MARCH 1, 2022
SURPRISING EASTERLY
The predictions for the evening were calling for light and
variable winds. This prediction was
accurate for the earlier afternoon with the Crow’s Nest flags hanging
limp. We prepped the boat and left the
harbor at about 3pm and noticed a light Easterly was developing. Easterly winds in the winter, without racing
marks in place presents a problem with no windward mark. We motored down to the Blacks mark area and
set a mark at that position and went back to set the start line ball square to
the wind.
It is nearly impossible to guess how many boats will be
coming out. We set the line with
appropriate length to accommodate about 8 boats and watched as more boats filed
out of the harbor finally totaling 15 boats.
We called for a course similar to B5 on the course card using the mark
we set to replace Blacks mark. This course calls for twice around and finishing
with the start “stick” to starboard. We blew the 5 minute horn and set up for
our start. By this time the wind had
filled in with about an eight knot Easterly.
We had enough wind to race with!
On Pair A Dice, we wanted to start at the start stick end of
the line and thought we could accomplish a port tack start. With this risky strategy, it was no surprise
when we got blanketed by one of the larger boats just windward of us. The boats filed around the “Blacks mark” and came back to round the
start pin. The first boat to round the
start stick on first pass was Avatar followed by Zoop, Patricia J, Nidaros,
Pacific Spirit, Aquavit, Muffin, Simpatico, Pair A Dice, Kicks and
Aeolian.
The wind continued strong enough to round “Blacks” again and
finish. The first to finish was Avatar
28:37, followed by Zoop 31:05, Patricia J 32:25, Aquavit 36:16, Nidaros 36:25,
Perfect 36 38:13, Pacific Spirit 38:15, Muffin 38:32, Pair A Dice 39:20,
Simpatico 41:38, Kicks 43:32 and Aeolian 45:48.
All times are elapsed and course distance was about 1.8 NM.
PHRF adjusted placings are as follows:
BOAT PLACE ADJUSTED SECONDS
AVATAR
1 1479
ZOOP
2 1605
PATRICIA J
3 1745
NIDAROS
4 1979
PACIFIC SPIRIT 5 2003
PERFECT 36
6 2033
PAIR A DICE
7 2036
AQUAVIT 8
2048
MUFFIN
9 2063
SIMPATICO 10 2195
KICKS
11 2288
AEOLIAN
12 2445
The wind seemed to die just as the last boats were crossing
the line. This is what happens when you
get a surprising Easterly.
Race QS:
The track for this afternoon can be found at: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=78464&updatedAt=2022-03-02T01:40:31Z&dt=2022-03-01T15:45:02-08:00..2022-03-01T17:34:52-08:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1646181948177&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Nidaros%20II&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.955153&lon=-121.986948&tilt=12&range=1538&heading=230
STARTING
STRATEGIES:
One of the
most important things to accomplish in racing is a good start with a good
strategy. There is always the favored
end of the line and boats will crowd this area.
It is always a decision whether to join the fray at the favored end or
to get a clear air start further down the line avoiding the crowd. On this evening our thought was to do a port
tack start: What could go wrong? With 14
other boats, we quickly found the answer to this question: A LOT! We had to quickly tack over to avoid fouling
the starboard tack boats charging down the line. We were hopelessly trapped behind a wall of
boats directly windward of us. This is
the value of our Tuesday races: learning what works and what does not work.
IMPENDING NEW
SEASON:
We have one
more “Tuesday Afternoon Sailing” starting next Tuesday at 4pm. The time changes on Sunday March 13 and our
first “Tuesday evening sailing” will be on March 15 with the race starting at
6pm. We are in the process of developing
an entry form for registering for the new season. I am looking forward to another fun season
sailing with all of you.
I sincerely appreciate
the support I receive in this process.
Please respond with any suggestions you may have that may improve our
experience.
See you next
Tuesday for a 4pm start!
Barry Keeler
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