links to the cases and appeals, and a discussion forum:  https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/

Another site is:   https://www.sailing.org/documents/racingrules/index.php

Below is the simple, one-page explanation of the rules of racing from the Latitude 38 web site.  In the first paragraph is a reference to the US sailing web site for the rules of sailing. 

 Examples for this presentation were taken from the “case book” of protests, appeals and resolution.  The web site for this case book is:   www.sailing.org/documents/caseandcall/case-book.php

We made it though these cases in the case book website on Tuesday night.

Case 17  Definition of tacking and on a tack.

Case 6 starboard tack boat changing course

Case 3 room to tack at obstruction – port boats as an obstruction to oncoming starboard boat

Case 10 room to tack at an obstruction two boats on starboard-tack keeping clear of unresponsive port tack boat

Case 11 allow a boat to pass on the same side of the obstruction. If you duck you must allow other boats room to duck too

A few more crossing situations are on the plan for the next session, then we will start into mark roundings.  In particular we will look at some of the situations that often appear at black point buoy after the start in the easterly since its a short leg and often we have lots of boats in close quarters at that mark.

-Chris

The plan is to continue to pull from the case book.  The following cases (from the web site) will be discussed in the coming weeks. If you want, you can check these out for discussion on Tuesday.

Case 17  Definition of tacking and on a tack.

Case 6 starboard tack boat changing course  

Case 3 room to tack at obstruction – port boats as an obstruction to oncoming starboard boat

Case 10 room to tack at an obstruction two boats on starboard-tack keeping clear of unresponsive port tack boat

Case 11 allow a boat to pass on the same side of the obstruction. If you duck you must allow other boats room to duck too

Case 54 room to tack at an obstruction.

Case 9 starboard tack boat not required to tack on a starboard windward mark rounding

Case 15 port boats approaching a port tack rounding

Case 27 port tack boat flops to starboard without enough room.

I learned a lot from Tuesday’s presentation, but my biggest takeaway was that a starboard boat cannot change course in a crossing situation, even with a shift (header or lift) in the wind.

There is a lot of information and many websites referenced in this blog that should provide a source of information for anyone that wants to delve deeper into the topic.

We will continue this discussion next Tuesday with the barbecue open from 5:15 to 5:45. Seminar will start at 6pm.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

Latitude 38's Basic Racing Guidelines

Since sailboat racing is a recreational sport, we think the number one rule should be to have fun. Beyond that, some basic guidelines help prevent collisions and ensure that racing is both fun and fair. Below is an outline of the ten basic rules which cover most racing situations. For completeness and total accuracy, refer to Racing Rules of Sailing 2013-2016, published by US Sailing. See www.ussailing.org/rules for details.

1. Port tack keep clear of starboard tack.

2. If boats are on the same tack, and overlapped, the windward boat must keep clear of the boat to leeward.

3. If boats are on the same tack, a boat clear astern must keep clear of a boat clear ahead.

4. When tacking or jibing, keep clear of boats on a tack.

5. Avoid collisions. If you have the right of way and hit the other boat, causing damage or injury, you both will be penalized.

6. Don’t obstruct. Don’t make it hard for the ‘keep clear’ boat to do so. (No hunting allowed.)

7. Sail the course prescribed. You have to round the marks in the directions specified in the Sailing Instructions and can’t touch a mark.

8. Proper Course (same tack, within two hull lengths). If the leeward boat came from astern, leeward boat shall not sail above its own proper course during the overlap. (Remember that the windward boat still has to keep clear, even if windward is forced above what it believes is windward’s proper course. Leeward still has right of way.)

9. Give room at marks and obstructions to yachts overlapped on the inside, except:
a. When the overlap did not exist before the lead boat reaches the three-boatlength zone.
b. When approaching a windward mark on opposite tack.
c. At a starting mark surrounded by navigable water. That is, you don’t have to let a barger in at the start except to avoid collision (then protest).

10. Acknowledge your fouls and protest those who don’t.

A free rule book comes with US Sailing membership. The new rule books are printed on waterproof paper! See www.ussailing.org.

11/26/2019 TRS SEMINAR: BAREBOAT CHARTERING / BARRY KEELER

                                                                   
                                                                  NOVEMBER 26, 2019

                                                             BAREBOAT  CHARTERING                                                           
                                                                     BARRY KEELER

To see the powerpoint presentation for this  TRS click on this link:

https://1drv.ms/p/s!ArjGq5xSks3iqWG6e37aq2exm2e2?e=huDzQk

We had an interesting discussion about bareboat chartering.  By viewing the powerpoint presentation you can see the highlights of our discussion.  I learned a lot from the various discussions we had.  

When there is a man overboard incident, you should start throwing floating objects overboard so you have a trail leading back to the victim.  (Thanks to Stefan Berlkinski)

The best type of anchor for general cruising is a Rocna or other spade type anchor. (Thanks to Don Radcliffe)

I guess I am rather old school because after taking the coastal navigation course from Coast Guard auxiliary, I have always used a puck compass to see where I am and where I am going.  When I described this process it was pointed out that it is easier to look at your chart plotter (Thanks Don)

This coming Tuesday a discussion will be held by Chris Hofmann and Fred Molnar on "Crossing situations and rules on rounding marks".  Barbecue will be open from 5:15 to 5:45 and seminar will start at 6pm.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

                                         

11/19/2019 TRS SEMINAR "IMPROVING BOAT SPEED" WITH TOM CONERLY

 TUESDAY RACING SEMINAR (TRS)

NOVEMBER 19, 2019

IMPROVING BOAT SPEED

WITH TOM CONERLY

Tom started his talk describing the difference between “racing sailboats” and “cruising sailboats”.  This was something I had never considered.  We all know that racing boats are lighter and narrower beams.  But I had never thought about the way the weight is distributed.  A racing boat usually has 50% of its weight in the keel, which is usually deeper on a race boat.  This difference makes the race boat more stable both at anchor and while sailing.  The fact that the weight is more centrally located makes it easier to sail through wave (with less hobby-horsing).

Tom had many tips about boat handling and basically dealing with problems that can occur on a boat.  He described how it is better for the boat to be flatter in high winds.  The boat sails better this way and it is a dryer ride for the crew.  As wind increases it is better to flatten sails by using the outhaul, backstay  and moving jib fairleads back.  Since cruising boats are heavier in the bow and stern, it is best to compensate for this by getting the crew centered in the boat and on the rail.  The worst place for crew to be is in the cockpit on any point of sail since this increases the wetted area on the boat.  Going down-wind the crew should be forward to help catch waves.

Tom discussed the whole “mentality of racing”.  There are times for leisure sails and there are times for racing.  Is the crew earnest about racing?   Does the crew get the jib sheets in quickly and winched In quickly (upper chest over the winch grinding in using both hands?) Is the boat as light as you can get it?

Tom went into depth describing the best points to sail for best speed.  He pointed out that sailing 10 degrees off course only results in 1% more distance sailed. This means if you can sail 10 degrees higher or lower AND increase your speed, you will come out ahead of the boats that sail dead down wind.

Tom went into length about how the things you learn from racing can be applied in all types of sailing, including cruising.  If you race a lot, you will learn how to deal with all the things that can go wrong on a sailboat, from dealing with spinnaker wraps and spinnaker halyard breaks to dealing with winch over-wraps.

I found the subject of over-wraps to be interesting.  Over-wraps happen when the jib sheet does not coil around the winch as it should and over-wraps on itself.  With the loads on a jib sheet in a strong breeze, these forces can be formidable.  There are several ways to undo the over-wrap.  You can lead the tail of the wrapped line to another winch and use the leverage to undo the wrap.  You can luff up momentarily to reduce the load and allow the wrap to be untangled, or you can even ease the jib halyard to ease the tension.  The last resort is to cut the jib sheet (with the owner’s permission😉).

One last takeaway that I got from Tom is dealing with the Jib Halyard.  Most of us have roller furling jibs.  I have known for some time it is best to ease the halyard when coming in from a sail to keep the jib from getting stretched out.  Tom also indicated this is good practice, but also pointed out that if you loosen the jib halyard when you come into the harbor, you will have to TIGHTEN it when you sail again.  When you are tightening the jib halyard for the new sail, it will be tightened appropriately.  For many boats, this adjustment is frequently a “set it and forget it” setting. 

Tom laid out a lot of ideas for improving boat speed.  If you can apply these concepts your sailing will definitely improve.

Thank your Tom for your time and expertise.

_)    _)                          _)                                                          _)                          _)

Next Tuesday will be Thanksgiving week but we will forge ahead with our TRS series on Tuesday night November 26.   Though the topic does not pertain to racing, we will talk about “BARE BOAT CHARTERING”.  Personally, I have done quite a few of these and I encourage others that have experience to show up for the discussion.  I would like to discuss topics such as which company to rent from, tips on anchoring and getting mooring balls (if available).  Please come if you can.  This will be an open discussion about bare boating.

Barry Keeler 

     

Sailing Pair A Dice

NOVEMBER 12, 2019: NOTES ON "STARTS SEMINAR"

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

STARTS SEMINAR

FRED MOLNAR AND DON RADCLIFFE

This was the second of our Tuesday night seminars and was attended by 25 people with active participation.  It started with Fred talking about his preparation and execution of the start of a race.

Fred set out a comprehensive plan for approaching any regatta or race.  He described studying any notes he had about the venue (if in a venue other than home).  He also said it is important to know who your competitors are and who are the fast boats you are competing against.  In preparation for the race you should check your boat for the race (weight? Clean bottom?).  Also check the weather reports for the type of wind predicted (predict wind website).  Your crew should engage in safety drills if something untoward should occur (MOB?).  You should assign crew to appropriate positions.   Leave dock in plenty of time to assess the situation on the water and practice a few tacks and jibes (if new crew).  As you approach the start area check for kelp which can slow your boat dramatically if it decides to hitchhike.  You should observe the water for wind indications and look for birds and flags for further information.  You can also observe the flow of the kelp to determine the direction of currents that may be taken advantage of.

Ten to thirty minutes before the start you should determine the true direction of the wind and which end of the line is favored.  Everything else being equal, if you can start at the favored end of the line, it is like taking a legal head start on the other boats.  You should also sail around the end of the line to get a sight on a landmark that helps determine when you are on the line.

Assess the wind.  Is it steady, oscillating or shifting?  Time the line: how long does it take to sail the length of the line?  You should note the course number indicating which course to follow (have two people agree on the course).  Have crew apprise skipper of any boats that may interfere with the planned start.  And ALWAYS keep an eye out for kelp strands in the water waiting to hitchhike and slow you down.

These steps are aimed at having you start in clean air at the favored end of the line at full speed going in the right direction (toward the better wind).

After Fred’s presentation Don Radcliffe discussed some of the racing rules that come into play at the start.  There were several scenarios presented.  What I learned was that in a “barging situation” there is no such thing as barging in the rule book.  There IS windward/ leeward right of way and luffing rights.  If you have a boat that is attempting to “barge” it is important to hale “NO ROOM” OR “DON’T GO THERE” well ahead of time so they have time to clear the committee boat or mark. It is also critical that the boat that is being “barged” does NOT alter course.   The boat should be sailing straight for the corner of the line where the windward boat is trying to sneak through.

There was also a discussion of luffing rights on the line.  In these situations a lot depends on HOW the overlap was achieved.  As an example if the leeward boat achieved overlap from behind, AFTER the start signal the leeward boat cannot sail above proper course to luff a windward boat.

Thanks to Fred and Don for an excellent presentation.

Next Tuesday we will have Tom Conerly speak about improving boat speed.  Start time will be 6pm with the grill open from 5:15 to 5:45.   As usual the seminar will be downstairs at the yacht club.

Upstairs will not be open.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 29, 2019 LAST TUESDAY OF THE SAILING SEASON

OCTOBER 29, 2019

LAST TUESDAY OF THE SAILING SEASON

Douglas Mahone
to me

This was the night of the short course and early sunset.

Fifteen boats showed up for racing, with a light breeze out of the north (actually, a few degrees west of north).  A short course (about one mile) of Start to finish at Gov was called, and the race began at 5:45p. It was a starboard tack close reach the whole way.

Because of the light winds at the start, about half of the fleet was caught well behind the line and started late.  The old starting tactic of sailing two minutes away from the line and then two minutes back to start only works if there’s consistent wind.  In light winds, it works better to bob around near the line until it’s time to go. Once we all got going, the wind filled in rather nicely, even building occasionally to 6 to 8 kts as we got farther up toward the mark.

There was apparently some shouting around the starboard end of the start line before the start.  I didn’t witness it, but I was told that about four boats were stacked up heading to the line.  The leeward boat was trying to push up the boats above it, which is allowable, but the upwind boats didn’t yield.  Apparently, one or more would have had to sail above the start mark, and would have had to circle back to start properly. Because they were close together, the ability to yield to the leeward boat depended on the farthest boat upwind yielding first, because the others below couldn’t push up without collisions. Nobody was allowing the leeward boat to push up, hence the shouting.  If I have this story right, it illustrates how the rules can require multiple boats to change course because of the action of one boat.  At least they all observed Rule 14, and avoided collisions.

Once the race was underway, a lot of the outcome turned on who got the best wind.  Although it was blowing rather well, there were puffs and lulls, and the northerly was often a bit stronger closer to shore.  Avatar and Perfect 36 were farther offshore, while Pair-a-Dice, Tusitala and Nidaros were closer inshore; the rest of the fleet was scattered.  Avatar was leading for most of the first leg, PAD and Perfect were in close pursuit, and Tusitala was coming up hard on the inside. As we approached the finish, Avatar was still in the lead, but the wind inshore was stronger so PAD and Tusitala had pretty much closed the gap. As Tusitala tried to pass PAD, PAD (the leeward boat) pushed her up, away from the mark.  Then, PAD quickly turned down toward the finish, leaving Tusitala behind.  A classic match racing tactic, well executed by guest skipper Fred Molnar.  PAD ended up crossing 11 seconds ahead Tusitala, and Avatar came in one second behind Tusitala.  The whole thing took less than 15 minutes of actual racing. Who says short races can’t be exciting?

For the final results, there were ten boats that recorded their tracks.  RaceQs reported final corrected times of PAD 10:30, Avatar 11:33, Perfect 36 12:05, Tusitala 12:15, Pacific Spirit 13:10, Patricia J 13:11, Sandpiper 13:54, Nidaros 14:38, Kicks 15:53, and Aeolian 16:25. Please note: these are corrected times not elapsed time as I usually report.

This was the last race of the season, which began last March. We’ve had a lot of interesting races, some informative rules infractions, a lot of boat and crew improvements, and more fun than we can count. The last BBQ of the season followed this last race, and it was one of the liveliest and best attended yet. We’ll declare it a great success! Looking forward to starting the next season when daylight savings time returns in the spring.  In the meantime, please try to participate in the Midwinters and other off-season racing to keep your skills up and your crews engaged.

A huge thanks to Doug for an excellent recap of the last race for the season!

The race QS track can be reviewed at: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1009265&divisionId=62884&updatedAt=2019-10-30T03:26:33Z&dt=2019-10-29T17:35:10-07:00..2019-10-29T18:04:42-07:00&boat=PAD&model=Express27&time=1572397452552&focus=PAD&rival=Tusitala&tab=match&view=manual&lat=36.957836&lon=-122.013093&tilt=1&range=333&heading=4

TUESDAY NIGHT SEMINARS:

Our first Tuesday night seminar will be downstairs at the Yacht club on November 5 and will be conducted by Fred Molnar and Chris Hofmann.  This will start at 6pm and the topic will be Race QS.  A discussion will be held about the Moore 24 incident that lead to the death of a racer earlier this year in Monterey.  There will be an open question and answer session on rules and tactics and anything else people want to talk about.

We have some amazing talent in our group and these seminars will be an incredible learning experience if you choose to participate.

           _)                 _)                                 _)                          (_                     (_

I want to thank all of the participants we have had this year.  I have really enjoyed seeing the number of participants grow and everyone having so much fun.

We will see you at the seminars.

Barry L Keeler

Sailing Pair a Dice

OCTOBER 22, 2019 PHOTO-OP EVENING

OCTOBER 22, 2019

PHOTO-OP EVENING

When I got to the harbor around 4 pm I was wondering why there was no flag on the Crow’s Nest. On closer examination, there was a flag but there was no wind!  Time to cut a check to the “wind gods”.  We left the harbor and made our way to the start mark trying to ascertain the direction of the wind.  There was a dying Northwesterly and a very faint Easterly.  We started our countdown for the 5:45 start and just before the 5 minute horn there was no wind, we postponed for 5 minutes and then had to postpone again for another 5 minutes.  With 15 boats out, we were all entrenched in a “Bob-fest”. Finally the Easterly started to fill in faintly just enough for a start at 5:55 and a very short course B6.   The check to the “wind gods” had just cleared!

 

On PAD we found ourselves in the un-enviable position of being to the lee of multiple boats in very light wind.  We couldn’t even get enough speed up to turn toward the line as we watched the boats that got good starts sail into an even stronger Easterly.  Finally we got under way as the first boats were rounding Blacks. At least we were not looking at all of those sterns any more.

At the finish, Patricia J 18:01, Avatar 20:17, Pacific Spirit 20:33, Tusitala 22:00,  Makani 22:02, Perfect 36 23:38, Nidaros 24:30, Pair a Dice 24:50, Dusk to Dawn (Sweet Pea) 24:52 and Aeolian 27:12.  All times are elapsed and the length of the course was .55 miles.

It was a beautiful night to be on the water even if we had to wait for the wind to come up.  Everywhere I looked on the race course I saw people snapping photos.  It was truly a photo-op evening.

Race QS:

With 15 boats out, we had 10 running Race QS.  You must run Race QS to be counted!  The track for this night can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=62764&updatedAt=2019-10-23T01:54:25Z&dt=2019-10-22T17:45:03-07:00..2019-10-22T18:48:29-07:00&boat=Pair%20a%20dice&time=1571793732155&focus=Pair%20a%20dice&rival=Nidaros%20II&tab=fleet&view=follow&lat=36.951271&lon=-121.993310&tilt=1&range=267&heading=1

PICK YOUR LINE:

As we were approaching Blacks buoy, the area was crowded with boats.  Many had rounded the mark and were going back to finish, others were rounding with us.  It really helps if you can pick a line that does not require you to duck boats and have a clear shot at the mark.  Ducking multiple boats would have set us even further back in the fleet.

TUESDAY NIGHT SEMINARS:

I am excited about this series that will allow us to keep getting together on Tuesday nights.  These meetings will be held downstairs at the yacht club starting at 6 pm.  The first one will be on November 5 and will put on by Fred Molnar and Chris Hofmann. The discussion will be talking about how to get the most out of Race QS.  You do not need to be a SCYC club member to come. We will run this series every Tuesday night until we run out of presenters or interest wains.

NEXT TUESDAY WILL BE OUR LAST SAIL FOR THE SEASON AND WILL ALSO BE A BARBECUE NIGHT.  THE BAR WILL BE OPEN, BRING YOUR FAVORITE GRILLING FOOD FOR AN AWESOME TIME!

Have a great winter sailing whenever you can and we will see you on Tuesday nights for the seminars.  Thanks to all of you for your participation this year.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 15, 2019: MULTIDIRECTIONAL WIND

OCTOBER 15, 2019

MULTIDIRECTIONAL WIND

I got to the harbor at around 3:30 and there was still a northwesterly wind showing on the flags.  The crew all got to the boat in time for a 5pm shove off giving us time to set the line for a 5:45 start.  As we sailed around killing time, we noticed that the wind seemed to be building and was blowing stronger further out.  With such awesome wind (and no hint of an Easterly) we called for course Whiskey 5 and gave the 5 minute horn at 5:40. 

On Pair a Dice we wanted clear air on starboard tack somewhere in the middle of the line.  With about 2-3 minutes to the start, we were on port approaching the line with a crowd of boats already approaching the line on starboard tack.  We spotted a hole in the line of boats and tacked over for a good start with clear air.  We sailed out a little and tacked over toward the wharf.  We sailed in until the wind seemed to lighten then tacked out.  We had several crossing situations with Tusitala and Pacific Spirit with no incident. 

At Wharf mark, Aquavie was first around followed by Pacific Spirit,  Pair a Dice and Tusitala.  After the Wharf rounding, the wind seemed to be dying and was very confused.  Haven’t we been here before?  Studying the water, there seemed to be a Northerly blowing straight off the beach.  Once again on Pair A Dice, we tried to sail straight toward the mark and soon found that we were sailing hard on the wind of a fairly strong Easterly.  As it turns out, the boats that sailed closer to land capitalized on the Northerly, and opened their lead while beam reaching to the mark.

At the finish, Pacific Spirit 47:22, Aquavie 49:07, Tusitala 49:40, Pair A Dice 50:23, Perfect 36 1:00:17, Dusk to Dawn 1:01:06, Nidaros 1:02:35, Sandpiper 1:03:10 and Kicks 1:04:33.  The distance of the course was 2.68 miles.

We had a great race and everyone finished in the final stages of the sunset.  With the wind starting from the Northwest and filling in from the North and East, it certainly was a multidirectional wind evening.

Race QS:

Just another reminder: you must run race QS to be counted. This is a great tool that can reveal how you can improve your sailing.  My attitude is that PHRF is a four letter word and I do not handicap boats.  We have a diverse group of boats and by noting the elapsed time for each boat and the distance of the race, it’s pretty easy to do the math and see how you did against other boats.

The track for tonight can be found at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=62645&updatedAt=2019-10-16T02:06:20Z&dt=2019-10-15T17:30:29-07:00..2019-10-15T19:06:07-07:00&boat=Pair%20a%20dice&time=1571189542788&focus=Pair%20a%20dice&rival=Tusitala&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.949629&lon=-121.995979&tilt=17&range=1695&heading=320

EARLY START:

It was great to see everyone out on time for the early (5:45) start.  We will continue to start at 5:45 till the end of the season.

JUST ANOTHER NIGHT ON PAIR A DICE
WHATS NOT TO LIKE ABOUT TUESDAY NIGHTS?
(PHOTO FROM 10/8)

POST SEASON SEMINARS:

A lot of interest has been expressed in having seminars on Tuesday nights after the time change and sailing stops.  The first of these will occur downstairs at the yacht club on November 5 at 6:00 and the topic for this night will be how to use Race QS.  We will continue these meetings until interest wains.  We have many talented sailors in our group and there are many topics that can be covered.  Rules, Tactics, cruising destinations and other topics will be covered.  If you have something you would like to share in these meeting, let me know.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 8, 2019: SHORT SAIL, STEADY WINDS

OCTOBER 8, 2019

SHORT SAIL, STEADY WINDS

I was surprised that Predict wind actually predicted an Easterly wind for this night.  When I got to the harbor around 3:30, the wind was still northwesterly as I meandered about getting the boat ready.  By the time we left the harbor around 5:20, the Easterly had started filling in. As we set the line mark square to the wind, we noticed that the line was skewed toward Blacks.  We decided to do a downwind start and called for course G2.  We blew the 5 mminute horn for a 6 pm start.

On Pair a Dice we set up for a starboard tack start running the line.  Aquavie was leeward to us, so we slowed down before the start for a clear path to the start line.  As always on the run to Gov, there are several options: outside for more wind? Inside for more wind and current? Or rhumb line to the mark? On PAD we took the line straight toward Gov.  Tusitala and Perfect 36 went outside, while Auquavie, Kicks and Pacific Spirit went inside closer to the beach. I was surprised that we seemed to be making progress on the inside boats, so the current seemed to not be working. Pair A Dice was first around Gov followed closely by Tusitala and Aquavie as all boats rounded in quick succession.

On the beat back to blacks, PAD did their best to cover our closest competitor (Tusitala).  As we rounded Blacks Aquavie was hot on our stern. At the finish, it was: Pair a Dice 45:56, Aquavie 46:43, Tusitala 47:38, Pacific Spirit 48:05, Perfect 36 49:30, Sandpiper 53:49, Kicks 57:26 Aeolian 59:16. All times are elapsed and course length was 2.45 miles.

It is amazing to me how close all of the boats were at the mark roundings which demonstrates that of all of us improving our game as the season progresses. With the early sunset, it was a short sail but we had steady winds.

RACE QS:

The track for tonight can be found at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=62527&updatedAt=2019-10-09T02:24:26Z&dt=2019-10-08T17:45:03-07:00..2019-10-08T19:24:05-07:00&boat=Pair%20a%20dice&time=1570586356792&focus=Pair%20a%20dice&rival=Tusitala&tab=match&view=manual&lat=36.950930&lon=-121.993083&tilt=1&range=7116&heading=0

SPEED TO POINT!

My crew called the perfect tack for the layline to Blacks.  As we tacked, the crew got nervous because our line was below Blacks making it look like we would not be able to round.  I was just employing something I learned in a North Sail seminar:  You must have speed first before you can effectively point.  I fell off a little to get the speed up, then pointed up to round the mark.  Speed first, then point!

ANCHOR MANAGEMENT:

On our red ball we have a small dinghy folding anchor with 4 arms that unfold.  Tonight as we attempted to retrieve the anchor we found it was stuck. We immediately did all we could to stop the momentum of the boat and get the rode onto a winch. In do this, it is critical to keep body parts (fingers) from being caught between the rode and parts of the boat as the forces can be incredible! We engaged the engine and slowly backed the boat so that the rode was straight down from the cleated rode.  As waves passed under the boat, the motion will usually break a stuck anchor free.  After a few minutes, our anchor did “break free”.  As we retrieved the anchor, one of the arms had broken off.  This shows  how effective this technique is, that you can break an anchor trying to get it back.  One wonders what would have happened with a more substantial anchor? Where is the weakest point?

EARLIER START?

Several of the retired members of our group are thinking an earlier start (5:30) would be better with the shorter days.  I know there are a lot of crew members on several of the boats that still work or come from over the hill and would be excluded.  In deference to these crew members, we will keep the 6pm start unless the vote is unanimous to start earlier. We have 3 more Tuesdays before time changes and our races will cease for the season.

INTERESTING VIDEO:

This is a you tube video I came across that I found interesting.  It is about 25 minutes long and is about a guy single handing a boat through 45-55 knot winds sometimes very close to exposed rocky shoals.  It should be interesting for people who have never experienced these conditions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxthF9o9k0Y  

        

We will see you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

october 1, 2019: FUN(KY) WIND NIGHT

OCTOBER 1, 2019

FUN(KY) WIND NIGHT

The last few days have been very windy on the bay with reports of 30 knot winds.  In anticipation of this type of wind tonight, I thought I would certainly need to swap out my trusty 155 jib for the 135.  Predict wind did not forecast big wind and when I got to the harbor, there was a weakening northwest wind showing on the “Nest Flag”.  We went out and there was a very weak wind coming from 230 degrees and set an appropriate line for this wind direction.

We had 17 boats out for the fun and called for one of the shortest NW wind courses: Whiskey 5.  As the clock was ticking down with 7 or so minutes from the 6 pm start, the wind died once again and we called for a 5 minute postponement to see what would happen.  Initially there was no hint of wind from anywhere.  Once again the ever observant Mark from Kicks noticed that the flag on the Casino (over a mile away) was showing a strong Easterly.  Then we noticed a small texture on the water toward the east and toward shore.  We changed the course to B5 with the option to shorten course if needed and gave a 5 minute horn for a 6:05 start.

The wind slowly filled in from the East, or North or South depending where you were. The wind was so light that several boats (including PAD) could not get to the right side of the start line before the start. We rounded the end of the line and fit right in with the procession of boats that had started at start mark end of the line. Suddenly the water showed a strong Northerly wind developing toward shore.  There is nothing like beam reaching toward the windward mark in up to 15 knot winds, until you sail out of the northerly into the Easterly and feel a southerly wind on your skin?!  With these conditions and 17 boats out for the night and a short course, everyone was sailing in close quarters.

At the finish Makani was first over the line but took the start mark to port rather than starboard. Makani crossed at 18:36, Perfect 36 18:48, Pair a Dice 20:13, Pacific Spirit 20:20, Kicks 20:24, Sandpiper 21:38, Aeolian 22:38 and Nidaros 23:44.  The course length was 1.12 miles. Kudos to the Crew of Perfect 36, who were in the same position as PAD, having to cross the line late because of the light wind then came back for a spectacular finish!

The days are getting shorter and many of us were putting our boats away in the dark.  It was one of the most unusual nights I have seen, from no wind at the start to 15-18 knots from the North, a pretty good Easterly filling in and even some south you could feel on your skin (closer to water level). The wind was very fun, but the constant change of direction and strength was very funky.  It was a fun but funky evening.

RACE QS

We had 17 boats out tonight and only 8 had tracks showing on Race QS.  Several of the boats that did very well did not have tracks.  The only way I can recognize you and your boat is by uploading Race QS.  The track for this night can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=62353&updatedAt=2019-10-02T02:15:23Z&dt=2019-10-01T17:45:02-07:00..2019-10-01T19:11:24-07:00&boat=Pair%20a%20dice&time=1569979941763&focus=Pair%20a%20dice&rival=Kicks&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.952129&lon=-121.995345&tilt=1&range=1172&heading=360

DEALING WITH FLUKY (FUNKY) WIND:

The strongest wind was closer to shore coming from the North.  It is walking a fine line, do you sail further away from the rhumb line to get into this greater wind? I know on PAD we did not sail far enough into the northerly because soon after we tacked we were back into the weaker Easterly and becalmed. Yet, even with this unfortunate slowness we made it to Blacks before another boat we had started with.

In dealing with funky winds, follow the indications of what the sails are telling you.  Do not let the sails get back winded.  It is also critical to adjust sails for any new wind direction and NOT to steer too much since too much use of the rudder only slows the boat down more.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry L Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice