Summer Race #1

Wednesday 7/21/2010 Consistent storms cancelled the racing for this evening. We arrived at the boat to a hot and humid 90 degrees. We knew a line of storms was approaching, but the line was wavering around the NY/NJ border. We decided to take a peek out in the river before the storm hit. Some people were nice enough to warn us about the coming storm, but we tried to let them know that we were just looking around. With three people on board, docking is easy, so we figured we would have a better view of the conditions form the river. Once out past the pier, we saw the conditions deteriorating. There were a couple of boats out on the river and it did not look like they would be able to find safe harbor. We went back to our slip. At this point, the race committee had already postponed the start until 1845. This was a smart move as it kept boats in the safety of the harbor. Then the storm came with at least 40-knot winds and hail. While in the midst of the storm, the race committee called over the radio and cancelled the race. While it was the smart call to make, I wish they had waited until 1845 to cancel the race as the race instructions say that races should not be cancelled before that time. It just seemed that the race committee reacted to the strength of the storm. I do not think what they did was wrong; it was just too early to fit within the rules. It helped us, as we were able to leave the boat before the next round of storms came through. If I were RC on this type of night, I would have said at 1800 that the radar looked bad and the race would probably be cancelled at 1845. That is all that is allowed within the rules. Either way, the correct call was made and we left. Determined to sail on this night, we went to Franklin Lakes, NJ. My brother has 3 boats ready to go there (2 Sunfishes and 1 Hobie Bravo). There was no wind at the lake, but the sky was nice. To the north we could see the storms rolling furiously to the East. We headed to the bar to have a cocktail. Right as we stepped in, the winds picked up and we decided to go out on the water. We enjoyed the only 30 minutes of breeze on the lake that evening before calling it quits when the wind died again. It was a weird night. Terrible storms in one location and a clear sky ten miles south. We will have to wait another week before making our debut in the B division.

Spring Race #10

Wednesday 7/14/2010 Early storms cleared out and left a nice night with light northerlies. The current was flooding hard and I think the rain added to the flow. C sailed from H to Breakout and back. A & B did the same course twice around. We left the slip early to dump the holding tank. There was a rumor that the race was cancelled, so we were a little concerned since there was not much activity on the docks at 17:30. After pumping out, we motored to the course and were happy to see the race committee out there early. Right away we noticed the current was going to be a factor. Light northerly winds and a flooding current would make it tough to cross the starting line. As more boats came out, the RC moved the line and made it longer. The boat end seemed favored in the new configuration. Many boats stayed upwind (and up current) of the line. As the start was coming up for A & B I saw Comet do a dip start. This was a good strategy for the conditions and seemed to work out for them. It took a long time for the entire division to get across the line. Trying to stay above the line ourselves, we had to sail through the first group with about 3 minutes to go until our start. One racer was not happy that we were close to them and hailed that they were racing. I reminded them that we were racing as well. They were on starboard and we were on port, so we ducked them anyway. It just annoys me when boats don’t know the rules and yell incorrect things. Both of us were racing and I was not compelled to stay clear, as I would have been before their start and one minute after their start. It was important to stay above the line and I weaved through the first group of boats to maintain my position. First, the racing instructions state the following: Racers shall keep clear of the starting area until their preparatory signal is sounded. Failure to keep clear will be grounds for protest by a competing yacht or the committee boat. Notice the phrase “prepatory signal.” A boat is considered to be racing once the prepatory signal has sounded. You cannot use propulsion after this point and you are allowed to move freely around the start area as long as you follow the normal racing rules. The starting area is not defined in the instructions, but it is usually considered on half of the distance of the line away from the line. This makes an oval or rectangle that is twice the length of the line on the long part and on length of the line on the short part. Sometimes I get some of this reaction from boats that are slow to start, but tonight was different since we stayed on the course side of the line. The Racing Rules of Sailing state in their definition section: Racing A boat is racing from her preparatory signal until she finishes and clears the finishing line and marks or retires, or until the race committee signals a general recall, postponement or abandonment. So clearly we are racing just like all the boats that have already started. We needed all the time we had to get across the line and setup near the RC. With the light air, we tacked right next to the RC and slowly picked up speed waiting for the start. At the gun, we were in a great spot and took off. Well, I guess it was more like inched away, but it felt nice. Bugaboo was directly behind us and A-Train seemed to linger around the starting area. Right after the start, Christiana approached us on port and attempted to lee-bow us. A lee-bow maneuver is when a boat tacks right below a boat that they cannot cross. The hope of the lee-bow boat is that they can carry enough speed to keep from getting rolled. Once they are back up to their speed, they will then try to pinch off the windward boat. I was able to defend our position by footing for speed with the little room I had then rolling over them. I doubt they were trying to affect us, but the result would have been the same if we were not able to roll them. As it turns out, we would have been better off if we were forced onto port since the right side of the course was favored. We were near Gusto at this point and watched them head off right. We could immediately see the gains they were making, so we tacked and headed to the East shore. We hoped for more wind and knew we would be in less current. This move paid off and we built a nice lead on the rest of the fleet. As the lead boats approached the area where C is supposed to be, the mark was missing. Breakout was the leader at the time and they decided to drop anchor and act as C for the rest of the fleet. This selfless act saved the race for the rest of the people out there. Breakout’s quick action showed the Corinthian spirit is alive and well on the Hudson. They sacrificed their race so that the rest of the fleet would not have to. I greatly appreciate his effort. We rounded Breakout with a decent lead and drifted with the current to the finish. We won the race. When the lead boats were coming to H, they asked if they still had to go around twice. The response was affirmative. Then some of them complained. While I agree with the complaining boats that the course should have been shortened, this hardly seemed like a reason to complain on the radio. All boat one boat made it around twice this evening, so the result was fine. It seems there are a few boats out on the water that want to always get in as fast as they can. I received similar hostility when I did not cancel the race I was RM for at the earliest possible time. There was a protest on the course as well. I was not a witness to the events and only briefly spoke with Merlin while racing to get the protest reason. Apparently A-Train tacked too close to Merlin. Here is the rule that is involved: 13 WHILE TACKING After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course. During that time rules 10, 11 and 12 do not apply. Notice that you are not considered on the new tack until you come down to a close-hauled course. I would consider this to be the time the jib fills and begins to pull. I do not think close-hauled is defined in the rules, but it is a generally accepted concept. This race was the conclusion of the spring series. There were nine races sailed and we were the only boat in two of them. Four of the other seven races only had two or three boats in the division. Since the participation is so light, we are going to move into the B division and sail it non-spinnaker. Unfortunately, this will leave the C1 division with only 2 active boats. I would like to add a spinnaker to be more competitive in B, but my boat is still used primarily for cruising with my children. I need to keep the netting, bimini top, anchor on the bow, jack lines on the main, roller furling, etc. This makes it difficult to add the spinnaker gear just for Wednesday nights. So we will start the Summer Series in the B division and race without a spinnaker. The 24-second handicap should help in a medium breeze. It will be too much in heavy air, and not enough in light air. I would have liked to stay in the C1 division, but there just is not enough participation. We’ll see how things go and may reconsider our decision next year.

The Protest

My wife said something to my son Rowan today that he did not like. He yelled "PROTEST!" I am a big rules guy in sailing. I have not had a protest make it to a jury since 2000, but I make sure I have a red flag ready to go. Over the years I have tried taping a flag to the backstay, Velcro, and now a great solution I found at http://www.sailorsprotestflags.com. Rowan was fascinated with the latest product. It is a protest flag shielded in a tennis ball. This beats keeping the flag on the backstay as the sun would fade it. It also beats Velcro for convenience. I just pull on a strap and out pops the flag. Rowan asked about it. I explained that in sailing you must fly a red flag when you protest. He asked what a protest was. I explained that it is what a boat will do when they think another boat has broken a rule. If the other boat acknowledges the foul, they will take a penalty. If not, the protest can go to a jury to be decided. With that in mind, Rowan protested his mother when she said something he did not like. I may have to get him his own red flag. I will convene a jury tonight and find the facts of the protest. Odds are it will be thrown out for improper procedures.

Spring Race #9

Wednesday 7/7/2010 Hot night. Sea breeze filled in and brought 6-14 from SSE. Current flooding hard all night. A & B sailed to K, G and back to H. C sailed to K and back. This was shaping up to be a bad sailing night. An early summer heat wave had its grip on the area and temps were close to 100 with humidity high as well. The forecast hinted at a possible sea breeze making it up river, but there was nothing at 17:15. We motored out of the harbor early and saw some dark water to the south of us. We headed straight for it and hoisted the main. Once into the breeze, we unfurled the jib and began sailing nicely to weather. It was still light, but the 6-8 knots felt good on the warm day and the breeze was cooler than what we had back at the dock. When we turned downwind to get back to H, the committee boat was not on station yet. They were setting their anchor around 17:50. Check in was a bit of a mess as many boats like to radio in and the RC asks for sail numbers and stuff. It is funny because there are 2 or 3 new boats each season. Things don’t change much, but the check-ins sounds like it is an introduction for a first time regatta. The RC was nice enough to allow us to check in by sailing by. We prefer this as we do not have to battle for airtime and our sail number is clearly visible. A & B had a pretty good start. Surprise had a great leg and almost ran away with the race. Chi was solid in B. As our start approached, I was diligent to keep the current in mind as we approached. I went conservative again and started at the committee boat 10 seconds late. We were in a great position above and ahead of the fleet. In light air, A-Train is our biggest threat, so we tacked on them as they went off right. This soon proved to be the wrong tack, so we tacked on them again as they came back onto starboard. A-Train tacked a third time to clear their air, but we continued on, as the benefits of going left were now clear. We lost some time on Bugaboo in the exchange, but it is easier to keep up with them in light air than A-Train. We held out to almost the port lay-line. I do not know if we held our own on this side, but we did not seem to lose anything. Around the mark, we were a few minutes behind Bugaboo. It seemed like they might correct over us, but they sailed up and into the favorable current. I stayed on a straight course, as it seemed like the current difference was not worth sailing the extra distance. In the end, Bugaboo almost corrected over us. It was a tight race. Glory Days took the C2 class. They stayed left on the upwind leg and that seemed to pay off for them versus the fleet. I would have preferred the course that A & B sailed since it was reaching downwind, but that may have been too much for the C2 boats. It would be nice if C1 sailed different courses than C2. The divisions are broken out by performance and C1 boats are able to cover more ground than C2. Frank had an engagement to get to after the race, so we only sailed around for 30-40 minutes before heading in. It was a perfect night for cruising. The current was with the wind. We were able to sail a nice tight angle and keep the breeze on us. It was a perfect end to the heat wave we were in that week.

Spring Race #8

Wednesday 6/30/2010 Beautiful night. Shifty NW breeze from 6-18 knots. Current ebbing hard over 1 knot. All boats sailed up to B to 24 and back to H. We had a rare beautiful night. The Hudson has many nice evenings, but lately, Wednesday nights have brought foul weather. Tonight there was breeze and sun. The temperature was a very comfortable 75 degrees. We left the marina and immediately put up the main. We did this to acclimate ourselves to the wind and figured we could sail to the start. IT also helps to be getting feedback from the sails as soon as possible. Right away we noticed the puffs and the direction changes. Once at the line, we found it to be a little on the short side. The boat end seemed favored. Some people thought the line was more skewed, but I thought it to be within 20 degrees of perpendicular. I was disappointed with the call for the course. Going into B with a foul current can be very difficult. The wind is shifty and the current is ripping through that part of the river. There were some nice courses that went to 26 and then to K or G that would have provided two upwind legs and kept us away from Stony Point. The start was uneventful. Bugaboo and Jazz were on the line and Bugaboo was above us. It was a great start for them as their speed allowed them to get on top of us. I was a bit early, so I ended up slowing down at the start. We ended up tacking twice and continued to the west side of the river. This seemed to pay off a bit as we were about 2 minutes behind Bugaboo at our next cross. This time, they went left and had a big gain. We should have stayed closer to the West shore than we did. The current killed us in the middle of the river. We rounded the mark over 4 minutes behind Bugaboo. With the knowledge that the middle of the river was where the current was ripping, we immediately winged the jib and head back to the middle to get a boost this time. That worked out well as we closed the gap to well under 3 minutes by the time we rounded 24. We were close hauled most of the way to the finish. The current was sweeping boats down river, so most boats stayed high on their course. We finished close enough to Bugaboo to correct over them. We then kept sailing upwind and enjoyed the nice evening. As we continued up river, we saw a pack of C2 boats that were close to B, but not quite able to get around. The shifty and dieing breeze and the strong current conspired against these boats. They just do not have enough VMG to make any progress into the strong current. Then I saw Summer Wind. Despite the difficult conditions around B, somehow Summer Wind made it around. At least 6 boats were unable. It was awesome seeing them break through and glide with the current down to 24. Unfortunately, sailboat racing is not fair to all boats. Summer Wind was about 20-25 minutes from finishing when the time expired. They will not get credit for beating those other boats around the mark. I would just like to recognize their great race. It will not be reflected in the standings and most boats were already back in their slips and unable to see how Summer Wind did something no other small boat did that night. They rounded B. With the current pushing them, they had a huge lead over the rest of the C2 boats that never made it around B. If they were given an extra half and hour (not allowed), they would have beat half their fleet. They will be scored OTL, but they sailed a great race. I dedicate this blog to Summer Wind and the great race they sailed. At least this will be the one place where their accomplishment will be recognized. No real rules issues tonight. The main take away from the evening is that the current is the most important factor in the northern part of our race area. We played shifts and lost ground upwind. We then went out of our way to get into the favorable current downwind and made big gains.