JULY 25, 2023 DELIGHTFUL EVENING SAIL

 

JULY 25, 2023

DELIGHTFUL EVENING SAIL

As I arrived at the harbor, the Easterly was already apparent on the flags.  We left the harbor around 5 o’clock and it was a beautiful sight to see with a 10-15 knot Easterly wind filling the bay.  We determined the wind was coming from 90 degrees (as East as you can get) and set a line square to this.  With the Easterly being strong, we called for the longest Easterly course: Echo 1.  We blew the “10-minute horn for the A fleet start at 5:55 and the B Fleet start at 6pm.

While the A fleet start was clean, B fleet had a few “exciting moments” with close calls but no collisions.  All boats made their way to the windward mark, SC3.  The wind seemed to increase as we approached the mark.  The first A fleet boat to round SC3 was Aboriginal, followed by Perigon, Flexi Flyer, Cayote, Sticky Fingers, Watts Moore and Good Timin’.  Avatar was the first B Fleet around SC3 followed by Perfect 36, Sweet Pea, Nidaros, Makani, Toad, Pair a Dice, Gold Rush, Big Mac, Simpatico and Kicks.

On the way downwind to Black, the tight-nit group of B fleet boats were jockeying for position to block the wind of other boats.  At the finish, A fleet was led by Aboriginal 34:25 followed by Flex Flyer 39:52, Perigon 40:39, Sticky Fingers 42:56, Coyote 42:58, Watts Moore 43:07, Double Espresso 43:57, Good Timin’ 46:48, Wind II 55:03.  Avatar was the first B fleet boat to finish 41:41 followed by Perfect 36 42:47, Sweet Pea and Nidaros at the same time 44:23, Makani 45:01, Gold Rush 45:20, TOAD 46:49, Sailing Pair A Dice 46:53, Pacific Spirit 47:05, Big Mac 47:40, Simpatico 48:36 and Kicks 50:55.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 3.9NM.

As most of our nation is suffering with sweltering temperatures we are enjoying mild weather in Santa Cruz.  With the consistent Easterly filling in the bay and close to 30 boats out, it was a delightful evening sail.

AERIAL PHOTOS TAKEN  FROM A PLANE

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE                   BOAT                                     PHRF                     ADJUSTED TIME

FLEET A:

1             ABORIGINAL                                      33                           32:16

2             STICKY FINGERS                               162                        32:24

3             WATTS MOORE                                   150                        33:22

4             FLEXI FLYER                                      96                           33:37

5             PERIGON                                              81                           35:23

6             COYOTE                                               86                           37:22

7             DOUBLE ESPRESSO                          99                           37:30

8             GOOD TIMIN’                                      141                        37:38

9             WIND II                                                 213                        41:12

FLEET B:

1             AVATAR                                                132                        33:06

2             BIG MAC                                              222                        33:14

3             PERFECT 36                                        144                        33:25

4             SWEET PEA                                         165                        33:39

5             SAILING PAIR A DICE                        180                        35:11

6             MAKANI                                              147                        35:27

7             TOAD                                                    150                        37:04

8             GOLD RUSH                                        126                        37:08

9             NIDAROS                                             108                        37:21

10           SIMPATICO                                          165                        37:52

11           KICKS                                                   180                        39:13

RACE QS:

The track for this evening can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=92293&updatedAt=2023-07-26T02:27:39Z&dt=2023-07-25T17:45:03-07:00..2023-07-25T19:27:39-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1690338459000&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=PERIGON&tab=fleet&view=follow&lat=36.962188&lon=-121.994948&tilt=8&range=3426&heading=91

 RULES:

 Sailboat racing often has boats sailing in close quarters and we all hate surprises.  I always have my crew keep the skipper apprised of where other boats are.  This helps prevent surprises, but “incidents” will still happen resulting in breaking a rule or fouling another boat.  I concede that this is a developmental series but we have all agreed to follow the Racing Rules of Sailing.  These rules dictate that, if a rule is broken that requires exoneration, a 360 degree turn needs be executed.  This penalty turn should be executed out of the way of other boats.  Though this is a fun sailing event, it is not fair that some boats exonerate and others do not.  Fouls that require a 360 penalty include any contact with a mark or failing to yield proper right of way requiring a right of way boat to alter course.

On the start line, if you are OCS at the start, you should return and “dip the line for a proper start”.  In more organized races, the I flag may be hoisted on the committee boat to indicate that the end of the line must be rounded, but for our series we just return and dip the line or if more convenient, round an end of the line to start properly.

 Keep in mind the concept that if you win a race but do not gain the respect of your fellow sailors, you have won nothing.   

BBBS:

Big Brothers Big Sisters regatta is coming August 6.  It is not too late to register for this very fun event.  It is a reverse PHRF start meaning the slower boats start first for a short race then a raging party with music food a drink afterwards. 

I hope to see you next Tuesday for another awesome sail.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

 

 

JULY 18, 2023 DEJA VU SAILING

 

JULY18, 2023

DÉJÀ VU SAILING

Once again, predictions were for light breezes for the evening.  As I watched the flags through the afternoon, there was a mild northwesterly blowing which changed to an Easterly as 5 o’clock approached.  As we left the harbor, there was an Easterly starting to build by the beach, but a light northwesterly blowing further out.  As boats were leaving the harbor, we needed some indication as to what the wind was going to do.   On Pair A Dice, we have found that mother nature makes her final decision one minute after we have deployed the start line buoy. This night was no exception. It looked like the westerly was filling in and we set the start line  mark outside of the yellow mark to be more in the westerly breeze.  Sure enough, one minute after we set the mark, the Easterly started blowing which required a minor mark-set change which we accomplished, and announced the course: Start, Blacks and finish at GOV just like last week.  We blew the “10-minute horn” at 5:50 for a Fleet A start at 5:55 and a B Fleet start at 6pm.  Both fleets got off with a clean start and all boats made their way to Blacks.

The first A fleet boat to round Blacks was Watts Moore, followed by Frisky, Aquavit, Flexi Flyer, Sagittarius, Good Timin’, Perigon and Rosie.  B fleet was led around Blacks by Gold Rush followed by Zoop, Simpatico, Pair A Dice, Toad, Big Mac, Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit and Kicks.  The rounding of Blacks this week was much more controlled than last week.

On the long run to the Gov finish line, some boats made some time on other boats.  The first A Fleet boat to cross the finish line was Flexi Flyer 23:46 followed by Watts Moore 24:36, Frisky 25:31, Sagittarius 26:42, Aquavit 26:46, Good Timin’ 28:02, Rosie 29:46 and Perigon 30:05.  B Fleet was led by Zoop 23:57, followed by Gold Rush 24:45, Wind II 25:25, Nidaros 25:48,  Schock Therapy 26:19, Simpatico 26:26, Toad 26:29, Pair A Dice 26:38, Big Mac 27:56, Perfect 36 28:14, Pacific Spirit 28:15 and Kicks 31:12.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 1.92 NM.

In the end it was amazing how similar conditions were to last weeks sail: a perfect example of “Déjà vu sailing”.

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS

PLACE   BOAT                                     PHRF                     ADJUSTED TIME

FLEET A:

1             WATTS MOORE                150                        19:48

2             FLEXI FLYER                    96                           30:41

3             FRISKY                               81                           22:51 TIE

3             SAGITTARIUS                   120                        22:51 TIE

5             GOOD TIMIN’                    141                        23:31

6             ROSIE                                  162                        23:34

7             AQUAVIT                            72                           24:27

8             PERIGON                             81                           27:29

FLEET B:

1             SCHOCK THERAPY           243                        18:32

2             WIND  II                               213                        18:36

3             ZOOP                                    144                        19:20

4             SAILING PAIR A DICE        180                        20:32

5             GOLD RUSH                        126                        20:43

6             BIG MAC                              222                        20:49

7              SIMPATICO                          165                        20:59

8             TOAD                                    150                         21:41

9             PACIFIC SPIRIT                   165                        22:08

10            NIDAROS                             108                        22:20

11           PERFECT 36                         144                        23:37

12           KICKS                                   180                        25:26

RACE QS:

The track for this evening can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1147771&updatedAt=2023-07-19T01:53:52Z&dt=2023-07-18T17:46:08-07:00..2023-07-18T18:53:52-07:00&boat=Aquavit&time=1689730272008&focus=Aquavit&rival=Sailing%20Pair%20A%20Dice&tab=setup&view=follow&lat=36.958510&lon=-122.011995&tilt=9&range=294&heading=150Race QS:

LONGER RACES:

Multiple people have asked why I called for such short courses for the last two weeks.  I called each of these races for the conditions that we were experiencing at the start: light Easterly.  I agree that we could have extended the race back to start/finish mark but the confusion after indicating to finish with GOV to SB and the normal port rounding for a longer course could be very dangerous, especially for an impromptu course not listed on the course card.

RACING OR SAILING?

We have several boats that come sailing with us and participate in our “races” that are not registered and do not upload Race QS tracks.  I do not own the ocean and cannot exclude unregistered boats from sailing with us.  This is a non-issue UNTIL the racing rules of sailing are not being followed and right of way boats must steer clear of non-participating boats to avoid collision.  After such an occurrence it is not exactly Corinthian conduct to express a single finger salute to the right of way boat.  Once again, I do not own the ocean and cannot exclude participation, but please follow the rules.  It is a big ocean and bay. Is it really necessary that you sail in the midst of our impromptu races and not follow the rules?

BIG BROTHER BIG SISTER:

Another reminder of the big regatta for the year.  This regatta occurs on August 6 this year.  It is an awesome event with food and music after the short race.

NEXT TUESDAY IS BARBECUE NIGHT AT THE CLUB

This is always a fun event, bring your best grilling food to the club and enjoy visiting with other competitors.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

JULY 11, 2023 DANCING WITH MYSTICAL FOG

 

JULY 11, 2023

DANCING WITH MYSTICAL FOG

I got to my boat in the early afternoon and watched as the flags showed a steady northwesterly blowing as the day progressed.  Just before five o’clock, the flags started showing an Easterly building. By the time we left the harbor the wind had dissipated to being very light but from a southerly direction.  Once again, we had fog banks surrounding us, but several miles away.  My heart sank as I watched multiple boats leaving the harbor wanting to race.  You need wind to race!  As I postponed the start, I was informed that wind was building toward shore and could see it on the water.  We set an impromptu start line closer to shore and called for a course: the impromptu start line to Blacks and finish at Gov (finish line from wharf end to Gov). I have such an awesome team on PAD that we were able to accomplish setting the new start line with only a 5 minute delay in the start.  We blew the “10 minute horn” at 5:55 for a 6pm start for A fleet and a 6:05 start for B fleet.

With nearly 30 boats out, it was a very crowded ocean as boats tacked their way to Blacks.  I did my best to stay clear of the kerfuffle as we rounded Blacks with  multiple boats. Flexi Flyer was first of A fleet around Blacks followed by Sagittarius, Rosie, Odonata, Aquavit, Perigon and Tusitala.  Some of the B fleet caught up and passed some of the A fleet boats and Zoop was first of B fleet around Blacks, followed by Good Timin’, Perfect 36, Avatar, Nidaros, Toad, Big Mac, Pair a Dice, Pacific Spirit, Simpatico and Kicks.

With the anxiety of rounding Black in our “rear view mirror”, we all made our way to the finish line at Gov.  Some boats followed the inside track, while others tried sailing further from shore and others just Rhumb lined it to the mark.

The first of A fleet to finish was Flexy Flyer 41:16, followed by Sagittarius 42:44, Double Espresso 42.44, Odonata 44:06, Aquavit 46:25, Wind II 46:20, Tusitala 48:57, Rosie 49:27 and Perigon 50:48.  The first Fleet B boat to finish was Zoop 38:24, Good Timin’ 38:51, Perfect 36 40:01, Sailing Pair A Dice 42:38, Big Mac 42:43, Avatar 43:06, Pacific Spirit 44:18, Nidaros 44:31, TOAD 45:23, Sweet Pea 45:50, Kicks 48:25 and Simpatico 4
8:59.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 2.37NM.

It was an awesome night to be on the water, as the wind got progressively better through the evening. Fog banks showing outside and filling in closer to shore at the end, it was like dancing with mystical fog.

                                                       RUSH HOUR AT BLACKS

PHRF CORRECTED POSITIONS:

PLACE   BOAT                                    PHRF                     CORRECTED TIME

FLEET A:

1             ODONATA                           243                        34:30

2             FLEXI FLYER                      96                         37:28

3             WIND II                               213                        37:55

4             SAGITTARIUS                    120                        37:59

5             DOUBLE ESPRESSO          99                         39:15

6             ROSIE                                  162                        43:03

7             AQUAVIT                             72                         43:34

8             TUSITAL A                           90                         45:23

9             PERIGON                             81                         47:36

B FLEET

1             ZOOP                                   144                        32:42

2             GOOD TIMIN’                    141                        33:17

3             BIG MAC                            222                        33:56

4             PERFECT 36                       144                        34:19

5             SAILING PAIR A DICE      180                        35:34

6             PACIFIC SPIRIT                  165                        37:47

7             AVATAR                                132                        37:53

8             SWEET PEA                         165                        39:18

9             TOAD                                    150                        39:27

10           NIDAROS                             108                        40:15

11           KICKS                                   180                        41:18

12           SIMPATICO                          165                        42:28   

RACE QS:

Race Qs seems to be working for most boats.  The track can be viewed at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=91805&updatedAt=2023-07-12T02:31:50Z&dt=2023-07-11T17:45:01-07:00..2023-07-11T19:27:17-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1689128774354&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Zoop&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.959685&lon=-122.007980&tilt=10&range=1696&heading=65

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS:

This very fun regatta will be on August 6 this year.  Everyone that registers is welcome to participate.  We have all improved our sailing by participating in Tuesday sailing.  Why not participate in an  official regatta?  This is your opportunity!  To register is a two-step process.  First go to SCYC.org/regattas and register for $1.  This is a charity event, so the second part of registration is to go to the BBBS website to register crew, donate or get extra dinner tickets or raffle tickets.  The BBBS website is at: https://76fcbc056b94b1d57eec-b9aac7c1400afb2263735d1e7c151cea.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/regatta_facebook_event_cover_photo_1920_1005_px_3_png-1686263868_large

This is an awesome event with food, and a great social gathering after the event.

I hope to see you on the water next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

JULY 4, 2023 STAR SPANGLED SAIL

JULY 4, 2023

STAR SPANGLED SAIL

Predictions were for 15 knot winds for the evening, but as the afternoon progressed, the flags indicated more than 15 knot winds.  The question on my boat is always which jib to use and watching the flags made me want to change to the smaller jib but I stayed with the 155.  As we left the harbor right after 5pm, the sea state had no white-caps and no wind swell indicating that we had chosen correctly.

We approached the start area and determined that the wind was coming from 240 degrees and set a line square to the wind.  The club had a special dinner to celebrate the holiday so we called for a short course to get people to the club earlier.  We chose course Whiskey 6 and blew the 10-minute horn for Fleet A and B.

As Fleet A came off the line for their 5:55 start,  it seems most of the boats followed the traditional move used in Santa Cruz: Start on starboard and tack over for the inside track as soon as possible.  Fleet B followed suit with a clean start and some boats following the inside track.  Pair A Dice and Pacific Spirit sailed further outside before tacking over.  At Schuyler, Fleet A was led by Sweetheart, followed by Geronimo, Flexi Flyer and Odonata.  Big Mac was first of B fleet to round followed closely by Pair A Dice, Avatar and Pacific Spirit.

On the long run back to the finish line, Sweetheart was first of A Fleet to finish 32:36 followed by Flexi Flyer 34:26, Geronimo 36:09 and Odonata 43:24.  B fleet finished with  Pair A Dice 39:09 slightly in front of Big Mac 39:19, Avatar 40:51 and Pacific Spirit 41:23.  All times elapsed and the course distance was 2.6NM.

It was an awesome evening for a sail with the wind not decreasing at all.  We had 10 boats out for a holiday “Star Spangled Sail”.  And the food at the club was awesome!

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE    BOAT                                     PHRF                     ADJUSTED TIME

FLEET A:

1             FLEXI FLYER                         96                           30:16

2             GERONIMO                            87                           32:22

3             SWEETHEART                       -6                            32:51

4             ODONATA                             243                           32:52

FLEET B:

1             BIG MAC                              222                           29:41

2             SAILING PAIR A DICE        180                           31:14

3             PACIFIC SPIRIT                   165                           34:14

4             AVATAR                                132                            35:07

Race QS:

The track for this evening can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1009265&divisionId=91568&updatedAt=2023-07-06T00:28:27Z&dt=2023-07-04T17:45:09-07:00..2023-07-04T19:02:35-07:00&boat=PAD&model=Express27&time=1688521142637&focus=PAD&rival=Pacific%20Spirit&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.950667&lon=-121.994174&tilt=7&range=123&heading=19

TRIED AND TRUE?

This evening was a lesson in paying attention to details.  On PAD, we noticed that the wind was slightly better toward the outside of the start line. We also noted that the sea was very flat, allowing us to achieve good speed as we sailed out.  These two minor details allowed us to establish a position close to the front of the pack.  The old tried and true “start on Starboard and tack over as soon as possible” works most of the time, but not always!

I hope to see you out next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

JUNE 27, 2023 SUDDEN SHIFT IN WIND

 

JUNE 27, 2023

SUDDEN SHIFT IN WIND

Predictions were all over the place for the evening.  Predictions of 10 knot winds decreasing through the evening seemed spot on as we left the harbor at 5:15.   There was a very faint Easterly starting to build and we delayed setting the start line mark as long as possible to let conditions settle in.  Finally at about 5:40, we set the line for an Easterly breeze and almost like a signal, as soon as we set the mark, the wind immediately filled in from the Northwest.  We had to delay the start for five minutes to reset the start line for the new wind.  We blew the ten minute horn at 5:55 and called for course Whiskey 6.

Fleet A got off the line for their 6 pm start and made their way to Schuyler as Fleet B started five minutes later.  The wind had filled in nicely as all boats made their way to windward.  The first A fleet boat to round Schuyler was Sweetheart followed by  Aboriginal, Perigon, Frisky, Aquavit, Yellow Belly, Sagittarius and Tusitala.  The first B fleet boat to round Schuyler was Avatar followed by Perfect 36, Pacific Spirit, Pair a Dice, Big Mac, Toad, Sweet Pea, Nidaros and Rosie. 

All boats made their way downwind to the finish line and the first A fleet boat over the line was Aboriginal 29:04, followed by Sweetheart 29:14, Perigon 35:56, Aquavit 36:25, Double Espresso 36:43, Frisky 36:45,  Yellow Belly 37:04, Sagittarius 37:58 and Tusitala 43:13 and Wind II 46:24.  B Fleet was led by Zoop 38:15 followed by Perfect 36 40:25, Avatar  40:48, Big Mac 42:07, Pair A Dice 42:14,  Toad 42:29, Nidaros 42:53, Pacific Spirit 43:00, Sweet Pea 43:17 and Rosie 43:59.   All times are elapsed and the course distance was 2.6NM.

After seeing such light wind when we first went out and anticipating a “Bob-Fest”, it was awesome to have the Northwest fill in with a sudden shift in wind.

RACE QS:

Race QS is almost back to normal.  There are still tracks that are not recording or being uploaded. I still recommend recording your finish time as a backup. The track for this evening can be seen at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1147771&updatedAt=2023-06-28T02:08:28Z&dt=2023-06-27T17:49:26-07:00..2023-06-27T19:08:26-07:00&boat=Aquavit&time=1687916939482&focus=Aquavit&rival=Unknown&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.950582&lon=-121.993695&tilt=9&range=292&heading=54

THANKS TO LIBBY MCCORD ON BIG MAC FOR THE PHOTO

PHRF adjusted results:

PLACE                   BOAT                     ADJUSTED TIME

FLEET A:

1             ABORIGINAL                      27:38

2             SWEETHEART                    29:29

3             YELLOW BELLY                30:57

4\            PERIGON                             32:25\   TIE

4 /           DOUBLE ESPRESSO          32:25/   TIE

6             SAGITTARIUS                     32:46

7             FRISKY                                33:14

8             AQUAVIT                             33:18

9             WIND II                                37:10

10           TUSITALA                            39:19   

FLEET B:

1             ZOOP                                    32:00

2             BIG MAC                              32:29

3             PERFECT 36                        34:10

4             SAILING PAIR A DICE        34:26

5             AVATAR                                35:04

6             PACIFIC SPIRIT                   35:51

7             TOAD                                    35:59

8             SWEET PEA                         36:08

9             ROSIE                                    36:57

10           NIDAROS                             38:12

 

UNUSUAL WIND CHANGE:

What caused the unusual wind shift? I consulted with Paul Tara on this and apparently the fog banks and overhead clouds were exerting their effect.  The Easterly wind that was initially apparent was a very warm wind, but the fog chilled westerly wind overpowered the warmer Easterly. “We sail in the surface wind. Cold air sinks to the surface. The easterly was not well established and wasn’t cold.  The Westerly was very cold when it first filled, indicating the fog face (the energy source) was much closer to the west.” Paul Tara               

I think the takeaway for me is to be sensitive to temperature changes in the different directions of wind.

NEXT WEEK JULY 4:

Next Tuesday is the July 4 holiday. The firecracker regatta going to Monterey is happening on Sunday July 2. This means that you can participate in the Firecracker on Sunday, return to Santa Cruz on Monday and sail on Tuesday night.  I am planning on setting up our Tuesday Night race at the regular time (6pm) on July 4. I completely understand other commitments  for the Holiday, but I will plan on racing on July 4.

The club will have a special dinner offered for $20.  This includes: salads, baked beans, corn on the cob, tri-tip, BBQ chicken and apple pie ala mode.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

JUNE 20, 2023 BRISK SOLSTICE WINDS

 

JUNE 20, 2023

BRISK SOLSTICE WINDS

Returning from my vacation, it was good to see that we had brisk winds to work with. No bobbing tonight!  We left the harbor with enough wind to indicate that a reef was necessary.   We determined the wind was coming from 235 degrees and set a mark square to this.  We called for course Whiskey 1 and blew the “10-minute horn”.  Fleet A had a clean start with most boats at the red ball end of the line, indicating that maybe the line was not as square as we thought. Fleet B had a few boats OCS but most returned to cross the line appropriately.

Though there was plenty of wind to work with, there were lulls and gusts that had to be considered.  There was also a lot of wave action that slowed boats when they were on starboard tack.  The first Fleet A boat to round Schuyler was Aboriginal followed by Yellow Belly, Geronimo, Sagittarius, Perigon and Rosie.  Fleet B had Perfect 36 first around Schuyler followed by Nidaros, Makani, Zoop, Schock  Therapy,  Pacific Spirit,  Toad, Pair a Dice, Big Mac and Simpatico.

As boats rounded Mile Buoy and made their way to Gov, the Northerly started filling in which necessitated tacking to be able to round Gov.  At the finish Aboriginal was the first  A fleet boat to cross, 38:44 followed by Geronimo 47:14, Perigon 47:54, Yellow Belly 48:58, Sagittarius 50:27 and Rosie 54:39. B fleet was led at the finish  by Perfect 36 49:42, followed by Zoop 50:30, Makani 52:10, Nidaros 53:57, Pacific Spirit 56:34,  Schock  Therapy 57:01, Pair A Dice 58:28, Big Mac 1:00:51, Toad 1:01:59 and Simpatico 1:03:46.  All times are elapsed and the course distance was 4.2 NM.

With the summer solstice happening the next day, it was great to have some brisk solstice winds.

THANKS TO NGUYET FOR THE PHOTO

PHRF ADJUSTED RESULTS:

PLACE    BOAT                                     ADJUSTED TIME

FLEET A

1             ABORIGINAL                      36:25

2             YELLOW BELLY                 39:05

3             GERONIMO                         41:08

4             SAGITTARIUS                     42:03

5             PERIGON                             42:13

6             ROSIE                                   43:18

FLEET B

1             PERFECT 36                        39:37

2             SCHOCK THERAPY           40:00

3             ZOOP                                    40:25

4             MAKANI                              41:52

5             PACIFIC SPIRIT                   45:01

6             BIG MAC                              45:18

7             PAIR A DICE                         45:52

8             NIDAROS                             46:23

9             TOAD                                    51:29

10           SIMPATICO                         52:13                                                                                   

 

Race Qs:

The track for this evening can be found at:

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011017&divisionId=91022&updatedAt=2023-06-21T02:40:00Z&dt=2023-06-20T17:45:11-07:00..2023-06-20T19:37:20-07:00&boat=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&time=1687312179891&focus=SAILING%20PAIR%20A%20DICE&rival=Schock%20Therapy&tab=fleet&view=follow&lat=36.956230&lon=-121.994829&tilt=1&range=1942&heading=232

Race QS has been having problems, though most tracks worked for this race.  I like Chris’s approach to this problem.  Each boat should record the time they finish and the boats that finished just ahead and behind.  With this information, if your track does not upload and you report this information to me,  we can  still include you in the blog.

STARTING STRATEGIES:

Accomplishing a good start is a critical part of racing.  Port tack starts can be exciting but also risky if you need to duck multiple SB tack boats.  This is why most boats start on starboard tack.  On this night, I was egregiously OCS at the start and had to come back to start appropriately.  I guess I was “still on vacation”, but it impressed me about the importance of monitoring your position in relation to the line.

See you next Tuesday!

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice

 

 

JUNE 13, 2023 SUNSHINE, GOOD WIND AND RACE QS WORKS

 

June 13 Sunshine, Good Wind, and Raceqs Work For Me

When I checked on some boat stuff at the harbor around noon it was looking like still another June Doom and Gloom Tuesday with light wind and overcast skies. When I returned at 1700 it was surprising and refreshing to see glorious sunny skies and reports of 16-18 mph westerly wind at the crows nest. We reefed in the harbor as a precautionary measure. As we proceeded out to the start area the wind began its usual tapering to about 9-11, and then settled in at about 8 mph at 240 degrees for the first start. We called for course W3, with possible shortening to W6 should the wind continue to die as it did the previous week. About 17 boats were out for the fun with a couple of new guests including a J70 and a Santa Cruz 27 (interlude) tagging along.

I missed blowing the first warning horn at our usual 17:50:00 as we were shaking out the reef in the mainsail but was able to pick up the count with a 4 minute preparatory horn 17:51:00 and both starts came off smoothly at 1755 and 1800.

With  a long start line and the port end of the line slightly favored, a few boats were able to successfully find openings to execute clean port tack starts. From the raceqs track it appeared that Yellowbelly and a few boats in B fleet were just a bit early to the pin end of the line and did a quick recovery around the pin and restarted on port tack.

With the wind back to its usual 240-260 degrees it returned to the classical Santa Cruz horse race on port tack to the right corner in the area near the wharf, and then try to call the layline just right and anticipate the lift on starboard tack out to Schuyler.

The wind held nicely for both fleets and we all easily completed the full W3 course in a nice breeze. Some boats sailed back up to the wharf to catch the new Tuesday Night Concerts on the wharf series.

Raceq appears to be back and functioning correctly with the exception of Yellowbelly, which stalled out on recording near the finish. Don recorded and reported Yellowbelly's finish time.

Raceq's tracks are at

https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1185450&updatedAt=2023-06-14T01:32:33Z&dt=2023-06-13T17:37:46-07:00..2023-06-13T18:32:31-07:00&boat=Aboriginal&time=1686703754985&focus=Aboriginal&tab=fleet&view=manual&lat=36.950697&lon=-122.002804&tilt=1&range=3734&heading=360&rival=PERIGON

Results including finish time, adjustment, and corrected time for A a d B fleets were:

ABORIGINAL	18:31:09	0:01:53	18:29:16	A
SWEETHEART	18:34:24	-0:00:21	18:34:45	A
SAGITTARIUS	18:37:02	0:06:50	18:30:12	A
FLEXI FLYER	18:38:34	0:05:28	18:33:06	A
PERIGON	18:39:06	0:04:37	18:34:29	A
INTERLUDE	18:40:42	0:08:02	18:32:40	A
YELLOW BELLY	18:43:05	0:08:02	18:35:03	A
ZOOP	18:44:25	0:08:12	18:36:13	B 1st
ROSIE	18:44:44	0:09:14	18:35:30	A
TUSITALA	18:45:42	0:05:08	18:40:34	A
THE PERFECT 36	18:46:07	0:08:12	18:37:55	B 2cd
TOAD	18:50:32	0:08:23	18:42:09	B 3rd
BIG MAC	18:51:24	0:12:39	18:38:45	B 4th
NIDAROS II	18:52:22	0:06:09	18:46:13	B 5th
KICKS	18:52:59	0:10:16	18:42:43	B 6th
SIMPATICO	18:53:13	0:09:24	18:43:49	B 7th
WIND II	18:54:31	0:12:08	18:42:23	A

The Tuesday night courses are always a work in progress and we usually make at least a few smaller adjustments at the beginning of each year. This year we made some larger overhauls and many of those changes seem to be working ok after working out a few kinks. We also had some interesting new plans for some starts at SC2 but now those plans have been foiled due to the powers at be removing that mark.

These last 3 weeks have brought on a few more ideas for some improvements. It might be interesting to have some Tuesday night finishes in Cowell Cove and catch a bit of the live music that is playing on the wharf. Also, the idea of making a gate out at S/F on the downwind leg of W3 to allow for a possible shortened course there might also be beneficial.  That would allow us to call the regular W3 long course down to Black Pt. Mark, but also shorten finish as boats pass by within 200 feet of S/F if the wind dies. Inserting  gates in a few of the courses could make the course calling much easier and allow us to stay out for more good sailing on those nights when the wind does not die.  If you have additional ideas about course changes or improvements be sure to mention them to Barry or myself and we will put them in the hopper for consideration next year.

************

Thanks Chris for an awesome job.  I will see you next Tuesday.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice