AUGUST 30, 2022 PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR A RACE

 

AUGUST 30, 2022

PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR A RACE

When I got to the harbor at 4:30, the flags were showing a stiff northwesterly. To emphasize how strong the wind was, there were two kite-boarders sailing just off of Twin Lakes beach.  I was considering swapping the 155 for the 135, but opted to stay with the 155.  As we left the harbor at about 5:15, we noticed the sea-state indicated winds of about 15 knots.  We determined that the wind was coming from about 245 and set a line square to this direction. Being a barbecue night, I wanted a shorter course, but with this much wind we called for Whiskey 3: Start, Schuyler, Blacks, Finish.  We blew the horn at 5:50 for a two fleet start.

On Pair A Dice, I have tried to set my starts up so I am coming down the line on port tack a minute or two before the start, looking for a gap in the line to tack into.  On this night I was late coming down the line and ended up at the yellow ball right at the start time.  Since the SB tack boats were further down the line, I was able to execute a port tack start which only required me to dip one boat.  All  boats tacked their way to Schuyler and the first A fleet boat around was Aboriginal, followed by Perfect 36, Avatar and Double Espresso (together), Aquavit, Watts Moore, Pair a Dice, and Good Timin'.  B fleet rounded Schuyler with Zoop in the lead followed by Pacific Spirit, Simpatico and Makani together, Toad and Kicks.

The long run down to Blacks from Schuyler had few boats change order in each fleet.  At the finish, the first A fleet boat was Aboriginal 35:38, followed by Perfect 36 43:33, Avatar 43:44, Aquavit 43:44, Double Espresso 44:36, Pair a Dice 46:30, Watts Moore 47:00 and Good Timin' 48:34.  B fleet rounded with Zoop in first place 42:35, followed by Simpatico 46:58, Makani, 47:14, Pacific Spirit 48:04, Toad 49:27 and Kicks 50:12.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 3.46 NM.

I was a beautiful evening with consistent steady wind, perfect conditions for a race!

PHRF CORRECTED RESULTS:

PLACE                   BOAT                                     CORRECTED SECONDS                    HIGH SCORE

FLEET A:

1              ABORIGINAL                                      2023                                                       8

2              PERFECT 36                                         2114                                                       7

3              AVATAR                                                2167  \   TIE!                                          6

3              PAIR A DICE                                        2167  /                                                    6

5              WATTS MOORE                                  2301                                                       4

6              DOUBLE ESPRESSO                          2333                                                       3

7              AQUAVIT                                             2401                                                       2

8              GOOD TIMIN'                                      2426                                                       1

FLEET B:

1              ZOOP                                                    2056                                                       6

2              SIMPATICO                                          2247                                                       5

3              PACIFIC SPIRIT                                   2313                                                       4

4              MAKANI                                               2325                                                       3

5              KICKS                                                    2389                                                       2

6              TOAD                                                     2448                                                       1

RACE QS:

The track for this evening can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=83889&updatedAt=2022-08-31T05:19:57Z&dt=2022-08-30T17:40:00-07:00..2022-08-30T21:11:56-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1661906419014&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Makani&tab=fleet&view=auto

SAFE SAILING:

The biggest deterrent to participation in races are accidents causing damage to boat or injury.  It is true that racing boats sail in close proximity and require total focus and following the rules. It is impossible for the person on the helm to have 360 degree visibility with two sails hoisted. I always have my crew apprising me constantly about any boat that could present a problem, especially during the starting sequence.

I love sailing and the social interactions that occur on boats, but trivial discussions have no place during a starting sequence. Every crewmember should be concentrating on traffic.  It is easy to get lulled into complacence when you are a starboard tack boat since you usually have right of way, but it is still critical to be aware since you may need to notify a port tack boat of your presence.

FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH SEMINAR:

We are conducting seminars on the first Tuesday of each month.   Food will be available to purchase, so you can get your food and drinks and go downstairs for the seminar.  We cannot dictate a time for the seminar since we never know when the race will be over.  We will announce when the seminar will start when people are gathered.  The theme of next Tuesday's seminar will be: SETTING UP FOR A GOOD START.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice