OCTOBER 25, 2016: SO-SO SAIL, GREAT BARBECUE

OCTOBER 25, 2016

SO-SO SAIL, GREAT BARBECUE

As we left the harbor, I knew we were in trouble.  Big waves from the south were nearly breaking across the harbor entrance and the wind was barely existent.  It is a bad combination, very little light, big waves creating choppy conditions and no wind.  It was amazing that there were nearly 15 boats out for this mayhem.  What a group of fantastic people we have on Catalina Tuesday, ready to give it a go in such lousy conditions!  I was really stymied on what course to call as the wind switched from northwest to north, realizing that any course into the waves would be dead with such light wind.  The crowd insisted on a race, so “race” we did.  We gave a 5 minute horn to race to Gov, then to the barbecue.

About 45 minutes into it, I realized we would not finish the race AND have a barbecue so decided that at least Pair A Dice would abandon the race.  For the last barbecue of the season, I really wanted to have a big discussion like we have had for every “last barbecue” for the last several years. I was not disappointed!  The crowd was large and volunteered many comments for a lively discussion.

The consensus is that most boats do not want to take part in the running of the race.  We will once again this year come up with new course cards for next year.  This is your opportunity to convey any courses you would like to see on next year’s course card.   I do not want to call courses like a dictator.  What right do I have to do that?  There are many course options, lets get them on the course cards for next year.  I will make even more course cards next year so everyone should have one.  We will call out a course number and people should have the course.

With my many discussions around the room, one thing that has been missing is a start   line that is close to square to the wind.  One option is to drop a mark for the other end of the line which would be close to square to the wind.   I thought of another option to square up the line.  What if each course card had an image of the “skyline of the land”?  Each major landmark would be labeled A,B,C etc.  Landmarks would be things like Wharf end, Casino flag, lighthouse on Jetty , Flag on crows nest, Blacks point, radio towers etc.  With an outline of the land skyline on the course card, there should be no confusion which landmark to use.  The new protocol would be to call the course with the other end of the line designated.  “ whiskey 1 with Alpha line” should be simple enough.Please comment and weigh in with your ideas on this.

With a square line, the temptation to be OCS should be minimized.  We will monitor OCS situations next year.  I sincerely do not want our Catalina Tuesdays to turn into the mayhem of Wednesdays.  The only way to learn is to start properly.  The motto on Tuesday nights should be: start right, sail right, win right!  There will be times next year where I will run the line from outside the start mark and call boats that are OCS.  If boats are OCS, they will have the choice of restarting or be DSQ’d.  If DSQ’d and are not racing, please respect the boats that are still racing.

I want to thank all participants this year.  This has been an awesome year.  I think everyone is learning a lot and it is time to parlay your knowledge to the next level.  It looks like many of us will participate in the midwinter regatta this year.  There are some great sailors in our group and it will not be easy to win, but I guarantee you will have fun and you will learn.  The races are on the third Saturday of every month, up to 3 races a day.  First day of racing will be November 19.  We will see you out there!

If the group feels it would be beneficial to have a rundown of how the flags and horns work in a real race, let me know and I could lay it all out in next weeks blog.

We will try for one last race next Tuesday.  I am looking forward to a short race to end this phenomenal season we have had.  Thanks to all of you for your participation and patience.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 18, 2016: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

                                                          OCTOBER 18, 2016
                                                    THOUGHT FOR DISCUSSION


I was away on vacation this last week so do not have any comments on the action last week. I did get a response from one of our sailors on my previous blog which I would like to share with all of the Catalina crew.  If possible, I would like to use this response as a springboard for discussion after our barbecue on Tuesday night.

Hi Barry,

Read your blog for this week and wanted to share a few thoughts.

http://sailingpairadice.blogspot.com/2016/10/october-11-2016-short-colorful-sail.html

It has been interesting to see the evolution of the fleet in the short
time I've participated.  It does seem like skills and racing knowledge
have increased quite a bit and I think you should be proud of the work
you have done to increase participation and create a "wonderful vibe" on
Tuesday nights.  I've really enjoyed participating.

Skills and rules knowledge have improved in the time I've watched and
the starts have become much more aggressive on occasion.

As I've mentioned in previous mail, I do think setting a fair line would
improve starting skills and result in better starting line behavior.
Most starting line problems get created when the boats haven't really
worked on time and distance to the line or pin ends and unfamiliarity
with barging and luffing and responding rules and then get into improper
situations.

When placed in these kind of improper situations I think the first the
casual response is that since its an informal race lets just keep going.

The next evolution is to keep going but then to decide to retire later
in the race as we saw Pacific Spirit do a few weeks ago.

After that an evolution might be to actually return to the line and
clear it after they've made a mistake in time/distance judgement.

But it make take quite a while for this to work though the entire fleet.
  Your blog is a great way to learn about how and why things can go
wrong and how to correct, so it might not take as long as I'm
suggesting.  But that would mean that Sailing Pair-A-Dice would have to
be over early some race and talk about returning, but then winning the
race and writing a blog about it. ;-)  I think I've seen this already
happen with your continued mention about port tack ducking is really ok
and doesn't cost you that much if done effectively and as a planned
maneuver.  The behavior on Tuesday night is so much different  than Wed
nights and I think its in large part to your coaching the fleet via your
blog.

I agree that a rabbit start is a poor way to actually building starting
and racing skills.  The problem becomes one of asking questions about
how to directly take on some skill building around starting racing.

So we need to build some confidence that returning to start is ok no
matter how costly it might be.

One more suggestion is to also have a gun/horn at the start as well as
doing it at the 5 minute warning.  This would help all boats to
uniformly start to head up from reach to pointing angles off the line.
In the heat of battle its easy for boats to jump the gun and start
harding up.  This happens in any fleet racing with RC or not.  A horn
would help give that audible signal that would hold boats back from
jumping the gun instead of seeing a few boats take off and then join the
party.  All this is happening when crews are watching other boats,
getting ready to trim in and control their own boat, and also trying to
watch the clock.  On Tuesday nights when sailing short handed I've
found myself seeing other boats take off and saying "I guess the start
happened, so lets go...."  There is a lot of sensory overload with many
things going on and that audible horn would help synchronize actions on
all boats.

Next thing would be to work on would be to get more races that have fair
(square to wind/first mark) and shorter start lines that allow all the
boats to get good position on the line and a chance to accelerate off
the line uniformly  at the gun.  I definitely agree with the idea that
shorting the line with a temp buoy or anchored start boat would also
help in skippers and crews being able to judge the line and time and
distance to the line.

Longer lines make it harder to determine over early unless you are at
one end or the other of the fleet, and shorter the line the more obvious
this becomes to all boats in the fleet until you get down to a line when
all boats can just barely fit into the line and all the boats need to be
right next to each other for a fair start.

dumping a fender/small inflatable bouy/crab pot marker in the water in
the kelp bed near the start mark and leaving there for the season might
not comply with regulations but wouldn't create a hazard to navigation
and would give us an easier line to judge thats a few hundred feet long
instead of a 1/2 mile.

Now that 8-10  or more boats sail each week seems reasonable to rotate
responsibility for setting a line, calling the course and starting the
race.  That would also be a good experience for the start boat and crew
to learn a few basic RC duties.  I've learned just as much about racing
and starts from observing as a RC member as being on the race course.  I
would volunteer as a boat to get this started, and to coach others that
might be interested in occasionally taking on the responsibility in a
regular rotation.  It could also just be an option for some races and
the fleet could revert back to current starting setup/rules if there was
not a starting boat for any one evening.

One more thought on improving start skills would be to have "start
clinic Tuesday nights" in these last weeks before DST ends, and in the
spring just after DST starts up.  Since we have limited light in Oct and
March we could run these start clinics to get off maybe 5 or 6 starts,
race for a few hundred yards, then return for another round.  This
should help people get better judgement on time and distance to the
line, understand maneuvering to good spots on the line and other start
skills to keep them out of getting into trouble, but then figuring out
how to recover and do the right thing if they do get into trouble.  The
key in these nights would be to build some confidence in skills and make
these night fun, emphasizing the idea that the start is one of the most
fun, and challenging, and complicated part of racing.

I'd also volunteer to serve as the start boat for these "start clinic
nights."

A chalk talk at the club about different starting strategies and how to
get the best idea about time and distance to the line for different
conditions, situations, and fleet size.  These
talks/discussions/debriefs could also be added before or after the
"start clinic nights."

Thanks again for all the great work you have done to make Tuesday nights
a fun and enjoyable time on the water.  I've really enjoyed those nights
that I've been able to get out there the last few years.

-Chris

It is coming up on the close of the season, so do whatever you can to make it this Tuesday.

BARBECUE AT THE CLUB AFTER THIS TUESDAY NIGHT RACE.  BRING YOUR BEST GRILLING FOOD, THE BAR WILL BE OPEN.

Thank you to everyone for participating in our Catalina Tuesdays.

Barry L.Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 11, 2016: SHORT COLORFUL SAIL

OCTOBER 11, 2016

SHORT COLORFUL SAIL

When I approached the harbor, there was apparently enough wind to have a race.  The wind was from the normal direction, about 240 from the northwest.   I love a lot of wind when daylight is limited so this was going to be a great night for a sail. We had plenty of boats out for the fun and we called the course: Start, Wharf, Blacks, Start with a 6:00 start time and gave a 5 minute horn at 5:55.

With the orientation of the wind, there was only one way to start: Starboard tack and all  boats started this way all, spread down the line.  Once we all started and went a ways out, one by one we all tacked over for the inside run.  By the time we got to the layline, Sagitarius had quite a lead on everyone followed by equinamity,  Pacific Spirit and Makani.  Pair A Dice rounded just ahead of Perfect 36, but just behind Vern and Judy on Seabird. On the long run to Blacks we set the pole but could not pass Seabird until we jibed away from them.  Even with our most fervent prayers we could not close the gap on Makani.  At the finish it was Sagittarius, Equinamity, Pacific Spirit, Makani, Pair A Dice, Perfect 36 Seabird and Kicks.

On the way to the harbor, it was a gorgeous red sunset setting the stage for a short colorful sail.

Integrity:

A great racing sailor once said something to the effect of: “If you win the race but do not win the respect of your competitors, you have not won”.  I had the pleasure of helping out with the local “505” regatta this past weekend.  Talk about a bunch of competitive sailors!  Despite being competitive, they were all friendly and were having a great time sailing against each other.  Total respect was displayed by all competitors on the water and on land and they had a blast, even though races were cut short due to fog. There was not a protest filed during the whole regatta. Witnessing the starts was awesome.     

Everyone knew the rules and there was not a whole lot of shouting. A few guys were OCS, but when called back they came back and dipped the line to exonerate themselves. I have witnessed the same respect and comradery in the Santana fleet, everyone respecting rules demonstrating complete respect for each other.  Truly a thing of beauty.  Is it the fact that someone is sighting the line that keeps everyone “honest”?

Catalina Tuesdays is a very unique situation.  I believe we all are having a great time competing and learning together.  We do not have anyone sighting the line, so it is all an honor system.  It is very difficult to determine if another boat is “OCS” (On Course Side) at the start when we all are charging the line side by side.  People will often call other boats over early, but how can you tell without someone sighting the line?  On this particular night Pair A Dice was closer to the start mark than many of the boats that were spread down the line.  We were right on the mark, at the start time I sighted back toward the lighthouse on the jetty and almost all boats were way over the start line at the start. 

Being OCS is a huge, unfair advantage in racing.  You may think, we were only 30 feet over the line, but everyone behind you is getting bad air, so this 30 foot lead grows over the course to a huge advantage.

I have done everything I can to make Catalina Tuesdays a fun, learning experience.  I desperately do not want Catalina Tuesdays to turn into the mayhem of Wednesday nights where everyone is out for show, not rounding marks or observing rules.  I feel that without observing rules, you will never be an effective racer.  Indeed, the closer you follow the rules, the more you will learn and ultimately win more races and win  honestly!

Some people have suggested a rabbit start, others have recommended a shorter start line.  I personally do not feel anything is to be learned by rabbit starts.  I would like input from as many participants as possible.  How do we observe rules without having an umpire or line sighter?  Am I wrong in wanting this? Should we just have a rally where we are all out for a sail without racing?  Our final barbecue is coming up.  I would like a group discussion at this barbecue for input from everyone on these issues and what direction we should take next year.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 4, 2016: BLESSED NORTH WIND

OCTOBER 4, 2016

BLESSED NORTH WIND

               Talk about fluky conditions!  When I showed up to the harbor the wind seemed to be blowing out of the north, but the flag at the Nest showed a northwest wind blowing.  The strength of the wind was the other question.  Could we use the 155 or was the 135 the call for this night?  We decided to stick with the 155.  As we left the harbor, there were many boats out for the night, and the North had seemed to over- rule the Northwest breeze.  We proposed the north wind course from start to GOV and back, but others thought an impromptu course of start, Gov, Mile Finish would be better.  I was apprehensive the wind would die but went along with the longer course. 

The start was very hectic, as it frequently is at the end of the season.  Everyone seems to get there game on and are on the line at the same time.   It did not help that the line from start to blacks nearly paralleled the direction of the wind.  Twelve boats simultaneously running the line waiting to harden up to start the race. It was very crowded and Pair A Dice did not get a good start, coming off the line getting bad air from the boats that had better starts.  Our tactic was to try to sail straight to Gov  without tacking while several boats went outside.  As it ended up we all seemed to converge on Gov at the same time.  It did not help matters that there was a coast guard cutter moored to Gov getting in our way as if to emphasize the point: this is GOV buoy and we can only borrow its use for our races!  There were a few starboard versus port tack incidents that occurred at Gov which only increased the excitement.  What can be better than beer can racing in fluky 20 knot breezes in close quarters arguing right of way  with a coast guard cutter to oversee your actions?  We finally rounded Gov and headed toward Mile then headed toward Start.  By this time we were well back in the fleet, so I am not certain about the finish sequence, but I believe it  was Equinamity, Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit, Makani.  Pair a dice finished just ahead of Kicks after a long drag race from Mile to the finish mark.

Darn right of way!

Tuesday nights are the perfect time to learn about the rules and how to exonerate yourself if a rule is broken.  We all know starboard tack boat has right of way over port tack boat.  It is so easy and convenient to try to ignore these darn right of way rules  on a beer can race.  I confess, in the past I have not taken turns when I should have in the excitement of racing.   It could probably be said, we have all been guilty in the heat of the race.  Much more important than your standing in a particular race is the avoidance of the sound and ex$pen$e of crunching fiberglass. 

If you are a port boat that needs to duck a starboard tack boat, if done correctly, there is very little distance lost.  You can cut very close to the stern of the SB tack boat and get a lift as you do it.  It is important to keep sails trimmed appropriately for all points of sail, as you fall off to dip, loosen the sails and you gain even more speed. 

If you are the give way boat and don’t do so, a penalty turn should be taken.  Once again, I have been guilty of waiting for an opportune time to take a turn.  The rules indicate however, that the turn should be taken as soon as possible after sailing to an area where you will be out of the way of other boats. The rule book also says that failure to yield right of way requires a two turn penalty, but a lot of SI’s require only 1 turn.  We will observe a one turn penalty on our Tuesday nights.

Whenever a coast guard cutter is moored to Gov and we need to round the mark, please have your radio set to channel 16 to monitor how “nervous” they may be getting.  We are supposed to give them a respectable clearance.

Course Changes:

I know we often have differing opinions about a chosen course for the night.  I am certainly not a dictator that insists on calling the course every night.  I have developed the course card and made sure all boats have them for a reason:  when people ask what the course is, it is easier to give a course number rather than laying the whole course out over the radio. We have come a long distance from the time it was only 3 boats out on Catalina Tuesday.  When there are 12 boats out and the course needs to be enumerated separately for all 12 boats, it can get cumbersome especially when trying to sail a boat in 20 knot plus winds.  Another problem is when more than one person is talking on the radio at the same time.  Please use proper VHF protocol and indicate “over” when finished talking.

 It has been suggested that I should call the course between 15 minutes till the start.  If anyone has suggestions, the comments should be heard between 15 and 10 minutes before the start.  When agreement is achieved we will give the 5 minute horn.  Please, do not engage in course suggestions after the 5 minute horn. 

It was a great night for a race.  As Homer commented, “we finally had some great wind!”.

See you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice