APRIL 25, 2023 PARTY ON THE BAY

 

APRIL 25, 2023

PARTY ON THE BAY

Prediction for the evening was for a light, 10 knot breeze from the northwest.  As the afternoon continued, the Easterly seemed to be filling in.  As we left the harbor and approached the start area, we found the wind was steadily coming from 100 degrees and set a line square to that direction.  The eminent question was: will the wind die or keep blowing?  I am told that when the wind comes from the East and is a chilly wind,  chances are better that it will continue.  We optimistically called for a rather long course: Echo 1: SC3, Blacks and finish at the finish mark.  We blew the horn at 5:50 for the fleets to start in sequence with Fleet A at 5:55 and Fleet B at 6pm.

It was beautiful to see so many boats out on the water as the fleets each started and made their way to SC3.  The first of A fleet to round SC3 was Animal, followed by Aboriginal, Sweetheart, New Wave, Sagittarius, Watts Moore, Aquavit, Yellow Belly, Tusitala, Muffin, Good Timin’ and Avatar.  The first of B Fleet to round SC3 was Zoop followed by Perfect 36, Big Mac, Nidaros, Pacific Spirit, Olive Oil, Makani and Pair a Dice. 

The brisk wind continued as all boats rounded Blacks and made their way to the finish line.  The first of A fleet to finish was Animal 31:42 followed by Aboriginal 33:52, Sweetheart 35:58, New Wave 39:26, Yellow Belly 39:35, Sagittarius 40:16, Watts Moore 40:19, Tusitala 40:32, Perigon 41:06 Good Timin’ 41:36, Aquavit 42:04, Muffin 42:37 and Avatar 43:54. 

Fleet B followed with Zoop in the lead 38:09, Nidaros 40:50, Perfect 36 40:52, Big Mac 41:26, Makani 43:13, Pacific Spirit 43:21, Pair A Dice 43:36 and Olive Oil 43:38.  All times are elapsed, and the course distance was 3.55 NM.

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

FLEET A:                                                                                                                                              

PLACE    BOAT                    ADJUSTED TIME                              

1             ANIMAL                               29:44                                                                                                                                  

        2              YELLOW BELLY               31:14                                                   

                          3             WATTS MOORE                 31:26                                                                       4             ABORIGINAL           31:54                                   

        5             SAGITTARIUS                     33:10                                                   

      6             GOOD TIMIN’                    33:15                                                   

7             NEW WAVE                         33:34

8             MUFFIN                               34:16

9             TUSITALA                             35:12

10           AVATAR                                36:05

11           PERIGON                             36:18

12           SWEETHEART                     36:19                                   

13           AQUAVIT                             37:48                                   

FLEET B:                                                                              

PLACE   BOAT                     ADJUSTED TIME

1             BIG MAC                              28:17

2             ZOOP                                    29:37

3             PERFECT 36                        32:20

4             PAIR A DICE                         32:34

5             PACIFIC SPIRIT                   33:35

6             NIDAROS                             34:26

7             MAKANI                              34:31

8             OLIVE OIL                             35:52

It was an awesome evening of sailing with close to 30 boats out on the water and a steady breeze. To top it off, we had a barbecue social event at the club. The whole evening felt like a party on the bay!

Please contact me if you lost an Opinel knife at the BBQ.

WHAT FINISH LINE?

I was frustrated with Race QS while accumulating data to score this race.  It appeared that several boats did not finish appropriately rounding S/F to port and crossing the finish line.  The communication after I posted the blog this morning indicated to me that all boats finished appropriately, and the S/F mark was out of place in Race QS.  I corrected the placement of S/F and corrected the scoring for all boats

Another great suggestion was offered that the finish line should be a stationary mark closer than the lighthouse, so I changed the stationary landmark to be Blacks point on shore.  Coincidentally this line was right in line with our start mark for this evening.  For the future, when finishing at S/F, take the mark to port within 200 feet of S/F. The other end of the line will be Blacks point on land.

We all have boats in the group that we compete with.  On this evening, our only other Catalina 30 (Kicks) crossed the finish line just ahead of us.I was very disappointed to see that they forgot to run Race QS   :{(

Race QS:

The track for this evening can be seen at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&updatedAt=2023-04-26T02:18:19Z&divisionId=88975&dt=2023-04-25T17:45:07-07:00..2023-04-25T19:06:32-07:00&model=&iframe=true&time=1682473418104&focus=Perigon&rival=Sagittarius&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.961117&lon=-121.998944&tilt=5&range=1464&heading=79

I am looking forward to another awesome Tuesday night sail next week.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

APRIL 18, 2023 UNEXPECTED WIND

 

APRIL 18, 2023

UNEXPECTED WIND

As I was working on my boat during the day I monitored the wind on the flags.  The flags did not show excessive wind and even went limp for about 15minutes just before 5pm.  Predictions were for the wind to die as the evening progressed.  I even surveyed the sea-state from the beach which did not show much more than 15-17 knots.  As we were leaving the harbor around 5:15, it was apparent we needed to reef the main as  the wind seemed to be increasing.

As we approached the start area, we determined the wind was coming from 280 degrees.  We set the start line at about 5:30, but discovered that as the wind increased, the direction changed also.  This resulted in the line not being square to the wind for the start.  We called for an “inside course” November 2, blew a horn at 5:50 as a five minute horn for A fleet and a 10 minute horn for B fleet.

Fleet A blasted off the line tacking toward the first mark, GOV.  Fleet B followed 5 minutes later as the wind was staying consistent with steady a 20 knot breeze.

There was a lot of confusion regarding the finish line, with about half of the boats using the start line as the finish line and the other half finishing by rounding S/F (taking it to port).  Fleet A that finished with S/F to port were Aboriginal 28:20 followed by Sweet Heart 38:35 and Tusitala 35:28.  Fleet A that used the start line as a finish line were Sagittarius 31:33, Coyote 33:01, Yellow Belly 33:40, Watts Moore 35:28 and  Aquavit 39:03.

Confusion continued in Fleet B with the following boats using the start line as the finish line: Zoop  32:02 followed by Big Mac 3:39  and Sweet Pea 45:27.  Boats finishing with S/F to port: Gold Rush 35:01, Pacific Spirit 36:36, Makani 37:01, Pair A Dice  41:44 and Kicks 49:09.  All times are elapsed, and the length of the course was 3.35NM.

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

FLEET A:

FINISHING AT S/F:                                                                           Start line = Finish  line:

PLACE   BOAT                                 ADJ. TIME         PLACE         BOAT                      ADJ. TIME       

1             ABORIGINAL                      26:29                    1             SAGITTARIUS                     24:51

2             SWEETHEART                     28:55                   2             YELLOW BELLY                 25:47

3             TUSITALA                             30:26                  3             WATTS MOORE                   27:05

                                                                                          4             COYOTE                                28:12

                                                                                          5             AQUAVIT                             35:07

FLEET B:

1             PACIFIC SPIRIT                   27:23                    1             ZOOP                                    23:59

2             GOLD RUSH                        27:59                    2             BIG MAC                              27:15

3             MAKANI                              28:48                    3             SWEET PEA                         36:14

4             PAIR A DICE                         31:41                   

5             KICKS                                    39:06

RACE QS:

Race QS is not completely functional yet, but is good enough to show the boats and get finish times.

The track for this evening can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&updatedAt=2023-04-19T02:25:59Z&divisionId=88805&dt=2023-04-18T17:45:01-07:00..2023-04-18T19:26:01-07:00&model=&iframe=true&time=1681866093240&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Makani&tab=setup&view=follow&lat=36.951194&lon=-121.994793&tilt=7&range=403&heading=347

 

 

CLEARING THE CLOUD OF CONFUSION:

The sailing instructions for this series is listed on the back of each course card and I take responsibility for the confusion regarding the finishes.  The SIs have the following statement about the finish:

“The Finish:The finish line will be listed on course card. It may be an extension of a line, so round finish mark as indicated (Pt/Stb). If finish line is an extension, finish mark should be rounded within 200 feet”.

 I completely understand how this could have been written better.  I am constantly trying to improve Tuesday Night Sailing and over the years, have implemented many changes.  Last year we divided the group into two fleets, which was well overdue.  Making this change created a hazardous situation with some boats rounding with S/F to port while other boats were finishing with S/F to SB.  Until this year, the finish line at S/F was an extension of the line from the jetty lighthouse through the S/F.  For safety, this year I changed the line from being an extension to being a line from the lighthouse to S/F.  All finishing marks should be rounded on the designated side within 200 feet.  I hope this clarifies what constitutes the finish line.

 It is traditional in sailboat races to use the start line as the finish line, so the concept of using different lines to start and to finish is not customary.   I have always tried to keep TNS simple and inexpensive.  It is traditional in racing to have committee boats, mark set boats and a regatta committee to record times and observe starts for OCS boats.  We use Race QS as our regatta committee and set one start line mark to attempt to set a line square to the wind.  This mark must be retrieved each evening.  I try to use a finish line established by permanent structures (lighthouse and S/F mark) rather than waiting around for everyone to finish before retrieving the (temporary) start line mark.  To clarify the the SI’s statement, the finish line will always use stationary permanent fixtures to establish either the line or the extension of the line.  You only need to round the finish mark on the appropriate side as indicated on the course card.

I apologize for this confusion and hope that this clarifies the situation.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

APRIL 11, 2023 CONFUSED, WINDY EVENING

 

APRIL 11, 2023

CONFUSED, WINDY EVENING

Once again the predictions for the evening were for winds in excess of 20 knots, but when I got to the harbor around 3 o’clock, there was a light Easterly apparent on the flags.  Looking at the weather map, the stronger winds that were predicted were further out in  the bay.  Predictions for closer to land were for a lighter breeze.  When we left the harbor shortly after 5, we noticed a healthy Northerly breeze near the harbor entrance but as we approached the start area, there was a healthy breeze from 265.  We set a line roughly square to the outside breeze, called for course Whiskey 2 and blew a horn at 5:50 for a 2 fleet start.

Both fleets got off to a clean start, charging into the unusually squirrelly conditions. Winds were constantly changing direction with headers and lifts rapidly exerting a quagmire of conditions.  This made it very difficult to steer and just to make it more challenging, there were “transition zones” where the wind was nearly nonexistent. Some boats sailed straight outside for the stronger, more predictable wind and though they sailed further, this tactic worked well. We finally rounded Schuyler and started our reach to Mile buoy then off toward Blacks.

While sailing toward Mile, we were taking waves on our starboard rear quarter which was a difficult angle to catch waves.  From Mile to Blacks, the angle was much better and we gathered our crew on the bow to enhance our wave-catching experience.  We still had to deal with the transition zones with little wind.   Distances between boats were constantly changing as boats would enter and exit these transitional dead zones.  As we approached Blacks, we could see the Northerly wind blowing off the beach and set up to use this northerly for a proper rounding of Blacks, which was interesting as gusts would cause the boat to head up making it difficult to not paste the mark.   This is where the main-sheet trimmer comes into play.

It was great to be sailing in some healthy wind and clear skies even though it was a CONFUSED WINDY EVENING.

THANKS TO HOLLY HARRISON FOR THIS PHOTO TAKEN ON ZOOP

WHAT! NO RACE QS?

I was surprised this morning when  I got on Race QS and saw that I could not pull up the track from last night.  It’s like our race committee unknowingly went on strike, so there is no way for me to count the results from last night.  I am in communication with Race QS trying to find out what happened.  I am hopeful that we can resolve this issue. If that track is available later, I will post results.

In anticipation of Race QS “sailing over the horizon”, I am exploring other apps to take it’s  place.  I have looked at Proregatta (too expensive), Kwindoo (can  only be used on apple phone and requires “sponsors” to pay for it).  TracTrac (does not use phone apps and must purchase their equipment), Tacktracker (only uses I-phones).  I was encouraged with I-Sail which said they use I phone and Android phones but when I tried to load it on  my Android phone,  it said it was designed for an older version of Android.   I am still looking, but if anyone has any suggestions, please send them my way.

THE SANTA CRUZ EDDY:

So what causes the unusual wind that we had on this evening?  It is because of our bay, its relationship to the strong outside wind and the topography of our coastline.  My understanding is that the Santa Cruz Eddy, in its milder form, causes our Easterly breezes we enjoy through the summer.  When the wind gets much stronger outside the bay, it forces  wind up over the mountains north of the bay and when this wind flows down the San Lorenzo river, it causes our Northerly blowing off the beach.

DEALING WITH SQUIRRELLY CONDITIONS:

Heavy gusts in constantly changing direction!  What could go wrong?  These are challenging conditions that require constant attention from both the helmsperson and the crew.  You always want to keep the boat as flat as possible or at least the same angle of heel in order to maximize the effect of the foils that drive the boat forward.  This requires an active mainsheet trimmer travelling down on the heavy gusts and the helmsperson using the telltales to take advantage of lifts and keep the boat moving with the headers.

We will see you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

RESULTS:            

The first of fleet A to finish was Aboriginal 24:34, followed by Sagittarius 41:53,  Aquavit 42:30, Perigon 42:43,  Avatar 46:50, Good Timin’ 47:39, Perfect 36 48:22 and Rosie 58:11.  Fleet B had Gold Rush first over at 43:05, followed by Zoop 43:22, Nidaros 46:17, Pacific Spirit 47:06, Makani 48:12, Pair A Dice 51:01 and Big Mac 51:55.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 4.35 NM.

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

FLEET A

PLACE                   BOAT                     ADJUSTED TIME

1              ABORIGINAL                      32:10

2              SAGITTARIUS                     33:11

3              PERIGON                             36:50

4              AVATAR                               37:15

5              AQUAVIT                             37:16

6              GOOD TIMIN’                    37:25

7              PERFECT 36                         37:55

8              ROSIE                                    46:28

FLEET B:

1              ZOOP                                    32:55

2              GOLD RUSH                        33:57

3              PACIFIC SPIRIT                   35:08

4              BIG MAC                              35:49

5              MAKANI                              37:32

6              SAILING PAIR A DICE       37:58

7              NIDAROS                             38:27

To see the Race QS track,  click on this link:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&updatedAt=2023-04-15T21:47:15Z&divisionId=88704&dt=2023-04-11T17:31:01-07:00..2023-04-11T19:19:17-07:00&model=&iframe=true&time=1681263463030&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=P36%20(alt)&tab=fleet&view=follow&lat=36.951258&lon=-121.992449&tilt=10&range=521&heading=356

To open the track, you may need to open the menu by clicking on the wheel  in upper right corner and selecting “play”.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing  Pair A Dice

APRIL 4, 2023 THE STORM THAT DIDN'T COME

 

APRIL 4, 2023

THE STORM THAT DIDN’T COME

With predictions of strong wind and gusts of 25knots, I was apprehensive about this night’s sail.  I got to the boat early and the wind on the bay was definitely brisk through the afternoon. I was a little disappointed as we left the harbor around 5:15 to see very little wind from the northwest.  We determined the wind was coming from 200 degrees and set a line square to this.  As  we sailed around, boats started coming out and we noticed some texture on the water close to the beach.  With the boats sailing downwind,  it was obvious the new wind was coming from the North.  We  decided to use the line as it was set and called for a North wind course: November 2.  We blew the 5:50 horn and A fleet started at 5:55 followed by B fleet starting at 6:00 in the 15 to 17 North wind.   After all of these months of inclement weather and shoaled harbor, it was a beautiful night to be on the water.

As the wind clocked to about 300 degrees, we all beat our way to the first mark, GOV. Aboriginal led the A fleet around GOV followed by Aquavit, Sanctuaire, Perigon, Watts Moore and Sagittarius.  Though we had about 15 boats out for the fun, many of the B fleet had problems with Race QS and only 3 of the B fleet showed tracks. Fortunately, the wind stayed around long enough for all boats to finish.

 At the finish, Aboriginal was first In A fleet 23:23, followed by Aquavit 27:59, Sanctuaire 28:56, Perigon 29:22, Sagittarius 30:32 and Watts Moore 30:42.  With only 3 boats in B fleet using Race QS, Pair A Dice was first (recorded) in B fleet 32:58, followed by Pacific Spirit 33:11 and Big Mac 34:00.  All times are elapsed and the course length was 2.8NM.

With the strongest gust recorded at 20 knots and a beautiful night on the water, we were counting our blessing about THE STORM THAT DIDN’T COME.

PHRF CORRECTED RESULTS:

FLEET A:                                                                                              FLEET B

               BOAT                     CORRECTED TIME                      BOAT            CORRECTED TIME

1      ABORIGINAL                             21:50                     1   BIG MAC             23:38

2      SANCTUAIRE                            23:36                     2  PAIR A DICE          24:34

3      WATTS MOORE                         23:42                      3 PACIFIC SPIRIT     25:29     

4       AQUAVIT                                  24:37

5       SAGITTARIUS                          24:56

6       PERIGON                                   25:35                                       

 

RACE QS:

I understand  that we have not been sailing, but it is important: to be counted you must run and upload a Race QS track for your boat.  I suggest presetting the start for 5:45 and mount the phone  face up with the top of the phone pointed toward the bow.  I usually wait until I get back to the slip to stop and upload the track. I am discouraged to see boats do very well in a race and not get counted.

The track for this evening can be reviewed at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=88556&updatedAt=2023-04-05T02:10:18Z&dt=2023-04-04T17:30:12-07:00..2023-04-04T19:01:34-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1680655878816&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Sanctuaire&tab=fleet&view=follow&lat=36.957600&lon=-121.993768&tilt=1&range=1381&heading=0

COMMODORES REGATTA:

This Saturday, April 8, the club is putting on the Commodores regatta.   Your boat must have a valid PHRF certificate for the year and you can register on the club website (SCYC.org) under regattas.  This should be a very fun event with a Jib and Main division which fits our Tuesday Night Sailors type of sailing.

Our Commodore this year is Homer Lighthall and he knows how to throw a party! After the race there will be light snacks at the club and a band will be playing.   It will be fun.

 

Barry Keeler

SAILING  PAIR A DICE