JULY 14, 2026 SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST

 

JULY 14, 2026

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST

As I arrived at the harbor early in the afternoon, there was a brisk breeze showing on the flags.  Reports from sailors confirmed there was plenty of wind out there.  Predict wind was calling for the 5 o’clock winds to be 8 knots decreasing to 4 knots through the evening.  As warm as it was, I was expecting an Easterly despite the lack of fog drifting into Capitola.  When we left the harbor at 5 o’clock there was a steady 12 knot wind out at the start mark which seemed to follow the prediction as the wind quickly started decreasing.  In anticipation of a 4 knot breeze, we went about halfway to Schuyler and set a windward mark.  After setting the mark and heading back to the start area, we quickly realized that there was a building Easterly and changed the course to E3.  This was our third and final course change for the evening. All three fleets got off to clean starts and all was fine until B Fleet started the downwind run to GOV and the wind started dying again.  In an attempt to prevent another “BOBB-fest”, we shortened course for Fleet A and B to finish at GOV.  As we rounded GOV, the wind came back and, even though the race was finished, most boats continued to sail back to finish at the start mark.  It seems like the wind gods were SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST.

AFTER THE RACE…

Since my boat is the committee boat, we need to set and retrieve our temporary mark(s).  This is not a big deal, but it is a delay which frequently results in my boat being the last coming into the harbor.  Before the race we need to set and ping each temp mark we deploy.  Please be aware of these tasks that we must do to have a race.  Frequently we have boats on starboard (normally having right of way) crowding us both before and after the race as we need to set and retrieve the marks.  Please give us leeway as we are conducting these essential functions.

 

The track for spinny Fleet can be seen at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=14.7.2026%2017:50:00&language=en

 

A Fleet can be viewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=14.7.2026%2017:55:00&language=en

B Fleet track at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=14.7.2026%2018:00:00&language=en 2

 

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                BOAT                                 PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED

SPINNY FLEET: COURSE E3    DISTANCE 2.715NM

1            PEGASUS                                       150                      43:37                  36:50

2            INTERLUDE                                   141                      47:26                  41:03

3            SOPHIE                                           141                      49:13                  42:50  

4            DOUBLE ESPRESSO                    99                         48:35                  44:06

5            KEMOSABE                                   81                         56:35                  52:55

FLEET A:  COURSE E3 SHORTENED TO FINISH AT GOV  DISTANCE 1.905NM

1            WATTS MOORE                           150                      28:11                  23:25

2            ZOOP                                              144                      29:58                  25:24

3            ABORIGINAL                                33                         27:21                  26:18

4            SAGITARIUS                                 120                      30:46                  26:57

5            WIND II                                          213                      33:48                  27:02

6            PERFECT 36                                  144                      32:07                  27:33

7            MAIN SQUEEZE                           72                         32:16                  29:59

8            ROSIE                                             162                      36:14                  31:05

FLEET B: COURSE E3 SHORTENED TO FINISH AT GOV DISTANCE 1.905NM

1            BIG MAC                                         222                      31:45                  24:42

2            AZOR                                               243                      35:21                  27:38

3            NIDAROS                                        118                      31:40                  28:14

4            AVATAR                                           132                      32:26                  28:15

5            SIMPATICO                                     165                      33:41                  28:27

6            YES DEAR                                       243                      37:23                  29:40

7            ABSOLUTE 05                                117                      33:38                  29:55

8            SAILING PAIR A DICE                  180                      37:46                  32:03

9            PACIFIC SPIRIT                             165                      38:19                  33:05

10          TOAD                                              150                      38:19                  33:33

11          BLOND AMBITION                      100                      42:48                  39:37

12          CIELITO                                         360                      54:00                  42:34

 ZOOP SCOOP BY PAUL TARA

QUIZ

Last Week,

An isobar is:

b) A new SCYC Open Bar Policy! JUST KIDDING, it’s really

c) A line of equal barometric pressure. (On weather maps isobars serve the same function as elevation contours on topographic maps; the closer they are — the steeper the slope (pressure gradient) — the greater the true wind.

 

This Week,

A monsoon is:

a) an unwelcome start to the work week

b) a seasonal wind shift resulting in precipitation

c) a sprits’l used in southeast Asia

 

RE-GYREFICATION 

The weather over the past weekend was rare but not unique for California. Clockwise flow around a strong high in the southern Rockies, combined with a counterclockwise flow around a low offshore, to move (advect) subtropical moisture from the northern Sea of Cortez into southern and central California. Aboard Zoop we had a great sail on Sunday, under humid overcast skies. There was no fog or sign of an easterly — as we drove up the hill in the evening around 1900, there was still a stiff westerly blowing — the larger weather pattern had cancelled the Monterey Bay Gyre, or Santa Cruz Eddy. Monday brought more of the same, with the addition of a few sprinkles. 

 

Tuesday dawned bright and clear.  I was interested to see if the SCE re-established itself and how long the transition would take. The answer was, not long.  A strong westerly began mid-morning and continued all day. But inland, temps began to soar (Ben Lomond reached 107° F). Looking at the white caps just outside the Harbor, we got anxious and bent on our # 3 jib. Of course, as soon as it was hoisted, right at 1630, the wind in the Harbor died. Then, at 1700, just as we were casting off, all the windexes on D dock litterally flipped to the northeast. The temperature began to drop and, by the time we had left our fairway, the breeze had built to the point that hoisting the main required us to head towards Johnnies.  Near A dock, Watts Moore was becalmed. Just a few hundred feet away, the Crowsnest flag was standing out stiffly in the westerly. Now that’s a transition.

 

HOW TO WIN SAILBOAT RACES

“Start first and stay in front.”  While it may seem trite, that’s exactly what the winners in all three fleets did Tuesday. In the Spinnaker Fleet, Pegasus made the best start, led at BP and covered the SC-27’s on the way to Gov. Without a sprit, the jibing angles for Double Expresso’s A-kite did not seem deep enough to bring her within striking distance. In the A Fleet, Watts Moore aced the start at the starboard end and clung to Aboriginal like a leach. Both boats laid BP without tacking, but any chance the  Sydney 38 had was erased when the course was shortened. The evening’s outstanding performance was in B Fleet, where Big Mac also aced the start at the pin and went on to finish first boat for boat. She too laid BP without tacking and sailed straight down the rhumb line to Gov. The best start and the shortest distance — a hard combination to beat. But don’t underestimate that MacGregor 26 in moderate air just because she’s a trailer-sailer. Her elapsed time was only 3:34 behind Watts Moore, and she beat the Moore by 1:43 on corrected. As a matter of fact, she sailed the first two legs of the course (BP & GOV) fast enough to correct out over Pegasus too, up to that point, even though the latter was using a spinnaker. 

 

Thank you Paul!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

 

JULY 7, 2026 JUST ENOUGH WIND

 

JULY 7, 2026

JUST ENOUGH WIND

Predictions were for 8 to 24 knot winds but the flags were not showing much wind through the afternoon.  As we left the harbor at 5pm there was definitely wind showing further out, but would it stay? As time passed we noticed that the wind was coming in “waves” with increasing and decreasing wind which told us it was not an Easterly switch.  Plus there was no fog moving into Capitola and reports of a cool interior (San Jose) dissipated our concern of a developing Easterly.  We determined the wind was consistently coming from 240 and set a line square to this and called for course W4.

All three fleets got off to a clean start, as the wind seemed to increase up to 12 knots.  It was a beautiful evening on the water, but as B Fleet approached the finish, the wind was getting very light.  As it turned out, there was just enough wind to have a good race.

SPINNY fleet track can be seen at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=7.7.2026%2017:50:00&language=en

A FLEET track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=7.7.2026%2017:55:00&language=en

B FLEET track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=7.7.2026%2018:00:00&language=en

PHRF adjusted results:  course W4  distance 2.92 NM

PLACE                BOAT                                 PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED

SPINNY FLEET

1            FRISKY                                             81                         33:22                  29:25

2            SOPHIE                                            141                      38:22                  31:30

3            KEMOSABE                                    81                         39:56                  35:59

A FLEET:

1            TRUE LOVE                                    72                         33:47                  30:17

2            ABORIGINAL                                 33                         32:13                  30:37

3            PAC HIGH                                       96                         36:52                  32:12

4            ZOOP                                              144                      39:15                  32:15

5            PERFECT 36                                  144                      40:09                  33:09

6            INTERLUDE                                  141                      41:17                  34:25

7            DOUBLE ESPRESSO                    99                         39:49                  34:59

8            ROSIE                                             162                      50:14                  42:21

9            ODONATA                                      243                      54:14                  42:24

FLEET B:

1            MAIN SQUEEZE                           72                         35:10                  31:40

2            GOLD RUSH                                 126                      39:56                  33:48

3            SAILING PAIR A DICE                180                      45:04                  36:18

4            AZOR                                             243                      49:48                  37:58

5            AVATAR                                         132                      45:41                  39:16

5            SIMPATICO                                   165                      47:18                  39:16  (TIE)

7            ABSOLUTE 05                              117                      45:08                  39:26

8            NIDAROS                                      118                      45:47                  40:02

9            SWEET PEA                                  163                      50:35                  42:39

10          MYSTIC                                         150                      56:49                  49:31

10          TOAD                                             150                      56:49                  49:31 (TIE)

 

Zoop Scoop by Paul Tara

QUIZ

Last week: True Wind is caused by:

b) differences in barometric pressure

 

This  week,

An Isobar is:

a) A popcicle

b) A new SCYC open bar policy 

c) A line of equal barometric pressure

 

REGATTA HERO SHENANIGANS

In case some  of you thought you were seeing double, no, there were not two Zoop’s racing in A Fleet this week.  Last week neither Zoop nor Aboriginal recorded a track.  This week we used two phones as insurance, only to discover when we docked we still didn’t have a track or finish on either one, and neither did Aboriginal! Both boats were showing last week’s as the latest race.  Later, up at the Club, I learned that Double Expresso didn’t get a finish as well (her track appears to stop just short of MB). But then, about 30 minutes after that, both Zoop and Aboriginal appeared on our screens with all the usual data (our displayed elapsed time matched with our observed time). But, as of this writing, still no sign of Expresso, which finished just astern of us.   I don’t know what to make of all this, except that there there appears to be some sort of a lag and, make sure you take note of your own elapsed time. 

 

AN EXPRESSLY LOVELY EVENING 

At 0800 Tuesday morning, the breeze at Dominican Hospital was NE around 5 knots under what appeared to be a solid marine layer.  But, this proved misleading, as the stratus began to rapidly dissipate around 1100, leading to a strong northwesterly flow offshore, with a good possibility of an easterly transition later in the day (remember NOAA — 80 % chance in July and August).  Just how much later was the question.  The possibility kept the westerly moderate over the course.  As it turned out, Barry played it just about right with W-4; the transition appeared only as the fleets were finishing.    

 

37 Main Squeeze won B Fleet (2:08 over Gold Rush). Both sailed the shortest course in their respective fleets.  And, both went slightly left of center on the beat, opting for more breeze outside. But, the conditions near the finish decided the results — neither winner had saved her time on the nearest boats astern — until the westerly began to die in the face of the expected easterly transition.  Then, as the fleets compressed, a short distances turned into a long waits quickly.

 

 

Thank you Paul

 

Pacific cup:

One of our regular participants, Aquavit, is sailing in the pacific cup race to Hawaii.

If you want to follow the race, here is the link.

https://pro.yb.tl/paccup2026/

 

I hope to see you sailing next Tuesday.

 

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

JUNE 30 2026 COOL BREEZE, HOT BBQ

 

JUNE 30, 2026

COOL BREEZE, HOT BBQ

There was a chill in the air through the afternoon at the harbor, but thankfully the breeze was building as the afternoon progressed.  When we left the harbor at 5pm, there was a steady 12-15 knot breeze showing across the bay.  We determined the wind was from 240 degrees and set a line square to this. We called for the popular course W3 and tried to blow a 15 minute horn with a defective device. Thank goodness we had regatta hero to back us up with the start countdowns for each fleet.  As we ticked down close to the start, the wind seemed to die a little instilling fear of a building Easterly, which never developed (see the Zoop Scoop below).

It was a beautiful evening with sailing under a cool, steady breeze followed by a hot BBQ at the club. Another thanks to Mike Gross and his helpers for organizing this popular event.

SPINNY FLEET track can be reviewed at:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Spinny%20Fleet&race=30.6.2026%2017:50:00&language=en

Fleet A track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20A&race=30.6.2026%2017:55:00&language=en

Fleet B track:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793&regatta=Tues%20Fleet%20B&race=30.6.2026%2018:00:00&language=en

 

PHRF adjusted results: Course W3  Distance sailed: 3.894nm

PLACE                               BOAT                  PHRF                  ET                         CORRECTED

SPINNY FLEET:

1            PEGASUS                                       150                      45:31                  35:47

2            GONZO                                           150                      45:55                  36:11

3            SOPHIE                                           141                      51:16                  42:07

A FLEET                           

1            ABORIGINAL                                33                         37:12                  35:03

2            TRUE LOVE                                  72                         40:45                  36:05

3            ZOOP                                              144                      45:37                  36:16

4            ICHIBAN                                        150                      46:31                  36:46

5            WATTS MOORE                             150                      47:06                  37:22

6            WIND II                                           213                      51:20                  37:31

7            MAIN SQUEEZE                            72                         43:11                  38:31

8            INTERLUDE                                   141                      48:11                  39:02

9            DOUBLE ESPRESSO                     99                         45:49                  39:23

10          KEMOSABE                                    81                         48:01                  42:46

11          ROSIE                                              162                      56:10                  45:39

FLEET B:

1            PERFECT 36                                  144                      47:04                  37:43

2            BIG MAC                                       222                      52:15                  37:50

3            SIMPATICO                                   165                      50:59                  40:16

4            SAILING PAIR A DICE                180                      52:01                  40:20

5            AVATAR                                         132                      49:01                  40:27

6            TARA                                             243                      57:50                  42:04

7            KICKS                                           185                      56:19                  44:19

8            ABSOLUTE O5                             117                      54:36                  47:00

9            WIND GODDESS                         163                      58:03                  47:28

10          TOAD                                             150                      58:27                  48:43

11          MYSTIC                                         150                      1:05:38             55:54                                

 

ZOOP SCOOP   BY Paul Tara

QUIZ

Going forward, one question per week.  It’s been suggested that answers be provided (they will get harder).  Here are the answers to the first two: 

Apparent Wind is the wind you feel, c) when you are moving.

True Wind is the wind you feel, c) when you are not moving.

 

True Wind is caused by:

a) Social Media

b) Differences in barometric pressure

c) Isobars

 

 

LIFE AT THE EDGE

To quote from last week’s Scoop, “….the marine layer is a big factor. If it’s shallow, the flow is blocked and an easterly transition likely. If it’s deep, then it flows inland, Santa Cruz stays cool, and there’s no suck — the westerly holds.” Tuesday, the layer was deep. The fog barely cleared to the beach late so, even though there was fog in Capitola, no easterly suck. The deeper the layer, the further inland it penetrates — no blue — transition unlikely.

 

But, there’s almost  always wind at the edge of the fog. How much depends on its location. As the land heats, air above it rises, resulting in lower surface pressure (suck) and cool marine air flows in to replace it.  The greater the distance inland to the fog edge, the less the breeze afloat.  I tend to think in terms of “Summit” (barely discernible, with a westerly whisper), “Scotts Valley”, “Soquel Ave.”, “Murray St.”, “Beach”.  Tuesday, the edge was on the beach, with solid breeze all the way in. 

 

THE RACE 

In A Fleet, neither Aboriginal nor Zoop recorded a track, and Pac High’s phone was on a Moore 24.  The lure of the favored port end was enough to tempt us to start there. Mistake — pinned on starboard — the smart money tacked and headed to the right. We rounded Schuyler just ahead of Double Expresso and managed to finish in that position. The steady moderate breeze finally allowed Guenter to sail Wind II, who found the three reaching legs to his liking and scored an esteemable 3rd on Regatta Hero. As of this writing there are no corrected times for Aboriginal or Zoop. Regatta Hero has worked so well for us in the past I'm inclined to operator error (we made sure to record our time). 

 

B Fleet was a dogfight, all the way around.  Avatar and Big Mac nailed the start and  led to the left. Halfway up the beat, Big Mac was still even boat for boat. But P36 had snuck away on port for more breeze on the beach. She came back on starboard with a big lead and rounded first, followed by Avatar and Simpatico.  PAD and Big Mac came next and spent the rest of the course glued together.  At the finish, P36 corrected out first, but only by 7 seconds over Big Mac, which sailed the shortest distance in the fleet. P36 apparently never knew Big Mac was within striking distance, possibly due to her new black disguise. Just eleven seconds covered the spread between Simpatico, PAD, and Avatar.

Thank you Paul!

I hope to see you all sailing next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice