NOVEMBER 25, 2025 QUITE THE SURPRISE!

 

NOVEMBER 25, 2025

QUITE THE SURPRISE!

With predictions of 1-7 knot winds for the afternoon, I was expecting another light wind drifter.  When I got to the harbor, as usual I checked the flags and saw a light breeze. When we left the harbor at 2pm there was a good 9-10 knots of wind across the bay.  We determined the wind direction of 230 and there was talk of calling for course W5: (Schuyler and back), but as the wind has been known to drop off, I called for a shorter course S5; (Mile and back).  We had 8 boats in Fleet B, 1 boat in fleet A and 2 boats in spinnaker fleet and all boats got off to a clean start.

As it turned out, boats that started on the starboard end of the line could lay  Mile with no tacks which was a huge advantage.  Maybe, Schuyler being more to weather would have been better, but I did notice the wind decreasing as we progressed on the shorter course.  Still, when expecting very light wind, is was quite the surprise to have 8-13 knot winds. 

It was such a beautiful afternoon on the water, we went for a sail after the race. How could anything be better?  Answer: a buffet of excellent soups offered at the club after the race.  This was organized by Mike Gross and we had multiple (excellent) soups provided by superior cooks. Mike brought Jambalaya and Christina Shaw brought split pea soup. Tortilla chicken Soup was by Maggie Rathman and vegetable  from Casey and Dolce Dekessian. What a way to finish a day after an awesome sail!

We are about one month into the Winter afternoon sails.  We have tried three fleets but it is excessive to have three fleets when we only have about 10 boats participating.  Next week we will try a single fleet race starting at 3pm.  Be sure to register in Regatta Hero for “Fleet B”.  We will also blow the horn at 2:55 which will be the 5 minute horn.  All three fleets will start at the same time.

 

                                             PHOTO BY JENNIFER KINSMAN

 To view the tracks for Fleet B:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=25.11.2025%2015:00:00&language=en

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:  COURSE S5  DISTANCE 1.929NM

PLACE                BOAT                  PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED

FLEET A:

1            SAGITTARIUS                 120                      22:40                  18:48

FLEET B:

1            WATTS MOORE              150                      22:42                  17:52

2            ABSOLUTE O5                117                      23:34                  19:48

3            AVATAR                            132                      24:45                  20:30

4            PERFECT 36                    144                      25:30                  22:52

5            BIG MAC                          222                      28:52                  21:43

6            SAILING PAIR A DICE   180                      27:39                  21:51

7            SIMPATICO                      165                      29:31                  24:12

8            WINDLUST                      66                         40:11                  38:03

SPINNAKER FLEET:

1            ROSIE                                162                      25:01                  19:48

2            DUET                                 100(?)                34:40                  31:27

The ZOOP SCOOP by Paul Tara

A TURKEY’S TURN

We did not sail this week, but for those of you who saw last week’s blog, I would just like to thank Jennifer Kinsman for her great photo of Zoop. (I categorically deny bribing Barry to use it). Marine photography is challenging and we should all appreciate Jennifer’s “have camera, will sail” attitude.

 

The photo was taken on the approach to Schuyler from Aquavit, shortly before she drove over the top of us. We’re sailing with max backstay, flattener, and our 130% # 2. About 7-8 lengths out of the photo to the right is Perfect 36, which had been covering us very effectively for the whole starboard tack approach. At this point we are laying the mark.  But a close look will reveal that the weather jib telltales are lifting, as I try to work up, in anticipation of what was coming.  After Aquavit rolled us, her exhaust prevented us from laying. We tried to shoot the mark, but stalled out and ended up hitting it.

 

When I started racing, in the 1960’s, if you touched a mark you were immediately DSQ’d. Period. Full-Stop.  This rather hard-ass attitude came from the fact that the racing rules derived from the navigation rules for sailing ships, where ‘marks’ were often points of land, and ‘touching’ was often fatal. So, if you hit a mark, you were considered ‘wrecked’. Now, if a boat touches a mark, she may exonerate herself by completing a 720° penalty turn. Most RC’s, including ours, amend this to a single 360. To count, each turn must include one tack and one jibe. 

 

That one vs two turn distinction was a factor in our decision to shoot the mark.  I knew, in that much wind, there was a limited chance of success.  But, I also knew that our other option, executing two tacks in quick succession with our attenuated crew, would take more time than a single 360° penalty turn. Sure enough, we came to a full stop at head to wind, and slid down onto the mark as we bore off around it. Note, when attempting this maneuver, it’s critical for the heads’l sheets to be freed, thereby minimizing the chance of accidentally going aback and tacking onto port. Because the last thing you want is to fail to round the mark, even if you have to bulldoze it out of the way to manage it. Bad seamanship, but how the game is now played. Once we slithered around, we saw we had just enough room to keep clear of the boats coming up astern, and immediately jibed and tacked, coming out of our penalty turn still on starboard. One might say we were basted and stuffed, but not quite in the oven.  If the penalty had been a 720, we’d have been cooked for sure.

 

It’s Thanksgiving. I’m very thankful Schuyler is a light foam mark and not a giant steel one like Mile Buoy. Practice those penalty turns. Sooner or later they’ll come in handy. I’m also very thankful to Barry, Doug, Fred, Chris, and Mark for making another season of Tuesday’s possible.

 

Thanks Paul and thanks for the kind words.

I hope to see you sailing next Tuesday starting around 3pm.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

NOVEMBER 18, 2025 FINALLY, SAILING WITH WIND!

 

NOVEMBER 18, 1925

FINALLY,  SAILING WITH WIND!

As November has been living up to its reputation as the No-winder month, I was not surprised to see limp flags as the afternoon progressed.  Predictions were for better winds to arrive later in the afternoon.  As we left the harbor we saw some gusts up to 16 knots as the wind was filling in.   The direction was from 230 so we called for course W5: Start>Schuyler>S/F.  We blew the 10 minute horn and had two boats in Fleet A, but one boat had no RH track.  B Fleet got off to a clean start as all boats tacked their way to Schuyler as the wind continued to build up to 20 knots.   It was AWESOME to be sailing again with wind! 

JENNIFER KINSMAN PHOTO OF ZOOP ACTUALLY HEELING OVER WITH WIND

  

To  review the tracks for Fleet B:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=18.11.2025%2015:00:00&language=en

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET         CORRECTED RESULTS

FLEET A      COURSE W5  DISTANCE 2.4nm

1             WATTS MOORE                                             150                       31:56                  25:55

FLEET B:

1             PERFECT 36                                                    144                       30:56                  25:10

2             SAILING PAIR A DICE                                  180                       33:31                  26:18

3             ZOOP                                                               144                       32:10                  26:24

4             BIG MAC                                                         222                       35:32                  26:39

5             AVATAR                                                           132                       33:11                  27:54

6             AQUAVIT                                                        72                          31:09                  28:16

SPINNAKER FLEET:

1             WINDLUST                                                       66                          40:26                  37:47

THE ZOOP SCOOP  BY PAUL TARA

POST-FRONTAL BREEZE MEETS POST-YOUTHFUL FLEET

When I arrived at the Harbor, around 1300, there was a light southerly and the sky was filled with beautiful cumulus clouds left over from the previous day’s cold front.  By the time we exited the Harbor at 1430 the wind had veered to due west, was strengthening considerably (15-20 knots), and the temperature was plummeting. During the race, the wind continued to veer until, when I left the Harbor at 1700, the flag at the Crows Nest  was showing west-northwest, indicating a shift to the right of 130 to 140 degrees over 4 hours — a classic Santa Cruz post-frontal event.  

 

Aboard Zoop, we were late and went right immediately, basically because we didn’t want to get wet. Plus, there was plenty of breeze all the way to the beach and the swim buoys have been pulled. Okay, okay, the shift may have been a factor; it paid a big dividend even though we were unable to capitalize on it due to boat handling issues. Our struggles (judging by the track, we weren’t alone) got me thinking. On the whole, the demographics of the 1500 start insure that a fleet that races primarily in light air is now suddenly sailing in the winter, at the time of day when the most wind is likely, with the least fit crew.   Stamina and ability versus the prevailing conditions is now something to consider more seriously before making the decision to race.

 

BOTTOM UP SELF HELP

‘How to make your boat move faster’ was a recent suggested topic. It’s not like there aren’t thousands of books and videos. But after thinking hard about what, in terms of time invested, would absolutely return the greatest benefit, how about we start at the bottom, say around the seat-of-your-pants? 

 

“Lead is dead.” If your sailing experience involves sailing only on keelboats, you are at a competitive disadvantage. The biofeedback, or ‘feel’ necessary for good helmsmanship and crewing ability has, historically, always come from small boat experience. There are exceptions, but they prove the rule. There’s no substitute for the instant response dinghies offer. This is important because a lot of people today get started in sailing by taking lessons or riding along in keelboats. 

  

I’m a seat-of-the-pants small boat sailor. Most of my racing has been in 5o5’s and El Toros. Zoop has no instruments other than her depth sounder. But she does have telltales, a masthead windex, and a compass. I sail by the feel of the wind, the angle of heel, the telltales/windex, and the sound of the bow wave. If there’s a shift, I glance at the compass.  When we ran the El Toro program at Pinto Lake, I would tell the kids to “feel the wind” and “listen for the chuckle at the knuckle”.  Next time you’re out, close your eyes. Feel. Listen. Try to hold a course. Tack and repeat. You’ll be surprised.

 

Log some dinghy time this winter.  An El Toro, RS Tera, Laser, CFJ, or similar would be some choices. The smaller the better.  A UCSC dinghy class would be another.  Since the Club’s switch to Optis (Yuck!) there are a lot of unused El Toros scattered around the dry storage yard, and a rumor the Club might run some in-harbor winter racing. (Who knows? Anything is possible with enough Advil.) But, hey, it’s winter; personally I say go to Baja and rent a Laser for a week. By the end, you’ll either have decided that racing cruising sailboats is really stupid, you’ll have drowned, or you’ll be a lot better. And, you might even get a tan.

Thank You Paul!

I hope to see you sailing next  Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice 

NOVEMBER 11, 2025 WAVES OF WIND

 

NOVEMBER 11, 2025

WAVES OF WIND

I was encouraged to see predictions of 9 knot wind through the afternoon.  As we left the harbor, there was a steady 10 knot breeze across the bay.  Would we actually have wind for a race? We determined the wind was coming from 190 degrees and were considering a course: S/F>MILE>SF.  As the clock ticked down, the wind decreased also so we set a temp mark halfway to mile.   As we approached the start time, the wind was increasing  and decreasing creating challenging conditions.  At least there was some wind, though not steady wind.  We established  3 separate fleets (Fleet A, B and Spinn) even though there was only one boat in Fleet A and Spinn.  We had 4 boats in Fleet B and as it turned out, there was enough wind to finish the short course in 15 minutes so we set Regatta Hero to have another race with all three fleets sailing together.  There was enough wind to finish the course even though the wind was coming in surges and lulls like waves of wind.

To review the first B Fleet:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=11.11.2025%2015:00:00&language=en

To review the second race with all 3 fleets together:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=11.11.2025%2015:25:22&language=en

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS: S/F>temp  mark>S/F  course length=0.512nm

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                   ET                          CORRECTED

1             YELLOW BELLY                             141                       11:37                  10:24

2             ZOOP                                                  144                       12:26                  11:12

3             TRUE LOVE (SPINN)                   72                          14:47                  14:10

4             PERFECT 36                                    144                       15:34                  14:20

5             BIG MAC                                            222                       16:41                  14:47

6             SAILING PAIR A DICE                180                       20:29                  18:56

 

Paul Tara’s

ZOOP SCOOP

FOGGY FALSE TALES 

More fog this week. Not as thick as last week. Which reminds me, I forgot to mention another reason why, in dense fog, the magnetic compass is your friend. Skippers are notoriously myopic about jib telltales. If they’re streaming, they’ll blindly follow them anywhere; especially in fog, when there’s no other frame of reference. And, if the fog is thick enough, its droplets will slyly laminate the telltales to the jib, making it easy to believe you’re  always in the groove. Nobody’s that good a helmsman. Keep an eye on your compass. 

 

WINTER BREEZE (Barely)

The sun makes the wind.  Hot air rises, leaving a void, which sucks. Less sun, less suck. Like Tuesday — grey on grey — fog under high cirrus preceding Wednesday’s on-comlng front. In the morning there was no hope. But then, around 1300, a light southwesterly began to trickle in. At one point MB disappeared, but the breeze held.  Barry set a short weather mark and we were able to get two short races in.  Aboard Zoop, with the double layer of overcast, we felt there was little chance the breeze would build and veer, so we elected to go left, which worked. Except in the second race, when we had to duck Yellow Belly and ended up second.  There was a moment, when we had extended on her after the start, that we probably could have crossed (but one does not tack an Islander 36 lightly). The two races together amounted to just about the time it took us to rig the boat. But, they really demonstrated the value of Regatta Hero, which allowed Barry and Doug to organize the spontaneous second start in even less time. 

 

NORTH BY NORTHEAST (an actual REAL yotting scoop!)

Santa Cruz had a strong presence in last weekend’s RTC (Round The County) in the San Juan Islands (120 boats!). First in ORC A and Second Overall was the SC52 “Rosebud” with Mike Holt (skipper) Bruce Edwards, Jack Halterman, and Mackenzie Cook aboard. Rumor has it “Rosebud” will soon be making her way south to her new digs on E dock. 

 

First in ORC C and First Overall was “Setri” a centerboard (!??!) Swan 46 owned by Peter Dennis of Lopez Island, with Matt and Ben Lezin, Steve Burdow, and Patrick Tara aboard.  Setri won the race with a move that came just after the 0830 Saturday morning start. Industrial smoke near Bellingham indicated a predicted northeasterly was filling. While the fleet short-tacked against along Orcas, she broke away and sailed north, across to the new breeze, where she actually anchored for a short time near Lummi Island while it filled.  Then, under kite, she reached over the fleet, ending up abeam of Rosebud and ahead of most of the fleet. Rosebud gradually sailed away, but at the Roache Harbor half-way stop, Setri (which was the only ORC C boat to make the time limit) still had 39 minutes in the bank.

 

 

Thanks Paul

I hope to see you sailing  next Tuesday afternoon  around 3pm.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

NOVEMBER 4, 2025 NO-WINDER

 

NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NO-WINDER

Predictions were for 8-12 knots and as we left the harbor at 2:15, there was a  steady 10 knot breeze across the bay.  We were considering a long course, but history influenced my decision to implement course W5: S/F>Schuyler>S/F.  There were just a few boats out: one boat for each of Fleet A and Spinnaker and 4 boats in B Fleet.

The wind was coming from 220 degrees, and we set a short line square to this as the thick fog was engulfing us. All fleets got off to a clean start in 10 knots of breeze.  With the starts around 3 o’clock, the wind should not have died, but as B Fleet arrived at Schuyler we were adrift once again in very light breeze.  All boats rounded Schuyler but on the way back to S/F there was a transition zone as an Easterly was trying to fill in.  Ultimately all boats retired without finishing the course.

Though the dismal wind was discouraging, the lifting fog bank presented some awesome sights and the whales were out in force.  Homer informed me years ago that in Santa Cruz, sailors call November  “No-Winder”. Welcome to No-winder.

Kudos to the persistent Crews for coming out even though conditions seemed dismal.  Yellow Belly in Fleet A and True Love in Spinnaker fleet.  B Fleet had Big Mac, Zoop, Perfect 36 and Sailing Pair A Dice.

The track for B Fleet can be reviewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=4.11.2025%2015:00:00&language=en

 

                                                                        

REGATTA HERO TIP:

Please remember to enter the correct data for your boat.  Sail number should have your sail number and Boat name should have your boat name. 

For those that sail on multiple boats, if you are using your phone to record the track, there is now a way to enter multiple boats in your phone.  You must choose the boat you are sailing out of the list of boats on your phone.  To enter multiple boats on your phone choose your regatta, then click on participate as.  When this is done, your boat names appear in an orange box. Select the boat you are sailing on for this race. You can click on “new” to enter multiple boats on your phone. You must “edit registration” to enter the information for the new boat.

 

“ZOOP SCOOP”  BY Paul Tara

FOG

“The sudden transition was startling. The moment before we had been leaping through the sunshine, the clear sky above us, the sea breaking and rolling wide to the horizon….And at once, as in an instant’s leap, the sun was blotted out, there was no sky, even our mastheads were lost to view, and our horizon was such as tear-blinded eyes may see.  The grey mist drove by us like rain. Every woolen filament of our garments, every hair of our hands and faces was bejeweled with a crystal globule.  The shrouds were wet with moisture; it dripped from our rigging overhead; and on the undersides of our booms drops of water took place in long swaying lines, which were detached and flung to the deck in mimic showers at each surge of the schooner.” 

Jack London, The Seawolf.

 

On Tuesdays, the wind dies at 1800.  Apparently, this year, it’s in its contract — no overtime. So, we were feeling pretty smug about the nice westerly blowing around 1400 as we cast off.  But, by the time we had reached the entrance we were experiencing a “Ghost” moment right out of London’s novel. Visibility dropped to under 100 yards, and the breeze dropped by half. And by half. And by half. Until, by the time we reached Schuyler, zip halves were left. 

 

In those conditions it’s extremely important for the helmsman to pay attention to the magnetic compass at all times. Designate crew as lookouts, turn on your running lights and keep checking the compass.  It only takes few seconds of distraction, once the horizon has vanished, to become completely disoriented and start wandering around like (dare I say it) a drunken sailor. Let someone else deal with the GPS. Electronics are nice but, for helming, there’s nothing like the visual of a nice big compass and a list of the critical local headings available for quick reference. 

 

One obvious aspect of Tuesday’s white-out was that humpback whales are not navigationally challenged by fog.  At one point, about half way to Schuyler, we were totally alone — no horizon,  no other boats. But more whales than we’d ever seen before. One or two appeared to be all of 60 feet. And, the pod  seemed to all be keeping pace with us. Port, starboard, as close as a boat length; even under the boat. In ULDB circles, most might consider Zoop to be somewhat of a whale herself — maybe that was it.

Thank You Paul.

I Hope to see you out sailing next Tuesday at 3pm.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

OCTOBER 28, 2025 SEASON FINALE WITH A GLITCH

 

OCTOBER 28, 2025

SEASON FINALE WITH A GLITCH

Predictions for the afternoon were for 2-10 knots of wind and clear skies.  As we left the harbor at 4 o’clock there was a steady 8-10 knot breeze across the bay.  The wind was from 230 degrees and we set a line square to this and called for W5.  Paul covers the conditions in great detail in the Zoop Scoop below.  As we sailed toward Schuyler we saw the wind was decreasing and tried to shorten course in Regatta Hero without success, so we shortened course by radio to finish at Schuyler.  As we approached Schuyler RH notified us that the race would start in 5 minutes.  Regatta Hero was starting our race at 6pm  even though we had set it for a 5pm start.  This was a major problem since the tracks did not start until 5:55 and most of A fleet had finished with no display of tracks to collect finish times.  Since we were not able to shorten course in RH, all boats in both fleets were rated DNF by Regatta Hero.

Despite the lack of data from RH, there were boats that did well in the challenging conditions.  Absolute 05 executed a perfect race and was halfway to the harbor by the time the RH track appeared at 5:55.  Perfect 36 also did well.  With no data from  Regatta Hero it is impossible to assign scores for boats. It was a good season finale but with a glitch: no RH data.

 

 Fleet A track started after the race was done but Fleet B showed some of the boats finishing.  Fleet B track can be reviewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=28.10.2025%2017:00:00&language=en

We had a great turnout at the barbecue.  A HUGE thanks to Mike Gross for all of his work on this event for the whole season.

WINTER SEASON TUESDAY AFTERNOON SAILING

Next Tuesday will be the start of the winter Tuesday sailing starting at 3:00.  A Horn will be blown at 2:50 for A Fleet to start at 2:55, B Fleet starting at 3:00.  A third, new spinnaker fleet, will start at 3:05.  The single horn, blown at 2:50 is a 5 minute horn for Fleet A, a 10 minute horn for Fleet B and a 15 minute horn for the spinnaker fleet.  As usual, racers may choose whichever fleet they prefer, but Fleet A and B are for Jib and Main and  Spin fleet is only for spinnakers. Fleets may be combined with low participation. Different courses may be used for different fleets. Listen on channel 69 and Regatta Hero for announcement of courses and other pertinent information. If you have not registered in Clubspot for this series please register so you will be notified if a race is cancelled. To register click on this link https://scyc.org/regatta/jOnYPnfHqB   Registration is free.               

REGATTA HERO CHANGES:

In the past, in the registration screen we asked for the boat name to be entered in the sail number. This has changed to putting the boat name in the boat name field and sail number goes in the sail number slot.  This allows identification of boats on the replay.

Other RH changes will be covered in future blog  posts.

 

“Zoop Scoop”  by Paul Tara

POOF!

Poof! Not with a Bang or a Whimper. Just Poof, as in “into the ether”. That’s how our season ended. Either we muffed Regatta Hero, or Halloween gremlins snuck in an early appearance. Because one thing that didn’t appear was our track.  Probably just as well.

 

First mistake: picked the wrong fleet. A Fleet had breeze pretty much all the way to Schuyler. B Fleet wasn’t so lucky. The wind, a light southwesterly at 240° was showing signs of giving up as we left the Harbor. But we were lulled into ignoring it by the beautiful evening and earlier start time.

 

Second mistake: OCS at the port end.  (It’s amazing how no amount luffing and zig-zagging will slow down six and a half tons when you really need it to.) We did not restart because the other end of the line was completely obscured by half the fleet that were in the same predicament. But we did later request Barry score us OCS.

 

Third mistake: greed (starting to believe your own BS). In the last Scoop I wrote about footing out from under the fleet on starboard. Looked good right after the start. But it wasn’t the same kind of night.  At about 7 minutes we could have easily tacked and crossed the fleet.  But, we ignored the opportunity, the wind went right and were trapped on the left. When we finally tacked, Absolute ‘05 came out lifted on starboard and crossed ahead.  Then, as the breeze continued to die, it backed to the south and we were caught on the right. Absolute ‘05, now sailing lifted on port, crossed several hundred feet ahead to finish first, followed by P36 which rode a puff off Lighthouse Field (the forecast offshore trying to fill?) right around us at the finish.  Whereupon we hit Schuyler and withdrew.

 

In retrospect, the breeze behaved predictably. First half of the beat, as usual, it shifted right (we were on the left). Second half, as it began to die, it shifted left (we were on the right).  Then it continued backing until it was easterly. That’s sailboat racing.

 

LET THERE BE LIGHTS

It’s getting darker. Time to think about nav lights.

 

Green to green, red to red,

All is clear, go ahead.

If in doubt which is proper,

Port, starboard, back, or stop her.

 

While it’s true that “port wine is red,” running light colors are not based on alcoholic beverages.  If they were, we’d all be sailing around with port and ‘absinthe’ running lights.  Red is the universally recognized signal for danger (Code flag B, solid red, means danger —“protest” or, “I am loading ammunition” — take your pick.) Because of their restricted arcs of visibility (112.5° either side of dead ahead) running lights convey a lot of info quickly. Seeing both red and green simultaneously is self-explanatory; better alter course immediately so that only one color is visible. If two sailing vessels are approaching on opposite tacks, we know the one on starboard tack has the right-of-way.  She is the “stand-on” vessel and is presenting her RED port running light to the other. Red = STOP, you are in danger. Conversely, the vessel on port tack is the “give-way” vessel and is presenting her GREEN starboard running light to the other. Green = GO. It’s just like a traffic signal. If you see a red light you should stop or alter course so as to avoid collision.  In fact, it’s something to contemplate the next time you’re sitting at an intersection. Why does that car on the right get to go first? Easy — humans were sailing with ‘steerboards’ about 1,000 years before the advent of the automobile — it’s on starboard tack.

Thank you Paul!

I hope to see you sailing next Tuesday afternoon at 3pm.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

OCTOBER 21, 2025 DEPLETING WIND

 

OCTOBER 21, 2025

DEPLETING WIND

Predictions were for wind of 8 knots decreasing to 3 knots and they were correct.  There was a chill in the air as my crew donned their coats.  The wind was coming from 220 degrees and we set a line square to this and called for course S5: S/F>Mile>S/F.  The wind lasted long enough for Fleet A to finish, but Fleet B  was stuck with a dying breeze. 

It seems that we are stuck in a repetitive scenario.  A Fleet has just enough wind to finish and B Fleet, starting 5 minutes later sails in depleting wind.  

To review the track for A Fleet:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=21.10.2025%2016:55:00&language=en

Fleet B can be reviewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=21.10.2025%2017:00:00&language=en

Jennifer Kinsman photo of  A  Fleet start

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF     ET                        CORRECTED

FLEET A:   COURSE S5  DISTANCE 1.929NM

1             TRUE LOVE                                      72          33:13                  30:54

2             INTERLUDE                                     141       36:06                  31:33

3             ABORIGINAL                                   33          33:40                  32:36

4             DOUBLE ESPRESSO                       99          41:45                  38:34

5             WIND II                                             213       54:51                  48:00

6             AVATAR                                             132       52:45                  48:30

FLEET B: COURSE S5  DISTANCE 1.929NM

1             ZOOP                                                  144       51:07                  46:29

2             PERFECT 36                                      144       53:00                  48:26

3             SIMPATICO                                       165       58:07                  52:48

4             NIDAROS                                          118       1:05:07              1:01:19

5             ABSOLUTE 05                                  117       1:05:37              1:01:51

6             WIND GODDESS                              163       1:11:50              1:06:35

7            TOAD                                                   150       1:19:55              1:15:05

_)                                            _)                                                  (_       (

REMEMBER THAT NEXT TUESDAY IS THE LAST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH,,, WHICH MEANS

BARBECUE POTLUCK NIGHT AT THE CLUB AFTER THE RACE.  BRING YOUR BEST GRILLING FOOD FOR THIS GREAT SOCIAL EVENT!

Next Tuesday will also be our last Tuesday NIGHT sailing for the season. Race starts at 4:55 and 5.  After next Tuesday, for the rest of the winter, races will start at 2:55 and 3.  Spinnaker boats will be starting at 2:55. 

Here is Paul Tara’s ZOOP SCOOP for this week.  It is long but a great dissertation on the conditions we sailed in and also about “barging"

 THIS WEEK

Monday at 4:30 it was clear, with a perfect 12 knot westerly at the Harbor.  But, on Tuesday a southerly surge delivered a thick layer of stratus that refused to clear.  By late afternoon the sun was still well inland, near Scotts Valley.  There was a weak unsettled south southwesterly breeze, with slightly more wind offshore.  We sailed well out on starboard prior to the start and noted hints of further backing shifts. (This is the opposite of a normal westerly, where you’re lifted on starboard as you head out.)   It clearly didn’t seem like a “go right” evening.  The A fleet appeared to agree, as they all bee-lined it offshore.

 

For the B fleet, all of this came to naught, as the wind died almost completely just prior to the start and then refilled fitfully from the right. This left us wallowing, as boats to weather sailed away, with P36 getting the best start. But, having made our bed, so to speak, we were determined to lie in it as gracefully as possible, and began to foot off to the south, below all the boats around us.  The lumpy sea and 20° shifts made steering very difficult. Gradually, more and more boats tacked away onto port, but it did not look overly inviting on the right either.  So, we banged the left corner. P36 tacked, but we held on a bit and then literally  “auto tacked” when a whopping lefty took us aback.  P36 didn't get it, and over-stood a tad, allowing us to round MB in the lead.   

 

“WORDS ARE WHAT MEN LIVE BY” 

John Wayne, as Capt. Cutter in ‘The Comancheros’ (1961).

OK, here’s a word — “Barging”—which seems to be cropping up more and more. (As far as I know, the word does not appear anywhere in the rules.) In sailing, it’s a starting technique where a boat approaches a starting mark from above a close-hauled course (reaching) and attempts to start right at the mark. Note that it is a technique, just like a port tack start or a dip start. The act of barging itself is not a foul per se, unless you get caught. Let me repeat that. The act of barging itself is not a foul per se, unless you get caught. Typically, in Santa Cruz, it’s attempted at the starboard end of the line, although it can occur at the port end. That’s because, 90 percent of the time the fleet wants to go right, but is headed left on starboard. One way to escape this is to start right at the mark to avoid being pinned on starboard by boats to weather. But, just like a port tack or dip start, it’s a risky move.  

 

In the 1930’s when Vanderbilt promulgated the first edition of the modern racing rules, all marks, including starting marks, were treated the same; an inside boat with an overlap was entitled to “room” to start.  Needless to say this encouraged no end of barging and protests, since it was in direct conflict with the basic concept that a windward boat must keep clear of a leeward boat. Consequently the rules were changed. Now, Rule 11 still requires a windward boat to keep clear of a leeward boat. But Rule 18, “Mark Room,” with all its accompanying gobbledygook about room, overlaps, and zones, does NOT apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water. So, a leeward boat may head up or ‘shut the door’ on a windward boat attempting to squeeze in (barge) between her and the mark.  She can luff, clear up until head to wind, as long as she doesn’t tack.

 

BUT, she cannot hit the windward boat or force her to hit the mark. The door must be firmly closed while the windward boat still has the option of “bailing out” or passing on the wrong side of the starting mark. If the leeward boat waits to luff until the windward boat can’t avoid becoming overlapped with the mark, it’s too late. Then, if she luffs and hits the windward boat, or forces her to hit the mark (which might be a Grand Banks), she has violated Rule 14, “Avoiding Contact”.  UNLESS, when it becomes apparent the windward boat (the barger) is not going to keep clear, the leeward boat alters course (bears away) in an attempt to provide the windward boat with room to do so. THAT, breaking Rule 11, by forcing the leeward boat to alter course, is the actual infringement involved in “barging”. 

 

So, what’s a leeward boat to do?  Alter course to keep clear, and immediately hail PROTEST. (Hailing is much easier than repairing gel coat. Or, if you’re the windward boat, so is running over a starting mark, provided it’s not a boat.) Let’s just assume, for purposes of this discussion that you also display a protest flag.

 

“PROTEST” is one of only two hails required in yacht racing (the other is “ROOM TO TACK”). If you believe you have been fouled by a barging boat, you MUST immediately hail “PROTEST” at the offending boat. We’re talking seconds, not minutes; and there’s good reason.  Other phrases, such as “no room,” “leeward,” “don’t go in there,”“you’re barging,” can all serve as warnings, but “PROTEST” is all that’s required. It’s important. Because, under the rules, it’s the ONLY hail that can serve to put the windward boat on notice that she’s fouled.  By not hailing “PROTEST” the leeward boat has not only denied herself an advantage in the race (by obligating the offender to exonerate herself), she’s denied that boat the opportunity of doing so at the earliest opportunity. That’s why it’s important to hail immediately.

  

As a case in point, at a recent Fall SCORE start, we found ourselves barging.  The boat to leeward shut the door early, but we had too much way on to clear the transom of the RC boat. The leeward boat clearly hailed, “Zoop, you are barging”. She then bore away for her start, just before we went across the line two or three seconds OCS. It was a perfect maneuver. EXCEPT. People aboard the RC boat heard the hail, and thought, “Wrong word.”  Aboard Zoop, I thought, “Yep, we sure are, but . . . did we foul? Did you alter course to avoid us? Or, to avoid being OCS yourselves?” Remember, the act of barging itself is NOT a foul. It only becomes a foul if the leeward boat has to alter course to avoid the windward boat. As we circled to dip and restart, I asked the crew if anyone had heard the word PROTEST. No one had.  So, I concluded the leeward boat must have borne away (altered course) to avoid being OCS herself, rather than avoid contact. We restarted without doing a circle, had a good race, caught up, and finished one second ahead of the leeward boat.  One word was all that was required to cause us to take a penalty turn.

Now, how about a hypothetical. What would have happened if we hadn’t been OCS, had kept sailing, and at some subsequent point in the race, say half-way up the beat, they had hailed PROTEST. Sorry boys, non-timely notification. See you in the room. Promptly hailing, doesn’t oblige you to actually file a protest or go to a hearing. But to not promptly hail is to possibly deny yourself an advantage in the race and, more importantly, deny the offending boat the opportunity to exonerate herself.  

 

Of course all this depends on the honor system. If you know you’ve fouled, you are obliged to take a penalty turn.  But, in many circumstances, when it’s a close call (“barging” is numero uno) the system depends on the boat that has been fouled to properly inform the offending party. Conversely, you are honor bound to not sail around frivolously hailing PROTEST at every boat that comes within a boat length. 

 

“You have not won, if you have lost the respect of your competitors,” was Paul Elvstrøm’s motto.  I’m pretty sure Elvstrøm and John Wayne never met, but if they had, I think they would have agreed.

 

Thank you Paul.

I hope to see you on the water and at the club after the race next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice