JUNE 4, 2019: A GORGEOUS EVENING FOR A SAIL

JUNE 4, 2019

GORGEOUS EVENING FOR A SAIL

I got to the harbor early and casually set the boat up for a sail while keeping an eye on the Crow’s Nest flag which was showing a steady northwest breeze which was waning as the afternoon passed.   By the time we left the harbor at 5:30, the Easterly had filled in nicely and had no hint of changing.   We set the mark for a line square to the wind, called for course B4: Blacks, Gov, Finish.  We gave a 5 minute horn and set up for our start.

The preferred end of the line was the start mark  (Yellow ball) end of the line and we anticipated a heavy crowd of boats which never materialized.  We were in a barging position so slowed the boat down to take a second row start behind the boat that we would have barged on.  We were able to point higher than that boat so had clear air on the way to Blacks.  After rounding Blacks we had the long run to Gov.

On the way to Gov many boats sailed closer to the beach, risking the heavy kelp bed inside while some of the other boats sailed outside hoping for better wind.  Pair A Dice sailed a straight line toward the mark, keeping an eye out for kelp.    The first indication of any current was the kelp which was streaming toward the wharf, so there was a slight advantage sailing closer to the beach if you could avoid the kelp. At Gov, Avatar was the first around with Pair A Dice, perfect 36, Nidaros, Tusitala, Toad, Kicks and Aeolian following with the wind still holding from the East, we had a delightful beat back to the finish mark.

At the finish it was Avatar 36:07 followed by Patricia J 37:02, Pair a Dice 39:45, Perfect 36 39:51, Tusitala 40:49, Nidaros II 42:33, Aeolian 44:03, Toad 44:36 and Kicks 46:37. All times are elapsed and the distance of this course is 2.43 nautical miles.

With the clear air (what ever happened to our June Gloom?) and the consistent Easterly breeze, it was a gorgeous evening for a sail.

RACE QS:

We continue to attract more boats to our Tuesday night sails.  On this night we had over 16 boats and only 9 were running race QS.  It is necessary to run and upload your track on Race QS to be counted.  This is a free app that runs on your phone which not only records your finish, but can be used as a tool to indicate how efficiently you are tacking and steering the boat.

To view the track for this evenings sail, click on this web site.  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=59285&updatedAt=2019-06-05T02:29:21Z&dt=2019-06-04T17:45:05-07:00..2019-06-04T19:28:42-07:00&boat=Pair%20a%20dice&time=1559695541718&focus=Pair%20a%20dice&rival=Tusitala&tab=fleet&view=auto

IN THE INTEREST OF EDUCATION:

Obviously, I am sailing on a boat in the race and cannot witness everything that happens during the race.  After each Tuesday night sail (other than the BBQ night at the club) most of us meet at the Crows Nest for dinner.  We often discuss things that happened on the course regarding rules and tactics.  This is a great opportunity for education.  We have many excellent sailors in our group and they do not hesitate to share their wealth of knowledge.  This is a great opportunity to learn, socialize and get to know the other sailors that come out on Tuesday nights.

Looking forward to next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice