APRIL 15, 2025 THE WIND DIES ONCE AGAIN

 APRIL15, 2025

THE WIND DIES ONCE AGAIN

On Avatar, we learned an important pre-start lesson. With ten minutes to the B fleet start, we were busy making some last minute sail trim adjustments. At five minutes to our start, I looked up and realized that the A fleet had just started, and we were directly upwind from the start line. There were a lot of fast A fleet boats on (starboard track no less) racing directly at us. Not wanting to interfere, we executed a panic jibe and managed to get back to the pre-start side of the line before being run over, but just barely. Moral: do your pre-start preparations off to the side and well away from the start area.
:As Mark observed, during the upwind leg to Schuyler, different boats tried different strategies to find the best wind. On this Tuesday, the boats who stayed offshore seemed to find a bit more.

For the downwind leg back to S/F, the wind slowed down to 4 kts, but the direction remained fairly steady. About half of the fleet set up whisker poles and sailed close to the rhumb line directly toward the finish.  It was slow going, with most boats moving at around 2 kts. The usual strategy of sailing off the wind to heat up their boat speed didn’t seem to make much of a difference under the light air conditions. A few boats decided to head for a different finish at the club, and turned on their engines.

It was a lively scene at the club, between the bar and the tacos.

Doug.

Douglas Mahone
doug@dmahone.com
(916) 541-6607

Thanks to Doug for the great recap of tonight's race.

PHRF CORRECTED TIME COURSE DISTANCE WAS 1.17NM

PLACE           BOAT                          PHRF             ELAPSED     CORRECTED

FLEET A

1          ABORIGINAL                        33                  43:45              43:06

2          INTERLUDE                         141                 49:16              46:31

3          TRUE LOVE                         72                    48:10              46:45

4          ROSIE                                    162                 57:52              54:42

5          WIND II                                  213                 59:46              55:36

FLEET B

1          AVATAR                                 132                 53:02              50:26

2          SAILING PAIR A DICE        180                 57:46              54:14

3            PACIFIC SPIRIT                   165                1:03:45            60:32 

4          MAKANI                                 147                1:04:52           62:00

APRIL 8 2025 GREAT WIND UNTIL IT DIES

 

APRIL 8, 2025

GREAT WIND UNTIL IT DIES

This week started with ideal sailing conditions: warm and sunny, nice westerly blowing, relatively calm sea. We counted seventeen boats out, although some seemed not to be racing. There were more Moore 24 and SC 27’s than usual, probably due to the upcoming races this weekend.

Barry was out of town, so Doug Mahone is filling in to write this report.  Mark McCord, Fred Molnar and friends took out Pair-a-Dice and ran the race. They called for course W1 (Start, Schuyler, Mile, Blacks, Finish), with the usual 7:55p A Fleet and 6:00p B fleet starts.

 

 

The club marks were newly in the water after their winter of R&R (thank you!). The Start/Finish mark is in a new location about 500 yards west of its former position, and the Blacks mark has been moved farther south. The new locations basically puts Start/Finish on the line from Blacks to Schuyler, about halfway between them, which opens opportunities for better race courses. The coordinates of these two new mark locations are: BLACKS 225 N36.57.1132  W121.59.04.

S/F 25 N36.57.1087  W121.59.8297
The races started on time, with no problems that I am aware of. Because of the good breeze, there was some nice, competitive racing among both fleets. Fleet A was led by Aboriginal, the double Espresso, Avatar and Interlude.  Fleet B was led by Perfect 36 the PAD, Nidaros and Kicks. The second and third legs, to Mile and Blacks, were lovely broad reaches, with no whisker poles, and few adjustments in position. The biggest challenges arose because the wind was dying as the fleet approached Blacks. This started at the front of the fleet, compressing it as boats farther back quickly caught up. After the first boats rounded Blacks, the wind speed dropped below a knot. Some thought this was a transition to an easterly, and drifted toward the beach. Others thought there was still some westerly breeze farther offshore and headed out. The back end of the fleet were stuck in a big hole by Blacks, just bobbing around. Flags onshore briefly showed a southeasterly breeze, but it never arrived.

And that was pretty much the end of the racing.  Some boats turned on their “iron jennies” and headed for home. An ignominious end to a lively evening on the water. A few boats managed to finish: ** list **.  Congratulations to them and their stalwart crews (and the luck of getting to the finish before the wind died completely).

Let’s hope for better luck next week.
—————-

Those of you with a different perspective on the race, let me know if there’s anything else to report.

Doug.

Douglas Mahone
doug@dmahone.com
(916) 541-6607

Since the wind died and many boats did not finish, after reviewing the RACE QS track of the valiant boats that drifted in the dead wind, I believe it is best to retrospectively finish the race at Blacks where most boats finished.  Apologies to those that finished at S/F that had no finish time for Blacks  (no Race QS track).  The course distance finishing at blacks was 3.33 NM.

Thanks to Doug Mahone  and Mark McCord for your  work!

CORRECTIONS:I do my best to include all boats that participate in the results.  I knew Aboriginal was out on this night but with the unusual shortening of course after the fact, Aboriginal was excluded from the results. The closest boat to Aboriginal was True Love which did present times for both Black and Start/ Finish.  I used the difference in the S/F finish times between Aboriginal and True Love and applied this difference in time for the rounding of Blacks to come up with a Blacks finish time  for  Aboriginal.  I also had made an error in True Love's corrected time in the blog. 

1                            ABORIGINAL                               33            28:01

2                            TRUE LOVE                                72             36:05

 3                            AVATAR                                      132           37:04                                        

4                            DOUBLE ESPRESSO                  99            38:51

5                             INTERLUDE                               141          40:30

FLEET B:

1                           PERFECT 36                                    144       40:24

2                             PAIR  A DICE                                 180       43:24

3                             NIDAROS                                       118       48:43

4                             KICKS                                             180       51:27                 

MARCH 25, 2025 FINALLY SAILING, BUT IN THE FOG

 

MARCH 25,2025

FINALLY SAILING, BUT IN THE FOG

I got to the harbor early in the afternoon with clear conditions and plenty of wind in the 12-15 knot range.  Predictions were for the wind to die as the evening progressed.  As we left the harbor at 5pm the fog had set in limiting our visibility to about 200 yards.  This added to the chill in the air, but of more concern was that the wind, as predicted, was decreasing and changing directions constantly.  When we first got to the start area, the direction had the wind coming from 250.  We set a start line mark square to this direction but by the time of the start the wind had changed almost 90 degrees coming from the south. The change in direction was just one of our problems as the wind strength was constantly changing ranging from 4 knots to 9 knots. How do you call  a race  in these conditions?  We called for a course from the start line at S/F to finish at Gov with the finish line being an extension of the line from Jetty Light house through Gov.  We blew the “10 minute horn” at 5:50 and 3 boats started in A Fleet at 5:55. Most of the boats started in B Fleet.

At the finish. Fleet A was  led by Sagittarius 13:09, then Tusitala 14:04, Good Timin' ~16:46 and Rosie 23:03. Fleet B was led by Zoop 11:08, then Avatar 12:21, Perfect 36 12:58, Nidaros 13:45.Sailing  Pair A Dice 15:59, Big  Mac 16:56,  Pacific Spirit 17:48, Josie 21:45 and Wind Goddess 21:51.  All times are elapsed and the course length was 0.73NM.

After not being able to sail for the last two Tuesdays, it was awesome to be able to finally sail even if in the fog. The icing on the cake was the awesome Barbecue we had after the race!

SAILING IN THE FOG

  

PHRF CORRECTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   CORRECTED TIME

FLEET A:

1                             SAGITTARIUS                  120                       11:41

2                             TUSITALA                          92                        12:54

3                              GOOD TIMIN'                    141                      15:03    

4                             ROSIE                                 162                       21:04

FLEET B:

1                             ZOOP                                  144                        9:24

2                             AVATAR                              132                      10:44

3                             PERFECT 36                      144                       11:12

4                             NIDAROS                          108                       12:19

5                             SAILING PAIR A DICE     180                      13:46

6                             BIG MAC                            222                      14:14

7                             PACIFIC SPIRIT                 165                      15:47

8                             JOSIE                                   243                      18:47

9                             WIND GODDESS               165                       19:48

A REMINDER:

It is important for B Fleet to stay clear of the start line when A Fleet is starting.  The last thing any sailor wants in a race is an obstruction on the line for the start.

 

A lot of things fly under the radar and do not get noticed.  This last weekend was work day at the club and many people showed up to help.  I played a minor role in refurbishing the barbecue on the lower deck. Leading in the BBQ project was Mike Gross who took all of the working parts home and spent hours welding and cleaning  the parts to make the BBQ look and work like new.  He also spent time cleaning the stainless steel parts around  the grill.  Notice the stainless steel chain for lowering and raising the grill.  It has never been cleaner.   Thank you Mike for all of your hard work  and thanks to everyone that showed up to keep the club in pristine condition!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

MARCH 18, 2025 SEA-ZURE

 

SEA-ZURE

We are blessed to live in a seaside town and many of us enjoy assorted ocean activities.  Indeed, many of us are obsessed with the ocean.  Surfing, Wind surfing, Kite surfing, paddling, fishing, boating and sailing play a huge part in many of our lives.    Our obsession with the  ocean requires serious consideration when deciding whether it is safe to enter the ocean.  Experience and physical stamina are critical considerations when making these decisions.

When I surfed, I had a work schedule that allowed  me to surf every day of the week.  This added to my experience and fitness.  Fitness is critical in surfing. Years later I was only able to surf  2-3 times a week.  I went to Moss Landing one day and there was an awesome 8 foot swell with waves breaking with the force of freight trains.   When I was in shape, I thought nothing of surfing much larger waves than 8 feet.  I knew I was not in shape to surf the “freight train” waves and was walking toward the jetty where waves were a milder 6 foot. As I walked the beach, the 8 foot freight trains were beckoning and, against my better judgement, I  jumped in and started paddling.  Ten minutes later I was only 20 feet off the beach, but continued to paddle and duck-dive the waves.  Finally I made it to green water and while huffing and puffing, thought I was in the clear until I  saw an 8 footer grinding  toward me being square in the impact zone. When in shape, you paddle harder,  duck-dive early and  deep and pop out the back of the wave.  When out of shape like I was, you paddle up the face of the wave, try to duck-dive at the top and get sucked over the falls backward. Not a fun experience.  Once  I made it to the surface, I grabbed my board and was swept to the beach in 3 seconds. I went to the mellow waves by the jetty and had a great time.

 

Laticla Mexico 1983 was this a SEA-ZURE? NO IT WAS FUN

  I would like to coin a new word to describe what many of us experience when dealing with the ocean.  A seizure is a medical condition that involves “abnormal electrical activity in the brain”.  I propose the term SEA-zure: When you get to the water and  feel the beckoning of the sea and cannot resist the need to partake regardless how risky the conditions are.  This “attraction for  the sea” is not just something seasoned sportsmen experience.  How many people, visiting from inland, are lost every year being swept off the beach just to drown. Did they have a SEA-zure that  drew them closer to the danger of the ocean?

SOLO SAILING IN THESE CONDITIONS SEA-ZURE OR FUN? HE SAFELY MADE THE HARBOR!

i really wanted to sail on the last two Tuesdays, but the conditions predicted were way off on both days with waves breaking across the entrance.    My primary consideration is the safety of all sailors and boats, I cannot succumb to a Sea-zure and entice boats to exit the harbor in these conditions.  It was best to cancel the race on both Tuesdays.

NEXT TUESDAY IS THE LAST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH WHICH IS BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE CLUB.  WE WILL HAVE THE BARBECUE WHETHER CONDITIONS PERMIT SAILING OR NOT.  BRING YOUR BEST FOOD AND MEAT TO GRILL AND SHARE FOR THIS AWESOME EVENT!

I HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY, ON THE WATER ABD/OR AT THE GRILL.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

MARCH 4, 2025 GREAT SAILING BETWEEN THE STORMS

 

MARCH 4, 2025

GREAT SAILING BETWEEN THE STORMS

It has been a challenging spring with shoaling at the harbor, big waves and rain as storms pass through.  I was quite surprised that everything settled down for this Tuesday’s sail.  The prediction for wind was 7 to 10 knots which is enough to get a race off.  As we left the harbor at 3:30 there was a steady but light breeze across the bay. We approached the S/F temporary mark and determined the wind was coming from 250 degrees and set a line square to this direction.  With the course being to Mile and back, the port end of the line was too favored so we adjusted the line to be more square to mile.

As boats filed out of the harbor, we called the course as the wind seemed to be increasing.  We blew the 5-minute horn at 4:25 for a 4:30 start.  We had a clean start as all six boats beat their way toward Mile.   The first to round Mile was Aquavit followed by Pacific Spirit, Pair A Dice, Avatar, Big Mac and Kicks.  Late to the party but still sailing the course was Azor, a Santana 22.

After rounding Mile, all boats sailed downwind in a freshening breeze toward the finish. Aquavit was first to cross the line 23:14, closely followed by Pacific Spirit 23:48, Pair A Dice 23:58, Avatar 24:36, Big Mac 26:06, and Kicks 28.44.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 2.10NM.

It was awesome to be back out on the water getting some great sailing between the storms.

 

 

PHRF CORRECTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                                   PHRF                   ADJUSTED TIME

1             SAILING PAIR A DICE                                180                       17:44

2             PACIFIC SPIRIT                                            165                       18:01

3             BIG MAC                                                        222                       18:20

4             AVATAR                                                          132                       20:02

5             AQUAVIT                                                        72                          20:42

6             KICKS                                                              180                       22:09

 

RACE QS:

The track for this evening can be reviewed at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=105405&updatedAt=2025-03-05T03:08:02Z&dt=2025-03-04T16:15:27-08:00..2025-03-04T19:07:51-08:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1741134787751&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Avatar&tab=fleet&view=match

TIME CHANGE:

 Daylight Savings time starts this Sunday, March 9.  This means next Tuesday, if conditions permit, we will start the season with a 6 o’clock start.  As usual, we will blow one horn at 10 minutes until 6 which will be a 5 minute horn for fleet A and a 10 minute horn for fleet B.  Though the marks are not out, we will come up with a course.  If you have not registered, go to:  SCYC.org/Regattas.  Find Tuesday Night races, click on register to open the registration page.  Once you register, I will see that you get the new course card.

I am excited to get another season of Tuesday Night Sailing started.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

FEBRUARY 11, 2025 CHALLENGING CHILLY CONDITIONS ALSO TIDES AND RULE OF TWELFTHS

 

FEBRUARY11, 2025

CHALLENGING CHILLY CONDITIONS

 

The final prediction was for winds up to 17 knots but with an ominous warning about “chilly conditions”.   The biggest question was about entrance conditions. I called the harbor on Monday and the person that takes the soundings said he was not able to get readings  because of the heavy anchovy presence in the harbor.  I was disappointed but got a call from the same person on Tuesday that a reading was taken and posted which was a huge boost in confidence.  We could at least get some smaller boats out.

 Whether the entrance was too risky or the chilly conditions were the cause, we had only four boats that came out with one retiring before the start.  We established a start line in an area close to Blacks and called for a course to round Mile to port and finish with southern end of the start line to port. Finish line being an extension of the line from lighthouse through the end of the line.   Some boats were slow getting to the start line area so we blew the horn at 3:35 for a 3:40 start.

The conditions for the beginning of the race saw winds over 20 knots which intensified the “chill factor”.   As the race started, we saw the wind drop to15 to 17 knots but we kept the reef in anticipating more wind outside which played out as anticipated.  Pair A Dice was first around Mile followed by Big Mac and Kicks.  On the way back to the finish line it was difficult trying to find the marks we had set.  At the finish it was Pair a Dice first 34:14 followed  by Big Mac 34:42 and Kicks  47:37.  Times are elapsed and the course distance was  2.59 NM.

Despite the chill in the air which we all had dressed for, it was great to see three boats finish in such challenging chilly conditions.

PHRF CORRECTED RESULTS

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   CORRECTED TIME

1             BIG MAC                                            222                       25:06

2             SAILING PAIR A DICE                     180                       26:28

3             KICKS                                                 180                       39:48

RACE QS:

The track for this evening can be reviewed at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=105113&updatedAt=2025-02-12T01:02:47Z&dt=2025-02-11T15:16:02-08:00..2025-02-11T16:54:24-08:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1739319314300&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Kicks&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.950705&lon=-121.986923&tilt=34&range=276&heading=344

TIDES AND THE RULE OF TWELFTHS:

Because of our shoaling harbor entrance tides play a large factor in our ability to get out of the harbor.  But tides affect many factors for different reasons in different areas.  Tides play a huge factor in anticipating currents in the San Francisco bay or currents in reef passages in the tropics, it’s good to know about the rule of twelfths to anticipate how strong currents will be at a certain time or to estimate accurately the water height at a certain time. I believe Ernie Ridout was the first to inform me about this over dinner years ago and I used it extensively when I had to tabernacle to get out of the upper harbor.

In essence, high tides and low tides are about 6 hours apart.  The difference between High and low tide varies according to the alignment of heavenly bodies.  Using the rule of twelfths, you take the difference between high and low tide.  As an example we will use a difference of 6  feet which is about what we may get in Monterey bay.  We divide this distance by 12 which gives increments of 6 inches.  The progression of the rule of twelfths is that the first hour after high or low tide will give a 6-inch difference (for this example) in water height. The second hour will give 2/12ths (1 foot difference).   The progression for each hour using the rule is:  1/12, 2/12, 3/12, 3/12, 2/12, 1/12.   This means that the most rapid change is halfway between high and low tide with the change being 3/12 (1.5 feet in this example) for each of  the two hours encompassing the time in the middle of high and low tide.

Below is what it looks like if there was a 6 METER difference between high and low tide.

 

I hope this helps us all in dealing with our harbor shoaling.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice