APRIL 19, 2022
GOOD CONSISTENT WIND
Once again wind predictions were all over the place for this
evening and once again we found ourselves in heavy gusts with a large jib. When we got to the start area, we determined
the wind was from the normal 240 degrees.
We set a line square to this direction but realized that the line was
too short as more boats were sailing out of the harbor. We snagged the ball and extended the line
which turned out well with 23 boats participating.
We called for course whiskey 3 and blew the 5 minute
horn. Right after I blew the horn, I
realized my VHF was on Channel 16, so nobody heard the course or the countdown
for the horn. Time for a reset. We
announced the course and blew a 5 minute horn for a 6:06 start. I do my best, but sometimes things
happen. I appreciate the patience
exhibited towards me for such a faux pau.
It is amazing to me that, with 23 boats on the line, that
many boats had such excellent starts: right on the line right on time. We all tacked our way to Schuyler. The first around was Aboriginal followed by
Zoop, New Wave, Aquavit, Perfect 36, Avatar, Watts Moore, Good Timin’, Makani,
Patricia J, Jersey Girl, Pair A Dice, Pacific Spirit, Muffin, Big Mac, Toad,
Sweet Pea, Nidaros and Sea Quake.
On the run back to Blacks, boats shook out their reefs and
set poles. The first around Blacks was
Aboriginal once again followed by Sweetheart, Aquavit, Zoop, New Wave, Perfect 36, Avatar,
Watts Moore, Makani, Good TImin’, Patricia J, Jersey Girl, Muffin, Pair A Dice,
Pacific Spirit, Toad, Big Mac, Nidaros, Sweet Pea and Sea Quake.
At the finish Aboriginal maintained their lead 34:33
followed by Sweetheart 37:00, Aquavit 42:07, Zoop 42:57, New Wave 43:33,
Perfect 36 44:29, Avatar 45:11, Good Timin’ 46:11, Makani 46:27, Patricia J
46:41, Watts Moore 46:58, Jersey Girl 47:08, Muffin 48:01, Pair A Dice 50:55,
Pacific Spirit 51:35, Toad 52:01, Big Mac 53:14, Nidaros 53:23, Sweet Pea
55:21, Sea Quake 56:38 and Meja Duzia
1:10:15. All times are elapsed and the
course length was 3.42 NM.
After several weeks of very light wind and then one week of winds shifting all through the evening, it was great to have an evening with good consistent wind.
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| PHOTO TAKEN FROM ZOOP: AN ENVIABLE POSITION |
PLACE
BOAT ELAPSED
TIME CORRECTED SECONDS HIGH SCORE
1 ABORIGINAL 34:33 1960 21
2 ZOOP 42:57 2084 20
3 PERFECT
36 44:29 2176 19
4 SWEETHEART 37:00 2240 18
5 AVATAR 45:11 2259 17
6 NEW WAVE 43:33 2274 16
7 AQUAVIT 42:07 2284.18 15
8 MAKANI 46:27 2284.26 14
9 GOOD
TIMIN’ 46:11 2288 13
10 JERSEY GIRL 47:08 2304 12
11 WATTS
MOORE 46:58 2305 11
12 BIG MAC 53:14 2434 10
13 PAIR A
DICE 50:55 2439 9
14 PATRICIA J 46:41 2462 8
15 PACIFIC
SPIRIT 51:35 2540 7
16 TOAD 52:01 2608 6
17 SWEET PEA 55:21 2756 5
18 SEA QUAKE 56:38 2785 4
19 NIDAROS 53:23 2802 3
20 MUFFIN 48:01 2841 2
21 MEIA DUZIA 1:10:15 3496 1
What an amazing race with many very close finishes on
corrected time!
RACE QS:
We had 23 boats out for the night and 21 of them ran and
uploaded their race QS tracks. You can
view these tracks by clicking on this
link:
Since we are using Race QS as our race committee, it is
advisable to have two phones on each boat run the track. Only one phone should
be uploaded, the second phone is the backup in case there is a snafu with the
other phone. I like to preset the start
so the track starts at 5:45 (17:45) to be able to see the starting sequence.
WHAT MAKES A
GOOD CREW?
Maintaining
and working with a good crew is critical to excellent race performance. Ask any boat owner about crew problems and
they will express their exasperation.
There are many factors that come into play when selecting crew:
knowledge of sailing, availability and actions while on the boat are just a
few.
Obviously,
the more you know about sailing, the more value you offer as a crew
member. If you are proficient in all
positions (mainsheet, Jib sheet, foredeck, tactician and even helmsman), you
are more desirable than someone who has never sailed and has no experience.
This does not mean you cannot learn.
Everybody that sails and pays attention is on a path of continued
improvement
Availability
is a critical factor in crewing. We all
have issues that arise that inhibit our availability, this is normal and to be
expected. The critical issue is
COMMUNICATION! If you are a crewmember
that is available 90% of the time and you will not be available for an event, let
the skipper know well in advance so they can scour for crew. Even if you are not a consistent crew and you
have COMMITTED to being at an event, DON’T just not show up! You should know how to communicate with the
skipper (text, phone or email) and let him know if you cannot make it. My
preference is a phone call.
Your actions
while on the boat are huge! Keep in mind that the skipper is responsible for
prevention of problems, all while trying to maximize boat speed. It is a HUGE asset for a crew member to keep
the skipper apprized AT ALL TIMES of issues happening on the water. This is critical in the starting sequence
when boats are in very close quarters.
Racing is not a “day on the bay” as boats are converging on each other
in closer quarters than in a normal day sail.
It is the job of crew to keep the skipper apprised of impending situations.
An example: “You have a port-tack boat
at 10 o’clock, it looks like they have us cleared” lets the skipper know about
a potential situation. Crew can have
discussions and socialize, but at least one crew member should be keeping their
head “out of the boat” looking for potential issues.
Years ago, I
had a discussion with the late Rob Schuyler, who was a consistent regatta
winner. I asked him what the secret to
winning races was. He said they had analyzed this for years and the consensus
was that the critical factor was having a crew that worked well together.
Next Tuesday will be the last Tuesday of the month and
will be a potluck barbecue. We will also
have another discussion on rules.
Barry Keeler
Sailing Pair
A Dice
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