APRIL 27, 2021 FLUKEY WIND

 

APRIL 27, 2021

FLUKEY WIND

Since Pair A Dice is temporarily  out of commission, I sailed on Kicks tonight.  Thanks to Todd and the crew for accommodating me in handling the line mark.  As we left the harbor at 5:30, the Easterly was blowing strong enough to consider a moderate course.  We got to the start mark and determined the wind was from 130.  Normally we like to set the mark square to the wind, but at this wind direction, doing this would have had one end of the line closer to Blacks so we split the difference with a line not square to the wind.  I considered course B4, but as we got closer to the 6pm start the wind was dropping quickly and I changed course to B6 (twice around Blacks) with the option to shorten course.  We gave a 5 minute horn over the radio.

On Kicks, setting up for the start was not an option.  We were stuck in a transition zone with the boat not moving at all.  We couldn’t even use the waves to our advantage.  We were over 5 minutes late to the start line along with some other boats.  This creates problems with Race QS because when boats are over 5 minutes late, it does not record as a race with the software.  We watched with envy as we saw several boats charging toward Black in the stronger Easterly between start and Blacks.  Just before the first boats rounded Blacks, I shortened the course to once around Blacks.  Several boats retired and headed for the harbor.

At the finish line, New Wave was first 34:05, followed by Guenther on his Finn 41:00, Avatar 45:01, Pacific Spirit 50:50, Nidaros 51:41, Aquavit 51:56, Makani 54:25 and Tusitala 54:37.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 0.9 nautical miles.

We had about 20 boats out for the fun(?) and according to the Race QS track only 7 boats finished.  The rest of the boats retired or did not record on Race QS.  I guess this could be expected on a Flukey wind night.

RACE QS:

For the new boats joining the group: WELCOME!  We appreciate all boats that participate.  Just remember to use the free Race QS to record your track so we can recognize your efforts!

The track for tonight can be found at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011074&divisionId=71193&updatedAt=2021-04-28T02:06:45Z&dt=2021-04-27T17:17:59-07:00..2021-04-27T19:06:41-07:00&boat=Tusitala&model=Bavaria40&time=1619575276865&focus=Tusitala&rival=Aquavit&tab=match&view=manual&lat=36.950953&lon=-121.986761&tilt=7&range=466&heading=113

DEALING WITH LIGHT VARIABLE WIND:

Like many people sailing on this night, I was mystified on how to make progress out of a situation where you look up at the wind vane and it is spinning showing no consistent wind direction.  I talked to Homer and he gave me a tip on how to handle these conditions.  He said to stabilize the boat by centering the traveler and tightening the main sheet to steady the boat.  Thinking about it, if there is not enough wind to keep the windex in a steady direction, the windex is spinning as the boat is rocked by each wave.  Stabilizing the boat by adjusting the main in this way, you can get the boat moving under power generated by the jib.  Once the boat gets moving you can trim the main for more power.

OTHER RACING EVENTS:

The spring score series has started.  These are very fun events where you can apply your skills learned on Tuesday Night Sailing.  There is a Jib and Main division and you could even come away with some hardware (trophy). The dates of the regattas are 4/25 (last Saturday), 5/23 and 6/27.  You can register for the regatta at SCYC.org > Regattas and click on spring score to enter you boat.  You will need a current PHRF certificate and a “club affiliation”.  Before I was a SCYC member, I would list my affiliation as US Sail since I was a member of that group.

I am looking forward to next Tuesday.  Hopefully, the Wind Gods will treat us better.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice (But Kicks for this sail)