OCTOBER 21, 2025
DEPLETING WIND
Predictions were for wind of 8 knots decreasing to 3 knots
and they were correct. There was a chill
in the air as my crew donned their coats.
The wind was coming from 220 degrees and we set a line square to this
and called for course S5: S/F>Mile>S/F.
The wind lasted long enough for Fleet A to finish, but Fleet B was stuck with a dying breeze.
It seems that we are stuck in a repetitive scenario. A Fleet has just enough wind to finish and B Fleet,
starting 5 minutes later sails in depleting wind.
To review the track for A Fleet:
Fleet B can be reviewed at:
 |
| Jennifer Kinsman photo of A Fleet start |
PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:
PLACE BOAT PHRF ET CORRECTED
FLEET A: COURSE
S5 DISTANCE 1.929NM
1 TRUE LOVE 72 33:13 30:54
2 INTERLUDE 141 36:06 31:33
3 ABORIGINAL 33 33:40
32:36
4 DOUBLE
ESPRESSO 99 41:45 38:34
5 WIND II 213 54:51 48:00
6 AVATAR 132 52:45 48:30
FLEET B: COURSE S5
DISTANCE 1.929NM
1 ZOOP 144 51:07 46:29
2 PERFECT
36 144 53:00 48:26
3 SIMPATICO 165 58:07 52:48
4 NIDAROS 118 1:05:07 1:01:19
5 ABSOLUTE
05 117 1:05:37 1:01:51
6 WIND
GODDESS 163 1:11:50 1:06:35
7 TOAD 150 1:19:55 1:15:05
_) _)
(_ (
REMEMBER THAT NEXT TUESDAY IS THE LAST TUESDAY OF THE
MONTH,,, WHICH MEANS
BARBECUE
POTLUCK NIGHT AT THE CLUB AFTER THE RACE.
BRING YOUR BEST GRILLING FOOD FOR THIS GREAT SOCIAL EVENT!
Next Tuesday will also be our
last Tuesday NIGHT sailing for the season. Race starts at 4:55 and 5. After next Tuesday, for the rest of the
winter, races will start at 2:55 and 3.
Spinnaker boats will be starting at 2:55.
Here is Paul Tara’s ZOOP SCOOP for this week. It is long but a great dissertation on the
conditions we sailed in and also about “barging"
Monday
at 4:30 it was clear, with a perfect 12 knot westerly at the Harbor. But,
on Tuesday a southerly surge delivered a thick layer of stratus that refused to
clear. By late afternoon the sun was still well inland, near Scotts
Valley. There was a weak unsettled south southwesterly breeze, with
slightly more wind offshore. We sailed well out on starboard prior to the
start and noted hints of further backing shifts. (This
is the opposite of a normal westerly, where you’re lifted on starboard as you
head out.) It clearly didn’t seem like a “go right” evening. The A
fleet appeared to agree, as they all bee-lined it offshore.
For
the B fleet, all of this came to naught, as the wind died almost completely
just prior to the start and then refilled fitfully from the right. This left us
wallowing, as boats to weather sailed away, with P36 getting the best start.
But, having made our bed, so to speak, we were determined to lie in it as
gracefully as possible, and began to foot off to the south, below all the boats
around us. The lumpy sea and 20° shifts made steering very difficult.
Gradually, more and more boats tacked away onto port, but it did not look
overly inviting on the right either. So, we banged the left corner. P36
tacked, but we held on a bit and then literally “auto tacked” when a
whopping lefty took us aback. P36 didn't get it, and over-stood a tad, allowing
us to round MB in the lead.
“WORDS
ARE WHAT MEN LIVE BY”
John
Wayne, as Capt. Cutter in ‘The Comancheros’ (1961).
OK,
here’s a word — “Barging”—which seems to be cropping up more and more. (As
far as I know, the word does not appear anywhere in the rules.) In sailing,
it’s a starting technique where a boat approaches a starting
mark from above a close-hauled course (reaching) and attempts to start right at
the mark. Note that it is a technique, just like a port tack start or a dip
start. The act of barging itself is not a foul per se, unless you
get caught. Let me repeat that. The act of barging itself is not a foul per
se, unless you get caught. Typically, in Santa Cruz, it’s
attempted at the starboard end of the line, although it can occur at the port
end. That’s because, 90 percent of the time the fleet wants to go right,
but is headed left on starboard. One way to escape this is to start right at
the mark to avoid being pinned on starboard by boats to weather. But, just like
a port tack or dip start, it’s a risky move.
In
the 1930’s when Vanderbilt promulgated the first edition of the modern racing
rules, all marks, including starting marks, were treated the same; an inside
boat with an overlap was entitled to “room” to start. Needless to say
this encouraged no end of barging and protests, since it was in direct conflict
with the basic concept that a windward boat must keep clear of a leeward boat.
Consequently the rules were changed. Now, Rule 11 still requires a windward
boat to keep clear of a leeward boat. But Rule 18, “Mark Room,” with all its
accompanying gobbledygook about room, overlaps, and zones, does NOT
apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water. So, a leeward boat
may head up or ‘shut the door’ on a windward boat attempting to squeeze in
(barge) between her and the mark. She can luff, clear up until head to
wind, as long as she doesn’t tack.
BUT,
she cannot hit the windward boat or force her to hit the mark. The door must be
firmly closed while the windward boat still has the option of
“bailing out” or passing on the wrong side of the starting mark. If the leeward
boat waits to luff until the windward boat can’t avoid becoming overlapped with
the mark, it’s too late. Then, if she luffs and hits the windward boat, or
forces her to hit the mark (which might be a Grand Banks), she has violated
Rule 14, “Avoiding Contact”. UNLESS, when it becomes apparent the
windward boat (the barger) is not going to keep clear, the leeward boat alters
course (bears away) in an attempt to provide the windward boat with room to do
so. THAT, breaking Rule 11, by forcing the leeward boat to alter
course, is the actual infringement involved in “barging”.
So,
what’s a leeward boat to do? Alter course to keep clear, and immediately
hail PROTEST. (Hailing is much easier than repairing gel coat.
Or, if you’re the windward boat, so is running over a starting mark, provided
it’s not a boat.) Let’s just assume, for purposes of this discussion that you
also display a protest flag.
“PROTEST”
is one of only two hails required in yacht racing (the other is “ROOM TO
TACK”). If you believe you have been fouled by a barging boat, you MUST immediately
hail “PROTEST” at the offending boat. We’re talking
seconds, not minutes; and there’s good reason. Other phrases, such as “no
room,” “leeward,” “don’t go in there,”“you’re barging,” can all serve as
warnings, but “PROTEST” is all that’s required. It’s
important. Because, under the rules, it’s the ONLY hail that
can serve to put the windward boat on notice that she’s fouled. By not
hailing “PROTEST” the leeward boat has not only denied herself
an advantage in the race (by obligating the offender to exonerate herself),
she’s denied that boat the opportunity of doing so at the earliest
opportunity. That’s why it’s important to hail immediately.
As
a case in point, at a recent Fall SCORE start, we found ourselves barging.
The boat to leeward shut the door early, but we had too much way on to
clear the transom of the RC boat. The leeward boat clearly hailed, “Zoop, you
are barging”. She then bore away for her start, just before we went across the
line two or three seconds OCS. It was a perfect maneuver. EXCEPT. People aboard
the RC boat heard the hail, and thought, “Wrong word.” Aboard Zoop, I
thought, “Yep, we sure are, but . . . did we foul? Did you alter course to
avoid us? Or, to avoid being OCS yourselves?” Remember, the act of
barging itself is NOT a foul. It only becomes a foul if the leeward
boat has to alter course to avoid the windward boat. As we circled to dip and
restart, I asked the crew if anyone had heard the word PROTEST. No one had.
So, I concluded the leeward boat must have borne away (altered course) to
avoid being OCS herself, rather than avoid contact. We restarted without doing
a circle, had a good race, caught up, and finished one second ahead of the
leeward boat. One word was all that was required to cause us to take a
penalty turn.
Now,
how about a hypothetical. What would have happened if we hadn’t been OCS, had
kept sailing, and at some subsequent point in the race, say half-way up the
beat, they had hailed PROTEST. Sorry boys, non-timely notification. See you in
the room. Promptly hailing, doesn’t oblige you to actually file a protest or go
to a hearing. But to not promptly hail is to possibly deny yourself an
advantage in the race and, more importantly, deny the offending boat the
opportunity to exonerate herself.
Of
course all this depends on the honor system. If you know you’ve fouled, you are
obliged to take a penalty turn. But, in many circumstances, when it’s a
close call (“barging” is numero uno) the system depends on the boat that has
been fouled to properly inform the offending party. Conversely, you are honor
bound to not sail around frivolously hailing PROTEST at every boat that comes
within a boat length.
“You
have not won, if you have lost the respect of your competitors,” was Paul
Elvstrøm’s motto. I’m pretty sure Elvstrøm and John Wayne never met, but
if they had, I think they would have agreed.
Thank you
Paul.
I hope to see
you on the water and at the club after the race next Tuesday.
Barry Keeler
Sailing Pair
A Dice
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