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 B TRACK CAN BE REVIEWED AT:
https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=scyc&passcode=233793®atta=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
I would like to add that protecting the asset is foremost in my thoughts in close quarters with other yachts. Avoid putting yourself and others in a position that there is no way out of. No race is that important that is worth crashing for.
ReplyDeleteMy start this last Tuesday I found myself at boat end with a larger boat coming fast from behind with no brakes. Although I had a right to be there, it was prudent that we sheet in and get out of the way.