AUGUST 25, 2020: SMOKIN WIND

AUGUST 25, 2020

SMOKIN WIND!

With Predict Wind forecasting light and variable winds for the evening, I was surprised to see the Crow’s Nest flag showing a fairly stiff breeze when I arrived at the harbor. It did not look like it was going to die so we swapped out to the 135 jib.  Leaving the harbor, the conditions were staying the same.  At the start mark, we determined the wind was coming from about 230 at about 16 knots.  There were about 19 boats out for the fun.  Since we were having a barbecue this night, we called a shorter course than normal: W3.  We blew the five minute horn and set up for our start.

In our sailing around before the start, we determined that the wind was about the same on both ends of the line and there did not seem to be much difference further out.  We decided to do a starboard tack starting as close to the beach end of the line as possible.  Wow, what a cluster of boats on the line.  It is great seeing everyone follow rules and get off with a clean start!

We tacked over toward the inside as soon as we could.  Our thought was smoother water inside would be better.  Pacific Spirit, tacked to windward of us to cover (a great tack-tical move!;).  All boats were tacking and crossing each other on their way to Schuyler mark.  At Schuyler, first around was Sagittarius, followed by Jersey Girl, Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit, Avatar, Pair a Dice, Toad, Nidaros and Sophia.

On the long run back to Blacks, some boats sailed the rhumb line to the mark, others went inside.  On Pair A Dice, we sailed outside thinking the wind was a little better and a little hotter point of sail. It seems like the boats sailing straight to the mark did a little better.   The first around Blacks was Jersey Girl, Sagittarius, Avatar, Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit, Pair a Dice, Nidaros and Toad.

At the finish, it was Sagitarrius 46:43, Jersey Girl (took start mark to port), Perfect 36 48:35, Avatar 49:05, Pacific Spirit 50:45, Pair A Dice 52:34, Guenther and his Finn,  Nidaros 55:24 and Toad 55:40.  The course length was 3.55NM.

The wind held for the evening and it was an awesome sail, even though we were in “smokin winds”.

Thanks to Mike Gross for cooking for our end of month Barbecue!

Race QS:

More boats are using this app which is great.  We are stuck at about 50% of the boats using and uploading their tracks.  We are using Race QS as a race committee.  If you do not use this app and upload your track, you are invisible to the race committee!  The app is free and yields a lot of information about your sailing and boat handling.  The track for tonight can be found at: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011635&updatedAt=2020-08-26T02:20:43Z&dt=2020-08-25T17:10:02-07:00..2020-08-25T19:20:28-07:00&boat=Dice&model=J24&time=1598404565349&focus=Dice&rival=Pacific%20Spirit&tab=match&view=manual&lat=36.952571&lon=-122.013965&tilt=12&range=3027&heading=240

HAVE YOU REGISTERED YOUR BOAT?

We are trying to get all of our Tuesday night boats to register for the series.  The fee for this shortened season is $20 for SCYC members and $35 for nonmembers.  The forms can be found on the March 3 blog posting. It is great to have information about all of the boats.  Please fill out the form and leave it with Greg at the clubhouse.  Mark the outside of the envelope ATTN BARRY.

CURRENT EVENTS:

The wild fires are running rampant, not this current event!   I’m talking about currents in the ocean and how to use them to your advantage. San Francisco sailors cannot race without current considerations! We have used the Easterly current that runs along the beach close to shore before, but that is not the only current we deal with.  Further out, just inside of Mile Buoy there is a current that flows from the West back toward Pleasure point.  My suspicion is that this current is a combination of the effects of the wind direction and force outside, with possibly some effect from tidal variations.

Who among us has never had trouble rounding Schuyler with the currents swirling around it.  This may explain some of that difficulty.

BBBS

Sunday September 6 is our annual Big Brothers Big Sisters day on the bay regatta.  This is always a fun event.  A short race followed with a big party and food.  It will be restrained somewhat this year because of Covid, but we all know the real fun is out on the water anyway!  This is a reverse PHRF, pursuit race.  The slow boats take off first and the faster boats get to chase us down.  So sign up and do your part to help the kids with this fundraiser. 

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

08/18/2020: RED SKY AT NIGHT, YEAH YEAH

AUGUST 18, 2020 

          

RED SKY AT NIGHT: YEAH YEAH

It was looking pretty dismal on my arrival at the harbor.  Heavy smoke clouds choked the sky and seemed to be inhibiting the wind also.  We got the boat set up and set off once crew arrived.  As we exited the harbor, it did not look much better.  We detected a light wind from 100 degrees and set a mark for the line.  I hesitated to call a course since the wind was so light, but as 6pm approached, we could see an Easterly breeze filling in.  We called course B5 and blew a 5 minute horn for the start.

On Pair A Dice, we considered a port tack start at the beach end of the line, but with 20 boats out thought this would be risky.  We decided to start at the start mark end of the line and join the pile up of the other starboard tacking boats.  After the start, it seems boats were all over the place.  Some went inside for the building Easterly, others went outside thinking there would be more wind.  At Blacks, the first around was Jersey Girl, Aquavie, Patricia J, Nidaros, Pacific Spirit, Odonata, Pair a Dice, Toad and Sweet Pea.  Before all boats had rounded Blacks, it looked like the wind was getting lighter so I shortened the course to finish at the start mark.

On the run back to Start/finish, we considered setting a whisker pole.  We opted not to since the wind was oscillating to a beam reach point of sail. At the finish, it was Aquavie 28:55, Finn (Guenther Vrolop),  Patricia J 29:14, Pacific Spirit 32:02, Nidaros 32:30, Pair A Dice 33:01, Odonata 34:00, Toad 38:37, Sweet Pea 39:16.  All times are elapsed and the course length was 0.9NM.

It was a surreal evening with the light wind, and smoke hanging heavily in the air.  It was a red sky at night, sailors delight but I don’t think this is the red sky this sailor’s rhyme refers to.

RACE QS:

With 20 boats out for the fun, we only had 8 boats running race qs tracks tonight. You can preset the start for 5:45 so you don’t forget. You must run Race QS to be counted!  The track from tonight can be found at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=66442&updatedAt=2020-08-19T02:14:31Z&dt=2020-08-18T17:45:02-07:00..2020-08-18T19:14:17-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1597801356280&focus=Pairadice&rival=Jersey%20Girl&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.953784&lon=-121.992616&tilt=25&range=1082&heading=219

If you are having problems acquiring the app or setting it up, drop me an email at sailingpairadice@gmail.com with your questions.

VAGARIES OF THE WIND:

We all know that light wind sailing is the most difficult.  Difficulties arise in interpretation of normal signs of wind.  We all know to look at the water for texture indicating wind on the water.  In light wind, not all wind contacts the water as demonstrated by feeling wind on your face and the boat sailing along in totally glassy water.  The opposite can also happen, great texture on the water, but no wind to fill the sails.  The “joys” of sailing in light wind!  In these conditions, I find it most helpful to observe what other boats are experiencing.  As we sailed out to try to clear Blacks, the texture on the water indicated great wind outside with a boat right in the middle of the textured water not moving at all.  I instructed my crew to watch the wind indicator so the moment the wind decreased, we would tack back inside.

Another phenomenon that we are experiencing this summer in light wind is varying direction of wind at different heights.  I have seen 20-30 degree differences between the mast head and what we are seeing on deck.  In this situation, I steer by the jib tell-tales not the windex at the mast head.  Most of the sail area is below, so this is the area you want to keep working.

   

KICKING ASH!

With all of the fires in the area, there is a steady stream of falling ash.  I do not know the effect of ash on fiberglass, but it is probably better to spray it off now than to scrub it off later.  Time to “Kick Ash” off the boat!

BARBECUE:

We had a barbecue after the race at the club.  About 20 people showed up.  Thanks to Mike Gross for doing all of the cooking and running a tight ship.  Everyone was socially distanced wearing masks when not eating or drinking. Each person was instructed to use hand sanitizer on approaching the serving station.  Only one person (Mike) touched the serving utensils.  We were all outside which greatly decreases the chance of infection.  We had a bucket for people to leave donations to cover the cost of the food. Though it was not the last Tuesday of the month, this “test barbecue” went off flawlessly and I felt very safe.  It was awesome getting to visit with other yacht club members again.

Next Tuesday is the last Tuesday of the month and we WILL have another barbecue  (8/25). With one or two persons providing the food, it helps to know how many people are planning on attending. Please respond to SAILINGPAIRADICE@GMAIL.COM by Monday evening if you are going to come so we can prepare. If you want to bring a salad or other side dish that can be dished out, this helps also. There is NO PRESSURE to attend.  Only come if you feel safe and have no pre-existing conditions.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

AUGUST 11, 2020: AWESOME NIGHT FOR A SAIL

AUGUST 11, 2020

AWESOME NIGHT FOR A SAIL

Arriving at the harbor at around 4 o’clock, there seemed to be a lot of wind clear into the harbor.  The flag on the Crow’s Nest was also showing a lot.  I took a stroll down to the beach to see what the conditions were.  Predictions were for 15 knots and decreasing through the evening.  The ocean had a steady breeze that looked like no more than 15 knots (very few whitecaps and flat water). It was a night for the 155 jib.

As we left the harbor, it looked like nothing had changed. At the start buoy we determined the wind angle was 230 degrees and set the red ball for the line square to this wind. By 5:50 we had about 15 boats out for the fun.  We called for course Whiskey 1 and blew a 5 minute horn.

On Pair A Dice, we detected no favored end of the line, but wanted to start toward the shore end of the line to allow us to tack early toward the inside.  There was no advantage to going further out since the wind was consistent and going inside early would give us smoother water to sail on.  We had quite a pile up at the line with boats being called out for barging.   After the mayhem of the start, it was smooth sailing as we all made our way to the first mark: Schuyler.  At Schuyler, race QS had the order of rounding as Pair A Dice, Geronimo, Pacific Spirit, Perfect 36, Odonata, Sophia, Nidaros, Toad and Caseio.

On the way to Mile, Pair A Dice got waterlined as several of the larger boats passed us.  At Mile buoy it was Geronimo, Perfect 36, Pair a Dice and Pacific Spirit.

After an uneventful rounding of Blacks, the finishing order was Pacific  Spirit 52:46, Pair A Dice 53:14, Geronimo 54:22, Perfect 36 55:05, Odonata 58:57, Nidaros 59:43, Sophia 1:00:30 and Toad 1:04:41.  All times are elapsed and the course length was 3.95 NM.

RACE QS!!!!

There were many faster boats leading the pack tonight that did not run the race QS track.  It is necessary to run this app to be counted: no track=no time to record. I would like to give some tips on how to use Race QS. 

It is best to preset the start of your track.  If everyone starts their track at 5:45, we will get a track of what boats are doing for the start.  If you preset the start for a later time, like 6pm, your boat will be still and not move until that time. It is best to mount your phone close to centerline in your boat face up with top of phone facing the bow.  I mount mine in a cradle in my chart table.

   I do not know what a phone call will do to your track. I avoid answering any calls while running my track.  I like to plug my phone in to power so it stays charged the whole time.  It does not hurt to have two phones running the same track.  Running the app on two phones costs nothing, the app is free.   Once you start using this app to analyze your sailing, you will be amazed at what you will learn.

The track for tonight can be found at:   https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011635&divisionId=66196&updatedAt=2020-08-12T02:16:22Z&dt=2020-08-11T17:13:00-07:00..2020-08-11T19:16:06-07:00&boat=Dice&model=J24&time=1597194262923&focus=Dice&rival=Odonata&tab=match&view=match

APPLYING THE RULES:

The start tonight was rather interesting as starts can be.  To me the start is the most exciting time of the race: all boats in close quarters using rules to tactically achieve an advantage.  I have sailed several times in the Santana 22 team racing events and it has been a huge revelation to me about application of rules.  People often call “barging” at the start.  Though this term is correct, there is no “barging rule” in the RRS. There IS windward leeward rights.  The leeward boat can luff an overlapped windward boat up over the line.  This is not being rude, this is part of sailing.  In the Santana races, boats will go out of their way to prevent being caught as the windward boat because they know the consequence of such action.  After the races, conversations are jovial and comments like “you really got me on that start!” are reiterated. I have respect for sailors that use the rules to their advantage.  Rules are rules, and it is best to not get caught in awkward situations. The best way to avoid being caught in a barging situation: slow down (“blow the main”) and take a second row position.  It is better to start behind another boat than have to miss the line and necessitate circling around to properly start.

THE WONDERFUL WHISKER POLE:

              Years ago when I first acquired my boat I had a whisker pole that was not retractable.  It was about 13 feet long and seemed to be very heavy.  I got a Forespar retractable whisker pole that collapses to about 9 feet that can be extended to about 14 feet.  The retractable pole seems lighter and is easier to handle. Once installed and positioned correctly,  we position the pole in line with the boom and keep it as close to horizontal as possible. Both the boom and whisker pole are at 90 degrees to the wind.   The lazy sheet is cleated off to keep the pole from bouncing up and down.

I know the tactic used by many of the race boats is to reach off for a hotter angle of sail.  By going faster, they can make up the extra distance sailed.  On most of our cruising boats, you may go a little faster reaching off but probably not fast enough to make up for the extra distance sailed.  This is why the whisker pole works so well for our cruising boats.  We try not to sail dead down wind, it is better to sail “in the box” with the windex pointing to one of the arms.  This is a little hotter angle of sail and gives a little more speed.

TUESDAY NIGHT BARBECUE:

I know it is not the last Tuesday of the month, but next Tuesday (8/18) we will have a barbecue at the club after our race with some important Covid changes.  In the past, we have all brought our own food to cook on the barbecue.  With Covid and to prevent crowding, we will have only one or two cooks at the grill.  If you want to bring something to cook, leave it with the cook at the grill and once cooked you will be called to pick it up.  Our cook (Mike Gross) will provide some items for those without food and there will be a jar for you to deposit whatever money you feel is fair to cover the costs. The cook(s) will not touch the food, it will be handled by spatulas and tongs.  The bar will be open from the door upstairs, but the club will be closed (dress warmly).  Support the club by getting your drinks from the bar (no cash, they accept credit cards). Hand sanitizer will be readily available (please use frequently). We will spread out on the upper and lower decks and maintain social distancing.  Masks will be mandatory (if not actively eating or drinking).  There is no pressure, only come if you feel safe.  Do not come if you are experiencing symptoms.  It will be an opportunity for people to meet, mingle and be safe.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

AUGUST 4, 2020: FIRST TUESDAY NIGHT SAIL OF AUGUST

AUGUST 4, 2020

FIRST TUESDAY NIGHT SAIL OF AUGUST

My first glimpse of the Crow’s Nest flag showed a light Easterly blowing as early as 3 o’clock.  As the afternoon progressed, there seemed to be no change. As we left the harbor around 5:15, the wind seemed to be consistent toward shore: a very light easterly.  Way outside, you could see boats sailing on a northwesterly breeze.

Assessing the wind, the direction was 150 so we set a line square to this direction, called for course B4 and blew a 5 minute horn for a 6pm start.  On Pair A Dice, I wanted to start on starboard tack with a clear start.  My thoughts were that starboard tack would allow us better boat speed going down the waves rather than into them.  As it turned out we were close to the line but behind many boats giving us bad air.  We were trapped.  Without a strong breeze, it is not possible to point higher to sail above boats ahead and boats coming behind us to windward prevented us from tacking out for clear air.  We finally were able to tack for clear air.  At Blacks Nidaros was first around followed by Patricia J, Odonata, Pacific Spirit, Avatar and Pair A Dice.  By the time we rounded Blacks, I was wondering why I called such a long course in such light wind.  I even considered the option to shorten course and finish at Gov.

On Pair a Dice, our goal was to get as close to the beach as possible to take advantage of the usual condition: Developing Easterlies usually build closer to the beach.  We got our pole set and were sailing wing on wing and I was encouraged to see better wind on the water ahead of us once we cleared the harbor entrance.  At Gov, Patricia J was first to round followed by Avatar, Pair A Dice, Nidaros, Pacific Spirit and Odonata, Toad and Sophia.

After rounding GOV, we sailed out until the wind started to decrease then tacked back in toward the beach.  We wanted to take advantage of the greater wind inside and we did not detect a strong current that we would have to fight on the way back to start.  We sailed all the way to the kelp line by Twin Lakes beach and tacked back out toward the finish line.  Because of the Easterly wind wrapping around pleasure point we experienced a consistent lift as we approached the finish line area.  At the finish line, it was Patricia J 1:05:00 Sagittarius (no track/no time), Pair A Dice 1:08:48, Nidaros 1:09:25, Avatar 1:11:34, Pacific Spirit1:12:55 and Odonata 1:13:37. All times are elapsed and the course was 2.8 NM long.

RACE QS:

I keep pushing this app.  Using Race QS is the only way we can get your finish time.  It is also a great tool to improve your sailing and boat handling.  We have some very competitive boats that are not using this app.  The track for tonight is at:   https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=65945&updatedAt=2020-08-05T02:15:50Z&dt=2020-08-04T17:45:03-07:00..2020-08-04T19:15:47-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1596593747000&focus=Pairadice&rival=Odonata&tab=setup&view=follow&lat=36.953064&lon=-121.994102&tilt=1&range=5581&heading=131

This is not a perfect app, but it is worth every penny it costs (its FREE)!  And if you do not use this app to record a track, we cannot recognize you.

REGISTRATION:

Tuesday night sailing is now sanctioned by the Santa Cruz Yacht Club.  This means there is a complete set of documents for registration: Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, Course Cards and a waiver for boat owners to sign with complete information about your boat (PHRF, sail # etc).  The fee for entry is very minimal for this year: $20 for club members, $35 for non-members.  You can fill out the entry form, drop it off at the yacht club, mail it to the club (attention BARRY on outside of the envelope) or give it to me on Tuesday afternoon at my boat (slip Q16).  When the application is completed, I will get a laminated course card to you that has the new distances with the new placement of Blacks buoy.  I am entering all entrants into a spreadsheet that I will post on the blog when completed. Documents for registration can be found in the blog dated March 3.

WAVES AND RACE QS TRACKS:

I am intrigued with the concept of using waves for bursts of boat speed.  I described my technique in last weeks blog, angling down the face of the wave to stay in the wave longer while sailing a hotter point of sail. Studying my Race QS track confuses me because I am steering all over the place BUT I am getting bursts of speed.  I was comparing my track to Chris’s track on Odonata on the beat back to the finish line.  I have total respect for Chris as a sailor: his tacks are always perfect and he steers a line that is perfectly straight with a very tight cluster of dots on the cone in front of his boat on Race QS.  Studying his track, his SOG is very steady and varies within a .1 knot range. Most sailors would call this a perfect track. While my dots are going all over the place, I am getting surges of speed with my  SOG varying within a .5 knot range.  My object is to maximize the effect and time on each wave.  Which is better?  The traditional thought is straighter course is always the best, but I wonder.  Could it be that most sailors sail on flat water and don’t deal with waves?

IMPROVING BOAT SPEED:

We have had seminars on the ways to improve boat speed.  In a nutshell, clean bottoms, lighter boats, and folding props are the quickest and easiest ways to improve boat speed.  By lighter boats, consider the following: Is your boat a storage unit for things that would be better stored in your garage at home?  Are your holding tanks full?  Being able to have your boat sit higher in the water, means pushing through that much less water.  Moveable ballast is a different kind of weight.  Crew weight, properly placed, can help you attain the proper heel for better speed.

We will see you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice