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:
A Fleet can be viewed at:
B Fleet track at:
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
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
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