MAY 5, 2026 CHILLY CINCO DE MAYO

 

MAY 5, 2026

CHILLY CINCO DE MAYO

Predictions were for 17 knot winds decreasing to 4 knots and when I got to the harbor around 1pm, there was definitely wind showing on the flags.  The only problem with the conditions was a heavy cloud cover that was casting a chill colder than any winter day I have seen in Santa Cruz.  Optimistically there were clear skies to the south but they never came north.

When we left the harbor at 5pm, we determined that the wind was coming from 260 and  we set a line square to this as boats were streaming out of the harbor for the chilly sail. It was actually a perfect evening on the water with a steady breeze but a chilly Cinco de Mayo.

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:  COURSE W4  DISTANCE2.92NM

PLACE                BOAT                                 PHRF                  ET                     CORRECTED

SPINNY FLEET

1            RIO                                                  141                      47:00                  40:08

A FLEET:

1            ZOOP                                              144                      35:18                  28:18

2            PACIFIC HIGH                               96                         33:00                28:20

3            INTERLUDE                                  141                      36:06                  29:14

4            WATTS MOORE                            150                      37:02                  29:44

5            MAIN SQUEEZE                           72                         33:46                 30:16

B FLEET:

1            PERFECT 36                                 144                      37:46                  30:46

2            SAILING PAIR A DICE                180                      39:54                  31:08

3            SWEET PEA                                  163                      39:40                  31:44

4            SIMPATICO                                   165                      39:54                  31:52

5            AVATAR                                         132                      38:27                  32:02

6            PACIFIC SPIRIT                            165                      41:22                  33:20

7            TARA                                              243                      45:23                  33:33

8            AZOR                                              243                      45:38                  33:48

9            ANIMAL HOUSE                          96                         41:54                  37:14  

 

Spinny Fleet can be viewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=5.5.2026%2017:50:00&language=en

FLEET A TRACK CAN BE VIEWED AT:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=5.5.2026%2017:55:00&language=en

FLEET B TRACK CAN BE REVIEWED AT:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=5.5.2026%2018:00:00&language=en

 

FLEETING CONFUSION

 

This Tuesday, as we approached the starboard end of the line for a start in A Fleet, our plan (tack onto port at the mark) was thrown into disarray by the presence to leeward of a boat that usually races in B fleet. But were they? If they weren’t, they were doing a damn good job of imitating a boat setting up to execute our plan perfectly. With 40 seconds to go — we were clearly in a barging position — our only option was to slow and duck their transom. This saved us from a protest (or so we thought) but foiled our plan and made us quite late. By the time we crossed on starboard, most of A fleet was already away on port, headed right, leaving us no clear lane. A glance aft showed the boat we ducked did not start in A, but tacked away for her B Fleet start.

 

We currently have three fleets racing: Spinnaker, A, and B.  Choice of fleet is open, but on any given day, it sure would be nice to know who in hell you’re racing.  And, who you’re not. While some tech wizards amongst us may be able to look at Regatta Hero at the last minute and discover who’s registered in their fleet I, for one, am not among them. No way will you catch me diddling around with my phone in a crowded starting area.  In junior sailing, different fleets are designated by colored ribbons secured to the end of the boom. Is this an idea that could work for us? Too much trouble? Let us know in the comments. Lacking that, please stay clear of the starting line until after your preparatory signal.

 

As for our plan? It was completely obliterated (an increasingly overused term). So, off to Plan B. “If you’re given lemons, make lemonade.”  We knew there was more breeze outside (we had changed down to our #2) so we hit the left hard.  Clear air and plenty of it. When we came back on port, we were right back in the fray. In retrospect, it’s possible we should have hit the left harder.  Both Pacific High and we under-stood the starboard lay-line to Schuyler, indicating the lack of a strong right shift near the mark. (After her performance last week, I will now think of that shift forevermore as the Sagittarius Effect.)  This week the fleet was small (5 boats) so there was plenty of space for a port tack approach.  As it was, after all that blather last week about not over-standing, we were so determined to remain sin free, we tacked a bit too soon, forcing us to throw in a quick hitch near the mark. On the reach back into the finish we stayed low, saving our powder for the lighter air nearer shore, allowing us to correct out over Pacific High by two seconds. Whew! 

 

In the B Fleet, Tara made a perfect port tack start, but nothing could save her from Perfect 36 in that much wind, as the latter water-lined the fleet for the win.  Aboard Zoop, we have a healthy respect for P36 when it’s breezy. 

  Thank you Paul

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

APRIL 28, 2026 IT DOESN'T GET BETTER THAN THIS

 

APRIL 28, 2026

IT DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN THIS

Predictions for the evening indicated 16 knot breeze with gusts to 19 and decreasing through the evening.  When we left the harbor shortly after 5, there was a beautiful 13-16 knots of wind across the bay.  The wind was coming from 240 and we set a line square to this.  With such great wind we called for a long course Whisky 1 and blew the “15 minute horn” at 5:45. As the clock ticked down for the B fleet start the wind was increasing to a steady 20 knot plus and a few boats put in reefs.  All boats had clean starts and made there way around  the course as the wind started to decrease to 13 knots.  Still a nice breeze to sail in.  It Doesn’t get better than this!

    

 
Jennifer Kinsman photo

  

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS: COURSE  W1  DISTANCE 3.884NM

PLACE                BOAT                                 PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED

SPINNY FLEET

1            PEGASUS                                       78                         42:53                  37:50

FLEET A

1            HEARTBEAT                                  12                         36:57                  36:10

2            TRUE LOVE                                   72                         41:05                  36:25

3            INTERLUDE                                   141                      46:35                  37:27

4            ZOOP                                               144                      46:52                  37:32

5            SAGITTARIUS                                120                      45:28                  37:41

6            FLEXI FLYER                                  96                         43:55                  37:42

7            AQUAVIT                                         72                         44:14                  39:34

8            WATTS MOORE                              150                      51:14                  41:31

9            QUIXOTIC                                       57                         59:40                  55:58

10          WINDLUST                                      66                         1:05:01             1:00:44

FLEET B

1            GOLD RUSH                                   126                      50:45                  42:35

2            PERFECT 36                                   144                      52:23                  43:03

3            PACIFIC SPIRIT                              165                      55:03                 44:22    

4            BIG MAC                                        222                      58:54                  44:31

5            SIMPATICO                                    165                      56:58                  46:17

6            SAILING PAIR A DICE                 180                      58:30                  46:50

7            ABSOLUTE05                                117                      55:24                  47:49

8            SWEET PEA                                   163                      1:01:49             51:15

9            NIDAROS                                       114                      59:36                  52:13

10          AVATAR                                          132                      1:01:24             52:51

11          AZOR                                              243                      1:09:43             53:59                                

 

Spinny Fleet track can be viewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=28.4.2026%2017:50:00&language=en

A Fleet track can be seen at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=28.4.2026%2017:55:00&language=en

Fleet B track can be seen at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=28.4.2026%2018:00:00&language=en

 

THE ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA

THE MOST COMMON SIN

Joe Duplin, a Star world champion, and the coach at Tufts, preached the 7 most common mistakes to be avoided by college sailors. He believed that if a boat avoided these errors, it almost guaranteed a finish at or near the top of the fleet. Care to guess which is the most difficult to avoid off Santa Cruz?  Here they are:

1. Don’t be late to the start.
2. Don’t be over early.
3. Don’t hit a mark.
4. Don’t foul another boat.
5. Don’t sail the wrong course.
6. Don’t over-stand the weather mark.
7. Don’t capsize. 

I hope you chose number 6, over-standing the weather mark; all the rest are gimmes. This Tuesday, about two-thirds of the way up the beat, we were on starboard, about three lengths abeam and to weather of Sagittarius, when we got a slight header and tacked away, to get further to the right, “up inside, on the layline”. Sagittarius stayed on starboard, was eventually lifted up, and squeezed around the mark.  We rounded well behind, having lost them, as well as Interlude, Aquavit, and Flexi. If you look at our “route” on RH, we sailed almost an extra quarter mile we didn’t need to.

 

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve “misunderstood” that persistent shift off Lighthouse Point, I could afford a new jib. In the old days, in 5o5’s, Dennis Surtees, the reigning NA champion, used to say, “When you smell the sea lion crap on Seal Rock, tack, you’re on the lay line.”  The only problem now is things have changed; the mark is no longer in that spot, and the sea lions have all moved to under the Wharf. (And even that is shorter!)  But, calling the starboard lay-line is still one of the most critical parts of the race.  If the fog’s in and the breeze is dying, the shift  may not be there, but if there’s a strong westerly, odds are it will be.  How much, is the critical question.  If you tack early onto starboard and can’t lay, you’re committed to a final approach on port, possibly in traffic (remember, if you tack inside the 3 boat-length zone, you essentially have no rights). But, if you play it safe and join the starboard tack parade, you risk over-standing. That’s because the lift, usually increases as you approach the mark, and the fact that, as boats join the parade, they often “go just a little further” before tacking, rather than sail in the bad air of the boat ahead. Which, of course, leads to each boat over-standing just a teensy bit more.

 

CLOSE RACING

In the A fleet, Heartbeat only beat True Love by 15 seconds, and the total spread between 3rd and 6th place was another 15 seconds. Interlude beat Zoop by 5 seconds and Sagittarius beat Flexi by one second.  In the B fleet, Pacific Spirit beat Big Mac by 9 seconds.  Unfortunately Gold Rush, which lead all of the way, recorded a track, but not a finish. Too fast for her own good, apparently.   

 

I hope to see you sailing next Tuesday.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

APRIL 21, 2026 STARTING TACTICS AND RULES

 

APRIL 21, 2026

STARTING TACTICS AND RULES

Since there was a strong possibility of rain, I thought it would be good to have a seminar for race starting tactics and rules.   Chris Watts offered to discuss starting tactics and Chris Hofmann offered to discuss some rules centered on starting also.  I thought this would be more interesting for the group than dodging rain drops.

Chris gave an awesome presentation and emphasized the importance of “situational awareness”.  This is much more than being aware of other boats in close proximity.  You must keep track of the start line position and how long it takes to sail the line at full speed.   In anticipation of the start, while sailing, always sail at full speed.  This helps when trying to      time your start. Also, keep an eye on the wind for shifts to determine which end of the line is favored.  If there is a heavily favored end of the line, it may be better to start further down the line for clear air if there are many boats at that end.  Chris emphasized the importance of the skipper to communicate with his crew what you are doing.  It is good to have a race plan, noting where other boats are so you can  sail in clear air.  Chris commented on the common technique of sighting a line to something on shore to determine if you a OCS.  Unless you have a crew on the bow to sight this, it is not possible and seldom used.  There is technology that works very well to determine your position to the start line.

Another critical thing to know is the lay line for both ends of the line.  Also discussed is the ability to ascertain time and distance.  For this, You pass the end of the start line you want to start at and note the time to the start.  How long do you sail away from the mark to tack (or gybe) around to start right on time?  This is another reason to keep the speed up at all times to be able to gauge these times and distances.  This is a skill that develops with practice.

Chris Hofmann continued the presentation by discussing starting rules and barging.  This is interesting because you will never find  the word “barging” in any sailing rule book.  Yet the term is frequently used by sailors when a windward boat does not yield to a leeward boat on the start line.  This usually happens at an end of the start line.  

“Barging” actually involves 6-8 rules and Definitions;

Rule 11: same tack overlapped,

Rule 12 same tack not overlapped

Rule 15: acquiring ROW

Rule 16: changing course

Section C Preamble 18, 19, 20

31 touching a mark

All of these rules can be applied, but most sailors just consider rule 11 which states that when overlapped, windward boat must keep clear of the leeward boat.  If you get “hooked” (leeward boat establishes overlap with you) while sailing down the line, the leeward boat can luff you up no further than head to wind without breaking rule 16

It was a great presentation by both Chris Watts and Chris Hofmann .

I will add that if you are going to do any sailboat racing, you must have a copy of the US sailing rule book to refer to.  Chat GPT is not a reliable source of information.  You must join US sailing online to buy the book and download a copy of the book on your phone.

   _)                                              _)                                             )_                                               (_

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

BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE CLUB!   BRING YOUR BEST BARBECUE FOOD TO GRILL AND ENJOY!

 This coming Sunday (April 26) is the first of the series for this seasons’s SCORE races.  It is time to register on line for the fun!

ZOOP SCOOP by Paul Tara

FLEET DEMOGRAPHICS

It takes about 10 quality hours afloat (not calm, not too sporty) for kids to learn how to sail. In the Beginners Class at Stockton Sailcamp, after Monday we’d be  thinking, “There’s no hope”.  By Wednesday afternoon, there would be some. Thursday was the day. By it’s end, they’d be asking questions about starting tactics and mark room.

 

Zoop was one of the first (if not the first) non-Catalina boats Barry invited to participate on Tuesdays.  That was in 2017. There was one fleet, with about 10 boats.  Over the intervening years, participation has steadily increased and the character of the fleet has changed. As more race boats began to compete, Barry dropped “cruising” from the series marque and split the fleet into A and B.  At the same time, the level of competence in the fleet has improved dramatically. Zoop’s slip on D dock offers an excellent venue for seamanship spectating. It’s probably safe to say that, when they were first invited, for half the SC27 fleet, docking meant “controlled crash”. Not any more.

 

Now, as the attendance at Tuesday’s starting and rules presentation shows, metaphorically we’re at Thursday afternoon at Sailcamp. Most boats now get around the course in good order and there is a heightened interest in tactics.  Particularly starting tactics. Because of the increased competitiveness on the line, it’s critical to remember the RULES are the basis for all tactics, and that boats don’’t all handle the same. Not having a thorough knowledge of the rules, is like being a deer in headlights, an analogy made more accurate by our mixed fleet, i.e., you can see the headlights, but you’re never quite sure how fast they’re coming at you. Above all, it’s important to remember that, although the rules can be used as a weapon, their primary purpose is to prevent damage and injury.  

 

OROGRAPHIC CORRECTION

How do you like that segue? From demographic to orographic in one fell scoop! (Sorry). In the last Scoop I incorrectly used the word orthographic to describe the characteristics of our local northerlies.  The correct word is orographic. Orographic winds are those influenced by geographic features or terrain. Most familiarly, the term “orographic lift” is used by meteorologists when describing precipitation caused when moisture laden air is forced upward by rising terrain. But the opposite can also occur. High pressure building aloft to the north and east, say behind a frontal passage, often forces lower level air to get out from under, literally squeezing it out downhill through gaps in the terrain to the lower pressure remaining offshore. Locally, the San Lorenzo Valley, Arana Gulch, Rodeo Gulch, and Soquel Creek act to funnel offshore flow down to the shore at the Boardwalk, Harbor, Corcoran Lagoon (KSCO) and Capitola.  These are the areas to watch for the first offshore puffs.  

 

PROPULSION

Recently, the question was asked, “Where do the rules say when to shut off your engine?” Good question. Because they don’t actually say it in those exact words. What they do say, in Definitions, is that “a yacht is racing from her preparatory signal until she has finished and cleared the line”.  Then, Rule 42, Propulsion, states a boat shall compete by using only the wind and water to increase or decrease her speed.  To compete, she has to race, ergo, no engine after her preparatory signal. EXCEPT, Rule 42.3 i states, “Sailing Instructions may, in stated circumstances, permit propulsion using an engine or any other method provided the boat does not gain a significant advantage in the race.” Our Tuesday Sailing Instructions do specifically state that an engine may be used to avoid a collision. Just watch out for those words “gain” and “advantage”.  The rest of the fleet will be. Oh, another word of advice, if you think we’re going to hit you, start your engine. Zoop’s engine is gas. By law, we must run our blower for 4 minutes to evacuate potentially explosive fumes before starting up. I guess we could skip the blower, but still…. 

 

Thank you Paul

I hope to see you sailing next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

APRIL 14, 2026 TAXING DAY ON THE WATER

TAXING DAY ON THE WATER

Predictions were for 17 knot wind decreasing to 8 knots through the evening.  As we know, predictions are frequently wrong and the sea state indicated much stronger wind. When we got to the start area the wind was 19 knots from 240 degrees and we set a line square to this.   We selected course W1 and blew the 5:45 horn.  As the evening progressed the wind increased and a few boats retired.

We had 9 boats finish in Fleet A and 4 boats finishing in Fleet B. As we sailed the course we saw areas that had 24 knots of wind.  It was a taxing day on the water.

 

 FLEET A TRACK CAN BE REVIEWED AT:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=14.4.2026%2017:55:00&language=en&defaultspeed=5&loop=no

FLEET B TRACK CAN BE REVIEWED AT:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=14.4.2026%2018:00:00&language=en&defaultspeed=5&loop=no

 

PHRF CORRECTED RESULTS

PLACE                BOAT                                 PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED

FLEET A: COURSE  W1  LENGTH 3.884NM

1            TRUE LOVE                                    72                         38:44                  34:04

2            ABORIGINAL                                 33                         36:54                  34:45

3            ZOOP                                               144                      44:17                  34:57

4            PERFECT 36                                   144                      45:32                  36:12

5            SAGITTARIUS                               120                      44:45                  36:58

6            MAIN SQUEEZE                           72                         41:59                  37:19

7            INTERLUDE                                  141                      46:44                  37:36

8            SAILING PAIR A DICE                 180                      54:42                  43:02

9            ANIMAL HOUSE                          96                         49:39                  43:26

FLEET B: COURSE W1 LENGTH 3.884NM                 

1            SIMPATICO                                    165                      48:19                  37:38

2            BIG MAC                                        222                      52:28                  38:05

3            AZOR                                               243                      54:21                  38:37

4            PACIFIC SPIRIT                             165                      52:05                  41:24

 

ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA

A SPRING MIGRATION

After the past weekend’s rain, Tuesday delivered a robust post-frontal westerly with more breeze outside and hints of a northerly inside. Most of the fleet was either reefed, or down to # 3’s.  Earlier buoy readings showed 27 knots. There were no starters in the Spinnaker Fleet! But there was a significant shift in fleet composition among the remainder. According to Regatta Hero only 4 boats started in the B fleet, after several boats (Zoop included) migrated to the A Fleet. In addition to those boats, there were several others, mostly Moore 24’s, that don’t show up on RH.   

 

 A Fleet had a jam-up at the starboard end, largely due to one boat (which shall remain nameless) loosing track of the starting line and setting up to start inshore of the red ball. By the time  she realized her error, we had been carried so far above the line we were forced to make a dip start.  Among the leaders, on the approach to Schuyler Aboriginal under-stood and had to throw in a hitch, while True Love called the perfect layline, correcting out first by 41 seconds. We ate Moore 24 gas to get to the right, but eventually tacked on True Love’s line and rounded 4th after Pac High’s jib tack let go.

 

Although small, B Fleet had some close racing, with Simpatico correcting out over Big Mac by 27 seconds.  What’s really interesting about their race is that, if you look at their tracks, after they round BP, you can clearly see the effect of the big veer, when the northerly filled from inshore.  The 5 minute head start we enjoyed in A Fleet spared us from that tactical dilemma; we didn’t experience the shift until we were headed into the Harbor.  Northerlies are orthographically influenced and often appear first off the Boardwalk at the river mouth, the Harbor, and Corcoran Lagoon.  

 

MORE RISKY BUSINESS

The fact that some of you continue to insist on running into each other has come increasingly to the attention of  “The Ad Hoc Committee for Tuesday Race Yotting Excellence, or TRYE.” (Kidding, just made that up.) But, really, here’s the deal, “If in doubt which is proper, port, starboard, back, or stop her,” i.e., DON’T HIT OTHER BOATS. Learning and sailing by the rules isn’t that hard.  Here’s a PDF from US Sailing, posted by Fred Molnar, that lays out the rules of Part 2 graphically. Thank you Fred.

 

 

Generally, if everyone follows the RULES, there will be no contact.  They act as a sort of force field surrounding every boat.  Often, when contact does occur, it’s the result of a sudden unforeseen circumstance, like a shift, or an unobserved right-of-way boat. That’s called an accident. But psychology can also be a factor, especially at the start. If a boat refuses to stay clear of a right-of-way boat, that’s called either ignorance of the rules or bad sportsmanship.  Many skippers find it very difficult, in the moment, to accept that their concept of reality doesn’t match up with what’s actually happening. For example, “Those idiots below us surely must know where the line is, right?”  That’s called wishful thinking.  However, if you can recognize when you’re about to be screwed, that’s called anticipation.

 

I could go on and on about starting techniques, but that’s not the point; there are hundreds of books and seminars. The problem with many of these is that they are based on examples which presuppose similar handling characteristics for all boats.  That is certainly not the case on Tuesdays. It can be very difficult to implement some of the strategies. Know your boat and its handling limitations.  When all is said and done, I find it very helpful to keep in mind two fundamentals. Only one boat will get the best start. And, the start itself is not what counts; it’s what’s happening one to two minutes later that really matters.

Thanks Paul

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

 

APRIL 7, 2026 CHALLENGING EASTERLY

 

April 7, 2026

CHALLENGING EASTERLY

Predictions were for 8 to 10 knot winds with gusts of 19 from the Northwest. This was confirmed by the flags early in the afternoon, but as we approached 4pm, the flags showed a definite Easterly developing.  Sure enough, as we exited the harbor at 5pm, the wind was coming from 90 degrees.  We set the start line and called for course E3. 

After three weeks of horrific incidents on the start line in Fleet B, I opted to sail in Fleet A just for some safe sailing.  As Spinny Fleet and A fleet approached Gov, the wind was getting very light so we called to shorten course for B Fleet for them to finish at Gov.

For some reason Regatta Hero cut out on some boats and did not recognize the shortened course for B Fleet.  While RH did finish many B fleet boats at GOV, the PHRF calculations used the length of the full E3 course.  Corrected results are below.

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                BOAT                                 PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED

SPINNY FLEET: COURSE DISTANCE 2.668 NAUTICAL MILES

1            ZOOP                                              144                      59:37                  53:12

2            INTERLUDE                                  141                      1:01:50             55:33

3            MAIN SQUEEZE                           72                        1:03:46             1:00:09

4            ROSIE                                             162                      1:09:15             1:02:02

FLEET A:  COURSE DISTANCE 2.668 NAUTICAL MILES

1            WATTS MOORE                           150                      58:10                  51:29

2            ABORIGINAL                               33                        53:23                  51:54

3            FLEXI FLYER                               96                        59:12                  54:55

4            WIND II                                        213                       1:05:10             55:41

5            SAILING PAIR A DICE               180                       1:07:25             59:24

FLEET B: COURSE DISTANCE  2.126 NAUTICAL MILES

1            MAKANI                                        147                      40:55                  35:42

2            ANIMAL HOUSE                          96                         42:02                  38:36

3            BIG MAC                                       222                      48:08                  40:16

4            PACIFIC SPIRIT                           165                      48:23                  42:32

5            SIMPATICO                                  165                      49:13                  43:22

6            WIND GODDESS                        163                      49:15                  43:28

7            PERFECT 36                                144                      48:50                  43:42

8            YES DEAR                                   243                      1:04:17             55:40  

 

Spinny fleet track:

www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=7.4.2026%2017:50:00&language=en&defaultspeed=5&loop=no

Fleet A track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=7.4.2026%2017:55:00&language=en

Fleet B track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=7.4.2026%2018:00:00&language=en

 

PAUL TARA’S   “ZOOP SCOOP”

 AN INTERESTING EASTERLY

Initially there was a solid easterly, but there were some suspicious lulls and, for the first time, we elected to sail in the spinnaker division.  This turned out to be a good guess.  We were able to lay BP in one tack, but only by squeezing up, and shooting the mark at the end.  Boats astern were lifted more, indicating a shift to the south.  Even with the kite, the run was painfully slow as the breeze gradually died and backed.  But then, just after we rounded Gov, a veering fill came in from the south, giving us a nice beat to the finish. Heading in afterwards we were amazed to see the westerly fill back in. Kinda’ made sense — building breezes veer — but weird nonetheless, because it was so late, and there was no fog. 

 

RISK MANAGEMENT

As we start this season it’s apparent some of us need to revisit our relationship with the Racing RULES of Sailing . A recent spate of crashes and near-misses has underscored the importance of understanding the RULES. They provide a basic framework which allows boats to maneuver safely in close proximity.  Failure to sail by the RULES not only spoils the game for everyone, but endangers your boat and your crew. Boats should never touch; when they do, somebody’s committed a foul.

 

Racing sailboats is all about anticipation and odds. Learning to recognize developing situations that might place you on the wrong side of the rules, before they unfold, is key. When I taught junior sailing, I would tell the kids, “Sailboats have no brakes; you may never win the America’s Cup, but you will be good drivers.” Maneuvering dinghies in tight quarters teaches recognition of risky situations before they become critical.  This is important, because the recognition and management of risk afloat is the essence of seamanship.

 

A way to anticipate risk is to recognize that, while it’s always present, there are areas of increased risk that are constants in every race; places where the probability of ending up in a tight spot goes way up.  These are the start, the marks, and the finish. There can be others, but these are the usual suspects, because it’s where boats are forced together, and where results are often decided.  In addition to these constants, there are other factors, or variables, that can quickly alter the odds against you. These might be the particular rules in play in any given situation, the conditions, and other boats.   Whenever you’re in one of the  high risk areas, your anticipatory antennae should be on high alert. Watch out for right-of-way boats: starboard tack and leeward are the most common threats. But also be particularly aware of variables that can alter the odds unfavorably against you. No matter how well you anticipate, the odds can shift. Just like the wind. 

 

The best way to tip the odds in your favor is to LEARN THE RULES. Get a copy and read them. Particularly new racers. Believe what you read, not what you hear, i.e., you cannot learn them at the Club bar. They're available from US Sailing in both digital and printed form.  Every boat should have a copy.  As for anticipation, you can practice it by asking, “What if?” whenever near other boats. Hey, it might just happen.   

 

Remember Paul Elvstrøm, “You have not won if, in so doing, you have lost the respect of your competitors.”

 Thank you Paul.

 See you next Tuesday.

 Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice