JUNE 22, 2021 JUST ENOUGH WIND

 

JUNE 22, 2021

JUST ENOUGH WIND

Predict wind was calling for light 9 knot winds decreasing through the evening.  Listening to the radio on the way to the harbor, they were calling for 15 knot winds through the evening.  As we left the harbor at around 5:30 it was apparent that Predict wind was more accurate.  For this evening I was sailing with Jim Weaver and the crew of Tusitala again. We saw that the wind was coming from 220 degrees, a little south of the normal 240 degrees.  We set the line square to the wind and called for course M2: start to Mile and back to the start mark for the finish.  It was discouraging to see the wind decrease as we were ticking down to the 6:00 start.  I blew the “5-minute horn” at 4 minutes to 6, resulting in a 6:01 start.  I guess this goes with our theme of “developmental racing series”.  There is always room for improvement!

With about 20 boats competing for a good start, it was good the line was a little longer than normal.  Almost all boats started on starboard tack but a couple of brave boats tried a port tack start which did not seem to work well as they had to tack to fit in with the rest of the boats.  It seemed like there was a lift on the right side of the course.

At Mile, first around was Kasatka followed by Good Timin, Avatar, Geronimo, Perfect 36, Makani, Tusitala, Toad, Pacific Spirit, Sweet Pea and Natorious.

On the run back to the finish, it was frustrating because it was difficult to avoid the pockets with very little wind.  At the same time, it was encouraging to see more wind on the water further ahead. At the finish it was Kasatka 39:40 followed by Good Timin 44:08, Avatar 47:20, Geronimo 52:40, Perfect 36 53:40, Guenter on his Finn 54:32, Makani (no track=no time) Tusitala 57:26, Toad 59:14, Pacific Spirit 1:03:37, Sweet Pea 1:15:08 and Natorious 1:26:53.  All times are elapsed and the length of the course was 2.07 nautical miles

It was a glorious warm evening with just enough wind to complete a short course.

RACE QS:

I keep trying to remind people to run their tracks.  It is good to set it up before you even leave the harbor so it starts at 17:45.   By doing this you get the pre-race action and can see how your strategy worked against other boats.  If you set Race QS to start at 6pm, your boat will be sitting still on the playback before the 6pm start. Having your track on Race QS is the only way to be counted and scored for the race.  The track for tonight can be seen at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1071260&updatedAt=2021-06-23T02:41:40Z&divisionId=72926&boat=Sweet%20Pea&model=&dt=2021-06-22T17:15:38-07:00..2021-06-22T19:41:35-07:00&iframe=true&time=1624415213825&focus=Sweet%20Pea&rival=Kasatka&tab=fleet&view=follow&lat=36.960189&lon=-122.005508&tilt=1&range=3048&heading=278

 SAILING WHILE ROCKING OUT:

On Tusitala, we were sailing up the right side of the course and enjoyed a lift that was stronger on that side.  I watched as the boats downwind from us on the way to Mile were rocking along with the waves directly on their bow. Their masts were whipping forward and backward violently with each wave. The waves were not steep enough to stop the boats but they were slowing the boats down as they rocked. Do you think this motion affects the efficiency of the foils? Geronimo made a wise move and tacked over to port where the waves were on the beam rather than the bow and pulled ahead of several boats.  With the lift we were enjoying, it let Tusitala take the waves at a slight angle giving a slight advantage.

BARBECUE AT THE CLUB:

It was fantastic to see everyone get together at the yacht club for a barbecue.  We had quite a turnout and the food was excellent.  We are in the process of trying to make Tuesday nights like Wednesday nights with the food service provider selling food for us to grill ourselves.   I will keep you informed about developments in this area.  For next Tuesday we will have another barbecue but it is still bring your own food and get your drinks at the bar.

These events are fantastic educational opportunities where you can discuss tactics and rules with fellow sailors. A suggestion was made that we should all have name tags indicating our names and the name of the boat we sailed on.  I will follow this suggestion in the future.  

It is critical for all of us to remember we are in a residential area so we must be discreet in our actions.  Loud talk and laughter after 9 o’clock does not go well with neighbors.  On future Tuesday night barbecues, the bar will close at 9 o’clock and the clubhouse will close at 9:30.  I hope to see you there!

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice (Tusitala for this night)