JUNE 24, 2025
A LITTLE HELP FROM MY
FRIENDS
I am learning not to trust Predictwind for forecasts of
conditions in our area. When I got to
the harbor around one o’clock, the flags were showing a stiff Westerly
breeze confirmed by reports from sailors
coming back to the harbor. When we left
the harbor at 5pm, there was a strong wind line showing a 15-18 knot breeze
from the normal direction with no hint of weakening. Closer to S/F mark we had a weak southeast
wind. There was no fog bank in Aptos but there were clouds above Aptos. With such strong wind I ambitiously called
for course W2 but it didn’t take long to see that the wind was getting lighter,
so I shortened course to W5. As the
clock ticked closer to our start time, the wind had completely died with the
Westerly wind line way out toward Mile buoy.
There was no way to have a race in such conditions! I was ready to cancel the race and just go
for a sail until people reported an Easterly building in toward the shore. We raised the AP flag in Regatta Hero to
allow time to set a new course which is not on the course card but is in our
Regatta Hero list of courses:
Start>Blacks>Finish. As we
lowered the AP flag, the 6 minute countdown started with a start time of
6:01:13. In the commotion on PAD, I did not succeed in changing the course for
Fleet A to the new course E8. All of the
tracks for Fleet A were uploaded and though labeled DNF, I was able to get
finish times from the tracks in Regatta Hero.
With both fleets starting at the same time, it was a very
exciting crowded start. All boats
honored the RRS and there were no issues other than trying to find clear
air. All boats tacked their way to
Blacks. This year’s increased distance
between S/F and Blacks worked out well and, with everyone once again following
the RRS, there were no issues.
It started as a very frustrating evening to be racing but it
was salvaged as my friends on the water informed me of the developing
Easterly. Sometimes I get by with a
little help from my friends!
You can review the tracks from tonight at:
PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS (course length 1.16nm)
PLACE BOAT PHRF ET CORRECTED TIME
FLEET A:
1 ABORIGINAL 33 19:00 18.22
2 TRUE LOVE 72 21:14 19:50
3 SUMO 141 23:51 21:08
4 INTERLUDE 141 23:56 21:13
5 SOPHIE 141 24:14 21:31
6 DOUBLE
ESPRESSO 99 26:15 24:20
7 AQUAVIT 72 26:02 24:38
8 BLUE FIN 72 29:02 27:38
FLEET B:
1 AVATAR 132 22:47 20:13
2 SAILING
PAIR A DICE 180 24:53 21:24
3 PERFECT
36 144 24:21 21:33
4 BIG MAC 222 26:41 22:23
TIE
4 SIMPATICO 165 25:35 22:23 TIE
6 TOAD 150 25:40 22:45
7 PACIFIC
SPIRIT 165 26:13 23:01
8 WIND
GODDESS 165 28:20 25:08
9 KICKS 180 31:02 27:27
10 ESTELLE 170 32:32 29:14
_) _) (_ (_ _)
REGATTA HERO:
This app is working well for us, even in challenging
situations like this night. One thing
that would help. In the registration
window there is a field that is labeled “sail number”. It helps if you put your boat name in this
field which will specify your boat in the playback. I know boat names but have no idea what your
sail number is.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE:
People often thank “me” for my efforts on Tuesday
nights. A reality check reveals that it
is a team effort with many people helping to navigate this event. A big thanks should be given to Doug Mahone
for his continuing efforts on Regatta Hero. It also could not be done without
the assistance of Chris Hofmann, Fred Molnar, Mark Mccord and Jon Robison. Even the simple notification that “hey we
have an Easterly building in here” was a huge help on this evening. It takes a village!
Barry Keeler
Sailing Pair A Dice
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