NOVEMBER 16, 2021
FOGGY MORNING, SUNNY
AFTERNOON
After only being able to sail on
one of the last three Tuesdays, I was concerned when I saw the fog rolling into
Fogtos (the local acronym for Aptos). I
checked the conditions at the harbor on the Harbor cam and verified there was
fog in Santa Cruz. Wait and see! By the time I got to the harbor at about
12:45, the fog had cleared back out to sea leaving a sunny bay to sail on.
As we approached the start mark
area, there was a steady breeze across th bay coming from approximately 230
degrees. We set the line mark and called
for course Mike 2: Start, Mile and back
to start. We blew the 5 minute horn and
noticed that the wind was steadily increasing.
I made a snap decision to call for a longer course Whiskey 5 (Start, Schuyler,
finish) and announced the course change on the radio.
We had a clean start with
everyone starting on starboard tack.
Soon after crossing the start line, boats started tacking over for the
inside, taking waves on the beam rather than the bow. Bucking waves is not a fast point of sail! We all tacked our way to Schuyler with the
first boat around being New Wave with Zoop right behind them followed by
Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit, Pair A Dice and Muffin (simultaneously), Avatar and
Kicks.
On the run back to the finish
line, most boats used their whisker poles to increase exposure to the
wind. At the finish, New Wave was first
36:09, followed by Zoop 37:34, Perfect 36 39:56, Pacific Spirit 40:00, Avatar
41:35, Pair A Dice 41:58, Muffin 42:31 and Kicks 48:20. Times are elapsed and course distance was 2.65
nautical miles. It was a close race
between Perfect 36 and Pacific Spirit after spirited competition in close
quarters on the run to finish. It was an
awesome sunny day for a sail after a foggy morning.
The PHRF adjusted standings with
corrected times are as follows:
1
Zoop 31:19
2 New Wave 31:50
3 Pacific Spirit 31:58
4 Perfect 36 32:57
5 Pair a Dice 34:09
6 Avatar 35:52
7 Muffin 36:31
8 Kicks 40:31
Race QS:
We had 10 boats out for the fun
and 8 ran tracks on race QS. The track
for this afternoon can be found at: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1017739&divisionId=77007&updatedAt=2021-11-16T23:00:29Z&dt=2021-11-16T13:50:02-08:00..2021-11-16T15:00:28-08:00&boat=P36&time=1637102733964&focus=P36&rival=Nueva%20Ola&tab=setup&view=follow&lat=36.954499&lon=-121.996342&tilt=0&range=942&heading=239
THE ROLLING HITCH KNOT:
On this night Avatar was doing
very well as usual until they had a problem that set them back. They had an over-wrap on a jib sheet winch
which prevented them from tacking. This is a common problem on sailboats.
That’s what Tuesday sailing is all about: learning how to prevent and get out
of such situations. To prevent this, I
have a block on the rail that helps feed the line to the winch. Even with this it takes attention to not let
sheets get loose allowing them to create an overwrap.
As important as preventing an
overwrap is knowing how to get out of it.
If discovered soon enough you can take a line and tie a rolling hitch to
the taught sheet line, go to another winch and take the tension out of the line
to undo the overwrap. A rolling hitch is
a great knot to know. It is a knot that slides easily one way and cinches and
holds the other way. A rolling hitch is
like a normal clove hitch with an extra wrap around the standing end of the
line before completing the normal clove hitch.
 |
| NORMAL CLOVE HITCH |
WORK IN PROGRESS 3PM STARTS:
Tuesday afternoon sailing is a
work in progress as we try to improve the event. We have been starting the “races” at
2PM. As the process is advancing, we
have added “game night” at the club along with food being served throughout the
winter. The food is excellent and ranges
from Tacos, Spaghetti, Pot pies or Shephards pudding depending on the night. It is a great deal for $15 per person. So you can come to the club, have dinner and
stay for games even if not a SCYC member.
The problem with our 2pm start is
that, with most races being about 1 hour long, we are finished by 3:30 which
leaves a gap of time before dinner is served at 5pm. If we start the races at 3pm, the finish
would allow a smoother transition with the bar opening at 4pm. If you want, you could even have your
significant other join you for dinner, games and introduction to SCYC.
As far as games, to this point we
have had several Backgammon boards for people to play Backgammon. I have a craps table layout that we could set
up for playing craps with no money gambling!
If someone wants to introduce chess, checkers or other games I am
certain participants will step forward.
I know there are boats that like
to use Tuesdays as awesome sailing experiences before or after racing. What a combination! Have a race, then go sailing. Starting races at 3pm will change the order
to having a pleasure sail first then race.
Starting at 3 will also allow people that are still working to get off
early and sail. Wintertime sailing in Santa Cruz can be
awesome!
NEXT TUESDAY IF WE ARE ABLE TO SAIL, WE WILL BE STARTING AT
3PM.
SCYC WINTER SCORE RACE SERIES:
This Saturday, November 20 will
be the first Score race in the Winter series.
You will need a current PHRF certificate on file to enter. Why not apply the skills you are learning on
Tuesdays to a formal race? To register
go to SCYC.org > Regattas.
I hope to see you out next
Tuesday and please do not hesitate to offer suggestions on ways to improve out
Tuesday sailing experience!
Barry Keeler
Sailing Pair A Dice
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