JULY 21, 2020: VICARIOUS IN LAS VEGAS

JULY 21, 2020

VICARIOUS IN LAS VEGAS

 I got married on July 21 twenty-nine years ago in Las Vegas.  Our custom is to take a vacation back to Las Vegas every year at this time to celebrate.  With Covid, I was very apprehensive about travel of any kind, but with my wife’s insistence we flew to the city of lost wages.  I obviously was not able to participate in the race, but enjoyed it vicariously over the net via the harbor’s web cams.

It looked like about a 10 knot breeze from the normal (240 degree) direction and the course Whiskey 3 was employed once more.  It looked like a clean start (from the web-cam and raceQS track).  As usual, the fleet split up with Sagittarius, Perfect 36 and Patricia J sailing outside and the rest of the fleet sailing the inside course.  At Schuyler mark Sagittarius was first around followed by Patricia J, Perfect 36, Pair A Dice, Odonata, Nidaros, Sophie, Toad and Natori.  There were 13 boats out, but only these nine had tracks on Race QS.

All boats rounded Blacks and made their way back to the finish line.  At the finish, it was Sagittarius 48:08, Patricia J 51:49, Pair A Dice 52:32, Perfect 36 54:27, Odonata 56:18, Nidaros 58:56, Sophie 59:18 and Toad 1:05:23.  All times are elapsed and the course distance is 3.55NM.

Race QS:

We are getting more boats to use this app.  It is a free app that runs on any smart phone and is the only way to be recorded for these races.  It also provides a wealth of information on how well you are handling your boat. Race QS track for this night is at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011074&divisionId=65631&updatedAt=2020-07-22T02:38:01Z&dt=2020-07-21T16:32:18-07:00..2020-07-21T19:36:54-07:00&boat=Odonata&model=J22&time=1595384797110&focus=Odonata&rival=Para%20Cat%2030&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.953331&lon=-121.996857&tilt=1&range=1720&heading=214

COVID SAFETY:

I was very apprehensive traveling to Las Vegas during this pandemic.  I went with one caveat: If people were not wearing masks, I was going to stay in my hotel room the whole time!  I am happy to report that EVERYONE in the whole airport and planes was required to wear masks the whole time.  Walking into the hotel, getting in line to check in, they used a forehead thermometer and only allowed one person to perform the check in procedure.  Everywhere I looked, every person had a mask on. 

Getting to our room at the Bellagio, there was a packet on the table complete with 2 masks, hand sanitizer and 2 metal pocket styluses with a rubber pointer to touch any public thinks like elevator buttons.  There were employees everywhere wiping disinfectant on public surfaces.

How to safely allow people to gamble with social distancing?  At the Bellagio, for the 21 tables, they only allowed 3 people per table and had plastic partitions between players.  Craps tables were the same, with only 6 players allowed per table and plastic partitions between players. As usual, they allowed each shooter to select a Pair-A-Dice. Slot machines were only open every other machine.  On top of this, there were washing stations (sinks with running water and soap) available for use on the casino floor.  There were multiple stations with hand sanitizer, masks and latex gloves for people to use.  The only time you could lower your mask was to drink or smoke and if you did not replace your mask immediately, the dealers would insist that you put it back on.  No-one was allowed to walk around with masks not covering their mouth and nose. There were absolutely no shows that were open.

How could they employ social distancing at the tables in crowded Las Vegas?  The crowds were only about 10% of normal for this time of year.  It was a good trip and I felt safe in the environment.  The only bad thing about it was the necessity to enjoy our Tuesday night racing vicariously.

If you have never seen the fountains at Bellagio, you may enjoy this short clip taken from the 32nd floor.

I will be out this coming Tuesday and will see you then.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

JULY 14, 2020: OVERCAST WITH LIGHT SOUTH WIND

JULY 14, 2020

OVERCAST WITH LIGHT SOUTH WIND

From the Aptos perspective, I detected a southerly wind and anticipated an Easterly wind night. When I got to the harbor, there was a little wind showing on the Crow’s Nest flag.  When we exited the harbor there seemed to be a southerly wind and sure enough when we came head to wind, the direction was from 210.  This is a 30 degree southerly shift from the normal 240 degree direction.  We had a couple of new boats out with a total boat count of about 12.

We called for course Whiskey 3 and gave a 5 minute horn.  We had set a very long line and on PAD, we considered a port tack start but decided to do the normal starboard tack start.  At the start, sure enough we had several port tack starts that only needed to dodge 1 or 2 boats.  Right after the start, I noticed difficulty in getting Pair A Dice up to speed.  The wind was a little lighter than anticipated and there was heavy chop which we had to fight through.  We made a few adjustments and finally got the boat up to better speed.   We sailed out to the layline and tacked over.  Many of the boats had sailed inside which looked like a better course (little change in wind and flatter water).

At Schuyler, the first boat around was Sagittarius followed by Zoop, Perfect 36, Nidaros, Pair a Dice, Toad and Natori.  On the way to Blacks, we thought we had seen more wind outside so we sailed a hotter point of sail outside, ultimately setting our pole for a more downwind sail to Blacks.  At Blacks, the boats rounded in the same order as at Schuyler except PAD had inched ahead of Nidaros.

At the finish, Sagittarius (no Race QS track, no time), Zoop 50:03, Perfect 36 52:48, Pair A Dice 55:53, Nidaros 57:40 and TOAD 1:05:16.  All times are elapsed and course distance was 3.55 NM.

RACE QS:

As usual, we had 6 boats running Race QS tracks tonight, once again about half of the boats.  Running Race QS is the only way to be counted in these races.  Race QS is like our race committee giving us the finish time on each boat.  I do not calculate PHRF differences, but I do give finish times and course length so people can ascertain how they did against another boat.  The track for tonight’s race is at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&updatedAt=2020-07-15T02:33:01Z&dt=2020-07-14T17:45:04-07:00..2020-07-14T19:31:20-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1594774849782&focus=Pairadice&tab=setup&view=manual&lat=36.952739&lon=-121.997397&tilt=19&range=723&heading=224&rival=The%20Perfect%20Thirty-six

As an example of the advantages of using this app, check the track for Pair a Dice vs Perfect 36.  I was at the helm of PAD on this night and what I learned by looking at this track is that I need to improve my steering.  This is shown by the dots on the cone in front of my boat wandering all over the place as the dots in front of Perfect 36 were much better showing a tight cluster of dots.  I was comparing our tracks on the windward beat to Schuyler.  You can learn a lot about improving your boat handling by using this app!

INSIDE VERSUS OUTSIDE:

On Pair A dice, we sailed way too far outside.  The wind was slightly stronger outside, but it was not worth fighting the waves.  Once we tacked over, we were quartering the waves on our bow rather than sailing into them.  The boats that went inside had smoother water and gained on the boats that went outside.  There is an axiom in racing:  Sail the longest tack first!  With the 30 degree southerly shift in the wind, the longest tack was inside.

THOUGHTS ON BOAT SPEED:

At the start, we were having problems getting the boat up to speed.  A friend told me once: “All sailing is, is doing 1000 things absolutely right.”  It is not really that complicated.  We immediately made sure we were not trailing kelp.  We noticed the wind was only 8 knots (apparent) and we had the boat set up for stronger wind.  We relaxed (loosened) the sheets and fell off a little but still had the waves on our bow.  As we were hoisting sails in the harbor, we had tightened the halyard for stronger wind which we should have loosened as the wind decreased.  And always remember: First speed, then point.  In other words, you cannot point without getting the boat up to speed first.  

Another idea is to center the weight on the boat  (weight midship) when going through waves.  This decreases the hobby-horsing motion of the boat.  When going down wind (as well as down waves) always have people move forward on the boat.  Any surfer will tell you that weight forward helps catch waves and if you can catch and stay in more waves while sailing, you will do better.

NEW COURSE CARDS

New course cards are ready and have the Sailing instructions on back.  These are laminated, as before and resistant to water.   Fill out the waiver and send it to SCYC  (244 fourth ave, Santa Cruz, Ca 95062, ATTN: BARRY)along with the registration fee ($20 for SCYC members and $35 for nonmembers) we will get a new course card to you.  These fees are for a  Covid shortened sailing seas2020 Series Entry and Waiver Form

Each Tuesday Night during Daylight Savings Time

Santa Cruz Yacht Club, Santa Cruz, CA

Entry Form

Name: _____________________________ Sail Number: _______________

Address: ___________________________ Boat Name: ________________

Boat make and model:_____________________ PHRF:________________

City/St/Zip: _________________________ Boat location(slip#)__________

E-mail: ______________________      Cell Number:_____________________

(E-mail and Cell number will be available to other participants)

Waiver and Release of Liability

In consideration of my entry in the Regatta on behalf of myself, my heirs, successors and

assigns, I hereby waive any and all claims, actions, suits and demands against Santa Cruz

Yacht Club, the respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (all the forgoing

hereby referred to as “the Hosts”) for any personal injury (including death) or property

damage resulting from the negligence or other acts of omission by the Hosts or any of

them as a result of my participation in the Event and do hereby release and discharge the

Hosts there from. I acknowledge that participation in the sport of sailboat racing involves

substantial risk of personal injury or even death and I hereby assume the risk of any such

injury that may occur while participating in the Event.

I agree to be bound by The Racing Rules of Sailing and any other rules that govern this

event.

Owner/Skipper __________________________ Date ________________

Entry Fee for series: $20 for SCYC members    $35 for nonmembers

Payment options:

Cash

Check (Check Number ____________) payable: Santa Cruz Yacht Club

Payment received by _______________ Date ________________

 on.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair a Dice

JULY 7, 2020: SURPRISING GUST

JULY 7, 2020

SURPRISING GUST

During the weekend, the news was commenting about the high winds we were to experience this week.  Predict Wind gave a much more accurate prediction and the wind was barely noticeable on the Crows Nest flag.  It was time to haul out the 155 jib!  As we were leaving the harbor at about 5:15, it was amazing how much South was in the wind which was confirmed when we took a reading, it was coming from 130 degrees at about 5:30 so we set a line square to that direction.  As 5:15 approached, the wind was going more East, but still very light.  In an attempt to be sure all boats could finish in this light wind, I came up with an impromptu course of Start to Blacks, the pin end of start line and finish at start mark.

As all 18 boats were setting up for the start in the very light wind, I was impressed that everyone got a clean start off the line.  By the time we got to Blacks, the wind had increased to the point that the whole race was going to be over in 10 minutes or less.  I announced a lengthening of the course to go around Gov and finish at the start buoy taking Start to port.  At Blacks, Aquavie was first followed by Perfect 36, Sweet Pea, Avatar, Pair a dice and Nidaros. 

             

On the run from Blacks to Gov, the question is always: outside course or inside course? It seems all of the boats went outside except for Pair A Dice.  We wanted to take advantage of more wind since new easterlies usually build more inside.  This required that we sail through some kelp beds, which can be a dicey proposition.  We rolled the dice and carried on going the inside route.  With Stefan at the wheel, I went forward to guide the path through the kelp.  This was when I noticed a very westerly flowing current that had all of the kelp flowing away from us, making the path less risky.  The westerly current was helping us, almost like riding a conveyor belt.  At Gov, Pair a Dice was first around followed by Zoop, Perfect 36, Avatar and Aquavie.

Zoop, Guenther and New Wave rounding GOV

On the beat back to start/finish, we sailed further out to avoid the adverse (for this point of sail) current toward the beach.  We sailed out until we saw the apparent wind decreasing a little and tacked back inside. At the finish it was Zoop and New Wave (no Race QS tracks for either), Pair a Dice 54:48, Patricia J 55:39, Perfect 36 57:00, Avatar 58:03, Nidaros 1:03:01, Aquavie 1:05:39, Sweet Pea 1:07:46 and Sophia 1:19:12.  All times are elapsed and the course distance is 2.80NM.  The surprising gust that appeared as we rounded Blacks stayed long enough for all boats to finish!

Race QS:

Par for the course, we had 18 boats out tonight and only 8 ran the race QS track.  The only way to be counted in these races is to run this free app on your cell phone. This app is also a fantastic way to improve your sailing.

You can review tonights track at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011635&divisionId=65323&updatedAt=2020-07-08T02:22:44Z&dt=2020-07-07T17:19:17-07:00..2020-07-07T19:22:40-07:00&boat=Dice&model=J24&time=1594169744372&focus=Dice&rival=The%20Perfect%20Thirty-six&tab=setup&view=helm

THE WEST CURRENT INSIDE:

Using this west flowing current can offer a tremendous advantage.  From my experience, this current is more predominant when the Easterly wind is blowing.  I believe both the Easterly wind and current are caused by heavier Northwest winds outside.  All of the predictions for high wind were actually true, but it occurred off shore.  This creates the Santa Cruz Eddy which is the reason the Easterly wind and current happen.  You can ascertain which way the current is flowing by looking at how the kelp is streaming in the water and by looking at buoys.  Any line or kelp that gets hung up on the buoy will help detect currents and their direction.

HOW TO INCREASE BOAT SPEED:

There are many ways to help increase your boat speed. Many of these techniques were covered in our Tuesday night sailing seminars last winter. If your boat is in the water, like mine, one of my favorite ways is to keep the boat bottom clean.  I am not suggesting to have a diver clean your boat every week!  For less than $20 of material and ½ hour of time,  you can build a bottom cleaner that can reach to the bottom of the keel.  These devices do not work if you have 3 months of reef clinging to your bottom, but if you have a diver clean your boat, and use the device once a week, you will notice a vast improvement in boat speed.  Using this device, it takes about 10 minutes to clean one side of the boat.   I keep some of these devices (made of PVC pipe, floating foam and mat) on my boat which is at Q16.  Please feel free to copy the design.

See you next Tuesday,

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

JUNE 30, 2020: LAST TUESDAY OF JUNE

 JUNE 30, 2020

LAST TUESDAY OF JUNE

I had checked Predict wind for the forecast and the prediction was decreasing and even dying wind.  As frequently happens, the predictions were wrong and the wind seemed healthy in the harbor and on the flag at the Crow’s Nest.    Arriving at the start mark the wind was about 15 knots from 230.

We got ambitious and called for course W3 and blew the 5 minute horn for a 6PM start. 

On Pair a Dice, we determined there was no favored end of the line since the line was square to the wind.  Our strategy was to start right at the inside end of the line on starboard tack.  As it turns out, we were a little early and had to run the line a little to start on time.  One by one all boats tacked over to sail inside.  As PAD went further inside, we noticed the wind was dying so tacked back out, basically tacking down the middle of the course.  At Schuyler mark, it was Patricia J, Perfect 36, Pair a Dice, and Avatar.

On the run back to Blacks, we thought it best to stay outside for the greater wind, but noticed an Easterly building toward the beach.  We headed down to get through the transition zone and, as usual getting through the zone was excruciating and slow until we got into the Easterly.  Several boats headed outside again but we noticed that the Easterly was very strong toward the beach and sailed clear to the kelp line before tacking back out.  What a treat to start the race in 15-18 knot wind from the Northwest and finish the race in 15 knot wind from the East! At Blacks,  Patricia J had a healthy lead on PAD, as we all made our way to the finish line.  At the finish, Patricia J was well ahead of all of us (no Race QS track, no time), then Pair a Dice 1:02:43, Avatar 1:03:47, Perfect 36 1:04:12 and Odonata 1:10:15.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 3.23 NM.

Race QS:

It is a shame that only four boats used this app tonight when we had over a dozen boats out for the fun! This is a free app for your phone that allows us to record your time.  If you are so inclined and want to check your performance against other boats, you can calculate by using PHRF difference and course length.  Additionally, this app can show you how efficiently you are sailing showing your angle of heel, SOG, VMG and efficiency in tacking. It is a great learning tool, so please use it to improve your sailing and to be counted!

The course for tonight can be found at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=65164&updatedAt=2020-07-01T02:34:22Z&dt=2020-06-30T17:45:01-07:00..2020-06-30T19:34:14-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1593569225938&focus=Pairadice&rival=Odonata&tab=fleet&view=follow&lat=36.954155&lon=-121.996115&tilt=5&range=453&heading=339

SAIL TOWARD THE NEW WIND:

As the Easterly was filling inside, there was talk of tacking back out for the wind outside.  Fred insisted: “Sail toward the new wind!”  I had never heard this before, but getting into the stronger Easterly toward the beach sure helped us on this night.

VALUABLE CREWMEMBERS:

As a boat owner, I really appreciate my valuable crewmembers.  Any skipper realizes that doing well requires a team that works well together. What makes a valuable crewmember?  A valuable foredeck crew handles the whisker pole or spinnaker efficiently.  Crew that can get a jib in quickly when tacking, or keeping the main properly trimmed. The tactician apprises the skipper of things that are happening on the water.  Steering a boat in a race requires a lot of concentration (for me) and having someone apprise me of what other boat are doing and whether they are a threat is critical especially during the starting sequence. 

I will see you out there next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

JUNE 23, 2020: LIGHT WIND TUESDAY

JUNE 23, 2020

LIGHT WIND TUESDAY

After the heavy wind last Tuesday necessitating boat repairs, it was nice to see lighter wind tonight. A perfect example of the yin and yang of sailing on the Monterey Bay. With the lighter wind coming from the normal 240 to 250 degrees, we called for course Whiskey 5: Start to Wharf (Schuyler) and back to finish.  We blew the five minute horn for the start.

In our sailing before the start, we noticed that there was much more wind inside  and wanted to start at the inside end of the line.  As it turns out, there were many boats crowding that end of the line so we sailed for the clearer wind out by the start mark.  Guenther on his Finn was the only boat that risked a port tack start.  As usual, the strategic question was whether to sail outside or inside.  The custom in Santa Cruz is to sail inside to take advantage of the lift created by the point.  Since we had noticed a lot more wind inside before the race, we wanted to sail inside and tacked as soon as we saw a clear path through the maze of boats coming out.  Looking at the Race QS track, there was obviously more wind outside since the boats that went outside slowly increased their leads on the inside boats.  At Schuyler, the first boat around was Avatar followed by Patricia J, Nidaros II, Auquavit and Pair a Dice.

In the  run back to finish, it was as if the wind gods were inhaling and exhaling as the wind would increase slightly and back off multiple times.  At the finish line, it was Avatar 45:14, Patricia J 50:59, Nidaros II 51:34, Auquavie 51:47, Pair A Dice 53:04, Tusitala 59:45, Higher Power 1:03:48.  All times are elapsed and distance of the course was 2.68NM.

Race QS:

Tonight we had about 12 boats out for the fun but only 7 ran the Race QS app.  The only way to be counted in these races is to run this app.  You will be surprised how much you learn about your boat handling by studying your tracks on Race QS.  You can watch the tracks for this night by clicking on this web site: https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=65007&updatedAt=2020-06-24T02:26:08Z&dt=2020-06-23T17:45:00-07:00..2020-06-23T19:25:58-07:00&boat=Pairadice&time=1592964503566&focus=Pairadice&rival=Avatar&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.954355&lon=-121.996811&tilt=43&range=870&heading=357

JIBING IN HEAVY WIND:

I talked to several people about heavy wind jibing as we all experienced last Tuesday.  I learned a few things and want to pass it on.  Two things that can be very damaging and punishing to the boat are a tight main sheet and a tight boom vang.  I also learned that it is better to jibe the jib first, then jibe the main.  As the boat is passing it’s stern through the eye of the wind, the main should be centered  and then released as the new point of sail is achieved.

TO REACH OR TO RUN:

There has been discussion about the best approach to going down wind: to reach down at an angle or run directly downwind.  I think it boils down to what type of boat you are sailing.  Indeed many top sailors on lighter sailboats will reach off sailing faster, but sailing further. Many of the boats on Tuesday night sailing are heavier cruising boats and more often than not will sail at or close to DDW  straight for the mark.  I do not have the answer to this question.  Is it possible that different strategies work for different boats?  We saw both strategies in play on this night and I believe Avatar, finished 5 minutes ahead of the closest boat and it looks like he sailed directly to the finish mark.  This could have been a factor.

DRONE VIDEO:  

BEFORE START

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GCjZib6LvHl1hbRPGFsOY40b-xkAXx97/view?usp=sharing

THE START

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VSSrodhznHZ6SzZQqkPiQDs4dV_gHk-h/view?usp=sharing

AFTER THE START

Todd Johnson, who normally sails on Kicks was flying a drone tonight and got some great shots of our sailing. ENJOY!  If unable to view video by clicking on video, click on site below image.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

JUNE 16, 2020: WINDY TUESDAY

WINDY TUESDAY

JUNE 16, 2020

From my house in Aptos, I could see white caps to the horizon.  I knew it was going to be a windy night.  I got to the harbor and it was downright weird, the wind was blowing from the north in the harbor.  As we left the harbor around 5:20, there was a strong northwesterly just off the beach and a strong northerly meeting it.  The start buoy was caught in the transition zone.  We waited until 5:45 before setting the buoy in the northerly breeze in effect at the start buoy.  We called course G2: Start, Gov, Blacks, finish and gave a five minute horn.

Pair A Dice wanted to start on starboard tack at the end of the line toward the beach.  As it turned out we were early and kept stalling and cleared the start mark end of the line just in time.  The wind was very strong, from the North clear to Gov with many headers and lifts along the way.  As it turns out Pair A Dice rounded Gov first with Tusitala right behind us.

On the reach back to Blacks, we stayed closer to shore to take advantage of the stronger north wind.  The further out you sailed, the closer you were to the transition zone and lighter wind.  As we approached Blacks, we had to run DDW wing on wing to round the mark to port.  This also allowed us to keep clear of Tusitala that was rounding the mark ahead of us.

At the finish, it was  Tusitala 32:17   , followed by Pair a Dice 32:23, Avatar 32:57, Sweet Pea (Dusk till Dawn) 41:24, and Sophia 43:53.  All times are elapsed and the distance of the course was 2.45NM.

STRATEGY AND BOAT HANDLING:

This night was similar to a drag race. How fast can you get your boat to go.  As always, a clean bottom helps but strategy and boat handling help also. For strategy, Pair A Dice stayed closer to shore to stay in the stronger north breeze.  Staying closer to shore required pointing higher without losing speed. This was difficult with all of the headers we were going through.  One little trick to point higher is to trim the sails so the rudder is 3 to 5 degrees off center so the trailing edge of the rudder is slightly toward the leeward side of the boat. This creates lift off of the rudder and allows higher pointing.

Another critical party of boat handling is performing an efficient tack.  This requires coordination between skipper and crew, and when done well, can increase your lead.  Race QS is a perfect tool to gauge how efficient your tacks are.  On this night Tusitala was executing tack after tack with zero time loss!  You can see this by looking at the Race QS track, choosing to compare two boats including Tusitala. When a tack is performed a white dot appears with a T in it. Clicking on this dot opens a box with 8 parameters judging how efficient your tack was.

The track for this night can be seen at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011635&divisionId=64847&updatedAt=2020-06-17T02:22:52Z&dt=2020-06-16T17:08:16-07:00..2020-06-16T19:22:41-07:00&boat=Dice&model=J24&time=1592352573786&focus=Dice&rival=Tusitala&tab=fleet&view=follow&lat=36.959245&lon=-122.007605&tilt=70&range=5603&heading=326

THINGS THAT GO KLUNK ON THE BOAT:

Windy nights like this can put any boat through its paces.  On Pair A Dice, right after we entered the stronger wind, we heard a klunk somewhere around the boom.  It happened a few more times emphasizing the need for further inspection at the dock.  When we proceeded to unfurl our headsail, it would only deploy halfway.  We checked everything and finally got it to deploy on the opposite tack.  After the race, we were unable to furl the jib which created a problem for us to retrieve the start line buoy.  Tusitala volunteered to retrieve the buoy (thank you Tusitala), while we dropped our jib and tied it to the deck.

We were not the only boat experiencing problems.  Pacific Spirit had to retire with a broken boom.  Jibes in strong winds are very tricky.  The forces at play are HUGE and if not finessed perfectly can lead to damage. I was not on Pacific Spirit, so I don’t know what happened, but in stronger wind it is critical to have something (mainsheet or traveler) not cleated to bleed off the energy of the jibe.  The energy should be bled off by hand.

I am looking forward to next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

JUNE 9, 2020

POST COVID WITH MIXED WIND

When I showed up to the harbor, I went through my normal procedure: check the flags for wind.  There was virtually no wind on any of the flags.  I was in the process of swapping from the 135 to the 155 jib when crew started showing up with reports of white caps clear to the beach.  We kept the 135 on which turned out to be a wise decision with the 19-20 knot winds. It was a northwest breeze.

We set the start line mark and notified the choice of course: Whiskey 1.  We were ready to blow the 5 minute horn at 5:55, but a few boats were still in the harbor so blew the horn at 6:00 for a 6:05 start.  We had about 15 boats out participating.  Pair A Dice set up for starboard tack start and  timed the line for a clean start right at the start buoy.

The wind was such that there was a lot more wind outside but more waves.  The water was smoother inside, but the wind decreased the further you went in.  This created a situation where all boat were tacking multiple times trying to thread the line up the middle.  This was exciting because it created as lot of crossing situations.  At wharf (Schuyler) mark, Tusitala was first around with  Patricia J, Avatar and Pair A Dice following.  

The downwind leg to Mile was uneventful but after rounding Mile, most of the boats sailed straight to Blacks, while Jason on Patricia J tried to capitalize on more wind outside.  The wind was still a strong northwest, but as we all approached Blacks, conditions got confused to say the least as we all entered the Blacks Point “parking lot”.  We thought we saw an Easterly start to build toward the beach, and Jason who was 60 yards ahead of us started showing that he was sailing on a faint Easterly.  Shortly we were all in a good Easterly and rounded Blacks, It was great to be sailing again but we weren’t there yet.  Right after rounding Blacks, we entered the same “parking lot” we had just been through which was a lot more challenging with waves on our bow.  I believe the race QS track shows us all moving backwards in the water!  It was an excruciating ten minutes of lack of control resulting in PAD conducting a rotating 360 degree turn.

When my worst fears of having to abandon the race were setting in, suddenly we were hit with an 11-15 knot NORTH wind which carried us all through the finish mark.  At the finish, it was Avatar 1:09.20, Patricia J 1:09.23, Pair A Dice 1:11.00, Sweet Pea 1:11.57, Pacific Spirit 1:12.08, Tusitala 1:12.14.  All times are elapsed and the course length was 4.04 Nautical miles.  Perfect 36 sailes also and finished just ahead of Pair A Dice but had no Race QS track uploaded.

RACE QS:

I encourage everyone to use the free Race QS app.  It is a free app that you download on your phone and it provides a wealth of information about your boat handling so you can improve.  It is also the only way to be included with your time in the blog and be recognized for you effort.

OBSERVATION:

This evening was a classic case of using observation to your advantage. At Blacks we observed that Jason sailing 60 yards ahead of us was sailing in a very faint Easterly and set our sails up for that point of sail.  Other observations that can be used are texture of wind on the water, flags and even birds sitting in the water (they usually float with their beaks toward the wind!). 

CROSSING SITUATIONS:

There were many crossing situations on this night.  I am out of practice on this point.  My crew knows that they can always point out boats close to us, but the responsibility falls on the skipper’s shoulders to be aware and yield when you should yield.  Before the 5 minute horn, we were sailing on port tack with all of the other boats and had about 3 boats visible off the port bow.  Suddenly we were hailed as a boat (unknown to us) was approaching on starboard but concealed by our jib.   This is embarrassing to me, but I point it out to emphasize the importance of keeping an eye out.  Usually, when sailing in crowded conditions before starts I will take quick little alters in course  that let me keep an eye out for all boats.  This tactic, while it lets you see the whole horizon, can be confusing to other boats.  If in tight quarters, it is best to steer a straight line so other boats can anticipate where you are going.

Kudos to Doug on Avatar.  He tacked onto port in front of us close to wharf (Schuyler).  I hailed starboard, but his boat accelerated and he cleared us easily.  Talk about knowing your boat!

THE POST RACE DANCE:

After we finish the race, Pair A Dice cannot “head for the barn” until we retrieve our start buoy.  This can be a challenge if other boats are sailing close to the area.  I appreciate comradery, but retrieving the buoy is more important to me than congeniality at this point.  Please give room for PAD to retrieve the buoy.  Thank you!

See you next week.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice