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