OCTOBER 14, 2025 THE DEFINITION OF "LIGHT AND VARIABLE"

 

OCTOBER 14,2024

THE DEFINITION OF “LIGHT AND VARIABLE”

I watched through the afternoon as the flags showed a healthy Westerly breeze.  Predictions for the evening were for 9 knots decreasing to 3 knots.  As we left the harbor around 4:15, there was a good Westerly breeze with a large cloud bank overhead sprinkling us with chilly drops of encouragement.  You do have foul weather gear on board, right? 

We called for course W 5 and the wind diminished as the clock ticked down for the Fleet A start.  As we approached the B Fleet start time, the wind was quickly dropping even more.   Indeed, as we crossed the start line, something was strange with the wind.  We were in a weak Easterly breeze and we adjusted sails for the new wind.  We sailed very slowly downwind toward Schuyler.  At  one point we sat motionless with no wind at  all, then suddenly a 13 knot Westerly hit us that got us around Schuyler. 

On the sail back to Schuyler, most boats sailed the rhum line through the very weak Easterly.  Makani stayed outside in the stronger westerly breeze avoiding the very large transition zone and crossed the finish line minutes ahead of the next boat to finish. Due to a Regatta Hero glitch, Makani had no track but we all saw them finish.  Sailing through such a large transition zone was the true definition of “Light and Variable” conditions.

 

To see the Fleet  A track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=14.10.2025%2016:55:00&language=en

Fleet B can be viewed  at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=14.10.2025%2017:00:00&language=en

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET                          CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE W5 DISTANCE 2.4NM

1             SOPHIE                                              141                       48:50                  43:12

2             DOUBLE ESPRESSO                        99                          51:44                  47:46

3             ABORIGINAL                                    33                          50:12                  48:52

FLEET B:  COURSE W5 DISTANCE 2.4NM

1             MAKANI                                            147                       ??                           ??

2             PERFECT 36                                      144                       1:06:36              1:00:50

3             SAILING PAIR A DICE                    180                       1:09:33              1:02:20

4             PACIFIC SPIRIT                                165                       1:09:26              1:02:49

5             NIDAROS                                           118                       1:08:45              1:04:01

6             GOLD RUSH                                      122                       1:11:00              1:06:07

7             ABSOLUTE 05                                    117                       1:15:20              1:10:39

WINTER TUESDAY AFTERNOON SAILING:

This may be redundant but we need a representative for each boat (the skipper?) to provide contact information in case a race is cancelled during our winter sails.  This registration requires no money, just 5 minutes of your time.

Please use this link to register for our Winter Tuesday Afternoon series. Even if you registered for the Tues Night, we still need you to register for the Afternoon Series to review updated NOR and SI's  AND to ensure we have current contact information.

 

ZOOP SCOOP  BY PAUL TARA

THE RACE

Zoop did not sail this week.  From the Harbor Cam and Regatta Hero it looked like a classic go and stop race. In A, Sophie proved again that little boats rule in light air.  In B, Perfect 36 proved that good karma pays. She did a penalty turn right after the start and came from behind for the win.  

 

OCTOBER CHANGE

 I was not sure what to write this morning. Until I went out and got the paper.

 

 

Santa Cruz Harbor was justified as a “Harbor of Refuge” for the local fishing fleet. This is why.  Prior to its construction in the 1960’s, every fall, after the first storm, the Main Beach would be littered with scenes like this.  Probably the most well known wreck was the  125’ schooner Shamrock VI. Driven ashore by a southerly gale in 1972, she later sank under tow off Half Moon Bay. The photo below is 1959.

October is the month when things change. In a normal southwesterly (240°) Santa Cruz provides a nice protected anchorage. That’s the bait. But Monday’s forecast was for south southwesterly (200°). Forty degree shift. Oops, no more lee.  That’s the trap springing shut.   Winter sailing here is not without risks. Conditions can change rapidly.  Pay attention to the marine forecasts and heed Barry’s warnings.   

 WEATHERLY: The ability to sail close to the wind with little leeway.

Monday was Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day.  A Genoese, sailing for Spain, Chris never made it to North America. He couldn’t. His ships weren’t weatherly enough. After leaving Spain, he basically just ran down the northeast trades, straight to the Caribbean.  For the return, he reached north, picked up the westerlies and ran back.  But as for thrashing across the North Atlantic, forget it.  The Spanish left that to the French and English — big mistake. Not only did they never bag any meaningful East Coast real estate north of Florida but, around a century later, their ships’ lack of windward ability really caught up with the them.  In 1588, the Armada set out from Lisbon, and sailed close-hauled on starboard tack for 36 hours, got headed, tacked, and sailed back close-hauled on port tack for another 36, only to end up with a gain to weather of just 5 miles after 3 days. (Beating to Davenport would have taken them a week and a half, or more.)  When they did finally make it into the Channel, the English ships were so much more weatherly they literally sailed rings around the Spanish. A series of westerly gales finished the job. As a maritime power, Spain never recovered. Fast is fun — but you have to stay off the beach.

 

WISS I’ve been asked to speak at one of these.  Any topic you’re particularly interested in?  zoop@cruzio.com.

 

I hope to see you sailing next Tuesday with our early (4:55 & 5:00) start.

Barry Keeler

Sailing  Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 7, 2025 WINTER TUESDAY AFTERNOON SAILING

 

OCTOBER 7,2025

WINTER TUESDAY AFTERNOON SAILING

For  the rest of October, we will start the races at 5pm. A Fleet start time is 4:55 and B Fleet will be 5pm.  After the time change in November, we will start the racing at 3pm (2:55 and 3:00).  We will use this start time until time changes in the spring.

 With Summer sailing, the only issue is: Is there enough wind to race?   Racing in the winter requires paying attention to shoaling, rain, large swells breaking in the harbor entrance and just downright nasty conditions.  Because of these elements of nature, there will be times we need to cancel racing for the day.  There are two ways we will communicate cancellation. We will post an announcement using Regatta Hero.  If you have the app correctly installed on your phone, you will get an announcement.  The second way we will broadcast cancellation is by text messaging to your phone.  We will post announcements of race cancellation before 12 noon on the day of the race.

Every skipper is responsible for the safety of their boat and crew.  There are times when seasoned sailor will go for a sail and sailors with less experience should not sail.  The skipper must decide if they can safely deal with the conditions. 

SHOALING:

Dealing with harbor shoaling is not simple.  It is essential to open the harbor web site and study, print or memorize the most recent harbor soundings printout.  Sometimes the channel can be very narrow and you must know how to “thread the needle” going out and coming in.

SWELL:

Its good to have a surfer on board when reading swells.  Surfers can recognize a set of waves approaching the harbor.   You can wait out a set of waves whether going out or coming into the harbor.  The power of waves can be very dangerous going out or coming in.  Catching a wave and bouncing your boat off of the bottom is NOT a good thing and can lead to an emergency haul out. 

Always pay attention to tides.  You can exit the harbor at high tide with no issues, but if the tide has dropped while you are sailing, the power of the surf can be much stronger.

SPINNAKERS ANYONE?

For the winter sailing, we will convert A Fleet to a spinnaker fleet.  We have always used the PHRF assigned by the PHRF committee for each boat.  This means all spinnaker boats used PHRFs as if they were flying a spinnaker.   With a spinnaker fleet, all boats will be applying their correct PHRF and flying a spinnaker.

I hope to see you out for the Tuesday Afternoon sails through the rest of the winter.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing  Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 7, 2025 ANOTHER DYING BREEZE

 

OCTOBER 7, 2025

ANOTHER DYING BREEZE

Predictions for the evening were diverse, but we work with what we get!  When we approached the start area around 5:15 the light breeze was coming from an unusual direction: due West 270 degrees.  We called for a new course: S/F to Gov and finish at S/F.  As the clock ticked down to the A Fleet start, the wind was slowly decreasing.  By the 6pm B Fleet start  boats were drifting in very light wind.  As B Fleet started sailing slowly toward the windward mark (Gov) it was apparent that a shortened course was necessary for Fleet B as Fleet A had rounded Gov and headed toward the S/F.  As it turned out, it was just another dying breeze. 

To review A Fleet tracks:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=7.10.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

For B Fleet track:        

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=7.10.2025%2018:00:00&language=en&defaultspeed=5&loop=no

THE FINISH LINE:

There seems to be confusion about what constitutes the finish line when a course is shortened in Regatta Hero.  If you make a line from the previous mark to the Shortened course finishing mark, the finish line extends perpendicular to that line. The line is rather long (61 meters) so there is no advantage in rounding close to the mark.  Attempting to “round the mark”  rather than “crossing the finish line” causes a crowd of boats that have already finished at the mark.

WINTER TUESDAY AFTERNOON SAILING:

Watch for another blog post about Tuesday Afternoon Winter sailing. For the rest of October we will be starting at 5pm rather than 6pm.  In November we will switch to a 3pm start.

 

photo by Jennifer Kinsman

ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL  TARA

TO B, or NOT TO B (fleet), THAT WAS THE QUESTION

Wind does not blow. Low pressure sucks. As we head into fall, and pressure differentials flatten, it sucks less. But, even now, the closer the blue sky, the stronger the breeze.  On Tuesday, except for a brief period around noon, Hwy 1 was about as close as any blue got to salt water. 

 

Lately, B fleet’s been getting skunked by the breeze shutting off right at 1800. Tuesday looked like a rerun in spite of Barry’s selection of Gov as a shorter weather mark. A tuft of fog peeking over Ben Lomond Mountain, way up by Boulder Creek, reinforced this possibility.  After some discussion, we elected to sail in the A fleet, in the hope of getting a 5 minute head start on the impending calm. Our strategy was simple. Get onto port tack ASAP and avoid sailing into the swell on starboard at all costs.

 

A previous ‘Scoop’ discussed the tendency of building breezes to veer, and dying breezes to back due to the earth’s Coriolis Effect  .  As we approached the beach, the wind continued to decrease, and started lifting us until we were sailing parallel to the swim buoys. Unfortunately I completely muffed our tack onto the starboard lay line, allowing the Express 34 to overtake us right at the mark.  Right on both our tails was the Sydney 38.

 

An earlier edition also talked about how, in handicap racing, if you’re about to be rolled by a much faster boat, don’t engage.  As we rounded, we bore well away, quickly opening a gap between ourselves and the Sydney. In very short order she was past, our wind was clear, and she was launched straight at the Express 34’s transom, as well as the clump of boats that had rounded earlier.  We sailed the rest of the leg right down the compass bearing to the finish.  The wind continued to back and die, allowing us to reach low on starboard while making it difficult for all the boats that had gone high to jibe and get back down to the course. 

 

A look at the tracks for both fleets shows the slow progressive shift to the left as boats on port are ever so slightly lifted up. It’s very subtle, but increases as B fleet approaches their finish. It also shows how costly trying to sail into the swell on starboard was. 

 

TRIVIA 

The two main components of running rigging are SHEETS and HALYARDS. Sheets are lines that control the angle of sails to the wind. They are not the sails. The term sheet stems from the shape of the sails, which become flat or sheetlike as they are trimmed or sheeted-in. Halyards hoist or raise sails. Halyard comes from the phrase “haul yard” referring to the action of hoisting the yard or spar at the top of a square sail into position for sailing.

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET                          CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE:START>GOV>S/F  COURSE DISTANCE 1.632NM

1             WATTS MOORE                             150                       31:41                  27:36

2             BLIND DATE                                  78                          31:55                  28:08

3             PACIFIC HIGH                                96                          30:50                  28:13

4             ZOOP                                                144                       37:42                  33:47

5             ABORIGINAL                                 33                          36:46                  35:52

6             DOUBLE ESPRESSO                     99                          38:39                  35:57

7             YELLOW BELLY                            141                       39:56                  36:06

8             WIND II                                            213                       41:55                  36:07

9             ROSIE                                               162                       41:42                  37:17

10          TRUE LOVE                                      72                          39:46                  37:48

11          INTERLUDE                                      141                       48:04                  44:13

12          AQUAVIT                                           72                          47:24                  45:26

FLEET B:  COURSE:S/F>GOV / COURSE DISTANCE 0.809NM

1             TARA                                                  243                       22:18                  19:01

2             AZOR                                                 243                       23:18                  20:01

3             SIMPATICO                                       165                       22:23                  20:09

4             WIND GODDESS                             165                       24:00                  21:46

5             ABSOLUTE 05                                  117                       23:42                  22:07

6             SAILING PAIR A DICE                    180                       24:52                  22:26

7             NIDAROS                                          118                       24:05                  22:29

8             TOAD                                                 150                       26:44                  24:42

9             KICKS                                                180                       28:26                  26:01

10          PACIFIC SPIRIT                                 165                       28:27                  26:13

I hope to see you sailing next Tuesday at 5pm!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 LIGHT WIND SAILING ON BUMPY SEAS

 

SEPTEMBER 30, 2025

LIGHT WIND SAILING ON BUMPY SEAS

Predictions were for 7 knot winds decreasing to 3 knots through the evening. As usual, the flags were flying through the afternoon showing winds of 10-12 knots across the bay.  Even as we were leaving the harbor at 5pm there was enough wind from the southwest for a race.  We set a start  line and called for course W5: S/F>Schuyler>S/F.  As the clock ticked down to our start time, the wind started to dissipate even more.  Another factor was the sea state that was very choppy making it difficult to sail a southerly course to get outside.

As we all fought the challenging, low wind, choppy conditions we shortened course to finish at Schuyler.  As the sun was setting, boats were still sailing to finish.  It was a awesome display of the resilience of our Tuesday Night Sailors with 14 boats slogging their way to finish.  It was a night of light wind sailing on bumpy seas.

To review the tracks of fleet A:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=30.9.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

To review the tracks of fleet B:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=30.9.2025%2018:00:00&language=en

 

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                          PHRF                   ET                          CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE W5 SHORTENED TO FINISH AT SCHUYER:DIST=1.2NM

1             PACIFIC HIGH                          96                          43:43                  41:47

2             TRUE LOVE                              72                          53:47                  52:20

3             DUET                                          140                       55:47                  52:59

4             DOUBLE ESPRESSO                99                          1:02:24              1:02:25

5             AQUAVIT                                   72                          1:10:31              1:09:04

FLEET B: COURSE W5 SHORTENED TO FINISH AT SCHUYLR: DIST=1.2NM

1             BIG MAC                                    222                       1:05:08              1:00:41

2             AZOR                                           243                       1:07:27              1:02:35

3             GOLD RUSH                               126                       1:06:34              1:04:03

4             SIMPATICO                                 165                       1:08:25              1:05:07

5             TOAD                                           150                       1:08:17              1:05:17

6             SAILING PAIR A DICE               180                       1:11:20              1:07:44

7             WIND GODDESS                         165                       1:12:51              1:09:33

8             ABSOLUTE 05                             117                       1:12:54              1:10:33

9             MAKANI                                      147                       1:19:24              1:16:27

ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA

BEANS

I don’t have much to say about this Tuesday’s race except that, after we  slid into the starting mark, did our spin, and footed to the right, the wind went left. At that point the lure of the large pot of barbecue beans flavored with sausage, carrots, onions and yellow bell peppers waiting at the Club began to increase exponentially. (Not to mention the fresh-baked apple cake.) Since Tuesday was our fourth day of racing in a week, crew morale dictated the use of the ignition key. But, also, I hate slatting; it puts as much wear and tear on sails and gear as a week of hard sailing.    

 

SAILING ETYMOLOGY (WTF!) 

Cowboys have ropes. Sailors have lines.  Every line aboard has a specific name. In toto they comprise the running and standing rigging. Lines that move RUN. Lines that don’t move STAND. Standing rigging consists of STAYS, which support the rig fore-and-aft, and SHROUDS, which support the rig athwartships. The term shroud stems from the days of the black plague and poor quality hemp. So many were needed they appeared to conceal or ‘shroud’ the mast from view, just as sackcloth was used to shroud unburied victims of the disease. To really get in the spirit of the times (pun intended) shrouds were tensioned by a system of deadeyes or sheaveless wooden blocks that resembled faces of the deceased.

    

My favorite rigging term is martingale. To a cowboy, it’s a piece of tack leading from the breast strap or girth up to the bridle, limiting the ability of the horse to toss its head. There are even running and standing martingales. To a sailor, it’s a stay leading from the vessel’s stem, to the dolphin-striker, and then up to the  jib-boom, or the outer section of the bowsprit. It counteracts the upward force exerted by the fore-topmast stays’l and jibs. Modern boats don’t have them.  Today, boats with simple bowsprits just have a bobstay leading up from the stem. Which makes perfect sense if you think about a horse tossing or ‘bobbing’ its head.

Thank you Paul

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice