TUESDAY JULY 22, 2014: CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING IN MONTEREY BAY: RACING WITH THE WHALES

Tuesday July 22,2014

RACING WITH THE WHALES

Cloudy, foggy, low marine cover, blowing stink, no wind at all, cold, damp, wet and wild, white knuckle ride: all typical descriptions for sailing in Santa Cruz but not tonight!  We had a very clear, warm evening with 12 to 15 knots of wind blowing out of the northwest with abundant LARGE sealife apparent everywhere.  With about 10 boats out for the fun and steady wind, we decided on course four: Start, wharf, Gov, Finish.  We decided on a shorter course so the wind wouldn’t die on us again before we all finished the course.

For our start on Pair A Dice, we wanted to be on the line at the pin, but found we were a little early.  We went through stalling maneuvers early so we could speed up at the last and hit the line at speed. We were happy with our position at the start, but were surprised to see Makani upwind of us and slightly ahead of us.  We slowly crept up until we were lee bowing him and tacked over for wharf.  Homer had tacked over earlier and was way inside. Makani sailed out a little further then followed us over.  Ultimately we were able to point a little higher and Makani ducked below our stern.

Pair a Dice rounded wharf comfortably ahead of Makani and the fleet. We romped on into Gov, keeping an eye on Makani as they attempted to pass us to windward.  We rounded Gov and set the pole on our way to the finish, keeping our eyes on the wind.  Any dying of the wind could mean the whole fleet compressing down on us.  The wind held for us and we rounded start/finish just ahead of Makani followed by Pacific Spirit. We were sailing the line between start and the lighthouse to witness one of the closest finishes to date as Aeolian squeaked by Blue Ribbon at the finish.

This night was very special: clear, flat water, warm and whales all over the place.  It is very difficult to concentrate on sailing and racing with so many whales splashing all over the place.

Equipment and winning races:

I  have owned my boat for 13 years and have made modifications and added equipment that make sailing and racing much easier.  Some of the modifications I have made that have helped are: installation of inside jib tracks with adjustable fairleads (better pointing),installation of solid vang and garhauer traveler. I also installed enough blocks so the mainsheet can be easily and quickly tuned and adjusted without the normal leading of the mainsheet through deck fixtures to the cabin-top winch. This normal arrangement makes it difficult to quickly adjust the main sheet.

I have also experimented with different whisker poles, settling on a forespar telescoping pole which I modified by installing a jam cleat to hold the extending line in the correct position.  Also having a proper inventory of sails for different conditions helps.  My biggest jib is a 155.

Though all of these modifications help, they certainly don’t win races every time.  One tactical blunder or even a strand of kelp can leave you staring at the sterns of boats sailing ahead of you.

 

THIS COMING TUESDAY THE 29^TH WILL BE BARBECUE NIGHT AT SCYC.  BE SURE TO BRING YOUR FAVORITE GRILLING FOOD.

Barry L. Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

 

 

CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING MONTEREY BAY TUESDAY NIGHT: WHEN THE WIND GODS SMILE

JULY 15, 2014

WHEN THE WIND GODS SMILE

It did not look like a good night for sailing, overcast and gloomy. Hot, humid and muggy to boot!  I cheered up a bit when we exited the harbor and saw 8-9 boats milling around the start mark and more boats coming out of the harbor. The wind seemed like it was not going to die off, coming from the South at 8-12 knots.  I could not find an appropriate course on the chart so decided to improvise with: Start-Mile-gov-start/finish with a 6:10 start time.

 On Pair a dice we decided to run the line and harden up right at the start on starboard tack.  We had a good start but Makani was to windward and ahead as we started.  We tweaked our sails for maximum trim and slowly sailed ahead of them and were able to climb up enough to lee-bow them.  As we approached Mile, we were trying to decide when to tack over to close the gap between us and Mile when we sailed into a huge lift that nearly took us right to the mark.  The wind was not holding up as well as predicted and we saw many boats behind us sailing in less wind.  We made certain to overstand the mark so we would not have to tack more than once since a tack in light winds is very costly.  As we rounded mile, it looked like no wind at all at Gov and we thought we would see compression of all of the boats around that mark.  We checked for all signs to see what the wind was doing toward shore: Flags on the pier and Casino, which way were the anchored boats facing?  As we approached it looked like the wind was filling from the north so we took the mark more to the north to compensate.  As we approached Gov the wind actually increased as we looked back on the other boats on a glassy, mirror of an ocean.

This race was not over yet! All we needed was for the wind to stay with us until we got to Start/Finish.  We were very fortunate to ride this puff all the way to the mark.  We were followed by Blue Ribbon, Diver Down, Sea Quake (C&C29), Makani then Pacific Spirit in a hard fought battle in slow motion.

I wish I could say that we predicted all of the variant wind conditions.  I felt sorry for the boats that got caught in very little wind and quit to motor in.  Lord knows I have been in enough of these slow motion, get-your-calendar-out-for-the-finish-time races.  All I can say is sometimes it seems like the wind gods are smiling on you! Thinking back, I should have bought a lottery ticket that night!

HOW GOOD IS YOUR GAME?

It has really been fun seeing everyone pull their game up this season.   Last week after 4 miles of racing we had 5 boats round Blacks at the same time!  I have been an avid racer for several years, even competing in 2 national regattas.  I must say national regattas are the ultimate high!  How do you prepare for these regattas? You race in every venue possible: Tuesday nights, Big Brother Big Sister, the Score series (SCYC), Midwinters.  The list goes on and on.

There are several basic steps you must complete to compete in many of these regatta’s.  In order to register you must have an affiliation (yacht club membership).  Of course in our venue, you can’t go wrong joining the SCYC.  An alternative is to join US Sailing for less than $50 a year.  After you have your affiliation set, you will need a PHRF certificate.  This is a form asking about your boat type and sail inventory and costs $20 a year.  After these two steps, it is good to have a regular committed crew that works well together.

It is great fun getting together for our Tuesday nights, but when you start racing in official races and do well, you actually get hardware (trophies) to show to your friends. 

Looking forward to next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

TUESDAY JULY 8: CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING IN MONTEREY BAY. PROPER TACTICS WINS RACES

Tuesday July 8, 2014

PROPER TACTICS WINS RACE 

As we were exiting the harbor, there was plenty of wind coming from the northwest, but a cold damp fog bank hanging off shore.  With 10 to 15 knots of wind and no hint of it backing off, we decided on the same course as last week: course number 1, with a 6:10 start time. We had twelve boats out for the fun.

Once again, it was an exciting start, with all major contenders right on the line on time.  On Pair A Dice, we were happy with our start being to windward of Makani and another boat just ahead of us and to leeward.  We were happy with our position until we noticed Diver Down creeping up behind us just windward of us.  We tacked over and ducked Diver Down trying to use the inside advantage, but found we were in the wind shadow of Pacific  Spirit which was trying to close the gap Iris had opened with their head start.  We attempted to sail lower to pass Pacific Spirit but were not able to pass them.  We finally tacked over for clear air and passed in front of Makani.  We thought there was more wind outside where the fog line was, and  continued on outside separating from the rest of the fleet.  When we finally tacked over and approached the layline for the wharf mark rounding, we realized our error in separating so much from the fleet as Iris, Diver Down, Pacific Spirit, Blue Ribbon and Makani had all opened a sizeable lead on us.  We finally rounded Wharf and started toward Mile trying to close the gap.

We rounded Mile and extended our pole. As we witnessed Iris, Diver Down, Pacific Spirit and Makani all in a pack aiming low to Blacks, we attempted  to sail higher like Blue Ribbon thinking we could heat it up to round the mark.  It was amazing after over 4 miles of racing to have 5 boats rounding Blacks all at once with Pair A Dice in close pursuit.  We all tried to judge the best layline to make the 5 boatlength finish area by the start/finish mark, but we all got headed and had to tack over to make the line. Blue Ribbon was the first over the line followed by Diver Down, Iris, Pacific Spirit and Makani with Pair a Dice coming in sixth.

Tactical errors:

The thing that is so great about our Catalina Tuesdays is the ability to analyze your performance after each race. I encourage all crews to go through this exercise, even if you win!  Get opinions from the whole crew:  What did we do right?  What did we do wrong?  How could we improve in the future?  It can also be a learning experience for the skipper by getting opinions and self analysis.  Questions such as: Was I using too much helm? Was I pinching too much?  Were my tacks smooth and efficient?   Once again, it is all about learning and improving your sailing.

Our analysis on Pair a Dice came up with several major tactical errors for this night.

- We should have analyzed the direction of the wind to determine to preferred end of the line.  This night, the pin end was not favored and Diver Down correctly chose the right end of the line.

-We sailed too long in Pacific Spirit’s bad wind and attempting to roll them to leeward got us even further from the mark.  We should have tacked over for clear air much sooner than we did.

-We separated ourselves too much from the fleet sailing way outside and when sailing further in got headed horribly.  We should have tacked over to take advantage of the header rather than sailing even further from the fleet.

Here’s looking forward to next Tuesday for some more fun!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

 

 

 

JULY 1, 2014 CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING IN MONTEREY BAY: THE IMPORTANCE OF A GREAT START

JULY 1, 2014

THE IMPORTANCE OF A GREAT START

Another beautiful Santa Cruz evening. This time it was overcast, but there was a steady 10 knot breeze coming from the northwest with a little south in it.  Since there was no hint of the wind dying off, we decided on our most ambitious course: course number one with a 6:10 start time.  There were 9 boats out for the fun.

On Sailing Pair A Dice, we were early to the mark and had to stall to prevent going over the line early.  Meanwhile, both Pacific Spirit and Makani timed the line perfectly  and came charging across the line, right on time with speed.   At least three boats had the idea to get outside to more wind, but with both Makani and Pacific Spirit to our windward we had to tack over to clear our air. Makani sailed a little further, then tacked over attempting to cover us.  Meanwhile Pacific Spirit got the better of it with increasing wind outside and nobody giving them bad wind.   After we tacked over toward the wharf, we noticed that Makani was slightly upwind but behind us.   We slowly pinched up to the point where we were lee-bowing them, giving them bad wind and slowing them down.  We went clear to the lay line for wharf and tacked over.  Pacific Spirit did very well outside and rounded wharf comfortably in front of all of us.  Pair A Dice rounded just ahead of Emeritus and Aeolian.

On the slog to Mile, Emeritus tried valiantly to steal our wind, but we were just able to keep clear.  When just downwind of a competitor, you can tell if you are in their bad wind by looking at their windex on their mast: if the tail of their windex is pointing at your sail, you are screwed.  You must do everything you can do to prevent this position!

We rounded Mile and headed to Blacks. With our whisker pole working well, we pulled ahead of Emeritus and closed some of the distance between Pacific Spirit and us, but they rounded Blacks comfortably in front of us.  Pacific Spirit won tonight with a wide lead over Pair A dice  which came in Second, followed by Aeolian then Makani.

Another great night of sailing exemplifying the importance of a good start.

Great Starts:

Learning how to start well comes with practice.  What better way can you get practice starting than Catalina Tuesdays?  From my experience the best starts in our heavy boats consist of hitting the line right on time (better to be late than early) at speed in clear air.  Sounds pretty complicated and it can be for sure.  Starts always seem to have more boats in close proximity, so it is critical to know the rules and how to use them to your advantage. Tonight was a perfect example of how difficult it can be to overcome the advantage of a great start.  Pacific Spirit and crew executed a perfect start and never looked back.

There are several things a sailor can do to improve starts.  I think the most important way is to learn time and distance.  Simply how long will it takes to cover a certain distance?  The good starting skippers always have a sixth sense for this skill.  This is something that comes with practice in normal sailing.  Pick a spot in the water and estimate how long it will take to get there at your current speed.  With practice you will get better at this.  After learning this skill, it is also important to know rules and tactics which can be learned by reading the many books on these subjects.

We will see you next Tuesday. 
 

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

                       Makani trying to roll us

    Toad tacks for wharf

 
Pacific Spirit in the lead

CATALINA TUESDAYS JUNE 24,2014: THE NIGHT OF SHIFTING WINDS

Tuesday June 24, 2014

THE NIGHT OF SHIFTING WINDS

Talk about changing conditions! As we left the harbor, it was apparent the wind was going to be light, so we swapped out to a larger head sail. What was the wind going to do?  By the time we got to the start mark, there was a light Easterly blowing, so we were trying to come up with an East wind course.  One of the boats out toward Mile reported great Northwest wind out there. We could not find a proper course, so once again came up with an impromptu course.  Start to Mile and back to start.  It seemed like it was going to be a very short race as we sailed out into an increasing wind.

With an excellent start and a larger headsail, Sailing Pair A Dice broadened the lead over the rest of the boats. We rounded Mile comfortably in front of the fleet and headed back toward the start/finish mark.  Little did we know that we were in for yet more wind shifts. As we approached the finish mark, the wind seemed to die and all of the boats seemed to be compressing and getting closer to us.  This was not going to be a slam-dunk after all!  With a very light easterly starting to blow and a current fighting against us, we tried to round the finish mark and failed.  We tacked again as the other boats were getting closer and attempted a second rounding of the mark.  The current once again tried to sweep us into the mark.  Finally, on the third try we successfully rounded the mark just ahead of the other boats that were sweeping in on us.  Next to round was Blue Ribbon just ahead of Iris who was just ahead of Sea Quake (C&C 29) then Pacific Spirit.  I think all of the boats fought the same battle trying to round the finish mark with very light wind with a current fighting against them.

There were several things that occurred during this race that worked in Sailing Pair a Dice’s favor.  There is no denying that a larger jib in  lighter wind helps.  Bruce Vessey was our skipper and he did a masterful job at setting us up for a perfect start, despite all of the competition on the line.  As we sailed toward Mile, there were some boats to windward but behind us.  There was temptation to tack over to stay between our competitors and Mile which is a normal tactical move.  This idea was negated by the fact that we were sailing into more wind the further we went out.  The old “sail to more wind” rule trumped other decisions. As we attempted to round the finish mark, our error was not staying on our tacks (in light wind) long enough to get momentum up.  Sometimes being impatient, and tacking too early in these conditions can work against you.  We gave a lot of our lead up to competitors with our impatience and tacking too early.

We had a great barbecue at the club, with over 40 people gathered discussing sailing and strategy and enjoying great food and companionship.

Barging Part II: 

In the last blog, I bloviated about barging.  It is absolutely true that barging is a risky move which often doesn’t work out well.  If you can work it out so you approach the line on a beam reach, you are going faster than boats on a close reach.  Being faster means you can squirt out ahead of competitors, so it can work to your advantage, but you must know the rules and abide by them. When can you barge and have it work out?  Obviously in a reverse PHRF start, the line can be nearly empty so you can be successful barging.  Frequently, competing boats will approach the line early and must run the line so they are not over early.  This can leave the door wide open to cross right at the preferred end of the line. The important thing is to know the rules, realize when you are wrong, accept your position and act accordingly.

Weight:

I mentioned the importance of weight a couple of postings back.  Why is weight or the lack thereof important?  If you had to pick up 100 pounds and carry it 100 yards, it would require a bit of energy. When we are sailing, we are trying to harness the energy of the wind.  Obviously, if there is a lot of wind, excess weight is not as critical as in lighter wind, but it still requires energy to move the excess weight.  Tonight, It was interesting watching the boats round the finish mark and seeing the lighter boats accelerate in the light wind and pass the heavier boats.

So how do you eliminate weight on the boat?  Obviously, any tools not currently needed can be removed and any other things not needed can also be removed.  Always remember: Boats are not meant to be storage lockers!  Are holding tanks empty?  The crew on the boat can also be displaced for proper heel.  Getting people out of the cockpit and up on the rail can be a tremendous help.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING ON MONTEREY BAY ON TUESDAY NIGHTS

June 17, 2014

TACTICS OR STRATEGY

It really doesn’t get better than this.  A beautiful warm evening with a nice Easterly blowing 10 knots with signs of increasing with time.  As I looked over the course chart for an acceptable course to run, nothing seemed to fit. We needed a course that stayed close to the beach for the building Easterly, but without a long downwind slog against the waves.  We decided on a course that was not on the chart.  Start to Blacks,  then to GOV then finish at the start mark.  The boats seemed to be streaming out of the harbor nonstop until we had about 10-12 boats.  We decided on a start time of 6:10 and everyone started their starting routine.

By the time of the start, most of the boats were on the line right on time.  On Pair A Dice, we were in a position to windward of Diver Down and to Leeward of TOAD and Pacific Spirit.  Diver Down, Pacific Spirit and Toad seemed to cross the line in unison and Pair a Dice fell in right behind Toad right at the mark.  We immediately tightened our sails for sailing hard on the wind, attempting to climb above Toad and Pacific Spirit.  It was a straight beat to the mark and everyone made it without having to tack.  It was a beautiful sight to see all of the boats rounding blacks nearly at once.  All the boats were then on a run to Gov attempting to out maneuver the competitors.  On Pair a Dice we deployed our whisker pole and started working our way through the pack.   One by one we passed each boat.  Since we were finally in the lead, valiant attempts were made by several boats to steal or wind and slow us down. By the time we got to Gov, we had a good lead on the whole fleet.

As we rounded Gov, the decision had to be made, inside or outside.  We felt with a building Easterly that there would be more wind toward the beach and tacked over soon after rounding Gov.  The boats that went outside made the correct decision as the wind filled in from the outside.  On the first crossing, Homer on Blue Ribbon passed us and we passed in front of Diver Down and Pacific Spirit.  By the second crossing Diver down crossed in front of us.  Homer’s Blue Ribbon was first with Diver Down being the first Catalina and Pair a Dice next then Pacific Spirit and Aeolian.  It was great seeing all of the boats crossing the line right after each other.  Ultimately, the boats that went outside got the better wind and generally did better, demonstrating that  it’s correct strategic decisions  that often determines the winners.

We had a great meeting over dinner at Johnnies with over 20 people showing up.  A perfect end to the night of sailing, discussing tactics and boating in a casual atmosphere.

Darn Sailing Rules:

Racing sailboats has many components: boat speed, strategy (which part of the course has the most wind) and tactics (using the rules of racing to out fox competitors).   In order to race fairly, rules should be known and followed.  While rules are in effect at all times, there are two main times when following rules is critical because boats are in such close proximity:  At the start and rounding marks. At starts the rules that apply are the section A rules which define right of way.  Rule 11 states: Boats on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat.  This means a leeward boat can legally luff up a windward boat, making them cross the line before the start or crowd out a boat attempting to clear an end of the start line.  This makes it unwise to approach an end to the line if other boats are to your leeward.  The boat to leeward will hail “You are BARGING –NO ROOM”.  We have all tried barging, and when caught barging, your only option is to turn short of the pin end, jibe around and start after everyone is clear.  Of course none of us wants to wreck our boat; so  sometimes, boats will allow a barging boat room especially in beer can races.  Barging is not following the rules and will leave you in a vulnerable position that leaves you in poor position or worse a damaged boat.

 It is important to distinguish that a start is not rounding a mark!  Rule 18 governs mark roundings and does entitle boats to mark room in certain situations.  There is no such thing as mark room on a start line unless there are obstructions such as a pier.

You can learn about Rules by reading the rules book or sailing magazines.  There are many books and DVD’s that illustrate and teach rules. All skippers should become familiar with rules and abide by them. As a bonus, knowing the rules also makes watching regattas such as the Americas Cup much more fun! 

_/)                  _/)                                                   _/)                                          _/)

NOTE: NEXT TUESDAY IS BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE YACHT CLUB.  BRING YOUR OWN FAVORITE FOOD FOR GRILLING. 

Looking forward to seeing you next Tuesday!

Barry

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

CATALINA TUESDAY: JUNE 10, 2014. CATALINA SAILBOATS RACING IN

SQUEAKING AHEAD OF COMPETITORS

Tuesday June 10, 2014

Once again, another beautiful Santa Cruz evening with a steady 10 knot wind from the northwest with no hint of it lessening through the evening.  We chose course 4: Start-Wharf,Gov,Finish with a 6:10 start time.  We had 12 boats out for the evening.  On Pair a Dice, we knew a port tack start was preferred, but with this many boats we opted for a starboard Tack start.  It’s better to have the right of way at the line.

We were a little early to the start and had to stall, but were able to speed up for the finals seconds to the start.  After the start, we all tacked toward wharf trying to take advantage of all headers and lifts. Pair a Dice was moving rather sluggishly: we could not get the boat up to speed and could not achieve the weather helm we like to sail with when we go to weather. Homer told us over dinner that we probably had kelp on the keel which we had checked but could not see. Ultimately Homer in Blue Ribbon was the first to round Wharf with Diver Down and Pacific Spirit right behind them with Pair A Dice trailing further behind.

As we rounded Wharf, we had our work cut out for us, with three stiff competitors enjoying a substantial lead over us.  Fortunately, Diver Down and Pacific Spirit were involved with each other and both boats headed toward the end of the wharf.  On Pair A Dice, we set the pole and headed directly toward Gov.   This angle of sail kept us in the wind, while both Diver Down and Pacific Spirit seemed to sail into a hole at the end of the wharf.  By the time we rounded Gov, we were just ahead of Pacific Spirit and heading toward start, still trying to reel Blue Ribbon in.   While Diver Down and Pacific Spirit were entangled, we kept our lead and were able to round Start behind Blue Ribbon.  Diver Down and Pacific Spirit rounded right behind us.   It was great looking over the course and seeing many other boats battling it out in their respective races.  This is the essence of our Tuesday nights: whether fighting for first, third, fifth or seventh, we are all attempting to get enough boat speed to squeak ahead of our competitors.

Secrets to squeaking ahead of competitors:

So you are attempting to keep ahead of a competitor or overtake a competitor.  What are the little secrets to getting that little more speed to squeak ahead of a competitor?  Some of it is preparation ahead of time: bottom clean? boat as light as possible? Folding prop? Boat properly equipped with proper sail inventory for current conditions? Has  your keel and rudder been faired? If you have prepared ahead of time, you can possibly out sail your competition by using some other tricks: is your sail trim perfect? Is weight displaced appropriately on your boat? (get crew out of the cockpit!), Is there a way to divorce yourself from a pesky competitor to get clear air by sailing dramatically higher or lower? (this is best attempted if you can catch your competitor off guard).  Are you using waves to your advantage? (this can be a huge advantage in Santa Cruz: using waves to your advantage!).  Can you get to more advantageous wind than your competitor? The tricks go on and on only waiting for your observation and discovery.

A book could be written on each of the items mentioned in the last paragraph and I will attempt to delve into these topics in the future. For now, I will only say that a clean bottom is essential to speed.  This does not require a diver to clean your boat each week.  You can keep your boat bottom clean by using various devices that are inexpensive and easy to make.  Often crewmembers arrive at different times.  Earlier arrivers can work to get the boat ready which means cleaning the bottom.  At least you can use a deck brush to clean the waterline and rudder which is better than nothing!

See you next Tuesday,

Barry L. Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice