AUGUST 27, 2019: PEA SOUP FOG-UST EVENING

AUGUST 27, 2019

PEA SOUP FOG-UST EVENING

The predictions for wind were dismal for this evening but when I got to the harbor, the flag was showing a healthy northwesterly breeze even though it was very foggy.  We left the harbor around 5:20 and searched out and found the start mark (thank God for GPS).  With the wind coming from 230, we set a line.  Being a barbecue night I wanted a short course and chose B5: Start, Wharf, finish.  We blew a five minute horn and set up for our start.

We were late getting to the start line, having sailed out further than we should have and had to start on port ducking a couple of boats.  Sailing inside was giving us flatter water but when we saw the wind dropping, we tacked out to stay in the wind.  It was a surreal foggy evening with boats appearing out of the fog and fading into the fog.  There were also many crossing situations which occurred without incident.  Tusitala, Avatar, Perfect 36 and Makani were first around wharf and we all set our poles for the downwind run to the finish line. Once again the decision had to be made: outside for better wind, or inside for a straight line to the mark.  Pair A Dice steered the Rhumb line straight to the mark.

At the finish it was Tusitala 39:40, Avatar 39:56, Perfect 36 ??, Pair a Dice 40:59, Makani 41:01, Pacific Spirit 42:37, Nidaros 45:30, Kicks 46:40, Aeolian 48:51 and Sandpiper 51:56. The length of the course was 2.68 miles.

The Race QS track for tonight can be found at: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011635&divisionId=61441&updatedAt=2019-08-28T02:04:54Z&dt=2019-08-27T17:30:02-07:00..2019-08-27T19:04:49-07:00&boat=Dice&model=J24&time=1566957145441&focus=Dice&rival=Makani&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.951802&lon=-121.994395&tilt=1&range=659&heading=230  

   

Though it was pea soup fog and a fitting last sail for the month of FOGust it was a very fun evening. It was great to see everyone at the barbecue.

CROSSING SITUATIONS:

It was a beautiful thing to witness all of the crossings without incident.  It adds a different dimension when boats appear out of the fog and you have less time to ascertain whether you will cross or need to duck. There are varying degrees of “ducking”.  Sometimes the port tack boat needs to perform a deep duck which is very apparent and satisfying ;) to the starboard tack boat.  Sometimes the starboard tack boat will just clear ahead of the port tack boat even if the port tack boat steers a straight course.  Keep in mind that, when ducking another boat you want to pass as close as possible to the stern (WITHOUT HITTING) of the boat to take advantage of the lift experienced from the Starboard boats wind.   In these close situations where very little altering of course is necessary, the starboard tacking boat will be screaming “Starboard, STARBOARD!”.  In situations like this, if on port tack, I use hand signals waving them on so they know I am aware of them.

RACE QS:

I keep pushing this app because it is how we record the finishes but we can all learn from these tracks and become better sailors.  On Pair A Dice, we have two phones recording the track in case of a malfunction.  If there are no problems, the track on the second phone can be discarded.  It is best NOT to upload two tracks because you will have both tracks on top of each other.

It has been suggested that we have one Tuesday of the month to meet after the race at the yacht club for discussion on tactics, rules and how to use Race QS to help improve our sailing.  Since we have the barbecue on the last Tuesday of every month, we could have these discussion sessions on the first Tuesday of every month.  While the barbecue night is a big social event with excellent food being shared by everyone, the emphasis on the first Tuesday would be discussions about sailing, racing (tactics and rules) and the use of Race QS.  These events would be held downstairs at the club where we have chalk boards and a TV to play the race QS tracks for discussions.  Please indicate whether you would be interested in having these meetings.  

We will see you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice