NOVEMBER 22, 2022 "NOWINDER" SAIL

 

NOVEMBER 22, 2022

"NOWINDER" SAIL

Predictions for the afternoon were encouraging with up to 10 knot winds being predicted. When I arrived at the harbor at 1:30, I was encouraged to see the flag flying on the Crow's Nest which confirmed this prediction.  We prepped the boat and left the harbor to discover the SCYC marks had been pulled for the winter as is the usual custom.  I announced multiple times over the radio that the start would be from the Gov mark area as all boats seemed to exit the harbor and turn left rather than right to get to the start area.  The wind seemed to be strong enough to call for an ambitious course.  Since we were starting earlier (2:55), we would have time to complete the course before darkness would spoil the fun.

We determined the wind was coming from about 210 degrees and set a line square to this direction and called for a course: start, Mile to port, SC2 to port and finish at the line between Gov and the end of the wharf. We called for all boats to start at 2:55 and blew the 2:50 horn giving 5 minutes to the start.  As has turned into a normal occurrence, the wind died in the last 5 minutes before the start.  Despite this lack of wind, many boats accomplished good starts.  The boats that had good starts really achieved a good advantage as the wind outside seemed to die a little slower than the inside breeze.  The first boat around Mile was Geronimo, followed by Tusitala, Avatar, Nidaros, Rosie (Olson 25), Perfect 36, Kicks, Pair a Dice, Pacific Spirit and Big Mac.

As all boats made their way back inside, the wind was ranging from very light to nonexistent depending on where you were on the bay.  Despite this lack of speed, it was a glorious afternoon spent bobbing around on the bay. Although a few boats retired, most boats finished the course.  Geronimo was first across the finish line 57:10, followed by Tusitala 1:05:48, Avatar 1:07:20, Nidaros 1:10:12, Perfect 36 1:23:50, Rosie 1:35:07, Big Mac 1:47:59, Pair A Dice 1:48:41, Pacific Spirit 1:52:45 and Kicks 1:53:01.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 2.34 NM.

Though it was a slow race, it was still a beautiful sunset sail in very light wind.  We all learned why sailors in Santa Cruz call the month of November "Nowinder".   It certainly was a "Nowinder sail"!

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                   BOAT                                              ADJUSTED TIME

1                              GERONIMO                                        53:46

2                              TUSITALA                                           1:02:03

3                              AVATAR                                               1:02:12

4                              NIDAROS                                            1:05:37

5                              PERFECT 36                                        1:18:12

6                              ROSIE                                                   1:29:06

7                              BIG MAC                                             1:39:21

8                              SAILING PAIR A DICE                       1:41:43

9                              KICKS                                                   1:45:59

10                            PACIFIC SPIRIT                                   1:46:26 

                  CAN YOU THINK OF ANYWHERE ELSE YOU WOULD RATHER BE?

                                                    PHOTO BY SAM HARDIN

Race QS:

The track for this evening can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=86371&updatedAt=2022-11-23T01:05:57Z&dt=2022-11-22T14:52:51-08:00..2022-11-22T17:03:28-08:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1669157775862&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Nidaros%20II&tab=fleet&view=auto

THE START:

Everyone knows that the start is a critical part of racing.  A good start involves knowing time and distance.  How long will it take to sail a certain distance in a certain amount of time?  This gets difficult when the wind is quickly dying.  The better sailors know to not get far from the line before the start in varying conditions.  If you are early to the line, it is better to slow the boat a little by loosening the sheets a little rather than trying to tack around as I did on this night.   Tacking in very light wind is excruciatingly slow resulting in a very poor start.

PHYSICS OF LIGHT AIR SAILING:

Predictions for light wind encourage me to use my largest headsail: the 155. I have found that when the wind gets very light that, with the larger headsail, it is impossible to control the boat going to weather.  When this happens, I partially furl the headsail to regain control but never thought about how this works. How the sails work normally going to weather: the wind on the leeward side of the sail (having a greater distance to travel) speeds up relative to the windward wind.  The vortex created by these two winds meeting at the leech, creates the suction that pulls the boat forward.  If the speed of the boat decreases to the point that the leeward wind does not reach the leech, you get no vortex (suction) and the physics of the sail do not work. Partially furling the headsail  shortens the distance between the luff and the leech and allows this vortex to form.  Would it help to have a telltale on the leech of the jib for these situations to tell when you have furled the sail enough? This concept was explained to me by one of the better sailors at the club.  I LOVE SCYC and the opportunities to learn presented there!

We will see you next Tuesday afternoon for a 3pm start.

NEXT TUESDAY IS THE LAST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH AND THERE WILL BE A BARBECUE AT THE CLUB AFTER THE RACE  WEATHER PERMITTING. BRING YOUR BEST GRILLING FOOD!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice