SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 AWESOME WIND

 

SEPTEMBER 9,  2025

AWESOME WIND

Prospects for good wind were not looking good.  The flags were showing winds coming from the West, then switching for a while to Easterly.  I got reports from sailors that there was a steady 8 knot breeze on the bay which is enough to have a race.  As we left the harbor just after 5 o’clock there was a good 15-19 knot breeze.  Since we can use Regatta Hero to shorten course if needed, we can call for longer courses. We announced an ambitious course:   W1.  Both fleets got off to a clean start as both fleets tacked their way toward the windward mark.  The conditions stayed the same throughout the evening.   It was great to be sailing in some awesome wind.

The track for Fleet A can be reviewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=9.9.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

Fleet B track at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=9.9.2025%2018:00:00&language=en            

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET                          CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE W1   DISTANCE  3.873NM

1             TRUE LOVE                                      72                          41:13                  36:34

2             ABORIGINAL                                    33                          38:55                  36:47

3             INTERLUDE                                      141                       48:35                  39:28

4             AQUAVIT                                           72                          48:31                  43:52

5             ABSOLUTE 25                                   48                          47:53                  44:47

FLEET B:  COURSE W1   DISTANCE 3.873NM

1             ZOOP                                                  144                       45:48                  36:30

2             PERFECT 36                                      144                       47:36                  38:18

3             BIG MAC                                           222                       53:31                  39:11

4             MAKANI                                           147                       49:48                  40:18

5             SAILING PAIR A DICE                    180                       52:09                  40:31

6             TARA                                                  243                       56:41                  40:59

7             GOLD RUSH                                     126                       50:05                  41:56

8             WIND GODDESS                              165                       54:40                  44:00

9             SIMPATICO                                       165                       55:02                  44:22

10          PACIFIC SPIRIT                                 165                       55:12                  44:32

11          ABSOLUTE 05                                    117                       52:32                  44:58

12          TOAD                                                   150                       58:02                  48:21

13          NIDAROS                                             144                       59:17                  49:59

_)                                  _)                                                      _)                               (_                            (_

Don’t forget, the Jack and Jill regatta is coming up on Saturday  September 27.

ZOOP SCOOP  by Paul Tara

The BIG Shift
On Tuesday, with the autumnal equinox just around the corner, a sea buoy off San Francisco recorded a surface temp of 65° F . Surface evaporation and an upper level low combined to produce a muggy, almost tropical day with a few light showers.  By noon, most of the overcast had started to clear and a moderate westerly was stirring, but without much enthusiasm. It even that showed signs of dissipating around 1500.

Aboard Zoop, on D dock, I thought, “Wow. Another Fancy Dancer. Wonder what she’s got in store.”  Because, if you’ll recall, Fancy Dancer’s don’t follow the usual pattern (fog offshore, strong cold westerly with transition to easterly inshore). We had no fog, and we had no strong cold westerly.  But windexes in the Harbor were showing no hint of a backing southerly shift indicating an easterly transition either.  Then, right around 1600, as Pair-A-Dice left the dock, the westerly began to increase.

The standard westerly in Santa Cruz is 240°.  When we arrived at the starting area, about 1710, it was at 242° with no visible increase outside. A long line was set, with the port (offshore) end favored. Another wind-check at 1740 showed 252°, with the westerly having increased slightly.  That 10° veer, made the port end less attractive, but not enough to discourage Aboriginal, in A Fleet, from making a perfect port tack start. (We could hear the gnashing of teeth aboard True Love and Sagittarius clear at the other end of the line.)  The important thing to note is that, even though Aboriginal started at the port end, she was headed right.  By the time the lead B Fleet boats finished, the wind was at 262° and shortly thereafter, as we approached the Harbor, it was at 272°, due west.  242° to 270°, 30° in 40 minutes; that’s a BIG shift. Not a good night to bet left.

Speaking of port tack starts, ever wonder why starboard tack has the right-of-way? It’s because most of us are right-handed.  Early sailing vessels evolved from canoes and were double-enders that were steered with paddles or, eventually, steering oars. These were almost always on the right side where they were easier for the majority to control (the right hand functions as the lower gudgeon, where most of the force is concentrated). The Norse developed these ‘steer boards’ to a high degree, they were always shipped over the right side, hence it became known as the ‘steerboard’ side.

But, in spite of being quite sophisticated, the steering oar had two drawbacks. First, a vessel on starboard tack, heeling to port, tended to lift its oar out of the water, reducing control.  Second, the helmsman, who had to remain on the starboard side near the oar, often had his view ahead and to leeward blocked by the sail (sound familiar?). Whereas, on port tack, the opposite was true; good visibility and control.  Hence starboard tack earned the right-of-way, “Olaf! Those guys can’t stnd don’t see us. Let’s duck!”

Thank you Paul.

I hope to see you sailing next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

SEPTEMBER 2, 2025 JUST ANOTHER DRIFTER

 

SEPTEMBER 2, 2025

JUST ANOTHER DRIFTER

I was encouraged to see the flags showing a mild breeze.  Though it was not a strong breeze, it seemed to be consistent with no signs of dissipating.  As we left the harbor around 5pm, the same consistent wind seemed to fill the bay.  We determined the wind direction was from 220 degrees and set a start line square to this.  With the wind coming from a southerly direction, we chose an ambitious course S4.  Though everyone seems to be using Regatta Hero, we are maintaining our redundancy of blowing our “10 minute horn” and announcing the course on VHF 69.

Both fleets tacked their way to Mile in a steady 8-9 knot breeze.  As we were rounding Mile for the long downwind run to Blacks, it was apparent that we had been too ambitious in our course.  Noting that Aboriginal had not rounded Blacks yet, we shortened course to finish at Blacks.  As usual, the dead downwind course in light breeze felt like the wind had died completely as we sailed excruciatingly slowly to finish at Blacks.  Even though the apparent wind kicked in once we rounded Blacks, it was the correct move to shorten course since it had turned into just another drifter.

The track for A Fleet can be reviewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=2.9.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

The track for B Fleet can be seen at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=2.9.2025%2018:00:00&language=en

                                        

                                            Photo by Jennifer Kinsman

 PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET              CORRECTED

FLEET A:   COURSE S4 SHORTENED DIST=2.34NM

1             PACIFIC HIGH                                96                          43:43                  39:57

2             DUET                                               141                        45:57                  40:25

3             TRUE LOVE                                    72                          43:38                  40:48

4             GOOD TIMIN’                                 141                       48:00                  42:28

5             ABORIGINAL                                  33                         45:59                  44:41

6             WIND  II                                           213                        56:04                  47:43

7             AQUAVIT                                         72                          52:50                  50:00

FLEET B:  COURSE S4 SHORTENED DIST=2.34NM

1             GOLD RUSH                                   126                       50:58                  46:02

2             AVATAR                                            132                       54:27                  49:17

3             ZOOP                                                 144                       55:54                  50:15

4             SAILING PAIR A DICE                   180                       58:20                  51:17

5             NIDAROS                                         144                       57:40                  52:01

6             BIG MAC                                           222                       1:00:46              52:04

7             HAMACHI                                        243                       1:01:43              52:14

8             TARA                                                 243                       1:01:58              52:27

9             PERFECT 36                                     144                       1:02:01              56:22

10          PATRIOT                                            144                       1:05:08              59:29

11          TOAD                                                  150                       1:08:53              1:03:00

12          WIND GODDESS                               165                       1:11:00              1:04:32

13          PACIFIC SPIRIT                                 165                       1:12:03              1:05:35

 

JACK AND JILL REGATTA:

Remember the Jack and Jill regatta will be on September 27.  Time to get crew lined up!

THE ZOOP  SCOOP  BY PAUL TARA

A HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR

First, I encourage everyone to take note of Gold Rush’s performance in the B fleet.  Newer is not necessarily better.  She sailed a nearly perfect race, nailing the start at the port end, and basically sailing away from the fleet. Not bad for a C&C 35 Mk I built in the 1960’s (making her, by far, the oldest boat sailing on Tuesdays). She was one of the very first boats in the Harbor and I’m sure her previous skipper, the late Allen Morton, is smiling. I bet you can guess what her hull color is.



Now, take a look at these tracks from this past Tuesday. (Regatta Hero did not display individual ‘routes’ in tabular form, so you’re just going to have to face grim reality graphically.)

 

A Fleet (above) B Fleet (below).

 

 

The course was Mile Buoy, Blacks. The compass course to Blacks is the thin black line. Every foot deviated from it is extra distance.  On the eve of the Battle of Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson told his officers, “No captain can do very wrong who places his ship alongside that of the enemy.”  If he’d been around on Tuesday, he might have said, “No skipper can be very wrong who points his bow straight at the next mark.”  

 

Psychology plays an important role in yacht racing, especially when it involves rivalry between similar boats. Plus, nothing feels slower than going dead downwind in light to moderate air.  But, before haring off into the wild blue yonder in search of more apparent wind, try to keep in mind these are corrected time fleet races. There is always a price for straying from the shortest course.  The old adage “up in the lulls, down in the puffs” still applies off the wind, but don’t get carried away. The laws of physics are non-negotiable. What feels better in the moment may not pay off later. And, on Tuesdays, later is often sooner than you think. 

 

Our races are short.  If there’s breeze, most don’t last much longer than the time it takes to rig the boat, making recovery from a poor decision very difficult.  There just isn’t enough racetrack. Generally, when sailing low performance boats, the bet to trade distance for speed is not a good one, because the speed increase is minimal.

It’s the long game that counts, even if it only lasts 30 minutes.

Thanks Paul.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

AUGUST 26, 2025 PERFECT WIND FOR AN AWESOME SAIL

 

AUGUST 26, 2025

PERFECT WIND FOR AN AWESOME SAIL

Predictions called for light wind for the evening so I was surprised to see the flags flying briskly when I got to the harbor around 2pm.  Talking to sailors that had been out was encouraging with reports of steady winds across the bay.  When we exited the harbor at about 5pm, the winds were not strong but seemed consistent.  The wind was coming from 220 degrees and we set a line square to this direction. We called for course W5: Start, Schuyler finish at S/F.  We could have chosen a longer course but we had a barbecue to attend after the race!

Both Fleets got off to a clean start with no boats OCS.  Everyone tacked their way to the windward mark and after rounding Schuyler, set poles for the downwind run back to S/F/. With all boats finishing the race, it was perfect wind for an awesome sail.

                                    

                                               Jennifer Kinsman photo

 To review the track for Fleet A:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=26.8.2025%2017:55:00&language=en

To review the track for Fleet B:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=26.8.2025%2018:00:00&language=en

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET               CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE W5  DISTANCE 2.40NM

1             TRUE LOVE                                     72                          32:57                  30:04

2             ABORIGINAL                                   33                         31:48                  30:28

3             WATTS MOORE                               150                       36:56                  30:55

4             PACIFIC HIGH                                 96                          35:09                  31:18

5             INTERLUDE                                    141                        37:07                  31:28

6             MAGIC                                             141                        37:46                  32:07

7             WIND II                                            213                        42:07                  33:35

8             ROSIE                                               162                        40:05                  33:36

9             GOOD TIMIN’                                  141                       39:18                  33:39

10          DOUBLE ESPRESSO                        99                         39:58                  36:00

FLEET B:   COURSE W5 DISTANCE 2.40NM

1             ZOOP                                                 144                       36:40                  30:54

2             PERFECT 36                                     144                       40:07                  34:21

3             BIG MAC                                          222                       43:19                  34:26

4             SAILING PAIR A DICE                   180                       43:22                  36:09

5             SIMPATICO                                      165                       43:13                  36:36

6             AVATAR                                            132                       42:26                  37:09

7             MAKANI                                           147                       45:01                  39:08

8             AZORE                                               243                       49:39                  39:55

9             KICKS                                                180                       47:46                  40:21

10          PACIFIC SPIRIT                                 165                       47:59                  41:22

11          TOAD                                                  150                       47:42                  41:41

12          WIND GODDESS                              165                       52:30                  45:53



Paul Tara’s  “ZOOP SCOOP” 

A FANCY DANCER

In his 1970 hit “Hard Headed Woman” Cat Stevens sings about not wanting any “fancy dancers.”  Well, if there ever was a Santa Cruz westerly that would qualify as ‘fancy’ it was this past Tuesday’s.   One of Zoop’s crew described it as “Santa Barbara on a good day.”  It was warm, steady, pretty uniform across the course AND, much to everbody’s (especially Barry’s) relief, it didn’t die promptly at 6. It was PERFECT, but…..

 

It was not a typical westerly.  It was not cold. It didn’t have a bite. It wasn’t blowing like stink outside. It was actually comfortable. (Hint: anytime you’re sailing here in a real westerly and you’re not either soaked, freezing, or wishing you had more gear on, it’s not typical.) Two events on the race course serve as illustrations. 

In the A Fleet, Aboriginal, leading boat-for-boat, understood Schuyler, and had throw in a hitch on port to get up to the starboard tack lay line, allowing True Love to close to within seconds. Now I ask you, when was the last time you saw those guys misjudge a layline? Me either. Those two extra tacks because of a southerly shift probably cost them the lead on corrected time, with True Love winning by 24 seconds. 

In the B Fleet, aboard Zoop, we mistimed the start and ended up late, low, and buried dead astern of Patriot, a Catalina 36. Fortunately for us, she was trying to sail straight into the wind, eventually pinching off some of the boats to weather, and opening up a lane for us to leeward.  In clear air on starboard at last, we were sailing well below the layline to Mile Buoy, indicating south in the wind.  Meanwhile, the usual migration to the right was being led by Perfect 36, another Catalina 36, way inside on port.  When we tacked to port, crossing astern of Avatar, our bow was pointed straight at Lighthouse Point, or within a few degrees of Schuyler.  We knew the shift couldn’t last, but it lasted long enough; we crossed Perfect 36 by 50’ as she came off the beach on a headed starboard tack. 

Typical Santa Cruz westerlies are “hard-headed”.  They’re cold, veer to the right, are almost mean and nasty offshore, and the fog is usually lurking nearby. This week, sub-tropical storm Juliette shuffled the deck.  It  was almost balmy, we couldn’t lay Mile Buoy from the Harbor on starboard, there was no transition; not typical. Beware the fancy dancer, she likes to change the step.     

Thank you Paul!

JACK AND JILL REGATTA:

Put it on your calendar,  this regatta will be on Saturday September 27.  Always a fun event!

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice