JULY 27, 2021 GREAT WIND WITH FOG JUST OFFSHORE

 

JULY 27, 2021

GREAT WIND WITH FOG JUST OFFSHORE

Walking my dog at the harbor around noon it was turning out to be a beautiful sunny day with the wind seeming to slowly increase.  Back at my house in Aptos, as the afternoon progressed, I noticed the fog was increasing.   There is a reason the locals call Aptos “Fogtos”.  Would the fog spread to Santa Cruz?  As I arrived at the harbor, it was apparent that it was foggy out on the water.  As we left the harbor, the fog was present but offshore so it did not affect our visibility for the race.

We determined the wind was from 240 degrees and set a mark square to the wind.  As it turns out, the line was a little short for the 20 plus boats that eventually came out for the fun. We called for course Whiskey 3 and blew the five minute horn.  As usual the starboard end of the line was very crowded as boats tried to set up for a start at that end of the line.  After the crowded line start, boats spread out across the bay making their way to the first mark: Schuyler. At Schuyler, first around was Kasatka followed by New Wave, Sweetheart, Zoop, Sagittarius, Avatar, Aquavit, Tusitala, Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit, Toad, Makani, Pair A Dice, Sweet Pea, Simpatico, Kicks, Sophia, Nidaros, Meia Duzia.

On the long run to Blacks, most boats sailed wing on wing straight toward the mark.  Several boats took a course further outside using the slightly stronger wind out there. At Blacks, Kastaka was first around again followed by Sweetheart, Zoop, Avatar, New Wave, Aquavit, Sagittarius, Pacific Spirit, Makani, Pair A Dice, Toad, Perfect 36, Sweet Pea, Simpatico, Sophia, Kicks, Nidaros and Meia Duzia. As usual, when sailing downwind we felt like the wind was decreasing.  It was refreshing as we rounded the leeward (Blacks) mark and sailing into the wind, that the wind was not decreasing.

At the finish, Sweetheart was first 50:49, followed by Zoop 50:58, Kasatka 51:22, Avatar 51:52, New Wave 52:15, Aquavit 52:57, Sagittarius 55:18, Pacific Spirit 55:36, Makani 58:37, Toad 58:41, Tusitala 59:24, Pair a Dice 1:00:29, Gunter on his Finn 1:01:00,  Perfect 36 1:01:15, Sweet Pea 1:08:08, Simpatico 1:10:39, Sophia 1:13:33, Nidaros 1:23:02 and Kicks. All times are elapsed and the course distance was 3.55 nautical miles.

It was an awesome evening for a sail with great wind and unusual lighting with the fog hanging just offshore.  We had a great barbecue at the club.  It was great to socialize around the barbecue again!

RACE QS:

It is great seeing almost everyone using this app!  The track for this evening can be found at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=73968&updatedAt=2021-07-28T02:31:15Z&dt=2021-07-27T17:45:04-07:00..2021-07-27T19:24:18-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1627439058000&focus=Pairadice&rival=Pacific%20Spirit&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.948000&lon=-121.998506&tilt=7&range=742&heading=218

PHRF CONVERSION:

Somebody asked about how to apply the PHRF to see how your boat did against a competitor. I always record the elapsed time for each boats finish and the course length in the blog.  We all have individual boats we are competing with, but some boats are faster (lower PHRF) than others.  To determine how you did against another boat you apply the difference in PHRF, times the distance of the course in nautical miles.  As an example for this evening,  Pair A Dice’s elapsed time was 1:00:29 and TOADs elapsed time was 58:41.  This means that Toad crossed the line 2 minutes and 28 seconds ahead of PAD.  PAD has a PHRF of 180 and Toad is rated at 150.  This means that Toad is rated 30 second per mile faster than PAD.  30 seconds multiplied by course distance (3.55NM) equals 106 seconds (1 minute and 46 seconds).  Subtracting 1:46 from 2:28 means that Toad beat Pair A Dice by 42 seconds on corrected time.  It was a great race!

RULES:

With as many boats as we had tonight, rules become even more important.  There were several “incidents” that occurred, and though 360s were done to exonerate, it is always best to just follow the rules! This is a developmental series so while discussing rules, I will give suggestions on how to abide by the rules.

Windward vs Leeward on the start line:

This is a tactic used in more competitive situations and in team racing.  It involves rule 11: when boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat.  Rule 17 also comes into play and guidelines are determined by how the overlap occurred.  If a leeward boat achieves the overlap from astern, they may luff a windward boat above the line BUT after the start “signal” a proper course must be sailed (no higher than hard on the wind).  Team racers know better than to “get hooked” and avoid these situations.  While it is within the rules for leeward boats to luff up a windward boat, in our situation (with nobody sighting the line)  Race QS is not accurate enough to notice.  In any case, I like to give myself room away from the line to allow me to luff up if a faster boat overtakes me. Another tactic is to just slow down and let the leeward boat pass.

Mark rounding:

There was an incident where a boat tacked within the zone at Schuyler and thought they should have mark room.  I always plan my approach to windward marks outside of the zone.  If you follow this plan, you should always make your tack onto starboard outside of the zone.  This gets tricky with the unusual winds and currents frequently at Schuyler mark.  The rule that comes into play here is rule 18.3: If a boat in the zone of a mark to be left to port passes head to wind from port to starboard tack and is then fetching the mark, she shall not cause a boat that has been on starboard tack since entering the zone to sail above close-hauled to avoid contact and she shall give mark-room if that boat becomes overlapped inside of her.

Port vs Starboard:

This is rule 10: When boats are on opposite tacks, a port- tack boat shall keep clear of a starboard-tack boat.  We all know this rule. Compliance involves being aware of all boats.  Every crew member has a stake in keeping the skipper aware.  On my boat the policy is “there is never too much information about traffic!”  In tight situations, there is one dialogue between the skipper and crew.   The crew is always informing the skipper: “You have a boat at your 12 on starboard tack 100 yds away” Skipper replies “I got it”.  I encourage the use of this dialogue to prevent dangerous situations.  Maybe an airhorn in the cockpit of the right of way boat is a good idea since voices often do not carry in high winds.  

 

ROUNDING SCHUYLER:

This was an interesting evening with many boats misjudging the rounding of Schuyler with its shifty winds and currents.  On Pair A Dice, we got caught like other boats and had to “shoot the mark”.  This is a move you can use to round a mark when you are very close to not making it around the mark. It is critical to have the crew ready to quickly release the jib sheet.  It is also critical to not pinch so you keep your speed up even if aimed for the wrong side of the mark.  With the mark just in front of your boat, turn the boat directly into the wind while releasing the jib completely.  If done correctly (enough speed and jib released) you can coast around the mark.  If the jib is not released quickly enough and gets backwinded, the boat stops and you have failed.   It is difficult to accomplish this move if other boats are in close proximity. As always if you get romantic and “kiss the mark”, you need to do a 360.

See you next Tuesday for another race and Taco Tuesday at the club.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

7/20/21 FRUSTRATING LIGHT WIND EVENING

JULY 20,2021 FRUSTRATING LIGHT WIND EVENING THANK YOU DOUGLAS MAHONE FOR YOUR EXCELLENT REPORT! BARRY This was another Tuesday evening of highly uncertain wind. About a fourteen boats were out for the racing on a mild, sunny evening. As the time for the 5 minute warning approached, Stefan (filling in for Barry) called a simple course to Blacks and back, twice, based on the light easterly that was blowing. Then it appeared that a westerly was filling in so, after aa short postponement, a new course to Mile and back was called. Then the easterly re-appeared, so the final course call was Start, Blacks, Finish. We didn’t actually start racing until 18:17. The start was exciting, at least on the left end of the line, with six boats closely bunched at the start buoy. The rest of the fleet were mostly bunched at the right end, with several boats caught late to the line. The breeze was light, in the 4-6 kt range, so all the excitement was in slow motion. Despite the slo mo bunching, there were no collisions and little shouting, even when boats were inches apart. It was one of those starts when you don’t want to be far from the line, because you may not have enough breeze to get back and start on time. The upwind leg to Blacks continued the slow motion competition. Several boats headed for the beach, which proved a good strategy in the light easterly, although a couple of boats stayed toward the middle of the course and did reasonably well. There was, unfortunately, some after race complaining about port tack boats not yielding to starboard tack boats; these are fun races, but part of their purpose is to learn to race by the rules. The rounding order at Blacks was: Avatar, Geronimo, Zoop, Nidaro, Kasatka, Makani, Dice, P36. About the time the fleet was getting to Blacks, the wind really became squirrly, at times dropping nearly to zero knots and shifting from easterly to southerly and back, with lots of dead holes. Again, the boats that left Blacks and headed to the beach seemed to do slightly better. There were times when some boats were dead in the water while other boats nearby were moving quite nicely. Some gnashing of teeth could be heard. It was a short leg, but there were several changes in position. At this point, boats started dropping out and heading for home. The finishing order and elapsed times were: Geronimo 38:10, Nidaro 39:34, Zoop 40:35, Avatar 41:55, Makani 51:07, Dice 53:13, Good Timin’ 57:42. The course length was 0.6 nm. As we keep noting, all boats are highly encouraged to record their tracks and times on RaceQs. There were eleven boats that recorded starts, and seven that recorded their finishes. I know that there were several other boats out for the race, but we have no record of their participation or position in the fleet. This is too bad, because there’s always something interesting to learn from other racers. Also, several of the boats have left incomplete descriptions of their boats in RaceQs (e.g., type of boat, skipper, PHRF rating). The rating has not traditionally been requested, because we usually were just racing for finish position. But as the fleet becomes more diverse in terms of boat types and speeds, the PHRF rating becomes an interesting way to compare your boat’s performance to others. Often, a slower boat will actually beat out a faster boat on corrected time (or not), so the corrected times offer a way to level the playing field, so to speak. If your PHRF is known but not entered for your boat in RaceQs, you are encouraged to add that piece of information. The RaceQs track for this evening’s race can be found at: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1066813&updatedAt=2021-07-21T02:44:46Z&dt=2021-07-20T17:50:02-07:00..2021-07-20T19:44:18-07:00&boat=Avatar&model=Express27&time=1626830047607&focus=Dice&rival=P36&tab=setup&view=follow&lat=36.948878&lon=-121.994417&tilt=1&range=183&heading=147 Tuesdays after the races feature Taco Tuesday at the club. And, of course, the bar is serving. Next Tuesday, however, is the last Tuesday of the month. That means we revert to our “bring your own dinner to grill and something to share” format at the clubhouse. Hope to see you all then.

JULY 20, 2021 WHAT WIND?

 

JULY 20, 2021

WHAT WIND?

While I am in Las Vegas celebrating our 30^th wedding anniversary, I watched the harbor cam for the gathering of boats for Tuesday Night Sailing.  It was apparently a challenging evening with very little wind.  Photos sent to me looked more like lake sailing rather than ocean sailing.  Race QS did not add any clarity.  Whenever boats start more than 5 minutes apart, Race QS does not recognize it as a race so it is difficult to give finishing times.  It looked like many boats justifiably retired without finishing.

LAKE OR OCEAN?

It sounds like it was a great turnout at Taco Tuesdays at the club.  Remember next Tuesday is the last Tuesday of the month and it will be a barbecue potluck where we bring our own food to grill and the bar will be open.

I am looking forward to sailing with you next Tuesday.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

JULY 13, 2021 PRAYERS FOR WIND ANSWERED

 

JULY 13, 2021

PRAYERS FOR WIND ANSWERED

As usual, I was looking at Predict Wind through the day trying to anticipate our conditions for the evening.  The predictions indicated that we would have 15 knots at 6pm and decreasing to 9 knots through the evening.  This evening was the first night I was able to sail Pair A Dice in about two and half months and with the predictions, I was considering using my 155 jib, but the flags and conditions on the water were indicating that Predict Wind was not correct again. 

As we left the harbor at about 5:15, the wind was consistent across the bay with gusts over 20 knots.  We determined the wind was from about 240 and set the line.  We called for the most ambitious course: Whiskey 1.  The start line was crowded but all boats seemed to have a clear start.  On PAD we started closer to the yellow start mark end of the line.   Almost all boats had reefed sails as they made their way to the first mark, Schuyler.  First around Schuyler was Sagittarius followed by Perfect 36 and Geronimo, Pacific Spirit, Makani, Avatar, Good Timin’, Pair A Dice, Sanctuaire, Toad, Sophia, Simpatico, Nidaros and Kicks.

After rounding Schuyler all boats cracked off for the run to Mile, where the order of rounding remained the same except Makani had squeaked ahead of Pacific Spirit.  After everyone rounded Mile all boats surfed their way to Blacks, then beat their way back to the finish.

At the finish, Sagittarius was first 43:06, followed by Geronimo and Perfect 36 (tied at 46:58), Makani 48:46, Pacific Spirit 49:04, Avatar 49:08, Good Timin’ 50:04, Sanctuaire 50:10, Pair A Dice 51:04, Toad 53:28, Sophia 55:58, Simpatico 56:44, Nidaros 57:21 and Kicks 1:00:04.  All times are elapsed and the course was 3.95 nautical miles.

It was awesome sailing in some good breeze again.  We always have the option to reef to keep the boat under control.  In my last blog, I finished with an admonishment to “Pray for wind”.  It seems like our prayers for wind were answered. 

Race QS:

We have almost everyone using this app now, but some tracks are not uploading.  I encourage everyone to prestart the app to start at 5:45 so you can see and learn from your prestart tactics.  Once you have finished the race tap the flashing red light in the upper right corner of the screen, then tap the “save and upload”.  Somehow, the technical genius at Race QS has all of the tracks run in the same area at the same time all joined together for the race.  The track for tonight can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=73514&updatedAt=2021-07-14T04:31:25Z&dt=2021-07-13T17:45:00-07:00..2021-07-13T21:31:23-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1626225064136&focus=Pairadice&rival=Pacific%20Spirit&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.955842&lon=-122.013821&tilt=2&range=2373&heading=238

STRATEGY AND TACTICS:

Strategy is assessing conditions on the course and sailing the course the most efficiently if there were no other boats.  Tactics is how boats deal with each other on the course implementing the racing rules of sailing.  Frequently strategy is more important than tactics and in Santa Cruz, the way you deal with waves can make a difference. Studying the Race QS track, I was comparing PAD’s track with Pacific Spirit.  On PAD, we came charging off the line trapped with several boats to windward and behind preventing our tacking over to port.  It felt good!  We had good speed and were sailing into more wind, but we had waves on our bow.  In light wind we all know to not sail directly into waves but even in stronger breeze, waves will slow the boat down.  It seems better to sail as much as possible with the waves on the beam rather than the bow.  Looking at Pacific Spirit’s track, they started at the beach end of the line allowing them to immediately tack over and sail with the waves on their beam.  They continued to stay inside, not taking waves on the bow.  Tacking on the lay-line for Schuyler further inside uses the protection of the point which decreases wave action slowing your boat.  Kudos to Pacific Spirit for using a great strategy!

WHEN THINGS GO POP ON THE DECK:

On our downwind leg to Blacks, PAD had our whisker pole deployed.  I have a collapsing whisker pole and while sailing toward Blacks, two of our crew were sitting on the windward rail when suddenly there was a loud POP!  We looked forward and saw that the whisker pole had snapped into two pieces!  When failures like this happen, injuries to crew and boat are not uncommon.  I am thankful that there were no injuries!  Whisker poles can be repaired or replaced.

Looking forward to next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

JULY 6, 2021 CONFUSED HOLE-Y WIND

 

JUNE 6, 2021

CONFUSED HOLE-Y WIND

Predict Wind’s forecast was for 15 knot winds with gusts to 24.  What an encouraging prediction!  Looking at the flag on the Crow’s Nest, the predictions were way off unless you were “way off shore!” For this evening, I had the pleasure of sailing with Steve Niemann and the Perfect 36 crew.  Thanks to them for helping me set the course up.  As we left the harbor, it was apparent that there was an Easterly starting to blow with a Northwesterly coming all the way in to the start mark.  Everyone knows that the Easterly “always” fills in toward shore first and overpowers the dying Northwesterly.  With such a confused state, we waited awhile before setting the line.

I wanted to get us into the better wind outside even though this would require sailing through a transition zone, but going with the normal knowledge that the Easterly always builds, we decided to set an ambitious course of B4.  We blew the 5 minute horn and set up for our start.  Everyone knows that, in conditions like this, it is best not to venture far from the start line.  “Far from the start line” is a relative term.  When the wind completely dies in your area, even 50 feet from the start line is far from the start line. I seem to have the unusual talent to find and be in these holes of no wind.  The boats that were right on the line got a little wind and started heading for the inside “stronger building Easterly”.  On Perfect 36 we were stuck with no wind and sailing backwards with the push of the swell.  We were not able to cross the start line until 6:14, but when we did the northwest was inching in closer to us and we were able to sail directly to Blacks while the boats that were closer to shore were stuck in the doldrums.  Noting that the Easterly was not building as anticipated, I called for shortened course: start-Blacks and finish at the start mark.

At Blacks, the first around was Guenter on his Finn followed by Nidaros, Kasatka, Patricia J, Geronimo, Makani, Perfect 36, Sagittarius, Tusitala, Toad, Pacific Spirit, Aquavit and Kicks.

The sail back to the finish line was very exciting since boats that had rounded blacks had to avoid boats that were approaching the mark to round it.  At the finish it was Guenter on his Finn 32:32 followed by Kasatka 33:22, Patricia J 38:55, Nidaros 39:35, Sagittarius 51:25, Perfect 36 51:33, Toad 52:10, Geronimo 52:12, Aquavit 53:00, Pacific Spirit53:20, Tusitala 56:04, Zoop 56:06 and Kicks 57:52.  All times are elapsed and the course length is 0.9 nautical miles.

It was a very challenging evening with each boat sailing into holes of no wind and the wind that would whisper through the crowd of boats could be from any direction.  It was amazing to me that all boats finished the course in such confused, hole-y conditions.

SEARCHING FOR WIND ON THE INSIDE

Race QS:

The track for tonight can be found at:

 https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1017739&divisionId=73306&updatedAt=2021-07-07T02:00:07Z&dt=2021-07-06T17:44:26-07:00..2021-07-06T19:00:04-07:00&boat=P36&time=1625623072033&focus=P36&rival=Tusitala&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.951345&lon=-121.994104&tilt=2&range=426&heading=70

TUESDAY NIGHTS AT SCYC:

This was our first night of dining at the club after our Tuesday night sailing with our new food service provider.  I was impressed with the variety and quality of the food provided and the choice of condiments were over the top (pun intended).  It was an incredible value for $15 per person.  I understand that Tuesday night sailors like to bring their own food to grill, but I also feel we should endorse the services offered by the food service provider to keep the service alive.

BARGAIN EXCELLENT MEAL 

I will see you next Tuesday.  Pray for wind!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice (Perfect 36 for tonight)

JUNE 29, 2021 WARM EASTERLY EVENING

 

JUNE 29, 2021

WARM EASTERLY EVENING

My repowering project on my boat is coming along and I should be sailing Pair A Dice again very soon. For this evening I had the pleasure of sailing on Pacific Spirit with Diana and crew.  Thanks to them for putting up with me and the ordeal of setting the start line and retrieving the mark after the race. 

It was apparent as we left the harbor that there was a nice, steady Easterly blowing.  When we got to the start area we took a reading on the wind direction: 110, almost due East!  We set the start line mark and called for course B2.  I almost never choose courses involving SC3.  This area is known for nasty currents and weird wave action when an Easterly is blowing.  I have seen situations where boats made 3 to 4 attempts before actually getting around SC3.

We had over 21 boats out for the fun, making for a very crowded start line.  Everyone got off the line without any problems and everyone tacked their way to SC3.  With this many boats, it made for some interesting crossing situations as boats tried to avoid the kelp, find the wind and avoid other boats.  At SC3 Avatar was first around followed by New Wave, Geronimo, Good Timin’, Patricia J, Sweet Heart, Kasatka, Toad, Nidaros, Aquavit, Makani, Zoop, Kicks, Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit, Jersey Girl, and Natorious.

On the way back to Blacks, some boats tried the outside course looking for more wind, while most boats sailed the rhumb line.  At Blacks Avatar was still in the lead with Good Timin’ rounding next followed by Patricia J, Sweet Heart, Kasatka, New Wave, Geronimo, Nidaros, Toad, Aquavit, Sagittarius, Zoop, Kicks, Perfect 36, Makani, Pacific Spirit, Jersey Girl and Natorious.

On the short run to the finish, conditions did not change much and Avatar finished first 58:58, followed by Good Timin’ 1:03:28, Patricia J 1:04:29, Sweet Heart 1:04:40, New Wave 1:05:30, Kasatka 1:06:30, Geronimo 1:06:38, Nidaros 1:07:58, Toad 1:09:07, Sagittarius 1:10:42, Aquavit 1:11:08, Zoop 1:11:54, Guenter on his Finn,
Perfect 36 1:13:56. Makani 1:16:17, Pacific Spirit 1:17:59 and Kicks 1:18:36.  All times are elapsed the the course distance was 2.90 miles.

We had a great barbecue at the club but the highlight of the day was the warm easterly evening.

MULTIPLE BOATS FINISHING 

Race Qs:

We have almost everyone using this app.  Everyone must use this FREE app to be counted.  The track for tonight can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1017739&updatedAt=2021-06-30T02:32:14Z&dt=2021-06-29T17:50:04-07:00..2021-06-29T19:32:10-07:00&boat=P36&time=1625020330000&focus=P36&rival=Jgirl&tab=setup&view=follow&lat=36.953883&lon=-121.992444&tilt=7&range=1443&heading=34

RULES!

Years ago I had the pleasure of having a guest on my boat on a Tuesday night that was known for their sailing skills. They were national champion in their boat class several times.  When I get someone like this on my boat, I always put them on the helm.  When we were approaching the first mark, they didn’t want to pinch to round and mumbled “I don’t want to round the mark” and turned before the mark.  Everyone on my boat excitedly insisted that “WE ROUND MARKS!” and we went back and rounded the mark.

I realize we are a developmental series and many of us are learning about sailing and racing, but we should all follow the racing rules.  By registering for this series, you have agreed to abide by the racing rules of sailing. Port tack boats should yield to Starboard tack boats. If you hit a mark take a turn.  If you are early over the start line (OCS), go back and start again. I know we are all learning and may make errors in judgement. If an error in judgement results in you fouling another boat, you should take a penalty turn. If you are on port tack and fail to yield to a starboard tack boat and they must alter course to avoid hitting you, you should take your turn.  In the port vs starboard situation IF there is communication between boats and the starboard boat yields saying “you cross” all is fine. It gets hazardous with no communication if both boats steer the same direction to avoid collision. It is better to follow the rules.

In the words of the great Ernie Rideout: “If you win the race and do not earn the respect of your competitors, you have won nothing!”

See you next Tuesday.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice  (Pacific Spirit for tonight)