APRIL 13, 2021 BLUSTERY NIGHT

 

APRIL 13, 2021

BLUSTERY NIGHT

Predictions for the night showed 20 knot winds at 6pm.  I got to the harbor around 3:30 and while working on the boat kept an eye on the flags at the Crow’s Nest.  The wind seemed to gust and lighten off and on.  Reports that there was a lot of wind showing outside, we swapped the jib to the 135. Sure enough, as we left the harbor, the 135 was the right decision as white caps were everywhere.

We checked the wind at the start mark and saw that the wind was from 245 degrees and set a line square to the wind. At one point, further out we saw 27 knots of wind and decided to reef the main.  This was more wind that I have seen for some time. We called for course whiskey 3, and blew a 5 minute horn. As it turned out, we were 1 minute late blowing the horn making the start at 6:01.

On PAD, after last week starting further out on the line, I wanted to start close to the “red ball” end of the line.  We accomplished this, but heard a lot of shouting behind us as a couple of boats were trying to barge.  Another exciting start. On PAD, we had reefed the main and had the jib partially unfurled to deal with the excessive wind. Everyone tacked their way to Schuyler mark and the first around Schuyler was Tusitala followed by Aquavie, New wave and Geronimo at the same time, Pacific Spirit, Avatar, Perfect 36, Pair a Dice, Kicks and Nidaros.

On the way to Blacks, everyone jibed their way to the mark.  At Blacks, first around was Aquavie followed by Tusitala, Geronimo, Pacific Spirit, New Wave, Perfect 36, Avatar and Pair a Dice.

On the way back to the start mark finish line, the wind seemed to be getting light again and many boats (including PAD) seemed to overstand the mark.  At the finish, the first boat across the line was Aquavie 42:43, Geronimo 44:59, Tusitala 45:37, Pacific Spirit 46:37, Perfect 36 50:56 and Avatar 50:57. PAD 52:34 Nidaros 55:36, Kicks 56:58 and Natorius at 1:14:43. The finish with Perfect 36 and Avatar was too close to accurately call from the Race QS tracks. The length of the course was 3.55 nautical miles.

It was an interesting evening with many boats reefed at the start to deal with the Blustery Evening.

RACE QS:

Interesting, when reviewing the track, it was apparent that I blew the 5 minute horn at 5:56 which made the start at 6:01 rather than 6:00.  It was a crazy night on the water! Most boats are using this app and the track for this night can be found at: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=70907&updatedAt=2021-04-14T02:43:25Z&dt=2021-04-13T17:45:01-07:00..2021-04-13T19:38:47-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1618366543956&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Nueva%20Ola&tab=match&view=manual&lat=36.946979&lon=-121.996962&tilt=9&range=1002&heading=249 

REEFING:

A frequent thought by some sailors is that reefing will slow the boat down.  This is not right, as reefing allows your boat to heel less and point higher. Indeed, reefing in higher winds will allow you to sail faster than without a reef.  The real trick is how aggressive to reef. I believe the natural inclination is to reef too much to keep the boat under control in gusts.

BARGING:

There was a barging situation at the start.  In my opinion, the best way to handle the situation when you are caught barging is to slow your boat down.  I usually will tell the mainsheet trimmer to “blow the main”.  Much better to slow down and take a second row start than pealing off and doing a 360 at the start.

Avatar and Perfect 36 in a battle to the finish

KEEPING THE CREW DRY:

When dealing with wild seas like on this night, it is not easy to keep the crew dry.  The crew gets splashed when a larger white cap wave slams against the side of the hull.  I try to anticipate the larger waves and steer up into them and down the back of the wave at an angle.  This is a difficult task while trying to race and all you can do is minimize the splashes.  

We will see you next Tuesday.

Barry
Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice (PAD)