JUNE 23, 2020: LIGHT WIND TUESDAY

JUNE 23, 2020

LIGHT WIND TUESDAY

After the heavy wind last Tuesday necessitating boat repairs, it was nice to see lighter wind tonight. A perfect example of the yin and yang of sailing on the Monterey Bay. With the lighter wind coming from the normal 240 to 250 degrees, we called for course Whiskey 5: Start to Wharf (Schuyler) and back to finish.  We blew the five minute horn for the start.

In our sailing before the start, we noticed that there was much more wind inside  and wanted to start at the inside end of the line.  As it turns out, there were many boats crowding that end of the line so we sailed for the clearer wind out by the start mark.  Guenther on his Finn was the only boat that risked a port tack start.  As usual, the strategic question was whether to sail outside or inside.  The custom in Santa Cruz is to sail inside to take advantage of the lift created by the point.  Since we had noticed a lot more wind inside before the race, we wanted to sail inside and tacked as soon as we saw a clear path through the maze of boats coming out.  Looking at the Race QS track, there was obviously more wind outside since the boats that went outside slowly increased their leads on the inside boats.  At Schuyler, the first boat around was Avatar followed by Patricia J, Nidaros II, Auquavit and Pair a Dice.

In the  run back to finish, it was as if the wind gods were inhaling and exhaling as the wind would increase slightly and back off multiple times.  At the finish line, it was Avatar 45:14, Patricia J 50:59, Nidaros II 51:34, Auquavie 51:47, Pair A Dice 53:04, Tusitala 59:45, Higher Power 1:03:48.  All times are elapsed and distance of the course was 2.68NM.

Race QS:

Tonight we had about 12 boats out for the fun but only 7 ran the Race QS app.  The only way to be counted in these races is to run this app.  You will be surprised how much you learn about your boat handling by studying your tracks on Race QS.  You can watch the tracks for this night by clicking on this web site: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=65007&updatedAt=2020-06-24T02:26:08Z&dt=2020-06-23T17:45:00-07:00..2020-06-23T19:25:58-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1592964503566&focus=Pairadice&rival=Avatar&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.954355&lon=-121.996811&tilt=43&range=870&heading=357

JIBING IN HEAVY WIND:

I talked to several people about heavy wind jibing as we all experienced last Tuesday.  I learned a few things and want to pass it on.  Two things that can be very damaging and punishing to the boat are a tight main sheet and a tight boom vang.  I also learned that it is better to jibe the jib first, then jibe the main.  As the boat is passing it’s stern through the eye of the wind, the main should be centered  and then released as the new point of sail is achieved.

TO REACH OR TO RUN:

There has been discussion about the best approach to going down wind: to reach down at an angle or run directly downwind.  I think it boils down to what type of boat you are sailing.  Indeed many top sailors on lighter sailboats will reach off sailing faster, but sailing further. Many of the boats on Tuesday night sailing are heavier cruising boats and more often than not will sail at or close to DDW  straight for the mark.  I do not have the answer to this question.  Is it possible that different strategies work for different boats?  We saw both strategies in play on this night and I believe Avatar, finished 5 minutes ahead of the closest boat and it looks like he sailed directly to the finish mark.  This could have been a factor.

DRONE VIDEO:  

BEFORE START

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GCjZib6LvHl1hbRPGFsOY40b-xkAXx97/view?usp=sharing

THE START

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VSSrodhznHZ6SzZQqkPiQDs4dV_gHk-h/view?usp=sharing

AFTER THE START

Todd Johnson, who normally sails on Kicks was flying a drone tonight and got some great shots of our sailing. ENJOY!  If unable to view video by clicking on video, click on site below image.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice