JUNE 18, 2024 DISSIPATING WIND

 

JUNE 18, 2024

DISSIPATING WIND

As usual I was monitoring the wind as the afternoon progressed and was not encouraged.  While there seemed to be wind on the water, it certainly was not a strong wind.  As we left the harbor at 5,  I was encouraged to see a southeastern  wind filling the bay  and planned for a start from GOV.  As we approached GOV, the wind was already starting to die so we came back to the S/F area and with 10 knot winds we called for an ambitious course Echo 1: Start>SC3>Blacks>finish at S/F.   As the clock ticked down, at about 13 minutes until 6, the wind was quickly dying so I changed the course to sail  to Blacks and back, twice around.  Halfway to Blacks it was apparent that twice around was too ambitious so I shortened course to just sail to Blacks and back to S/F.

Many of the more experienced sailors sailed in closer to shore since the Easterly usually fills in there first, but on this night it was a trap and the boats got stuck with even less wind inside. The first of A fleet to round Blacks was Aboriginal, then Sweetheart, Yellow Belly, Duet, Odonata and Magic.  The first of Fleet B to round Blacks was Big Mac, then Avatar, Hot Tuna, Makani, Animal House, Gold Rush, Toad, Pair A Dice, New Perspective, Nidaros and Zoop.

All boats inched their way back to the finish as the wind seemed to die even more.  At the finish the first A fleet boat was Aboriginal 20:58 then Sweetheart 25:22, Duet 27:36, Yellow Belly 28:27, Magic 29:34 and Odonata 30:25 and Wind II 30:55.   B Fleet was led by Big Mac 21:20, then Avatar 21:47, Makani 21:53, Animal House 22:31, Hot Tuna 22:33,  Gold Rush 22:41, TOAD 23:46, Sailing Pair A Dice 24:12, Zoop 24:14, Nidaros 24:29 and New Perspective 25:29.  All times elapsed and the course distance was 0.94NM.

While the wind was excellent at the beginning of the evening, multiple options had to be avoided as we were all suffering from a dissipating wind. 

 

  

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                 BOAT                                   PHRF                                   CORRECTED TIME

FLEET A:

1             ABORIGINAL                                   33                                          20:27

2             DUET                                                 141                                        25:23

3             SWEETHEART                                 -6                                           25:27

4             YELLOW BELLY                              141                                       26:14

5             ODONATA                                         243                                       26:36

6             MAGIC                                               141                                       27:21

7             WIND II                                              213                                       27:34

FLEET B

1             BIG MAC                                            222                                       17:51

2             HOT TUNA                                         243                                       18:44

3             MAKANI                                            147                                       19:34

4             AVATAR                                              132                                       19:42

5             GOLD RUSH                                      126                                       20:42

6             ANIMAL HOUSE                               96                                         21:00

7             SAILING PAIR A DICE                     180                                       21:22

8             TOAD                                                  150                                       21:25

9             ZOOP                                                   144                                       21:58

10          NIDAROS                                             118                                       22:38

11          NEW PERSPECTIVE                           144                                       23:13

 

 RACE QS:

The track for this evening can be viewed at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=99704&updatedAt=2024-06-19T01:55:45Z&dt=2024-06-18T17:45:19-07:00..2024-06-18T18:54:08-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1718760525401&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Makani&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.952236&lon=-121.991589&tilt=5&range=812&heading=257

DUCK OR MAINTAIN COURSE?

I know no other venue where small boats compete with much larger boats in the same area.  We have everything from a 15 foot to a 52 foot boat and all sizes in between. We have had challenging conditions with very light wind to compete in. Light winds mean short courses with 20 boats sailing in very crowded conditions.  I concur that we should all follow the rules, but having a smaller boat force a larger port tack boat to conduct evasive maneuvers in very light wind and crowded waters is dangerous.  It may be easier and safer for a smaller starboard tack boat to not force the issue and just duck the larger boat.  Communication is critical in these situations. Hailing “hold your course” as you alter your course to dip would be safe.  Collisions can happen as two boats move to avoid each other with no communication.

 

NEXT TUESDAY=LAST  TUESDAY OF THE MONTH!

This means BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE CLUB AFTER THE RACE!

BRING YOUR BEST BARBECUE FOOD TO GRILL AND ENJOY!

Barry Keeler

Sailing  Pair A Dice