August 29, 2107: JUST A SHORT REACH

AUGUST 29, 2017

JUST A SHORT REACH

As I approached the harbor, the flag was showing a weak easterly at the crow’s nest.  We could only hope for a stronger one outside at the start mark.  As we filed out of the harbor, there were already about 10 boats out for the fun.  With the possibility of the wind dying and the barbecue at the club waiting we called for course B5 and gave a 5 minute horn at 5 minutes till 6.

On Pair a dice we attempted to start right at the mark, and as luck would have it we timed it pretty well except Pacific Spirit was right in front of us.  The line to Blacks was not quite hard on the wind, so we attempted to sail above Pacific Spirit, but were not able to pass them.  Homer on Equinimity started down the line a bit and had clear air to the mark sailing hard on the wind. At blacks, Homer was just ahead of Pacific Spirit who sailed down to give mark room leaving plenty of room for us to sneak through also.  At this rounding Perfect 36 and Nidaris were breathing down our necks.  This was going to be a good short race!

Finally, Pacific Spirit sailing in our lee was able to get clear ahead into clear wind to lengthen their lead on us.  The second rounding at Blacks was uneventful, but on the way to the start mark to finish the race, Perfect 36 breezed right by us and Nidaris II did also.  At the finish it was Equinimity followed by Pacific Spirit, Perfect 36, Nidaris II, Pair A Dice, Kicks, Rosa Nautica, Guenther (on his Finn), Sirena (Juneau31), Aeolian, Aila (Beneteau 34), Sea Quake, Toad, Irish Mist, Odonata and Tara.

In short, it was a beautiful night with nature on full display.  We had a huge flock of sheerwaters flying around before the start and multiple whales frolicking while we were sailing.

  

WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION:

We all know how important it is to get the weight out of the cock pit and forward when going down wind and with the waves.  I observed Perfect 36 easily pass us with everyone out of the cockpit sailing down wind into the waves.  Apparently even going into the waves down wind, it is beneficial to have weight forward in the boat rather than back.  This helps to keep the boat flat in the water and helps to stop hobby horsing and improves the speed of the boat. In light winds like this, perfect sail trim is essential as exemplified by other boats that passed us on the way to the finish line.   

ROUNDING MARKS:

It’s always exciting as boats converge on a mark. It is important to note which boat has overlap at the 3 boat zone, thus establishing inside rights at the mark (outside boat must allow room for the inside boat to round the mark).  I have seen several publications and attended one seminar that preaches that when you round a mark with another boat it is best to slow down a little so you round with your bow directly on the stern of the boat ahead.  Your bow should be above centerline (toward the mark) to give you the best chance to squeak through to inside position on the way back windward. The thought is that it is never advantageous to “pinwheel” around the mark outside of a competing boat.  Doing this may open the door for other boats to sneak through the gap.

 

We frequently try to pull the “Ginny Craig” rounding  marks: going in fat and coming out skinny. This means you are approaching the mark wide (going in fat), completing a smooth turn where you are pulling very close to the buoy as you are completing your turn (come out skinny).  Pulling this maneuver also gives you the best chance to get an inside line on the next leg.  It is always best to have inside rights at any mark.  On a night like this where the marks are only a quarter mile apart, establishing inside right at the mark will lead to inside rights at the next mark if played right.

OTHER REGATTAS:  

The first race of the fall score series was held this last Sunday in the race from Moss Landing to Santa Cruz.  This completed the double angle race that was started on Saturday.  I do not believe there were any Jib and Main boats in the sail back from Monterey.  We should all make plans to enter this series of regattas for fall.  This series is always fun.  As we all bring our game up and race better, we might as well join a sanctioned regatta and possibly take some hardware home if you do well.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

AUGUST 22, 2017: WE MIGHT JUST HAVE SOMETHING HERE!

TUESDAY AUGUST 22, 2017

WE MIGHT JUST HAVE SOMETHING HERE!

It was a beautiful day on the bay as I approached the harbor, the tell-tale sign of a stiff flag on the Crow’s Nest confirmed we had wind.  Would it stay with us?  I did not think  it would, so we installed the 155 jib.  By the time we left the harbor, there were about 10 boats out and another 6  coming out of the harbor.  We called for a W2 course and gave a horn at 6pm for a 6:05 start.  There was easily 10-15 knot winds in toward the beach and it looked like 15 to 20 knots outside.

 

The start was like a cattle drive with multiple boats strung along the line.  Pair a Dice started on starboard a little down the line, but still had several boats coming up behind and windward to us preventing us from tacking over onto port.  Ultimately we were able to tack over and went inside until the wind started to dwindle and tacked out for more wind.  We had several crossing situations on our way to wharf. Once we had to duck Pacific Spirit as they were on starboard tack. At Wharf it was Makani and Equanimity, Mistress Quickly (SC27), Perfect 36, Pacific Spirt and Pair a Dice.  Nothing changed with this order until all of the boats compressed with the wind dying at Gov.  Just as it was fading from the northwest, the Easterly was starting to fill in.  Before long all boats were sailing in a building easterly breeze.  There was virtually no downwind run on this whole race!  At the finish, it was Mistress Quickly, followed by Makani and Equanimity (was it a tie?), Perfect 36, Pair A Dice, Aeolian, Pacific Spirit, Kicks, Nidariss II, Dreamer (Catalina 27) Odonata, Tara and Sea Quake.

With all of these boats coming out and finishing the race it seems people are finding out that WE MIGHT JUST HAVE SOMETHING HERE!

STUART ON MAKANI, LEADING THE WAY!
WE MIGHT JUST HAVE SOMETHING HERE

SHOOTING A MARK:

There is a trick used by more accomplished sailors in making it around a mark that is just to weather and you are not able to comfortably round.  Obviously do everything you can pinching up to the mark to try to round the mark. If you see you will not round it, fall off a little for more speed just before the mark, then use this speed to coast into the wind, sheeting in the main as you go up. Have the jib uncleated as it is critical for the crew to not let the jib back wind.  If the jib backwinds at all, it will stop the boat dead and you will fail.  Just as the mark is mid ship, trim in the jib to help drive you down around the mark.  Simultaneously turn down and release the main completely to prevent being pushed into the mark.  Shooting the mark requires exact coordination of the helmsman and the crew to accomplish, but it is much better than having to throw another two tacks to round.  If you fail and brush up against the mark, you need to complete a 360 to exonerate yourself.  (Thanks to Fred Molnar for help in explaining this intricate maneuver).

NEXT TUESDAY IS CATALINA BARBECUE NIGHT! THE CLUB AND BAR WILL BE OPEN.  BRING OUR OWN FOOD TO GRILL.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

AUGUST 15, 2017: GOT WIND?

AUGUST 15, 2017

GOT WIND?

Checking the Predict Wind web site through the day, it was apparent we were going to have wind. Approaching the harbor confirmed there was a strong northwesterly blowing and we changed down to our 135 jib in anticipation.  There was no hint of the wind dying or changing so we optimistically chose the longest course for this direction of wind W1: Start, Wharf, Mile, Blacks finish.  We gave a 5 minute horn at 5:55 for a 6 o’clock start.

Pair A Dice was a little early to the line and had to stall to not be OCS but eventually started on SB tack right at the Buoy.  In this position we had several boats slightly to windward  of us and had to stay on this tack until the other boats had tacked over. Meanwhile several boats had started on Port tack to take advantage of the smoother water inside.  Ultimately the inside boats prevailed and rounded Wharf first.  At wharf Sagitarius was first followed by Pacific Spirit, Perfect 36 and Pair A Dice. 

  It was an easy reach to Mile and as we rounded Mile we set the pole for the run to Blacks.  We were a stone’s throw from the stern of Perfect 36 but despite our best efforts (and wishes) we could not catch them and they rounded Blacks just ahead of us.

At the finish it was Sagitarius, Pacific Spirit, Perfect 36, Pair A Dice, Aila (Beneteau 32), Andiamo (good job Katie!), Aeolian, Kicks, Toad and Nidaris II.

CHOOSING THE BEST TACK:

It is common knowledge in racing circles to sail the longest tack first; sailing closer to the mark.  In Santa Cruz most boats will get on port tack as soon as possible trying to capitalize on the lift experienced on the approach to wharf mark after tacking toward it.  This port tack also has flatter seas, taking waves on the beam rather than on the bow.  Also, frequently there is a westerly flowing current that is stronger toward shore which helps also.  It takes some unusual circumstances to overcome these advantages.

STEERING STRAIGHT:

Many people realize you should steer a boat in a straight line as much as possible when racing.  I originally thought this made sense simply because a straight line is a shorter distance.  This is true, but when you think of the foils that pull the boat forward over the course, anything that disturbs the flow of air and water over these foils will slow your progress.  The sails are one big foil and when going to weather, the flow of air on the outer edge of this foil pulls the boat forward.  The thought is that while going to weather for every pound of pressure pushing on the windward part of the sail there are 5 pounds of pressure on the leeward side pulling the boat along.  The same foil effect is working below the water line as the water flows around the foils under the water: Keel and Rudder.  If your steering is erratic, it only serves to destroy the smooth flow around these foils.  It is the undisturbed flow that is most efficient in propelling the boat forward.    Using the Race QS app on your cell phone and watching the results on a computer is a perfect way to tell how you are doing in your steering.

OTHER REGATTAS:

Next weekend is another regatta.  The first part of the regatta is on Saturday starting with the double end regatta.  Boats will start in both Santa Cruz and Monterey and sail around a buoy out in the middle of the bay then sail in to Moss Landing harbor.  After this race on Saturday, the first race of the fall Santa Cruz SCORE series will be the race from Monterey to Santa Cruz.  This should be a very fun regatta.  Check out specifics on SCYC.org under regattas.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

AUGUST 8, 2017: MISERABLE START, AWESOME FINISH

AUGUST 8, 2017

MISERABLE START, AWESOME FINISH

There was a steady northwesterly showing on the flags as I approached the harbor, so it looked like a great night for sailing.  We sorted out the crew issues on Q dock and headed out.  Even at 5:45 there was still a lot of northwesterly breeze even as far in as the start buoy.  We chose course W3: start, wharf (to SB), Gov (to SB) and finish to port.  We gave a 5 minute horn for a 6pm start.

As frequently happens, conditions changed quite a bit in 5 minutes countdown to the start.  At the start, only Pacific Spirit was in the last vestiges of the northwesterly breeze right at the start mark.  They romped off into the horizon in the still strong northwesterly that refused to come to the start area. They were not seen (except in the very far distance) for the rest of the evening.  Any boat that was not right at the buoy at the moment of the start was left in a no-win(d) situation.  All of us were struggling to make headway with the dead northwesterly and the easterly very gently trying to fill.  I was not timing it but most boats did not pass the start line until 10 minutes after the start time.  This had to be the slowest building easterly I have witnessed.  Even as it was trying to fill, it came in very small patches of wind that would propel one boat for a bit then another boat then move on to another boat.  It was amazing to me how close all of the boats were to each other as we rounded Wharf mark.  Sea Quake rounded just ahead of Pair A Dice and the whole fleet seemed to be right on our heels as we sailed toward Gov.

THE ROUNDING AT WHARF

On the way to Gov, It felt delicious to sail to weather again as the wind steadily increased.  Pair a Dice was second to Pacific Spirit (by over an hour) in rounding Gov.  Passing Gov, we continued to sail further inside for the better wind on the beach.  We tacked our way along the beach and headed out to the finish mark.  It seems half of the boats tried to sail outside and the other half sailed inside like we did.  At the finish, Pair a Dice was second (after Pacific Spirit) followed by Sea Quake, Guenther (on his Finn), Nidaris II, Rosa Nautica, Kicks, Aila (Beneteau 32), Tara, A Tartan, Toad, Aeolian and a Ranger 33. What started as a miserable start ended to be an awesome finish with most boats finishing the entire course.

OTHER REGATTAS:

It is still not too late to register for the Brig Brothers Big Sisters regatta this Sunday August 13.  You can even register at the event in the boat yard at the yacht club.  I would show up no later than 10 am if you plan to register late.  This is a great event and a great party after the event.

The fall Score series will start on Sunday August 27.  Be sure to register and compete in this fun series also.  You can register for this series on line at SCYC.org under regattas.

See you out there next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

AUGUST 1, 2017: FINALLY SOME WIND! BUT

AUGUST 1, 2017

FINALLY SOME WIND!  BUT

As I approached the harbor it was apparent that there was a lot of wind with the flag on the Crow’s nest showing a strong northwesterly.  Anticipating the wind would die down, we kept the 155 jib and headed out of the harbor.  I could not believe the number of boats out and the number of boats still coming out of the harbor. Ultimately there were close to 20 boats out for the fun. There was a thick fog bank undulating back and forth between engulfing the whole fleet and leaving the bay with clear visibility.  With the strong wind coming from the northwest, we called the course W3: start, Wharf mark, Blacks, finish and gave a 5 minute horn.

On Pair a Dice, we wanted to do a port tack start, but thought it too risky with so many boats out.  As it turned out, we had a clear line and were able to start on port, only having to duck a couple of boats which were on starboard tack. There were several boats that started on port tack with us.  The march was on to Wharf mark and one by one the port tack boats tacked over to outside.  It sure felt great to be in some wind again! At Wharf it was Homer on Equinimity and Perfect 36 first around first with Pair A Dice following. 

On the long sail to Blacks, the fog came back in to obscure many of the boats.  We saw many “fog-bows” which were shafts of light shining through the fog giving a surrealistic effect.  Equinimity and Perfect 36 took a line further outside while we followed our GPS and attempted to rhumb line it to the mark. 

At Blacks, Equinimity was just ahead of us with Perfect 36 right behind us.  As soon as Equinimity rounded, they headed straight back out for more wind.  We decided to sail a little further along the shore to avoid sailing in disturbed air.  As it turned out, we sailed in to a hole of no wind and took forever to sail out of it with the waves on our bow.  Equinimity had read it right and finished 15-20 minutes before the rest of the boats. As Homer said later, over dinner, “sail for the fog line for the wind!”  Most of the boats got stuck in the transition zone at blacks as we patiently waited for the easterly to fill in to finish the race.  Understandably, food at the Crow’s nest sounded like a better idea than bobbing in a transition zone and many of the boats motored in to the harbor.  Honorable mention goes to those that finished!  After Equinimity, Odonata and Toad followed with Pair a Dice, a Ranger 33, a Tartan and Kicks sticking to it to the end.

We had an awesome evening with great wind, BUT the transition zone got us toward the end.

TO THE BEGINNERS:

We have several boats that are venturing out for our Tuesday evening “Cattle Drive”.  I want to extend a hearty welcome to all of you! Please keep in mind that racing sailboats is a learning process.  Be assured that every boat you see leading the pack started racing by coming in dead last.  As you learn more, you will start working your way up through the fleet. Just be observant of what works and what does not work and keep learning!

FINER NUANCES:

Sailing in very light wind is one of the most challenging things we do.  In transition zones, like we had at Blacks, I find it useful to close your eyes and feel the wind on your face.  Of course the wind will fill differently at different levels, so you need to also look at the windex on the top of the mast.  Always remember that any wind (going to weather) SUCKS the boat along.  It does not PUSH the boat.  This means the sails must often be relaxed a little to get air flowing around the front of the sail!  You watch your tell tales on the sails to gauge how successful you are in doing this.

Looking forward to next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

July 25, 2017 HEADERS, LIFTS AND WHALES

JULY 25, 2017

HEADERS, LIFTS AND WHALES

It was shaping up to be a stellar evening on the Monterey Bay.  We had a low cloud cover hovering over the beach which meant there would be no Easterly wind tonight.  Under the cloud cover the air was so clear, it seemed you could reach out and touch Monterey.   To add to the excitement, there was talk of whales breeching practically right on the beach.  The wind was less than stellar at about 8 knots from the northwest, but if they can fly Americas cup boats in 8 knots, we can at least race in it! 

As we left the harbor, there were about 15 boats out once again and the boats outside were chattering about whales being out there.  On Pair A Dice, we could see some of their backs coming out of the water in the distance. 

  With the wind blowing from 240, we decided on course W5: Start, Wharf, Finish.  We gave a five minute horn.  On Pair A Dice, we thought we saw more wind inside and wanted to start on Port tack, which we did without having to duck too many boats. Most of the boats headed outside for the customary  wind outside.   Pair A Dice was sailing more directly to the mark and with the waves on our beam rather than our bow, we thought we were making progress on the boats sailing outside.  Our goal was to make it inside the point so when we tacked out there would be less wave action on our bow to slow us down.  As the wind started to decrease and with 30 degree shifts in wind direction, we finally tacked out into the bucking seas.  As we crossed the outside boats, Guenther on his Finn,The Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit and Kicks crossed in front of us so our lead was not what we thought it was.

At the rounding of Wharf mark, it was Guenther, Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit and Pair a Dice.  There was talk of shortening course, but I thought we had enough wind to finish the race.  Alas, the lure of the barbecue enticed all of us to retire before finishing.  All except Guenther who was the only boat to finish the whole race.

 

COURSE ALTERNATIVES:

We have come a long way in our Catalina fleet.  Years ago, we had 3 or 4 boats coming out every Tuesday night for an impromptu race.  We would agree on a course and sail it.  It was easy to communicate between 4 boats.  Now we customarily have 15 boats out with varying degrees of skill in sailing and racing.  In order to be consistent, considering the crowd we have, I feel it is important to stick with the course cards. Communicating a mark rounding or delineating finer elements of an extemporaneous course gets very tedious with 15 boats out.  Using a course on the course cards has all of the information right there (or on the back). The start line, how to round the mark and all other elements are right there on the course card.  I admit, in retrospect, the course on this night should have been shortened to just rounding wharf mark, especially with it being a barbecue night.

Despite this consideration, I do not want to be dogmatic.  I have offered it before and the offer still stands if someone wants to call a race you can call it and run the whole race (give the 5 minute horn, answer all questions about the race during the race etc).

COURSE CARDS:

We have some new boats out for our friendly sails.  I want to make sure everyone has the course cards I keep referring to.  These course cards give all of the courses we use on the front of the card and the general sailing instructions on the back of the card.  Also on the back of the card are the location and description of all of the start lines and marks used.  I am on Q dock every Tueday evening.  Stop by and get one if you need it.

Looking forward to next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

July 18, 2017 VACATION CORRESPONDING AND START LINE PHOTOS

July 18, 2017

VACATION CORRESPONDING

 I was in Vegas this Tuesday night pondering another pair a dice while celebrating our 26^th wedding anniversary. Stefan and my crew were kind enough to provide a report from which I will attempt to write a blog. I apologize for the tardiness of this blog.

   

The wind was a light Easterly about 7 knots so the course B5 was chosen.  It looks like there were 13 boats out again for the fun.  In light conditions like this, how you deal with waves becomes a critical factor in performance.  Perfect sail trim and clean bottoms also become essential when sailing in light winds.  At the leeward mark six boats converged at the same time in orderly fashion. Pair A Dice  sailed wide of the mass of boats at the leeward mark and was able to get clear air.  At the finish  Perfect 36 was first, followed by Guenther on his Finn, Pair A Dice, Nidaros 2, Rosa Nautica, Kicks, Toad, Dreamer, Tara, Freya, Aeolian, Odonata and Rosie. It is good to have so many new participants!

STARTING LINES:

I know that with the new start lines we are using this year, there may be some confusion.  Vern Wallace was kind enough to take some pictures of each of the start lines to help clear up this perplexity.  The first picture is the start line for Blacks point.  From this picture, you can see that if you set a range using the left end of blacks point and the tip of the gable (marked with orange line) on the house directly behind, you can tell whether you are over the line too soon.  In any case the compass bearing is about 352 degrees magnetic from the mark to the left end of Blacks Point (which is white from bird droppings).

The second picture shows the “S” or the white house at the end of Schwan lagoon.  Using the 

 left of that white house, you can set a range with the slight v (orange arrow) in the large mushroom-shaped tree tops behind the corner of the house. The range should be close to 330 degrees magnetic.

The last line is our old standby we have always used and should be about 310 degrees magnetic from the mark.

Please try to observe these start lines so we can all have a fair start, and thanks to Vern and Judy for providing these pictures.

HANDICAPPING:

I know the normal way of handicapping in sailing is to use PHRF.  I firmly believe nobody wants to try to incorporate PHRF in our events on Tuesday and I have no intention of doing this.  I do believe that the smaller displacement hulled boats have a distinct disadvantage and believe we should give them a head start so they at least have a chance.  It gets complicated because our courses all have different lengths and the head start should be greater for longer races.  Each course card has the length of each race. For any heavier displacement hull boat 27 feet and under, lets give a 2 minute head start for any course up to 2 miles in length and a 3 minute head start for any course between 2 and 3 miles and a 4 minute head start for any course over 3 miles.  The “heavier displacement” means any SC27 that care to participate will not get a head start. For your head start, follow the chart below.  This is simplistic, but I know in the heat of the race, nobody wants to do even simple math.

5 Minute horn blows: Two minute head start means you start 3 minutes after the horn.

                                        Three minute head start means you start 2 minutes after the horn.

                                         Four minute heads tart means you start 1 minute after the horn.

I will call over channel 69 the head start indicated and will attempt to give adequate warning of when the 5 minute horn will blow.

PLEASE NOTE: NEXT TUESDAY IS BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE CLUB AFTER THE RACE.

I am looking forward to Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice