OCTOBER 24, 2023 THE VAGARIES OF SAILING IN FOG

 

OCTOBER 24, 2023

THE VAGARIES OF SAILING IN FOG

 Conditions always seem to be changing for our Tuesday sails.  The wind was light in the harbor as the afternoon progressed.  As we left the harbor just after 4, it was encouraging to see a good Easterly developing.  As we observed the fog in Aptos (usually a precursor for a good Easterly) we got a little ambitious in selecting a course. To  complicate things there was also a fog bank directly South of us.  We decided on an impromptu course of Start>Blacks>Gov and finish with S/F to port.  I figured if the wind started to diminish, we could shorten course to finish at Gov.  I hate to see boats in a bob-fest with boats retiring.

We blew the “10 minute horn” a minute late at 4:51 and observed as Fleet A got off to a clean start as Fleet B did 5 minutes later. As we all rounded Blacks and headed toward Gov, almost all boats took the inside course closer to the beach following the traditional thought that Easterly breezes develop first closer to shore.  We noticed the southerly fog bank was approaching and sailed out for the “fog line wind”.  As we were all inching very slowly toward GOV, it seemed prudent to shorten course, so I called to shorten the race to finish at Gov.

Just as we approached GOV, the wind increased and almost all boats sailed back to finish the original longer course.  This beat back to S/F was the best sailing of the evening. This building fog line wind created an unusual two races in one with a finish at GOV and another finish at S/F.  Such are the vagaries of sailing in waves of fog. 

THE GOV FINISH: COURSE DISTANCE 1.5NM

FLEET A

PLACE   BOAT                                     PHRF                     ELAPSED TIME      CORRECTED TIME

1             WIND II                                213                        35:49                                    30:29

2             GOOD TIMIN’                     141                        37:24                                    33:52

3             JERSEY GIRL                      141                        38:25                                    34:53

4             INTERLUDE                        141                        38:26                                    34:54

5             ROSIE                                   162                        39:01                                    34:58

6             TUSITALA                            90                           37:25                                    35:10

7             PERIGON                              81                           38:41                                    36:39

8             SWEETHEART                     -6                            36:55                                    37:04

FLEET B

1             AVATAR                                132                        32:04                                    28:46

2             ZOOP                                    144                        32:36                                    29:00

3             BIG MAC                              222                        35:29                                    29:56

4             PAIR A DICE                        180                        34:53                                    30:23

5             PERFECT 36                        144                        35:18                                    31:42

6             GOLD RUSH                       126                        35:52                                    32:43

7             SIMPATICO                         165                        37:12                                    33:04

8             NIDAROS                            108                        36:04                                    33:22

9             KICKS                                  180                        38:44                                    34:14

10           TOAD                                   150                        38:51                                    35:06

11           MAKANI                              147                        38:58                                    35:17

12           WIND GODDESS                168                        40:50                                    36:38

 

FOR THOSE THAT WENT THE EXTRA MILE (FINISHED AT S/F): COURSE DISTANCE 2.46NM

FLEET A:

PLACE   BOAT                                     PHRF                     ELAPSED TIME     CORRECTED TIME

1             GOOD TIMIN’                    141                        48:59                                    43:12

2             INTERLUDE                       141                        49:10                                    43:23

3             JERSEY GIRL                     141                        49:44                                    44:10 (TIE)

3             ROSIE                                  162                        50:49                                    44:10 (TIE)

5             PERIGON                             81                           50:21                                    47:01

6             SWEETHEART                    -6                            47:43                                    47:57

FLEET B:

1             AVATAR                                132                        43:21                                    38:16

2             BIG MAC                              222                        48:20                                    39:13

3             PAIR A DICE                        180                        46:41                                    39:18

4             PERFECT 36                        144                        45:55                                    40:00

5             GOLD RUSH                       126                        46:33                                    41:23

6             SIMPATICO                         165                        49:41                                    42:55

7             NIDAROS                            108                        47:44                                    43:18

8             (and) KICKS                        180                        51:00                                    43:37

9             MAKANI                             147                        49:08                                    43:46

10           TOAD                                   150                        52:24                                    45:15

11           WIND GODDESS                168                        53:41                                    46:47

 

RACE QS:

Race QS seems to be working for most boats.  The track for this evening can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=95343&updatedAt=2023-10-25T01:15:21Z&dt=2023-10-24T16:45:34-07:00..2023-10-24T18:08:48-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1698195145311&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Perf36&tab=setup&view=manual&lat=36.954369&lon=-121.998716&tilt=1&range=2102&heading=322

 

THE SEASON FINALE:

Next Tuesday will be our last “Tuesday Night sail” of the season starting at 5pm.  It will be Halloween night and, since it is the last Tuesday of the month it will be barbecue night at the club  after  the race.   These barbecues are always fun events and the last Tuesday night sail celebration is also very special.  BE SURE TO BRING YOUR BEST GRILLING FOOD FOR THE BARBECUE.

THE FUN CONTINUES:

After next Tuesday’s sail, we will start Tuesday afternoon sailing through the winter.  Winter sailing will start at 3 in the afternoon (10 minute horn at 2:50).  Winter sailing is different from summer sailing with rain, harbor shoaling and storms preventing sailing on certain days.  If sailing is cancelled for any reason, expect an e-mail notice by noon of the day of cancellation.

Another very fun series is the Midwinters series of races offered by the yacht club.  We have all improved our sailing by participating in our Tuesday sails.   Why not apply what you have learned by entering and sailing in these races. There is a jib and main division!  The Midwinter series are held on the third Saturday of each month from November through March.

I hope to see you next Tuesday for the season finale!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

OCTOBER 17, 2023 PATIENCE IS REWARDED

 

OCTOBER 17, 2023

PATIENCE IS REWARDED

The wind was already getting light early in the afternoon as I arrived at the harbor.  This was the first Tuesday of an earlier start (5pm) because of shorter days.  As we left the harbor at about 4:15, we were surprised to see the bay with a steady 8-9 knot Northwesterly breeze.   Would the Easterly fill in? There was no fog in Aptos, which encouraged us to count on the Northwest wind to continue.  We still thought that the Easterly would fill in later and called for Whiskey 4: Start, Schuyler, Gov and finish.   We were late in blowing the “10 minute horn” and blew it 3 minutes late which had A Fleet starting  at 4:53 and B Fleet starting at 5:03.  As it turned out, the wind on the start line absolutely died creating a bob-fest as both Fleet A and Fleet B bobbed around the start line unable to sail or start their race.  As the Easterly started to fill in, it was apparent that Whiskey 4 was too ambitious and I called for a shorter course: round Gov and finish with the start mark to port.  As the wind filled in, boats were able to sail and complete the shorter course.

It was difficult to separate the fleets because Fleet A and Fleet B boats rounded GOV together.   At the finish, Watts Moore was the first Fleet A  boat  58:25 followed by, Zoop  (the only boat to sail the whole Whiskey 4 course) and still finished near the top 1:15:06, then WIND II 1:06:12, Avatar 1:18:06, Coyote  1:20:09 and Rosie 1:28:40.  B Fleet had Perfect 36 first 1:00:44 then Nidaros  1:06:00 then Pair a Dice 1:06:39, Makani 1:16:39, Blond Ambition 1:17:03, TOAD 1:22:36 and Kicks 1:25:24. Times are elapsed and the course distance for the shorter course was 1.92NM.

While it was a very frustrating start with the wind dying, it turned into a glorious warm sunny afternoon for a sail in the Easterly wind that finally filled in. If you don’t like the conditions for sailing in Santa Cruz, just wait 15 minutes or half an hour! With the wind being  dead for so long, I could envision boats retiring,  but most boats stayed out and were rewarded with a great sail.  Sometimes patience is rewarded.

PHRF ADJUSTED  RESULTS:

PLACE                   BOAT                                     PHRF                     ADJUSTED TIME

FLEET A:

1                             ZOOP*                                  144                                        *

2                             WATTS MOORE                 150                        53:37

3                             WIND II                                213                        59:23

4                             AVATAR                                132                        1:13:52

5                             COYOTE                                86                           1:17:23

6                             ROSIE                                    162                        1:23:28

FLEET B:

1                             PERFECT 36                        144                            56:07

2                             PAIR A DICE                         180                        1:00:44

3                             NIDAROS                             108                        1:02:32

4                             BLOND AMBITION           165                        1:11:46

5                             MAKANI                              147                        1:11:56

6                             TOAD                                    150                        1:17:58

7                             (and) KICKS                         180                        1:19:38

*Zoop was the only boat that sailed the original course called for the evening which was 3.1 NM. Still he finished ahead of most of the boats that sailed the shorter course.

RACE QS:

The track for this evening can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&updatedAt=2023-10-18T01:47:26Z&dt=2023-10-17T16:45:25-07:00..2023-10-17T18:34:30-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1697592213463&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Makani&tab=setup&view=manual&lat=36.960878&lon=-122.005916&tilt=2&range=2543&heading=325

DEALING WITH POOR CONDITIONS:

When I called for the Whiskey 4 course I envisioned everyone sailing the course like Zoop did, but conditions deteriorated very quickly in the final minutes of the countdown leaving many boats bobbing in no wind.  As usual, the adage of “SAIL TO THE NEW WIND” comes into play.  Zoop was smart enough to start earlier in Fleet A and caught that last of the Northwesterly and had a great sail outside.  The rest of us bobbing on the inside needed to sail to the new wind which was an Easterly which was building inside toward the beach. Boats that took this inside course, like Perfect 36, continued to increase their lead over boats that tried to sail directly to GOV.

For the next two weeks we will start the races at 5pm like we did for this night.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 10, 2023 SURPRISE WIND

 

OCTOBER 10, 2023

SURPISE WIND

Predict wind was calling for light wind through the evening with gusts up to 19 knots.  As I observed the flags through the afternoon, it seemed the wind was decreasing a little as the afternoon progressed.  We decided to stay with the 155 jib in anticipation of light wind.  As we left the harbor just after five o’clock we observed that the predictions were not accurate once again with steady 18 knot winds and frequent gusts over 20 knots. 

Last week, most boats finished the race in the dark and I thought it would be better to have a short course where boats could finish in daylight.  I decided to start the race from Gov, round Schuyler and finish at Gov.  I announced this course over the radio multiple times: Start>Schuyler (to port)  and finish at Gov (to port).  The finish line was the extension of the line from Wharf  through Gov  We determined the wind was coming from 245 and and set a line that was between square to the wind and square to the mark.  This resulted in the Gov end of the line being favored and many boats crowded at that end for both Fleet A and B.

Both fleets tacked  their way to Schuyler and the first A Fleet   to round was Aquavit followed by Watts Moore, Jersey Girl,  Yellow Belly,  Rosie and Interlude.  Zoop led B Fleet at Schuyler followed by Perfect 36,  Pair A Dice, Makani, Simpatico,  Pacific Spirit,  TOAD and Nidaros.

At the finish, the first A Fleet boat was Watts Moore 17:39 then Yellow Belly 18:12, Jersey Girl 18:16, Interlude 18:23  and  Rosie  18:45.  B Fleet was led by Zoop 17:17 followed by Perfect 36 17:57, Sailing Pair A Dice 19:12, Makani 19:17, Simpatico 20:34, Pacific Spirit 20:39, Toad 22:00 and Nidaros 22:27. All times are elapsed and the course distance was 1.45 NM.

With the predictions for light winds and the dynamic cloud formations flowing through the bay we were served a surprise wind. It was a short race but every boat finished in the daylight.

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                   BOAT                                     PHRF                     ADJUSTED TIME

FLEET A:

1                             WATTS MOORE                 150                        14:01

2                             YELLOW BELLY               141                        14:47

3                             ROSIE                                 162                        14:50

4                             JERSEY GIRL                    141                        14:51

5                             INTERLUDE                      141                        14:58

FLEET B:

1                             ZOOP                                    144                        13:48

2                             PERFECT 36                        144                        14:28

3                             SAILING PAIR A DICE       180                        14:51

4                             MAKANI                              147                        15:43

5                             SIMPATICO                          165                        16:34

6                             PACIFIC SPIRIT                   165                        16:39

7                             TOAD                                    150                         18:22   

8                             NIDAROS                             108                        19:50

 

RACE QS:

Race QS is functioning again and this evenings track can be viewed at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=94997&updatedAt=2023-10-11T01:50:03Z&dt=2023-10-10T17:45:17-07:00..2023-10-10T18:41:27-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1696986273600&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Makani&tab=fleet&view=match

END OF SEASON AND EARLIER STARTS:

Daylight Savings time ends on November 6 which means our last Tuesday Night sail will occur on October 31 which is Halloween AND the last Tuesday of the month (barbecue night at the club).  This is a frustrating time of year as the days get shorter, limiting the daylight hours for our sails.  It is hard to justify getting everyone together to prep the boats for a 15 minute race. On the other hand, we have people that cannot start earlier because of work obligations.  We have three more Tuesdays before daylight saving time changes.  We will start races at 5pm to allow more sailing time. The “ten minute horn” will be blown at 4:50 for A fleet to start at 4:55 and B fleet at 5:00.

After time changes,  we will continue to sail Tuesday afternoons through the winter with races starting at 3pm.  If you have never participated in Tuesday Afternoon racing and want to be included in the communication for Tuesday Afternoons send me an email to let me know.  Keep in mind that winter Tuesdays can have conditions that may not allow racing.  Shoaling of the harbor and stormy or rainy conditions will cancel some Tuesday Sails.  I will let the group know via e-mail  by noon on Tuesday or earlier if races are cancelled for any Tuesday during the winter.

It has been an awesome year of sailing for our group.  I thank each of you for your enthusiasm, participation, and Corinthian spirit.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 3, 2023 A NIGHT TO RETIRE

 

OCTOBER 3, 2023

A NIGHT TO RETIRE

I was involved in a boat delivery up the coast so was not able to sail in the race on this evening, but returned in time to witness the activity from the beach.  It was a beautiful, light wind evening with over 20 boats out.  The wind direction was from 240 degrees but was changing direction as time progressed.  The 10 minute horn was blown and a course was called: Start line> Mile> finish at S/F (to port).

For the Fleet A start, there were “Close Quarters” in slow motion as the wind was very light. B Fleet had a clean start with no issue.  As boats rounded mile, about half of the boats got frustrated with the light wind and retired heading for the harbor (and the bar!)  Despite the frustration the first A Fleet boat to round Mile was Aboriginal followed by New Wave, Watts Moore, Yellow Belly, Perigon and Aquavit.  B Fleet rounded with Zoop in front, followed by Pair A Dice, Makani and Kicks.

At the finish A Fleet was led by Aboriginal 38:49 followed by Watts Moore 43:00, New Wave 43:28, Yellow Belly 43:52, Perigon 46:52 and Aquavit 1:01:03.  B Fleet was led by Zoop 54:30 followed by Makani 1:08:05, Pair A Dice 1:08:49 and Kicks 1:13:12.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 2.11NM.

For the boats that continued to sail there was a delightful Easterly wind that finally developed for the end of the race.  With the frustrating decrease in wind, it was understandable that more than half of the boats retired. It turned into a night to retire.

THE VIEW FROM THE BEACH    

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                   BOAT                                     PHRF                     ADJUSTED TIME

A FLEET:

1                             ABORIGINAL                    33                           37:39

2                             WATTS MOORE                 150                        37:43

3                             YELLOW BELLY               141                        38:54

4                             NEW WAVE                         99                           39:59

5                             PERIGON                             81                           44:01

6                             AQUAVIT                             72                           58:31

B FLEET

1                             ZOOP                                    144                        49:26

2                             PAIR A DICE                        180                        62:29

3                             MAKANI                              147                        62:54

4                             KICKS                                   180                        66:52

RACE QS:

Race QS seems to be back on track for people that uploaded tracks.  The track for this evening can be found at:

ttps://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1200720&divisionId=94848&updatedAt=2023-10-04T05:21:31Z&dt=2023-10-03T17:30:01-07:00..2023-10-03T21:01:28-07:00&boat=Wind%20Goddess&model=Express27&time=1696385628777&focus=Yellow%20Belly&rival=Watts%20Moore…&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.954571&lon=-122.001477&tilt=7&range=3600&heading=50

LET'S FOLLOW THE RULES!

Right from the rule book:

BASIC PRINCIPLES
SPORTSMANSHIP AND THE RULES
Competitors in the sport of sailing are governed by a body of rules that they are expected to follow and enforce. A fundamental principle of sportsmanship is that when a boat breaks a rule and is not exonerated she will promptly take an appropriate penalty or action, which may be to retire.

By signing up for this series you have signed a statement that indicates that you will follow the racing rules of sailing. As this series becomes more popular, with many boats crowded together it becomes even more critical to follow the rules.  We had a few instances on this night where rules were broken. Kudos to the boats that retired after breaking a rule which is one of the options to exonerate after breaking a rule.

It is important for each of us to have a red protest flag readily available to deploy and to hail “PROTEST!”.  Again, protests in this series are a great opportunity to better learn the rules.   

OBSERVATIONS ON A DELIVERY:

The delivery was on a boat from Long  Beach to Santa Cruz.  As we were motoring along at 7 knots in an unsettled sea state, I noticed that every once in a while, we would crash off the back of a wave as the boat slammed down.  I was looking astern and most of the waves were being taken at an angle, but some waves were taken straight on.  All waves were the same in the moderate 3-5 foot range.  To stop the slamming of the boat over the top of the occasional wave, we cracked off about 5 degrees more and  slowed the boat down to 5 knots.  No more bashing over the waves.

If you have ever witnessed a phosphorescent sea at night,  you know how special the experience can be.  We were motoring along at night and I was impressed with all of the phosphorescence I was witnessing as dolphins cavorted and splashed along the starboard side of the boat.  There was no phosphorescence on the port side though there were dolphins there also. Finally, it dawned on me that the “phosphorescence” on the starboard side was simply the whitewater reflecting the (green) light from the running lights.  Red (port) running lights don’t seem to reflect the light!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice