MAY 12, 2026
JUST WAIT FOR THE
SHIFT
Predictions were for 17 knot breeze from the West with gusts
up to 21 knots. As we left the harbor at
5pm, we were amazed to see a healthy 17 knot Westerly across the bay. Wow, Predictwind was spot on. We determined the wind was from 240 and set a
line square to this. By the time the “15
minute horn” was sounded, the wind
seemed to be rapidly decreasing.
Suddenly, we saw evidence of a very weak Easterly which seemed to be
increasing. With the first of the 3
fleets getting ready for their start, we announced that we were postponing the
races as the Easterly seemed to be building.
Meanwhile, we had motored down to set a temp mark for course E4, but as the
wind was steadily increasing we changed the course to E3:
Start>Blacks>red ball>Gov>finish at S/F to port. Kudos to my crewmember Zach Shepard who I
call my “Regatta Hero” as he was able to set the new course and start times in
the app.
We had a wonderful race with an awesome Easterly. Sometimes
you just wait for the shift! I
believe we broke a record with close to 30 boats out.
PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:
COURSE E3 COURSE DISTANCE 2.702NM
PLACE BOAT PHRF ET
CORRECTED
SPINNY FLEET
1 PEGASUS 150 30:31 23:46
2 HEARTBEAT 12 25:53 25:21
FLEET A:
1 ABORIGINAL 33 27:29 26:00
2 ZOOP 144 33:12 26:43
3 ROSIE 162 35:03 27:45
4 AQUAVIT 72 31:37 28:22
5 INTERLUDE 141 34:46 28:25
6 WATTS
MOORE 150 36:47 30:02
7 KEMOSABE 81 34:46 31:07
8 WINDLUST 66 41:12 38:14
FLEET B:
1 GOLD RUSH 126 32:49 27:09
2 PERFECT 36 144 33:56 27:27
3 TARA 243 38:52 27:55
4 SAILING
PAIR A DICE 180 36:24 28:17
5 SIMPATICO 165 35:51 28:25
6 BIG MAC 222 38:51 28:51
7 PACIFIC
SPIRIT 165 37:30 30:04
8 AZOR 243 41:14 30:17
9 ANIMAL
HOUSE 96 34:42 30:23
10 KICKS 180 39:00 30:53
11 ABSOLUTE 05 117 36:57 31:41
12 NIDAROS 114 37:38 32:30
13 SWEET PEA 163 43:00 35:44
To view Spinny fleet tracks:
To see A Fleet tracks:
B Fleet tracks at:
THE ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA
A BIG
“E”
E for
EXCELLENT EASTERLY! One reason racing in Santa Cruz is so interesting is
because we’re basically sailing in what amounts to an atmospheric whirlpool.
The phenomenon is so well known that meteorologists call it the Santa Cruz
Eddy. Westerly outside, easterly inside, transition in between.
Most think of the easterly as a moderate, late afternoon breeze because
that’s when we usually encounter it. I tend to think of the transition as an
“eye”, or an area of localized low pressure around which there can be
counter-clockwise flow anytime of the day. Tuesday at noon, there was a
stiff southeasterly at the Rio Theater as the fog began to burn off. But the
marine layer was quite thick and it remained just offshore throughout the day.
When we exited the Harbor it was still there, with a long curling tendril
reaching in towards Capitola. There was still a light westerly at S/F but
it was diminishing rapidly. Fortunately Barry postponed — he has
learned to be patient — a great call. When the westerly beats a hasty retreat,
the eye is expanding, and if the fog is sweeping around towards Capitola, a
robust easterly is a good possibility.
Which
is what we got. But many other easterly mysteries remain unsolved. For
example, we were about a half boat-length OCS in A Fleet. By the time we got
untangled, we restarted about 1:20 late, after jibing around onto
port tack. We held port all the way to the layline, and were surprised to come
out head-to-head with most of the fleet which had gone inshore. This is
contrary to the conventional wisdom that says when the fog is sweeping into
Capitola, the easterly tends to come more offshore and lift the boats inside on
port. But then, I watched the B Fleet track. Gold Rush started at
S/F, near where we had restarted, tacked immediately onto port, held it to the
lay-line, was first around BP, and went on to win. I have no clue. Except
to say that, as we approached the layline, we did get a slight header on port,
and that easterlies restrict the playing field on the left side of the course.
When you start running out of water, the number of lanes available for clear
air diminishes quickly.
CARDINAL
SIN # 5, DON’T SAIL THE WRONG COURSE
In order to get a
finish, you have to sail the course. For some reason boats persist in
sailing through the starting line, expecting to get a finish. As far as
Regatta Hero is concerned, once your start has taken place, the starting line no
longer exists. Let me repeat that, “The starting line no
longer exists.” S/F then becomes just a MARK. Let’s take Tuesday
night, the course was BP, Red Ball, Gov., S/F all marks to port. If
you sailed through the no longer existent starting line “from
the direction of the last mark” and passed S/F to starboard, you
did not follow the sailing instructions, (i.e. course description). Sorry, NO
LOLLIPOP. So, here’s the deal. Barry loves to call this a development
series. “Arrested Development” might be more appropriate. Try to stop relying
so much on Barry. Take time to read the sailing instructions and understand the
course sheet. Every time someone uses their VHF to ask what the course is, I
guarantee you half the fleet is in hysterics. The front half.
Thank you Paul
Barry Keeler
Sailing Pair A Dice
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