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