APRIL 2, 2024 CHILLY BREEZE EVENING

 

APRIL 2, 2024

CHILLY BREEZE EVENING

Finally, all conditions came together so most boats could get out of the harbor.  Predictions were for 16 knot winds that were to decrease through the evening.  We left the harbor earlier than normal and saw 18-20 knot breeze coming from 235 degrees and set a line square to this direction.  We watched as boats filed out of the harbor and finally achieved 21 boats out for the fun.  With the crowd back out again, it felt like summer, despite the chilled breeze. We called for course Whiskey 3 and blew the “10 minute horn”.  Both fleets got off to a clean start and made their way toward Schuyler.  Many boats took the inside course closer to the beach while some stayed outside where there was a little more wind.

The first A Fleet boat to round Schuyler was Flexi Flyer then,  Perigon, Aquavit, Interlude, Watts Moore, Good Timin’, Odonata, Rosie and  Sophie.  B Fleet was led by Zoop then Avatar, Makani, Perfect 36,  Pacific Spirit, Pair A Dice,  Big Mac, Simpatico and Kicks. All boats sailed the dead downwind course to Blacks, taking advantage of the waves occasionally increasing boat speed. 

After rounding Blacks, all boats made their way to the finish line which was an extension of the line from Blacks point through S/F. The first of A fleet to finish was Flexi Flyer  46:08 followed by Aquavit 48:31, Interlude 48:38, Perigon 48:44, Watts Moore 50:22, Good Timin’ 52:53, Rosie 55:22, Odonata 55:42 and Sophie 58:01.  B Fleet was led by Zoop 46:51, Avatar 48:25, Perfect 36 50:53, Makani 51:08, Pacific Spirit 52:32, Pair A Dice 53:36, Big Mac 55:42, Simpatico 56:31 and  Kicks 1:05:06.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 3.23NM.

It was a beautiful evening on the water and while the sun was shining and it was warm on land, on the water it was a chilly breeze evening.

 

AFTER  A CHILLY, WET BASH TO WINDWARD, THE LONG DOWNWIND LEG TO BLACKS WAS A JUST REWARD.

 Race QS:

The track for this evening can be viewed at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=97701&updatedAt=2024-04-03T02:21:16Z&dt=2024-04-02T17:45:00-07:00..2024-04-02T19:13:31-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1712110411000&focus=Interlude&rival=PERIGON&tab=match&view=match

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   CORRECTED TIME

FLEET A:

1             FLEXI FLYER                                    96                          40:57

2             INTERLUDE                                       141                       41:02

3             WATTS MOORE                                 140                       42:17

4             ODONATA                                          243                       42:36

5             PERIGON                                          81                          44:22

6             AQUAVIT                                          72                          44:38

7             GOOD TIMIN’                                   141                       45:17

8             ROSIE                                                 162                       46:38

9             SOPHIE                                              141                       50:25

FLEET B

1             ZOOP                                                  144                       39:05

2             AVATAR                                              132                       41:18

3             PERFECT 36                                      144                       43:07

4             MAKANI                                            147                       43:13

5             PACIFIC SPIRIT                                165                       43:39

6             BIG MAC                                            222                       43:44

7             SAILING PAIR A DICE                     180                       43:54

8             SIMPATICO                                        165                       47:38

9             KICKS                                                 180                       55:24 

 

“SHOULD I GO OR SHOULD I STAY”

This song, released by the group Clash in 1982 was about a relationship, but every skipper is confronted with this dilemma when they prepare for a sail in Santa Cruz. Each skipper is responsible for making the decision to risk shoaling and other dangers before leaving the harbor. There are several things to consider.

 The harbor shoaling and position of the channel is critical to know.  The deepest part of the harbor entrance has been shifting a lot recently.  Is it deep enough for the draft of your boat in this deepest part of the entrance?

What are the tides doing?  You want a rising tide as you are leaving the harbor.  A tide that is going lower will increase the force of any waves that must be  dealt with on both leaving and entering the harbor.  I believe the “wave state” is the most critical thing to watch.  On both leaving and entering the harbor while shoaled, it is critical to avoid big waves.  Dangers consist of crashing down the back or front of a sizable wave and bouncing off the bottom.  A hard enough hit can necessitate an emergency haul out to keep your boat from sinking. Another danger is following a boat into the harbor too close.  With a narrow channel, sometimes boats need to go “single file” through the channel and if you are close behind another boat, the force of a wave can push you into the boat ahead.  When dealing with surf, it is always good to have a surfer on board to advise about waves that are approaching as you are leaving and entering the harbor.

I encourage each skipper to consider the risks before leaving the harbor.  We all want to sail but please consider the risks and feel no “pressure from the group” to join if conditions do not warrant the risk.

We are approaching the time of the year where “soon” we will not need to worry about shoaling for this sailing season.

Hopefully we can all go out next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice