April 17, 2018: ABSENTEE SPECTATOR

APRIL 17, 2018

ABSENTEE SPECTATOR

I regret that I was not able to participate for this night.  From the predictions, it looked like we were going to have a lot of wind for this night.  I understand that the wind was about 15 knots, not as strong as predicted.  I heard that there were nearly 15 boats out for the fun, and 6 of these boats used race QS to record and upload the tracks for review later.  From the Race QS tracks, it appears that whisky 4 course was chosen again for this night.

It appears that Pair a Dice had a little better start with Pacific Spirit chasing close behind.  Alas, as can be seen by the race QS tracks, waterline played a factor as Pacific Spirit slowly gained on PAD and ultimately passed PAD before rounding Wharf.

Since I was absent, I can only go by Race QS tracks and it looks like Pacific Spirit finished first with Pair a dice one minute behind her.  Avatar was close on the heels of Pair A Dice and crossed the finish line just behind PAD.  From all pictures I have seen, it was a beautiful evening for a sail.

From Race QS the times were:   Boat                        Elapsed time            

                                                                Pacific Spirit               49.55

                                                                Pair A Dice                  50.55

                                                                Avatar                          51.04

                                                                Kicks                           59.06

                                                          Tara                                   59.39

Distance raced for this course is 3.93 miles.

If you are having trouble setting Race QS up on your phone, let me know at the barbecue.

NOTE, THIS COMING TUESDAY IS CATALINA NIGHT AT THE YACHT CLUB  AFTER THE RACE.  PLEASE BRING YOUR FAVORITE BBQ FOOD AND MEET THE OTHER PEOPLE YOU ARE SAILING AGAINST.  BAR WILL BE OPEN.

I will see all of you out there next Tuesday.

Barry L. Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

APRIL 10, 2018 SPRING WIND

April 10, 2018

SPRING WIND

Checking predict wind and Sail-flow in the morning, I could not believe they were actually calling for 20 knot winds at 6pm.  When I showed up to the harbor, the winds were obviously ramping up for a beautiful evening sail. We had about a dozen boats out and, after we set the start line buoy, we called course Whiskey 4.  Homer on Equity was the sheriff and he sounded the five minute horn and the start horn.

On Pair a Dice, we came off the line on starboard tack to get into the stronger wind outside, but tacked over a short distance out.  There were just too many waves stopping us on starboard tack and the wind was a little strong for the sails we were using.  We tacked over and Pacific Spirit tacked over to cover us.  We all sailed in on port tack and one by one we tacked over to get outside.  Homer and Pacific Spirit were really showing the way on this night and rounded Wharf well ahead of the rest of us. 

 

On Pair A Dice, we thought we had overstood the mark when we tacked over for wharf mark.  If we had watched closely, there were 3 boats ahead of us at the mark that had to throw in another tack to round. All of the boats were getting a header at the mark.  We had set our sail for sailing directly to the mark and we got caught in the same trap.  We had to tack to get around the mark.  Doug on Avatar expertly sailed right by our stern and easily rounded and was ahead of us

. 

We all marched off toward Gov and finally to the finish mark.  It is amazing to me how very little changes in standings after rounding the windward mark.  It seems like all gains on the race course are made during the beat to weather.

We had a great get together at the Crow’s Nest with a lot of discussions on sailing and boat performance.

RACE QS:

I cannot say enough good about Race QS.  In previous blogs, I have encouraged boats to use this app.  We are at the point where EVERYONE must use Race QS in order to be recognized.  This FREE app is one of the best things you can do to improve your sailing.  Have you ever wondered why some boats are always leading?  Race QS and studying the tracks after the race can show you how to improve your sailing ability.

Since we will not incorporate PHRF ratings in out Tuesday Night Sailing, Race Qs is one of the best ways we can compare our performance to much faster boats.  We now have a 40 foot boat and several very fast boats.  They are certainly going to finish ahead of you, but checking the distance of the course and getting the time they crossed the line and you cross the line, you can see how you would have done if sailing similar boats.  I watch several parameters when examining my tracks on Race Qs:   How tight are the dots in front of the cone showing how steadily you are steering?  How consistent is your angle of heel?  How are our tacks?  You can get all of this information from Race QS.  Download the app and use it!

I am looking forward to our next Tuesday night Sailing!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

APRIL 3, 2018: OBSERVATIONS FROM THE DECK

APRIL 3, 2018

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE DECK

Due to back problems, my physician recommended that I refrain from sailing.  I came down to the boat to see my crew off and observe conditions.  The flag on the Crow’s Nest showed a building Easterly. The SCYC crew had put out two of the yellow ball buoys during the day: start mark and Wharf mark.  I had arranged for Perfect 36 to be the Sheriff boat for this night.  I went to the Crow’s Nest to observe the action.

  For the second Tuesday nights sail, I was amazed at how many boats were out.  The problem I had from the Crow’s nest was that I could not, even with binoculars,  determine the identify of boats  unless unusual characteristics were apparent.  Pair A Dice successfully set the mark for the other end of the line.  Though I could not hear the horns, I could tell when the start began.  Our temporary line mark was set inside from the start mark and the line seemed to be long enough for the 17 or so boats that were out.  Just before the start, a smaller boat (maybe a Moore 24) thought they were OCS and whipped around the buoy for a proper start.  The course called was B2 off the course chart minus rounding Blacks.

About two thirds of the boats started on starboard tack and some started on port tack at the start mark end.  As I saw Pair A Dice take the port tack start, I thought it was brilliant strategy on my boat because I could not see SC3, thinking it was too small for me to see.  I thought they were sailing directly toward SC3.  Sagitarious, Homer (Equinimity) and Pacific Spirit and the 40-foot blue hulled boat owned by John Nugent were in the Starboard tack boats.  It was interesting observing the boats make their way to SC3.  It was not until I noticed that SC3 was very visible very close to shore( from my perspective) that I realized that the port tack starters were sailing away from the mark, though in stronger wind.  The Starboard tacking starters were sailing much closer to the mark, but what seemed to be lighter wind.  The report that I got was that starboard tacking boats crossed ahead of the port tack starters.

As all of the boats approached the finish mark, my task got very difficult since I could not identify the boats that were finishing.  I started writing down names of the boats that I “thought” were finishing. Later I found out I was not identifying boats correctly.

I had attempted to arrange seating for everyone at the Crows nest 1 and ½ hours before, but there were several parties already going on taking up our space.  Maybe the Nest will be more prepared after the season is well started.

READ THE SI’S:

Since we are setting a line mark for the starts this season, I added to the SI’s (the back of the course chart): “When finishing, finish mark shall be passed within 5 boat lengths per course description. For finish at SM, line is extension (or line formed) by start mark and Jetty lighthouse”.  I noticed many boats taking the SM to port, which made sense because the line buoy was still in place.  To be correct, for B2, the SM should be taken to starboard, as noted in SIs within 5 boat lengths. The purpose of the line is to have a line square to the wind for the start.  The temporary buoy will be removed once Pair A Dice gets to it. Following the instructions on the course card prevents some people finishing through a line and some finishing without a line.

ORGANIZATION:

My observations from this and last week has emphasized the point that it is impossible to call the finishers in order any more.  With so many boats with such varied hull speeds, it is impossible to call winners when our boat is a half a mile away from the front runners.  There are many excellent sailors in our group that are very competitive. As stated previously, I cannot call the order of boats any more.  Our group of boats has grown from 4 boats 10 years ago to a regular 17 now.  I encourage all of this involvement, we even had some Moore 24’s out on this night!  Since we do not have a committee boat to call the finishing times, we need to use technology to fill in the gap.

RACE QS:

There is a FREE app available on any cell phone called Race QS. If you are serious and competitive in your racing, for our Tuesday night sailing, it will be necessary for the competitive boats to run this app.  If you do not run this app, you will not be recognized in this blog.  Race QS will replace the committee boat for finishes. It will be easy to ascertain the proper winner with the race QS app.

Once you download this FREE app to your phone, you can preset the start (6:00PM for now) before you leave your slip.  You mount the phone as close to centerline so the top of your phone faces forward with no movement.  I have a plug on my boat that keeps the phone charged at all times though this is not necessary.  Once you get back to your slip, you can either save your track to upload when you are in a WIFI network or you can click save and upload.  When you get home to your computer, you can pull up and register for race QS on line and replay the whole nights race from several perspectives.

The advantages to using this system are multitude.  First, we can see who finished first and the placings of each boat as they finish.  The other is that each boat can compare their results and the difference in time between their finish and the other boats, in a way applying PHRF rating so we can see how well we really sailed. The last advantage is being able to see how the winning boats operated: what was their angle of heel and how consistent was it, how did they perform their tacks compared to yours.  Each time a boat tacks on race QS it leaves a white dot at the “corner”.  You click on that white dot and you get a full analysis of the tack: amount the boat fell off of hard on the wind, time lost (or gained) in the tack, the time it took to finish the tack.  Seriously there are 8 parameters measured every time a boat tacks.  This is valuable information that we can all learn from.

COMMODORES REGATTA:

Keep in mind the Commodores regatta coming up on April 14.  This race does not require a PHRF certificate and I believe it is only $20 to enter.  It is time to apply all you have learned from Tuesday night sailing and enter a real race.  This is a reverse PHRF or pursuit race where the slower boats start first.  These are always fun races where you are doing all you can to stay ahead of the faster boats.  I encourage you to enter for the fun.  It is always fun at the yacht club after the race.

I am looking forward to next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sialing Pair A Dice

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 [BK1]

MARCH 27, 2018: A DYING EASTERLY

                                                             A DYING EASTERLY

 After not being able to sail for the first two Tuesdays of the season because of rain, it was fantastic to see clear skies and the wind blowing steadily out of the East. As the boats filed out of the harbor, the obvious choice for the course was Bravo 2 omitting the absent Blacks. The course was a simple beat to SC3 and back to the finish mark.

 Pair a Dice served as the Sheriff boat to sight the line, as all dozen or so boats charged off the line. Everyone started on starboard tack going toward the beach and one by one everyone tacked back over toward the outside. On Pair a Dice, we thought there was more wind closer to the beach and sailed clear to the kelp line before tacking. By the time we tacked over toward SC3 we were on the layline. The boats that tacked over earlier seemed to be caught in little wind as we charged toward SC3. The newest boat to participate in Tuesday Night Sailing (John Nugent’s 40 foot boat with blue hull) was the first around the SC3 with Pair A Dice following. The whole fleet seemed to be sailing together as a group. A

After rounding SC3 we set the pole and started slogging into the waves back toward the start mark in what was becoming a dying easterly. I thought the water seemed to be flatter closer to shore and headed in that way. This allowed us to take the waves at more of an angle so they wouldn’t stop the boat. Homer followed us and passed us. Ultimately the 40 foot boat finished way ahead of the fleet and Equinimity and Pacific Spirit finished ahead of Pair a Dice. There may have been a couple of other boats ahead, but by this time everyone was spread out and I couldn’t tell which boats had finished. We witnessed a close finish between Perfect 36 and Sea Quake. From our angle, we could not tell who was first, but was Perfect 36 a foot ahead of Sea Quake?

 We had a great barbecue at the club. It was fantastic to finally be sailing Tuesdays again.

 THE ROLE OF SHERIFF:
  Each week, we will have a sheriff boat that will sail outside the line sighting the line for boats that are over early. Rather than going through the line like other boats, the sheriff boat will start outside the line. This can be an advantage for the sheriff boat, but all boats that want to be sheriff will get their turn. It has been proposed that the sheriff boat will blow a horn at the start to let everyone know the start time. Since being sheriff is easy sailing and not fighting for position on the line, a horn at the start would be a nice touch.

 PHRF IS A FOUR LETTER…
 In our Tuesday night sailing, we have never adjusted results for PHRF ratings. We have always tried to call the finishers in order. On the course card, the distance for each course is noted so we can always take a finishing time and note the PHRF difference to approximate how you would do in a real race. My thought has always been to use Tuesday nights as a learning experience. It does not matter if you are the first over the line or the last, there are always close competitors to compare your performance and improve. As long as we are all learning, we are all winning! For people that want to be more competitive and be able to apply the PHRF rating, it may be good for everyone to run Race QS and upload. If we all did this, we can all ascertain what time each boat finished. As faster boats join our fleet, do not get discouraged, just keep learning and improving your sailing.

 OTHER REGATTAS:
 On April 14, SCYC will be having a one day regatta: the Commodores Regatta. PHRF certificates will not be necessary for this race. A lot of you are really picking up your game and it would be great to see a good turnout for this regatta. It will be a reverse PHRF (pursuit race) where slowest boats start first followed by faster boats. If everyone sailed a perfect race, we would all finish at the same time! It is nice because these races often have an empty start line unless there are other boats in your class. I am looking forward to next Tuesday!

 Barry Keeler 

Sailing Pair A Dice

BLACK SAILS / COURSE CARDS FOR 2018

BLACK SAILS

Black Sails is a popular series on one of the cable channels presenting the adventures of the pirates of the Caribbean many years ago.  I watched several episodes of these adventures.  We all also love the appearance of black sails made from advanced material on the larger race boats.  On my boat, I hate the appearance of black sails because, if my sails are black, it is because I have been caught in rain while sailing and mildew has set in.  I don’t think any of us like to fight the battle with mildewed sails, so I have cancelled the last two Tuesday night sails off because of rain.

I am copying the course card onto the blog so anyone that does not have a course card for their boat can print this out and refer to it.  The courses and instructions are listed at the end of this blog.

Remember this coming Tuesday evening is:

BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE YACHT CLUB AFTER THE RACE! BRING YOUR FAVORITE GRILLING FOOD AND MEET ALL OF YOUR COMPETITORS.  THE BAR WILL BE OPEN.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A CLUB MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE

OTHER REGATTAS:

We are all learning how to race and compete on our boats.  One April 14, the yacht club is putting on a commodore’s cup regatta.  Usually, in order to race in one of these regattas, you need a PHRF certificate.  This year, they are relaxing the rules so PHRF certificates are not needed for THIS regatta.  It is necessary to register early, especially if you do not have a PHRF certificate.  This is a Pursuit race, meaning slower boats start first.  I have participated in many of these races and it is a real blast.  It would be great to get a bunch of the Tuesday Night Sailing boats entered into this regatta.

2018 TUESDAY NIGHT SAILING COURSES

                    Whiskey, NW WIND (start line SM & S 330M)                                                          Miles

 

       W 1  Start, Wharf, Mile, Blacks, Finish (stb)                                                      4.04

       W 2  Start, Wharf, Mile , Gov(stb),  finish                                                          3.93

       W 3  Start, Wharf, Blacks, Finish(stb)                                                                 3.23

       W 4  Start, Wharf(stb), Gov(stb), Finish                                                             3.07

       W 5  Start, Wharf, Finish                                                                                       2.68

       W 6  Start, Finish at Gov (stb) (line = Gov & Wharf end)                                 1.31

                   Mike, S wind  (Start line SM  & JLH 310M)

      M 1  Start, Mile(stb), Gov(stb) (line= Gov & Wharf end)                                  2.24

      M 2  Start, Mile, Finish                                                                                            2.17

      M 3  Start, Finish at Mile(stb) (Finish line= Mile & Wharf mark)                     1.06

                   Bravo, E wind (Start line SM& BP 352M)

      B 1  Start(stb), Blacks(stb), Mile(stb), Gov(stb), Finish                                      4.03

      B 2  Start(stb), SC3, Blacks, Finish(stb)                                                                 3.04

      B 3  Start(stb), Blacks(stb), Mile(stb), Finish                                                        2.72

      B 4  Start(stb), Blacks, Gov, Finish                                                                         2.43

      B 5  Start(stb), Blacks, Start, Blacks, Finish(stb)                                                  1.12

      B 6  Start(stb), Blacks, Finish(stb)                                                                          0.55

        GOLF, North wind  (start line SM & BM 079M)

      G 1  Start, Gov, Mile, Blacks, Finish(stb)                                                              4.03

      G 2  Start, Gov, Blacks, Finish(stb)                                                                        2.45

      G 3  Start, Gov, Finish                                                                                             1.98

      G 4  Start, Finish mark= Gov (line = Gov & Wharf end)                                    1.31

                                         

        Oscar, Other

      F 1  Start at mile(stb) (start line =Mile & JLH), Wharf(stb),                              1.48               

             Finish mark=Gov(stb) (finish line = Gov & end of Wharf)                                                             

      F 2  Start at Mile (start line=mile and end of Wharf),                                       1.50

             Wharf, Mile (Finish line= Mile and end of wharf)                                      

      F3 To be determined.                              

                                     

2018 TUESDAY NIGHT SAILING p2

1.     All marks are left to port unless designated (stb) which shall be rounded to starboard. 

2.   The start line shall be a line containing Start mark and designated landmark or temporary                   

     mark placed for other end of line if conditions permit.

         3. When starting, start mark shall be passed with 10 boat lengths unless temporary mark is

  placed. When finishing, finish mark shall be passed within 5 boat lengths per course                                   description. For finish at SM, line is extension (or line formed) by start mark and Jetty light house.

4. Any foul shall be exonerated by one tack and one jibe in the same direction, as soon as clear               from other boats (270 degree turn).    

5. Monitor VHF channel 69 at start time. A boat may sight line to call “over early boats”.  If

     Called over early, you must restart properly to be given a finish.                  

LANDMARKS:

  BP=Blacks point,  S=White house at Schwan Lagoon JLH=Jetty lighthouse, SC Wharf=end of pier

MARKS:

Blacks (BM)                          Yellow Ball                                       36 57.22’N     121 59.29’W

Gov                                        White Ball                                        36 57.47’N     122 00.72’W

Mile                                       Whistling Buoy                                36 56.35’N     122 00.56’W

SC3                                         Yellow Can                                       36 56.49’N     121 58.00’W

Start/Finish(SM)                  Yellow Ball                                       36 57.09’N      121 59.62’W

Wharf                                    Yellow Ball                                       36 56.87’N      122 01.24’W

The Basic Racing Rules at: https://www.latitude38.com/YRASchedule/rules.html

                        Follow: Sailingpairadice.blogspot.com for results and commentary

THE BEGINNING OF A NEW SEASON 2018

                                                   2018 BEGINNING OF A NEW SEASON

The sailing season is quickly approaching.  I have been working with Fred Molnar, Chris Hoffman and Don Radcliffe on the new course charts and we are excited about the changes we have instituted.  The charts are printed and I am handing them out and may be putting them on your boat, so don’t be surprised if you find one in your boat cabin.

While many of the courses from last year are on the chart this year, I have tried to make some of the courses less ambiguous.  We also decided to change the name of our event.  Catalina Tuesdays started as only Catalina boats racing on Tuesday evenings.  In the past few years, there have been many different makes of boats that have been enjoying their time with us.  In order to be more inclusive of all cruising boats, we are changing the name to “Tuesday Night Sailing”.

For past participants, you know what Tuesday Night Sailing is all about.  For non-participants that may be interested, these nights are all about improving your sailing (and racing) ability.  The quickest way to improve your sailing is to race against similar boats.  All cruising boats are heavier and beamier and usually slower than the lighter racing boats.

 I write a blog about each race.  In this blog I point out tactics used and some racing rules.  Do not worry, if you break a rule I may write about it but your boat will NOT be mentioned.  It is all about education, not shaming or embarrassing.  We usually meet at Crow’s Nest after the race (upstairs) for dinner and discussion. On the last Tuesday of every month, we have a barbecue at the yacht club and get to know each other a little more.

In sail boat racing, it does not matter if you are competing for first place, the middle of the pack or just trying to not be dead last you are competing and improving your sailing skills.  With this in mind, it is important to follow all rules and round all marks.  If you decide to not round a mark or not take a turn to exonerate for a penalty, just announce on channel 69 that you are retiring. It is no big deal! Racing is racing and pleasure sailing is pleasure sailing.

One difference this year is that we will try to consistently place a buoy for the line so we have a proper start line, this mark may be removed after the start.  When the buoy is removed, and the finish is at SM we will define the finish line as an extension of JLH and the start mark. If the course indicates finishing with SM to one side or the other, the finish line may be the LINE FORMED by JLH and start mark.   We are also planning on having a boat sight the line for every race so that we have proper starts with no one starting too soon.

One last word about the blog.  I consider myself a novice sailor who is willing to share little nuggets I learn about sailing on the blog.  I definitely to not know everything there is to know.  There are many in our group that are accomplished sailors.  I encourage active participation and comments in the blog.  If I am wrong on a rule, tactic or results of the race, please comment on the blog.

I will see you out there on “Tuesday Night Sailing”.

Barry Keeler
Sailing Pair A Dice

OCTOBER 31, 2017: THE LAST HURRAH OF THE SEASON

OCTOBER 31, 2017

THE LAST HURRAH OF THE SEASON

I love showing up to the harbor and seeing the flag on the Crow’s nest showing a stiff breeze.  I had anticipated very little wind and a short night creating the conditions for a miserable race, but these fears dissolved when I saw the flag!  My crew came and we left the harbor.

  The question always comes up: great wind, but will it dissipate?  On this night, in addition to sailing dice (sailing Pair A Dice), I decided to roll the dice and called for a rather ambitious course: Start, Wharf, finish with the finish line between Gov and the end of the wharf. With all boats out and ready, we started about 10 minutes early and gave a 5 minute horn at about 5:45.

We had about 10 boats out and on Pair A Dice, I wanted to start toward the end of the 10 boat length zone so we could be windward of the pack getting clean wind.  We accomplished this, though it required a last minute tack, not a good move for approaching the line with speed. We had the whole fleet to our leeward, but ultimately Pacific Spirit was able to tack over in front of us and clear us. Kudos to Homer on Equinimity who saw that he was 4 seconds early over the line, did the honorable thing and went back to dip the line!  On Pair a Dice we were on a good line and seemed to be sailing into more wind, we stayed on this tack out to the layline for wharf mark.  Pacific Spirit and Equinimity were tacking back and forth further inside.  Ultimately, our sailing to the corner (usually a bad move) worked out for us and we rounded Wharf just ahead of Pacific Spirit and Equinimity and Nidaris II.

In the run to Gov, the perils of an extemporaneous course call prevailed.  Was the finish to be 5 boat lengths from Gov or was it the “line between end of the wharf and Gov”?  Homer was first over the line, but Pacific Spirit was closer to Gov.  All boats finished and it was a gorgeous sunset to boot.

We had a great barbecue at the club and celebrated the last hurrah of the season!

TACTICS, TO THE CORNER OR NOT?

Normally in racing, it is not a good idea to “sail to the corner”.  The thought is to take advantage of headers and lifts by tacking up the center of the course.  On this night we sailed to the corner because we saw that the seas were flat so we were not being stopped by waves.  We also noted that the wind seemed to be increasing as we moved further out AND we seemed to be sailing into a lift.  We overstood the layline a little, but made it up by not having to pinch to make the mark.  Another consideration was that while the boats inside were searching for headers and lifts and more wind they had to tack several times, while we only tacked once when we were on the layline.  It does not work often, but on this night it worked for us and we were first to the wharf mark.

THE PERILS OF THE EXTEMPORANEOUS COURSE:

This night was an example of why I love the course charts that Fred Molnar, Chris Hofmann and Don Radcliffe helped me design this year.  On these course charts all situations are delineated.  I am always checking the chart to make sure we “following the rules”.  The impromptu course we called tonight was perfect for the time and conditions, but the “sailing instructions” were not there yielding to confusion.

OTHER REGATTAS:

I am very proud of our fleet and the progress everyone is making in their sailing.  I have always said the quickest learning curve in sailing is achieved when you race!  All of you have improved this year.  I would encourage all of you to get a PHRF certificate (form available at the club), and participate in the Midwinter series of races put on by SCYC.  The first day of racing is Saturday November 18.  It is time for all of us to experience a real sanctioned race with a real start line. 

    

SANTA CRUZ YACHT CLUB:

The SCYC is a prestigious yacht club without an intimidating initiation.  I have been a member since 2009 and it has been very beneficial for me.  The steps to membership are simple: two current members need to sign your application and $1000 gets you in. Since many of our group are members, getting two signatures should be no problem.  Once a year the dues are only about $500.  We have many sailing events, social events and learning seminars that make it well worth this minimal effort to join!

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATION THIS YEAR!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A DIce