SEPTEMBER 22, 2020: THE BREATH OF THE WIND

 

SEPTEMBEER 22, 2020

THE BREATH OF THE WIND

The prediction from Predict Wind was very light wind for the evening, but what do they know?  I showed up to the harbor around 3 and the flags confirmed Predict Wind’s forecast.  As we left the harbor right after 5, we had a little wind coming from the southeast. This is characteristic for the development of an easterly wind.  We set the mark for a true east wind and sure enough, the Easterly did develop.  We were set for a 5:45 start and we had about 18 boats out for the fun.  With the wind we had, I chose to ignore Predict Winds forecast and called for a rather ambitious course B4.  We blew the 5 minute horn at 5:40 for a 5:45 start.

As usual, the start line was crowded but everyone was well behaved as we all charged for Blacks.  Most of us had to throw a tack in to get around Blacks, but Aquavit made it without a tack.  At Blacks, Auquavit was first around, followed by Perfect 36, New Wave, Pair a Dice, Avatar, Mercury 565, Nidaros, Pacific Spirit, Sweet Pea and Toad. Off for the long downwind slog to Gov.

As usual the inside versus outside track was considered.  Many of the boats with whisker poles sailed down the middle, while others without poles sailed hotter angles of sail.  They were sailing faster and more distance but were just staying in the pack. I was lulled into complacency, the wind always feels light when you sail downwind. Rounding the leeward mark and beating back into the wind usually feels  stronger.  In reality, the wind was dying and was very light once we rounded Gov. Darned Predict Wind was right!  Most of the boats made it around GOV with Patricia J first followed by Auquavit (36:22), Mercury (39:55), Avatar (43:29), New Wave (43:47),  Perfect 36 (44:47), Pair a Dice (44:55),  Nidaros (46:18), and Sweet Pea (57:34).  The distance of the course to this point was 1.84 NM.

Once we all rounded Gov, the wind was fading.  The question was: which would expire first, the wind or the light as the sun was disappearing behind lighthouse point.  One by one boats were giving up and heading for the harbor.  Kudos to the boats that actually finished: Patricia J (no time track faded), Auquavit 1:12:35, Nidaros 1:26:19, Avatar 1:28:18, and Guenter’s Finn 1:32.  All times are elapsed and the length of the course was 2.8NM.  Pair A Dice got stuck a literal stone’s throw from the finish line with currents fighting us and not a breath of wind, we abandoned the effort.

RACE QS:

Most boats are using this app now which is fantastic.  Some of the boat tracks seem to fade in and out.  I do not know if this is batteries going dead (I plug my phone in to prevent this).  The track for tonight

can be seen at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011635&divisionId=67645&updatedAt=2020-09-23T02:45:15Z&dt=2020-09-22T16:57:17-07:00..2020-09-22T19:44:59-07:00&boat=Dice&model=J24&time=1600827720944&focus=Dice&tab=fleet&view=manual&lat=36.952824&lon=-121.993856&tilt=4&range=958&heading=322

HELP!?

As the days get shorter, we should all be aware that some of our boats are without motors.  It is not fun  being stuck on a boat with no motor, no wind and in the dark.  This admonishment goes to both sides of this predicament.  If you need a tow, let us know!  You can hail on channel 69 or let the closest boat  know (best to have a radio!).  If you are under power in light wind, and see any boats that may need a tow, check in with them.  I would hate to see powerless boats abandon the race because they are afraid of not making the harbor before dark.

NEXT TUESDAY IS BARBECUE NIGHT:

Once again, we will have a barbecue that is covid safe.  Masks will be worn, and social distancing will be enforced. The club bar will be open so it is not BYOB. Mike Gross will be cooking and providing all food. If you want to bring a salad or something to share feel free to do so.  Due to generous donations from previous barbecues, this night will be free. If you have not attended a BBQ this year and plan to come, please text me at 234-0322 with the number of people that will attend.  ONCE AGAIN WE WILL START THE RACE EARLY. WE WILL HAVE A 5:45 START WITH THE 5 MINUTE HORN BLOWN AT 5:40.

 

Barry L. Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020: SMOKY EVENING SAIL / USING RACE QS

 

 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

SMOKY EVENING SAIL

It is crazy how conditions can change in such a short time.  I got to my boat around 3 o’clock and  there was very little wind.  All you can do is get the boat ready and pray for wind!  By the time we left the harbor just after 5, there was an Easterly wind just beginning. We set the line and waited a little before calling the course.  As the wind was very light, I was considering a short course around Blacks, but as 6 pm approached, the wind (and texture on the water to the East) indicated enough wind for our Easterly course B4.  We blew the 5 minute horn and set up for our start.

On PAD we wanted to start on starboard tack to get inside for the building Easterly which normally fills first near shore.  It seems this is no longer a secret because nearly all boats headed the same way. At Blacks Avatar was first around followed by Sagittarius, New Wave, Cannonball, Geronimo,  Aquavie, Nidaros, Mercury 565, Perfect 36, Toad, Pair A Dice, Pacific Spirit and Sweet Pea.

On the way to Gov, we sailed toward the beach.  We thought we saw more wind inside and we had also noted that there was a current inside to use to our advantage.  As usual the group split between inside and outside, with most boats taking the inside route.  We set our pole and as we made our way to Gov, I was trying to aim toward patches of texture (wind?) I saw on the water in front of us.  At Gov, It was Avatar, followed by Sagittarius. Then New Wave, Mercury 565, Nidaros all rounded at the same time. Then Aquavit, Geronimo, Pair A Dice, Pacific Spirit, Perfect 36, Toad and Sweet Pea.  It is amazing how sailing downwind makes the wind seem very light then heading back up wind the apparent wind doubles and you actually realize you have wind!

On the way back toward the start mark, we watched intently as boats got headed and lifted as they sailed through the nuances of the wind.  At the finish it was Avatar 47:21, Sagittarius 47:39, Cannonball 50:43, New Wave 50:45, Geronimo 50:52, Aquavit 51:16, Mercury565- 52:48, Guenter’s Finn 52:57, Nidaros 53:44, Pairadice 54:07, Perfect 36 54:26, Pacific Spirt 55:32, Sweet Pea 58:34 and Toad 59:08. All times are elapsed and the course length was 2.8 NM.

It was a great smoky evening  sail!

 

 

EARLY START!?

The evenings are getting shorter yielding two options: Start racing earlier or call for shorter courses.  Next Tuesday we will attempt to start earlier at 5:45 with a five minute horn blown at 5:40.  I realize that we are not all retired. Keep me apprised on channel 69 if you are running a little late and we can postpone a few minutes.

 Race QS:

Almost everyone is  on board with this app.  The track for tonight can be found at: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=67439&updatedAt=2020-09-16T02:20:31Z&dt=2020-09-15T17:45:02-07:00..2020-09-15T19:18:28-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1600222279085&focus=Pairadice&rival=Pacific%20Spirit&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.966703&lon=-122.002160&tilt=16&range=2907&heading=35

 

USING RACE QS TO IMPROVE:

Race QS is an amazing tool, that if used appropriately, reveals a lot about your boat handling.  When you open Race QS on your computer, there is an arrow on the left margin.  Click on this arrow to open the menu. Click on the boat VS boat icon on the bottom of the page, select your boat and your closest competitor.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and there are 7 icons for you to either select or leave dormant.

The first icon on the left is the GPS track: clicking on this activates this function and color codes your track showing when you are sailing a straight line and “in the groove”.

Choosing the next icon to the right shows the distance between your boat and the boat you chose in the boat VS boat icon.

The 3^rd icon to the right, when highlighted shows the true wind direction (calculated from the way boats are sailing).

 Highlighting the 4^th Icon shows your track vs a straight line indicating how straight you are steering.

 The fifth icon to the right is a T in a small circle. Activating this function places a T in a small circle on your track when you tack. While watching your track, click on these T circles.  This opens a window showing 8 parameters about your tack.  I like to check out the amount of oversteering and the time lost. Most of the winning boats consistently have 0 for each of these two parameters.

 The 6^th icon to the right looks like a speedometer.  When this is activated, it puts an arc in front of your boat and the boat you picked to compare. The app places a dot every second showing where your boat is heading, these dots fade after 20 seconds so there are always a cluster of dots in front of your boat.  Most of the winning boats show a very tight cluster of dots indicating a straighter course steered.  When setting up this function, clicking on the speedometer icon opens a window that allows you to select 4 different functions: SOG, VMG, HEEL and DRIFT.

 The last icon to the right when highlighted shows boat wind shadows and lee-bow effect.

Obviously when starting out, if you select every function, it can get a little confusing.  The amount of information available for you to learn about your sailing is phenomenal.

See you next Tuesday for a 5:45 start, if possible.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 : SMOG IN SANTA CRUZ

 

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

SMOG IN SANTA CRUZ!

Wow, what a change in conditions we experienced during this evening!  I got to the harbor at about 3pm and there was no wind at all.  Checking the ocean conditions showed some texture on the water.  As we left the harbor at about 5:20 the flags were showing a light Easterly breeze.  I commented on the fact that I was feeling good wind on my face, but the water was completely glassy.  The wind was not contacting the water.  It could be an interesting evening.

As we approached the start area, we had very limited visibility with heavy fog making it difficult to find the start mark.  Isn’t this why they invented the GPS? While the fog was damp and chilly, the color of the sun indicated we were still dealing with a lot of smoke from the fires. The wind direction was from 50 degrees and we set the mark for the start line.  We called for course B4 and blew the 5 minute horn. Miraculously the fog lifted right at the start of the race, giving clear visibility over the whole course.

We had about 18 boats out for the fun and the boats in front at the start line had to run the line to not be OCS.  We all made our way to Blacks. The first around Blacks was Patricia J, then Jersey Girl, Perfect 36, Nidaros with Pair a Dice, Pacific Spirit, Avatar and Toad.

After rounding Blacks, the whole game got very interesting with the usual “inside or outside” decision to be made.  On Pair A Dice, we sailed toward the beach for a while knowing that developing Easterly winds build more at the beach. We noted how the wind was getting lighter and shortened the course to finish at GOV (taking GOV to SB).  The finish line was between the end of the wharf and GOV.   In these light wind conditions, as I noticed at the harbor entrance, the wind does not always contact the water.  In order to gauge where the best wind was, we studied which boats were going faster or slower than us.  Ultimately, we sailed the middle of the course straight to Gov.  We noted that the kelp did not indicate much current to take advantage of.

At the finish Mercury 565 was first 44:31, Patricia J 44:34, Pair A Dice 45:08, Perfect 36 46:22, Avatar 46:31, Jersey Girl 47:09, Nidaros 48:43, Pacific Spirit 49:07,  Auquavit 51:12 and Toad 52:15.  All times are elapsed and the course length was 1.61NM. There were other boats finishing in the lead, but did not use Race QS.

Right after the finish, someone turned the fog switch on again and we had to sail back in the fog.  Unbelievable! Smog in Santa Cruz.

RACE QS:

On this night we had 18 boats sailing and only 10 uploaded tracks on Race QS.  It is discouraging to have such fantastic boats and sailors and not recognizing their abilities.  Race QS is necessary for us to get your finish time.  Without your finish time, it is impossible to determine how well boats are performing against each other.  With the diverse collection of boats we have we need your Race QS track to see how we are doing.  The track for tonight can be found at: 

 https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=67203&updatedAt=2020-09-09T02:39:03Z&dt=2020-09-08T17:45:08-07:00..2020-09-08T19:38:52-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1599617491699&focus=Pairadice&rival=TOAD&tab=setup&view=follow&lat=36.950435&lon=-121.994813&tilt=1&range=1561&heading=75

PROTEST!?

I am an easy-going guy and I abhor protesting.  My personal rule has always been NOT to protest if the fouling boat is not in my division. I love learning about all aspects of sailing and tell people “I would rather lose a race and learn something rather than win all the time and not learn”.  I am proud to sail with the group on Tuesday Nights where everyone is following the rules.  Taking part in the BBBS regatta I learned a lot about protesting and want to share this with the group.

We had a starboard-port crossing situation right at the finish line and I did not protest thinking they were in a different division. First lesson learned: Keep a list of all boats in your division.  As always, the boat will remain anonymous, this is a learning experience and I do not want to denigrate anyone. I have learned the following points through my analysis:

1)    1) If any boat commits a foul, immediately shout PROTEST and wave your red flag.  If you are wrong, you can sort it out in the protest room, but you cannot go back in time to announce protest!

2)    2) A hail of “STARBOARD!” is good but NOT necessary to file a protest.  We should all follow the rules but hailing at least announces your intentions and certifies that they are aware of your presence. Usually you see crossing situations as boats approach from a distance.  We tacked very close (100 yards or so) to the committee boat and did not have much time to sort things out.

3)    3) Considering this situation at the finish line, if I had protested, the port tack boat could have exonerated by doing a turn and coming back and finishing again. This would have drastically affected their standings.  Imagine putting your crew through a long, intense race and having to exonerate and finish again.

4)   4)  I admit that in this situation, we were distracted having a malfunction during our last tack for our approach to the finish line.  I was concentrating on getting the boat back up to speed (which could be confusing to the port tack boat) and did not notice the port tack boat until it was off my port bow.

5)    5) Situational awareness!  Always be aware of other boats and what they are doing. Our malfunction on the tack slowed us down and altered our position with other boats.

6)    6)  Given the situation of being on Port, experienced sailors know that if done properly ducking a boat does not lose a lot.  You fall off, gaining speed and get a lift as you pass the stern of the other boat.  The sails MUST be handled appropriately in order to do it efficiently and properly, the mainsail MUST be travelled down so the boat does not round up.  Getting this maneuver  right requires practice and you don’t learn this by racing 3 or 4 times a year.  This is the value of our Tuesday night racing: practicing these maneuvers improves your abilities.

7)     7)Nobody likes to protest!  But not protesting does no good for us or our sport.

In the end, one sailing judge has a saying that applies in these situations:  “FILE OR SMILE”.  If you do not protest and “FILE”, you must walk away and “SMILE”. I am smiling.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020: LIGHT WIND SAILING

 

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

LIGHT WIND SAILING

I took my dog for a walk at the harbor about noon and the wind was nearly nonexistent.  When I got to the boat about 4pm it looked a little more encouraging with a light wind in the harbor.  As we left the harbor, the ocean was very glassy.  It seemed more wind was in the harbor than on the ocean.  There was a cloud line just outside of the start mark that seemed to be creating a little wind.  At about 5:45 the wind seemed to be building a little filling in from outside near the cloud line.  With such fickle wind, we called for  course Whiskey 4 with the option of shortening course if the wind lightened any more.  We blew the 5 minute horn.

On Pair A Dice, we had detected more wind outside and decided to start closer to the start mark to get outside as quickly as possible.  Most of the boats started closer to the beach end of the line and tacked over early for the tried and true inside track.  Connonball and Pacific Spirit started right at the start mark on port tack and only had to dodge a few boats since most had tacked early heading for the inside.

At Schuyler the first boat around was New Wave followed by Cannonball, Sagittarius, Nidaros, Avatar, Perfect 36, Pair a Dice, Pacific Spirit.   With the wind not filling in completely, I shortened the course to finish at the line between Gov and the end of the wharf.

At the finish, New Wave was first 38:39, Sagittarius 41:54, Cannonball 43:33, Avatar 43:29, Nidaros 43:42, Perfect 36 43:44,  Guenter on his Finn 43:55,
Pair A Dice 51:29, Pacific Spirit57:20.  All times are elapsed and the course length is 2.06 NM.

                                                        GLORIOUS LIGHT WIND SAILING

RACE QS:

One by one, we are getting all of the boats to use this app.  Using Race QS is the only way we can get your finish time.  The track for this night can be found at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&updatedAt=2020-09-02T02:18:53Z&dt=2020-09-01T17:45:23-07:00..2020-09-01T19:18:51-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1599012218561&focus=Pairadice&rival=The%20Perfect%20Thirty-six&tab=setup&view=manual&lat=36.957224&lon=-122.013241&tilt=49&range=225&heading=5

STRATEGY LESSON:

An axiom followed by top sailors is to “Always sail the longest tack first”.  Is this why boats taking the inside track do better than sailing outside first?   I believe there is another factor in play in Santa Cruz.  On this night, on Pair A Dice, we thought we saw more wind outside so sailed toward this stronger wind. Actually the wind had filled in evenly over the course, so our strategy did not work out as planned.  Taking this tack first had us beating into the waves which slowed us down.  But more importantly, it put us into a stronger adverse current coming down the coast.  How can you determine this? Look at the race QS track!

In this race, I compared our track against Perfect 36 which finished more than 8 minutes in front of us. I employed the function on Race QS that shows the following specifics: VMG, SOG, Drift and the distance between the 2 boats. Right off the line, PAD was slightly ahead of Perfect 36 (P-36) but this lead quickly evaporated as their VMG and SOG was significantly better than PAD.  Of note also was the “Drift Indicator” that showed PAD was being significantly set by an adverse current.  Also by going further out, we exposed ourselves to the stronger current we had to fight once we tacked over toward Schuyler.  Lesson learned: Sailing inside decreases the waves taken on the bow and decreased exposure to the current coming down the coast. Also, once inside the protection of the point, there is less wave action to beat through to get to Schuyler mark. Congratulations to Perfect 36 for a great job showing the way!

Studying this track also drove home another point.  Another axiom used is “don’t sail to the corners” meaning “do not sail on one tack all the way to the layline for the mark” (unless there is a big difference in conditions on different tacks).  Watching the VMG function on Race Qs demonstrates why this is so important. VMG (Velocity Made Good) measures your progress toward the mark.  The VMG decreases more and more as you approach the layline.  If you sailed further than the layline, you could experience negative VMG as you are sailing away from the mark!  Watching the decrease in VMG could help determine the optimal time to tack?  It seems to me that once VMG is less than half of your SOG, it would be best to tack.

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS:

The BBBS regatta is occurring this Sunday (9/6).  This is always a fun event and not to be missed!  You can register online at SCYC.org under regattas. Be sure to follow the links to register both through Regatta Network and also with the BBBS website.

See you next Tuesday.

 

Barry L. Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice