SEPTEMBER 29, 2020: CLEAR SKY, GREAT WIND

 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

CLEAR SKY, GREAT WIND

Living in Aptos (Fogtos) the area was living up to its names.  We had pea soup fog for two straight days, Monday and Tuesday.  Nobody likes to race in the fog!  I went down to the harbor early in the afternoon and there was not the heavy fog we had in Aptos, but it was not crystal clear.  Defying Predict wind’s forecast, there was some wind, which was still apparent when I returned to the boat at about four o’clock.

We left the harbor shortly after 5 PM and we had great wind, between 12-15 knots.  The wind direction was from 240 and we set the line.  We called for course Whiskey 5 and blew a five minute horn for a 5:45 start.  The line at the start was a little crowded with all boats starting appropriately. All boats started on starboard tack and one by one everyone tacked over toward the inside track.  On Pair A Dice, we noticed that the wind got lighter and lighter the further inside we went.

At Schuyler mark, Sagittarius and Aquavit rounded simultaneously followed by Avatar, Patricia J, Perfect 36, Pair A Dice, Pacific Spirit, Sweet Pea, Higher Power and Toad.  On the way back to the finish line, some boats took the line directly to the finish.  On Pair A Dice, we set our pole with the 155 jib and sailed further outside using the better wind outside which worked to our advantage.

At the finish, it was Sagittarius 37:48, Aquavit 40:22, Avatar 40:34, Patricia J 42:01, Pair A Dice 43:05, Perfect 36 43:09, Sweet Pea 47:23, Higher Power 48:33, Pacific Spirit 49:49 and TOAD 55:26.  All times are elapsed and the course length was 2.65 NM.

Race QS:

The track for tonight can be found at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011635&updatedAt=2020-09-30T02:03:49Z&dt=2020-09-29T17:00:03-07:00..2020-09-29T19:03:45-07:00&boat=Dice&model=J24&time=1601429896228&focus=Dice&rival=The%20Perfect%20Thirty-six&tab=fleet&view=follow&lat=36.950755&lon=-121.998323&tilt=7&range=3773&heading=217

CRUISING VS RACING:

I love all aspects of sailing, whether trimming the sails or steering.  I love cruising, leisure sails and racing.  While all forms of sailing are fun, racing affords one distinct difference.  While racing you are always learning and improving your sailing abilities, whether on the wheel/tiller, trimming sails or even setting a whisker pole.

 I realize Tuesday night sailing is not intense racing, though some of us take it more seriously than others.  When I see boats going to weather and nobody is on the rail and everyone is sitting in the cockpit, the boat is not in the “racing mode”.  If going downwind and most bodies are still in the cockpit and not forward, you are not maximizing your performance. Is crew involved in conversation or telling jokes (I am guilty) rather than looking for unwanted hitch hikers (kelp)?

There is nothing wrong with leisure sailing and even leisure sailing on Tuesday nights.  The saying goes: “any time there are two masts on the water, there is a race!”   You can be out sailing on a beautiful day and everything feels great.  When another similar boat sails past you going faster, you start paying attention, noting how the other boat is trimming sails and other settings that affect performance.

Tuesday Night Sailing, with our use of Race QS is an incredible way to learn and compare your performance against your closest competitor.  By looking at the tracks and enabling pertinent functions in the software you can see what your SOG, VMG, angle of heel and how straight you are steering. You can also analyze your tacks over 8 different parameters.  I learn a lot by looking at tracks of my boat versus other competitors.

We will see you next Tuesday for a 5:45 start.

Barry L. Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice