OCTOBER 13, 2026 WIND CONFUSION

 

OCTOBER 13, 2026

WIND CONFUSION

There was a healthy westerly filling the bay through the afternoon, but as we left the harbor at 5pm there was a weak Easterly trying to fill in.  As we approached the start area, the wind was a dissipating Westerly.  I thought the Easterly would fill in and motored down to set the offset mark for an Easterly wind course. Then a Southerly started to edge its way in as the clock was ticking down to start time.  By the time we returned to the start area there was a Northerly wind exerting its energy.  We changed the course to N6:  S/F>GOV>S/F.  It was a perfect course as the Northerly stayed with us long enough for all boats to finish in our limited time of daylight.   It was certainly a night of wind confusion.

I have had multiple requests about when we will change to Tuesday Afternoon Sailing.  Though the time for our evening sails is short, I do not want to exclude those that are still working.  As usual, we will change to afternoon sailing when Daylight Saving Time starts the first of November.  We will start the race at 3pm on November 3.

SPINNY FLEET TRACK:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=13.10.2026%2017:50:00&language=en

A Fleet track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=13.10.2026%2017:55:00&language=en

B Fleet track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=13.10.2026%2018:00:00&language=en

 

THOUGH TIME SAILING IS SHORT THE SUNSETS ARE BEAUTIFUL

 PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:  COURSE N6  DISTANCE 1.609NM

PLACE                   BOAT                                   PHRF                     ET                          CORRECTED

SPINNY FLEET:

1             PAC HIGH                                          96                          18:51                    16:17

2             BLIND DATE                                     78                          19:46                    17:40

3             INTERLUDE                                      141                       21:30                    17:43

4             FRISKY                                               81                          20:22                    18:12

5             GONZO                                               150                       23:56                    19:55

6             KEMOSABE                                        81                          32:52                    30:42

FLEET A:

1             ABORIGINAL                                     33                        18:35                    17:42

2             ZOOP                                                   144                       21:43                    17:51

3             MAIN SQUEEZE                                72                          19:50                    18:10

4             AQUAVIT                                            72                          22:17                    20:21

5             PERFECT 36                                       144                       26:43                    22:51

FLEET B:

1             SAILING PAIR A DICE                     180                       25:38                    20:48

2             NIDAROS II                                       120                       27:27                    24:14

3             AVATAR                                              132                       28:00                    24:28

4             TOAD                                                  150                       28:34                    24:33

5             AZOR                                                  243                       31:26                    24:55

6             SIMPATICO                                        165                       30:19                    25:53

7             TARA                                                  243                       32:35                    26:04

8             PACIFIC SPIRIT                                165                       38:15                    33:49

 

ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA

QUIZ

Last Week:

On a free leg of the course, a port tack boat is being overtaken by a starboard tack boat: 

a) the overtaking boat must keep clear

b) there’s no entry fee for this leg

c) the port tack boat must keep clear

 

Answer: c) the port tack boat must keep clear. But . . .

 

This week:

Two boats on opposite tacks are approaching a leeward mark, with the port tack boat clear ahead. Once the port tack boat enters “the zone”

a) she scores a touchdown

b) she must keep clear of the starboard tack boat 

c) the starboard tack boat must keep clear.

 

THE RACE — A Northerly!

Fall is the time of transition. It’s when the equation that favors onshore flow, flips to offshore. Here are two Tuesday morning shots that tell the tale. Last week, heavy stratus with an eddy starting to curl back towards Santa Cruz; this week, perfectly clear. Counterclockwise flow around a low in the desert southwest is responsible. More northerlies are forecast this week as clockwise flow around a ridge of high pressure moves in from the west. Offshore flow is warm due to molecular compression (like a bicycle pump) and orographical (sensitive to terrain). Characteristics that do not endear them to firefighters.  When sailing in our local northerlies, warm air can often mean a lift on starboard, cool a header.

 Spinnaker Fleet — 6 boats.  Tight racing, especially between Pacific High and Blind Date, although the latter lived up to her name by heading for the wrong finishing mark. The one-leg beat made it tough on the boats that didn’t get a jump at the start, (no easy access to clear air). So far, Gonzo appears to be the only Moore 24 to have recovered from last month’s Nationals. 

 

A Fleet — 6 boats. More tight racing. Oops! One boat started 5 minutes early, and Main Squeeze’s track vanished about 3/4 of the way to Gov (hopefully Barry will be able to sort the results). Zoop got the best start but couldn’t hold off Squeeze on the beat (20 year old # 2, vs carbon # 1) but fortunately Aboriginal recovered from a mediocre start in time to make life miserable for the rest of the fleet closer to the mark. This allowed Zoop to round inside and pass Aquavit which was negotiating a stalled J105 from A Fleet. From then on it was follow the leader to the finish, although after last week, a great deal more attention was paid to the angle of the finish line! 

 

B Fleet —  8 boats. Azor followed by PAD got the best starts. As the fleet approached Gov, several shifts came through. One allowed PAD to cross the fleet on port and then break away after rounding Gov.  Meanwhile, astern of her, boats struggled to make the mark, with one possibly hitting it and having to circle. I sincerely hope that wasn’t the case (that mark is steel and covered with poop).  By the finish, PAD was so far ahead Barry had forgotten he was racing, and was just fantasizing about his upcoming vacation.

 

Thank you Paul!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair a Dice

OCTOBER 6, 2026 OCTOBER FOG

 

OCTOBER 6, 2026

OCTOBER FOG

As warm as it has been inland, I was certain that an Easterly would set in early. As we left the harbor at 5pm, there was a nice Westerly filling the bay.  In anticipation of an Easterly filling in we set an offset mark for course E4.  As the clock ticked down, the Westerly was hanging on, so we called for course W5.  Then at about 5:50 the wind started changing to a southerly so we postponed the race changing the course to E4 with a “15 minute horn” sounded at 6:00.  All was well with a nice Easterly filling in until the dense fog set in presenting a challenge in finding the marks.  We were sailing in a Santa Cruz October fog.

In the Zoop Scoop, Paul notes how the finishes were distorted and not very accurate in RH. I have done my best to correct the finish time with only a couple of changes in results.

Spinny Fleet track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=6.10.2026%2018:04:57&language=en&defaultspeed=5&loop=no

Fleet A track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=6.10.2026%2018:09:58&language=en

Fleet B track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=6.10.2026%2018:14:58&language=en

 

 

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:   COURSE E4   DISTANCE 1.377 NM

PLACE                BOAT                                 PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED TIME

SPINNY FLEET:

1            FRISKY                                             81                         20:54                  19:02

FLEET A:

1            ABORIGINAL                                  33                         19:09                  18:24

2            YELLOW BELLY                            141                      22:18                  19:04

3            MAIN SQUEEZE                            72                         21:32                  19:53

4            SAGITTARIUS                                120                      23:06                  20:21

5            ZOOP                                               144                      23:19                  20:00

6            PERFECT 36                                   144                      26:12                  22:53

7            AQUAVIT                                        72                         26:15                  24:35

Fleet B:

1            BIG MAC                                         222                      22:43                  17:37

2            NIDAROS                                        120                      21:40                  18:54

3            MAKANI                                         147                      23:57                  20:35

4            TARA                                                243                      27:35                  22:09

5            AZOR                                               243                      27:52                  22:17

6            SIMPATICO                                     165                      26:08                  22:20

7            TOAD                                               150                      26:05                  22:38

8            KICKS                                              180                      27:21                  23:13

9            SAILING PAIR A DICE                  180                      27:45                  23:37

 

ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA

 

QUIZ

Last Week:

Sick of hearing about the Moore 24 Nationals and Moore’s Reef yet? Me too. To conclude, here’s a final bit of historical Reef trivia. What very well known racing yacht was reborn at “The Reef”?

a) Grendel

b) Angelita

c) Illusion

 

The correct answer is c) IIllusion, Cal 40 # 57, that spent 7 years “out back” as a complete derelict. (Quite near, in fact, the spot where Grendel’s hull plug had been buried in the weeds.) Purchased by Stan Honey and Sally Lindsay in 1988, her rebirth took two more years. But once she was back in commission, it wasn’t long before she began racking up wins. Single-handed, double-handed, fully crewed — didn’t matter. Finally, after 33 years, they capped their ownership by winning the prestigious 2022 Newport Bermuda Race. I know of no other modern yacht with as long and successful a record. 

 

This Week:

On a free leg of the course, a port tack boat is being overtaken by a starboard tack boat: 

a) the overtaking boat must keep clear

b) there’s no entry fee for this leg

c) the port tack boat must keep clear

 

THE RACE — “A Commedie della Fog”. Barry made the right call with postponing for the easterly, but he couldn’t do anything about the visibility. However, RH didn’t quite keep up on the course change. I became suspicious after Zoop had a “photo finish” with Sagittarius. She owes us 24 seconds a mile, but corrected out 20 seconds ahead. A glance at our track revealed the cause. The normal finish line for boats coming from the east (BP) is an extension of the line from the Harbor Lighthouse through S/F. But last night, for reasons known only to the ether, the finish line was set parallel to the course to the first mark.  As a result, many boats that assumed the line was perpendicular to the course, failed to finish until they finally turned for the Harbor (some almost sailed completely past the line).  One Santana 22, did exactly that, and went off for a cruise in the fog. Now, of course, the question is will Chris Hoffman ask AI to recalculate the results with the correct finish line? Or can RH do it on its own?

 

Fog adds another dimension and can be dangerous. Sea fog can form very rapidly. It is often misperceived as an already formed bank moving towards you.  But, what is actually happening is warm, moisture laden air contacting the cool sea surface causes instant droplets to condense. The fog is literally growing around you. Moist air from recent tropical disturbances can make this phenomenon more likely. It does seem to occur more often during the fall and winter months.  Once enveloped, failure to heed your compass can lead to rapid and complete disorientation. This is particularly true when focused on the jib tell-tales — keep checking your bearing.  Above all, remember Honda Point, when, in 1923, in dense fog, seven US Navy destroyers, ignored their best navigational info and followed one another onto the rocks at 20 at knots. As I’m writing this at 0900 Wednesday, it’s perfectly clear.

 

Spinnaker Fleet — 3 boats.  2/3 of the fleet set their kites before their start and sailed off towards the setting sun, leaving Frisky to complete the course on her own.

 

A Fleet — 9 Boats. Main Squeeze nailed the start and led Aboriginal at BP, while the rest of the fleet was thankful they appeared to know where they were going. Gotta’ love that Navionics. Aboriginal passed  Main Squeeze on the reach to the offset mark and was able to extend enough to correct out ahead of the SC 27 Yellow Belly, which passed Sagittarius at the jibe at the offset. Aboriginal gets the gold star for overcoming engine failure and sailing out and back into her slip. Not a big deal in a Santana or Moore 24, but you try it in a 40 footer.

 

B Fleet — 13 boats.  Toad made the best start, and was doing quite well until she over-stood BP in the fog.  Nidaros rounded BP first, followed by the ever opportunistic Big Mac which held on to correct out first. Toad rounded 5th but was able to pass Simpatico just after the jibe mark. She was clearly ahead on the approach to the finish but then things got weird because of the skewed line. 

 

Thank you Paul.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

SEPTEMBER 29, 2026 ANOTHER PERFECT EASTERLY

 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2026

ANOTHER PERFECT EASTERLY

Predictions were for a dying Westerly and when I got to the harbor early in the afternoon there was a Westerly showing on the flags.  By 2 pm we started seeing an Easterly.  When we left the harbor at 5PM the Easterly had filled in completely.  We determined the wind was coming from 100 degrees, set a line square to this and called for course E3.  Though there were patches of lighter wind it turned out to be just another perfect Easterly.

  

 Spinny Fleet track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapvie
wer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=29.9.2026%2017:50:00&language=en

A Fleet Track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=29.9.2026%2017:55:00&language=en

Fleet B track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=29.9.2026%2018:00:00&language=en

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                BOAT                                                PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED

SPINNY FLEET:

1            FRISKY                                                            81                         45:54                  42:19

FLEET A:

1            ABORIGINAL                                                 33                         36:22                  34:54

2            HEARTBEAT                                                  12                         42:26                  41:54

3            SAGITTARIUS                                               120                      50:13                  44:55

4            PERFECT 36                                                   144                      51:21                  44:59

5            YELLOW BELLY                                           141                      52:44                  46:30

6            GOLD RUSH                                                  126                      52:08                  46:34

FLEET B:

1            SIMPATICO                                                    165                      49:33                  42:15

2            MAKANI                                                        147                      54:54                  48:24

3            PACIFIC SPIRIT                                            165                      57:25                  50:07

4            AVATAR                                                          132                      56:27                  50:37 (TIE)

4            SAILING PAIR A DICE                                180                      58:35                  50:37 (TIE)

6            BLUE FIN                                                      72                         54:30                  51:19

7            TARA                                                             243                      1:08:29             57:44

8            TOAD                                                            150                      1:08:00             1:01:21

9            AZOR                                                             243                      1:14:47             1:04:02

10          KICKS                                                            180                      1:12:02             1:04:04

11          CIELITO                                                         360                      1:21:56             1:06:01

_)                                        _)                                                                      _)

ZOOP SCOOP BY Paul  Tara

QUIZZ

Last Week:

The term “head down”means

a) concentrate

b) bear away

c) check your shoe laces

 

The correct answer is b) bear away. To a sailing vessel, the wind is always like a Hill. “Head Down” means to turn away from the wind or head downhill. As opposed to Head-Up(the Hill) or Reach Across (the Hill).   There are many synonyms:  bear-off, bear-away, fall-off, ease-off, etc. The reference is always to the wind direction, not the compass. 

.

This Week:

Sick of hearing about the Moore 24 Nationals and Moore’s Reef yet? Me too. To conclude the topic, let’s try this bit of historical trivia. What very well known racing yacht was reborn at “The Reef”?

a) Grendel

b) Angelita

c) Illusion

 

THE RACE

Zoop  was on the hard this week, so we did not sail. Everything you read from this point on is a product of my imagination and Regatta Hero.  From the beach at 1730 it looked like an established easterly, with a transition far offshore. 

 

Spinnaker Fleet: One boat, the J105 Frisky, sailed what, in the absence of other boats, appeared to be an almost perfect course.  But it wasn’t enough to prevent the A Fleet leaders from overhauling her before the finish. No Moore 24’s sailed, having been sated by their 3 day Nationals. No wait, #2, Lono, sailed to Capitola for fun, but did not race. Who are those people? (Talk about gluttons).

 

A Fleet had a great race — I’m sorry we missed it. Aboriginal made a gutsy move on the first beat. She split from the fleet to tack offshore, with P36 following suite.  Both were rewarded; Aboriginal rounded first, ahead of Heartbeat, and P36 ahead of Sagittarius and Goldrush. On the run to Gov, Aboriginal extended her lead by sailing a shorter distance. Back in the pack, P36 held onto her lead over Goldrush and Sagittarius. But they were nipping at her heels. It’s interesting to watch the relative speeds of these three;  Goldrush, by far the oldest boat sailing on Tuesdays, is much lighter than the other two, and it showed on this run. Aboriginal corrected out first.  But, on the beat to the finish Sagittarius pointing ability (assisted, I’m guessing, by her carbon # 1) allowed her to pass P36 and correct out third by just 4 seconds.

 

B Fleet had 12 boats, 9 of which managed to finish.  The Santana 22 Tara had a great first beat, taking a page out of Aboriginal’s playbook and tacking away from the fleet on port early.  Simpatico did the same, but went further and rounded first, putting Tara in a squeeze play on the starboard lay-line with Pacific Spirit. In spite of that, Tara rounded 4th and was still in the hunt on the approach to Gov, but then the wind went light and she struggled on the beat to the finish, ending up 7th. Simpatico corrected out first, followed by the Catalina 34 Makani. 

 

THE POWER OF THE PEN

WOW!  Last week I wrote a made a short reference to how we need to “tighten up” course E-3’s description requiring boats to pass within 200’ of the red ball on the run.  This week just about every boat went by within spitting distance of the red ball. Amazing!

 

Thank you Paul!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

SEPTEMBER 22, 2026 A STANDARD EASTERLY

 

SEPTEMBER 22, 2026

A STANDARD EASTERLY

Predictions were calling for a strong Westerly that would decrease as the evening progressed.  There certainly was a good Westerly showing on the flags earlier in the afternoon, but by 4pm the flags were showing a developing Easterly.  As we left the harbor at 5pm, the Easterly seemed to be steady between 7-9 knots.  We determined the wind was due East from 90 degrees and set a line square to this.   We called for course E3, and all three fleets got off to clean starts.  B Fleet was cursed with a lull in wind with 3-4 knots creating a challenging start.  As usual on the downwind leg, the wind felt very light though we were getting a 10 knot breeze which was great once we rounded Gov and beat our way back to the finish.  It turned out to be a standard Easterly.

Spinny Fleet track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=22.9.2026%2017:50:00&language=en

A Fleet track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=22.9.2026%2017:55:00&language=en

B Fleet track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=22.9.2026%2018:00:00&language=en

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:  COURSE E3, COURSE DISTANCE 2.695NM

PLACE                BOAT                                 PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED TIME

SPINNY FLEET:

1            PEGASUS                                       150                      43:34                  36:50

2            GONZO                                           150                      49:43                  42:59

3            ROSIE                                             162                      52:34                  45:17

4            KEMOSABE                                   81                         55:29                  51:51

FLEET A:

1            ABORIGINAL                                33                         45:23                  43:54  

2            SAGITTARIUS                              120                      49:24                  44:01

3            ZOOP                                              144                      52:07                  45:39

4            GOLD RUSH                                 126                      52:23                  46:43

5            PERFECT 36                                  144                      57:17                  50:49

6            AQUAVIT                                       72                         59:26                  56:12

FLEET B:

1            AVATAR                                           132                      50:09                  44:13

2            NIDAROS                                        120                      50:58                  45:35

3            BIG MAC                                         222                      55:47                  45:48

4            SAILING PAIR A DICE                  180                      56:48                  48:43

5            KICKS                                             180                      57:24                  49:19

6            TARA                                               243                      1:00:48             49:53

7            MAKANI                                         147                      58:22                  51:46

8            AZOR                                               243                      1:03:24             52:29

9            PACIFIC SPIRIT                             165                      1:00:16             52:51

10          SIMPATICO                                     165                      1:01:03             53:38

11          TOAD                                               150                      1:06:34             59:50

12          SWEET PEA                                    165                      1:12:22             1:04:57

13          CIELITO                                          360                      1:27:15             1:11:04

_)            _)                                _)                    (_

NEXT TUESDAY IS THE LAST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH WHICH IS:

BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE CLUB AFTER THE RACE

BRING YOUR BEST GRILLING FOOD TO ENJOY AND SHARE!

 

ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA

QUIZZ

Last Week:

On a sailing vessel, a “spanker” is:

a) a sail

b) the master-at-arms

c) support for the taffrail

 

The correct answer is c) a sail. If you look closely at photos of old square riggers you’ll notice a distinct absence of ball bearing travelers beneath the aftermost fore-and-aft sail. Instead, you’ll see a bridle mainsheet (very similar to modern high performance dinghies).  This was because that sail was used largely for steering. During a tack, the boom would be hauled well to weather of the centerline and used to force (or spank) the stern through the turn. (As in spanking a horse’s rump.)

 

This Week:

The term “head down”means

a) concentrate

b) bear away

c) check your shoe laces

 

THE RACE - INVALID DATA!

Mischief afoot.  First, the course. E-3 is a great course, but “passing the red ball” is subject to interpretation. Practically, nobody passes within 200’.  I believe that requirement is there in case the course needs to be shortened.  But, often, in an easterly, there’s more wind right on the beach, so boats seeking that advantage are passing it hundreds of yards away, and still getting a “mark passed” signal. The “virtual gate” at the red ball needs to be tightened up. Either that or only include the 200’ requirement in the event of a shortened course.

 

Spinnaker Fleet initially showed 6 boats on RH, including 4 Moore 24’s.  “Moore wind” on the beach was the theme. Pegasus rounded BP first and was never challenged after that. But then things got weird.  Boats stopped “in their tracks” or just plain disappeared.

 

A Fleet had 7 boats, plus a red “Invalid Data” alert on RH.  With good reason.  Some boats stopped moving after the start, while Zoop never recorded a track, but did get a finish time, while neither she nor Gold Rush show up as boat icons at the finish. Furthermore, no teams were listed in the table that normally displays positions during the race. Aboriginal won, but only beat Sagittarius by 7 seconds on corrected (at Gov. the latter may actually have been leading).  Zoop was very late to the start, but managed to get back in the fray, rounding BP just ahead of Gold Rush. Gold Rush then pulled ahead on the run, only to be passed again by Zoop on the beat to the finish. 

 

B Fleet had 13 boats. As the boat with the highest SA/Disp ratio, Avatar exhibited superior speed and won, but not without a challenge from Nidaros.  3rd was team “I forgot to update my registration” Keeler which, I’m guessing, was Big Mac masquerading as last week’s RC boat Pair-of-Dice. 4th was the real PAD, currently known as team “tan and relaxed” Barry. 

 

As of final review on Wednesday afternoon, all three fleets were displaying red “invalid data” alerts. This is what happens when a Poltergeist gets into a neighborhood.

 

THANK YOU PAUL!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice