SEPTEMBER 9, 2025
AWESOME WIND
Prospects for good wind were not looking good. The flags were showing winds coming from the
West, then switching for a while to Easterly.
I got reports from sailors that there was a steady 8 knot breeze on the
bay which is enough to have a race. As
we left the harbor just after 5 o’clock there was a good 15-19 knot
breeze. Since we can use Regatta Hero to
shorten course if needed, we can call for longer courses. We announced an
ambitious course: W1.
Both fleets got off to a clean start as both fleets tacked their way
toward the windward mark. The conditions
stayed the same throughout the evening.
It was great to be sailing in some awesome wind.
The track for Fleet A can be reviewed at:
Fleet B track at:
PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:
PLACE BOAT PHRF ET CORRECTED
FLEET A: COURSE W1
DISTANCE 3.873NM
1 TRUE LOVE 72 41:13 36:34
2 ABORIGINAL 33 38:55 36:47
3 INTERLUDE 141 48:35 39:28
4 AQUAVIT 72 48:31 43:52
5 ABSOLUTE
25 48 47:53 44:47
FLEET B: COURSE
W1 DISTANCE 3.873NM
1 ZOOP 144 45:48 36:30
2 PERFECT
36 144 47:36 38:18
3 BIG MAC 222 53:31 39:11
4 MAKANI 147 49:48 40:18
5 SAILING
PAIR A DICE 180 52:09 40:31
6 TARA 243 56:41 40:59
7 GOLD RUSH 126 50:05 41:56
8 WIND
GODDESS 165 54:40 44:00
9 SIMPATICO 165 55:02 44:22
10 PACIFIC
SPIRIT 165 55:12 44:32
11 ABSOLUTE 05 117 52:32 44:58
12 TOAD 150 58:02 48:21
13 NIDAROS 144 59:17 49:59
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Don’t forget, the Jack and Jill regatta is coming up on
Saturday September 27.
ZOOP
SCOOP by Paul Tara
The BIG Shift
On Tuesday, with the autumnal equinox just around
the corner, a sea buoy off San Francisco recorded a surface temp of 65° F .
Surface evaporation and an upper level low combined to produce a muggy, almost
tropical day with a few light showers. By noon, most of the overcast had
started to clear and a moderate westerly was stirring, but without much
enthusiasm. It even that showed signs of dissipating around 1500.
Aboard Zoop, on D dock, I thought, “Wow. Another
Fancy Dancer. Wonder what she’s got in store.” Because, if you’ll recall,
Fancy Dancer’s don’t follow the usual pattern (fog offshore, strong cold
westerly with transition to easterly inshore). We had no fog, and we had no
strong cold westerly. But windexes in the Harbor were showing no hint of
a backing southerly shift indicating an easterly transition either. Then,
right around 1600, as Pair-A-Dice left the dock, the westerly began to increase.
The standard westerly in Santa Cruz is 240°.
When we arrived at the starting area, about 1710, it was at 242° with no
visible increase outside. A long line was set, with the port (offshore) end
favored. Another wind-check at 1740 showed 252°, with the westerly having
increased slightly. That 10° veer, made the port end less attractive, but
not enough to discourage Aboriginal, in A Fleet, from making a perfect port
tack start. (We could hear the gnashing of teeth aboard True Love and Sagittarius
clear at the other end of the line.) The important thing to note is that,
even though Aboriginal started at the port end, she was headed right. By
the time the lead B Fleet boats finished, the wind was at 262° and shortly
thereafter, as we approached the Harbor, it was at 272°, due west. 242°
to 270°, 30° in 40 minutes; that’s a BIG shift. Not a good night to bet left.
Speaking of port tack starts, ever wonder why
starboard tack has the right-of-way? It’s because most of us are
right-handed. Early sailing vessels evolved from canoes and were
double-enders that were steered with paddles or, eventually, steering oars.
These were almost always on the right side where they were easier for the
majority to control (the right hand functions as the lower gudgeon, where most
of the force is concentrated). The Norse developed these ‘steer boards’ to a
high degree, they were always shipped over the right side, hence it became
known as the ‘steerboard’ side.
But, in spite of being quite sophisticated, the
steering oar had two drawbacks. First, a vessel on starboard tack, heeling to
port, tended to lift its oar out of the water, reducing control. Second,
the helmsman, who had to remain on the starboard side near the oar, often had
his view ahead and to leeward blocked by the sail (sound familiar?). Whereas,
on port tack, the opposite was true; good visibility and control. Hence
starboard tack earned the right-of-way, “Olaf! Those guys can’t stnd don’t see
us. Let’s duck!”
Thank you Paul.
I hope to see
you sailing next Tuesday!
Barry Keeler
Sailing Pair A
Dice
Thanks Barry for adding Paul’s comment. Very Educational! Love it! Gunter
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