Summer Race #5

Wednesday 8/18/2010 Light ENE breeze 2-6 knots. Current flooding. A & B sailed course I-0 twice around, C went once around. I-0 is H to D and back. The forecast called for easterly breezes tonight. We expected a turn to the southeast, but that never materialized. Coming out of Haverstraw, we hoisted the sails and were able to make about 3.5 knots through the water. We experienced wind changes of up to 80 degrees. Light and fluky would be the conditions all night. The RC tried to get a start off at 18:15, but the winds got really light and the RC postponed the starting sequence. We rolled into another sequence when the easterly showed some life. We setup to run the line with the current. We felt the best winds were to the left; so running down to the pin was a nice option. We had one boat ahead of us and they were slowing down before the start. They were in our way, but we were not overlapped to windward until 10 seconds to go. At this point, we were far enough form the line to head up to close-hauled and sail away. The boat below us was slow and then they pinched into the wind and we were able to roll them. Had they accelerated sooner, we would have been in bad air and forced onto port. That is the life of the slow boat in the fleet. We got lucky this time and found ourselves as the left most boat with clear air. We rounded the first mark in third place right behind Gusto. We were able to sneak ahead of them after the mark. Once they got their chute going, they accelerated to be below us, but they would then stop when they hit our bad air. I feel bad for them since it is not easy to pass us to leeward and they would have to go at least 2 boat-lengths to windward of us to pass. If they try to pass closer, then I would prevent that by luffing. I don’t mind being passed, but if you are too close to windward, I will defend my air. We rounded H just ahead of Gusto and stretched the lead to 1 minute by the time we got back to D. The last leg was painful. Within a few hundred yards, Gusto had already caught us. The rest of the B fleet was over 2 minutes behind and they were catching us as well. I can easily say that in these conditions, the lack of a spinnaker cost us at least 120 seconds in .6 miles. That translates to about a 200 second per mile difference in speed. Luckily we had a big enough cushion to stay ahead of the rest of the fleet and finished third in B. After finishing, we dropped anchor and hosted the Full Moon race. There were three boats participating in the fluky breeze. We chose the same course, I-0. After the race began, the wind was getting worse, so we shortened the race after 20 minutes to finish at D. It was still pleasant on the water and I think the participating boats had fun. Oddly, one boat asked if we were doing the race, but did not join. I wondered why they bothered asking. As we headed in, we were greeted by a westerly near the west shore. That confirmed that the breeze was very fluky. We were at the dock around 20:30. It was one of the earliest times I have gotten in all year. I would like to write about at one rule scenario. The different rules that apply when reaching across the line and a boat is clear ahead. Here is the situation. Two boats are reaching down a starting line on starboard tack with 30 seconds until the start. They are two boat-lengths below the line and about 30 seconds from reaching the pin. Boat A is clear ahead and boat B is catching up. Here are the rules at play: 12 ON THE SAME TACK, NOT OVERLAPPED When boats are on the same tack and not overlapped, a boat clear astern shall keep clear of a boat clear ahead. 11 ON THE SAME TACK, OVERLAPPED When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat. 15 ACQUIRING RIGHT OF WAY When a boat acquires right of way, she shall initially give the other boat room to keep clear, unless she acquires right of way because of the other boat’s actions. 16 CHANGING COURSE 16.1 When a right-of-way boat changes course, she shall give the other boat room to keep clear. 17 ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two of her hull lengths to leeward of a boat on the same tack, she shall not sail above her proper course while they remain on the same tack and overlapped within that distance, unless in doing so she promptly sails astern of the other boat. This rule does not apply if the overlap begins while the windward boat is required by rule 13 to keep clear. SECTION C AT MARKS AND OBSTRUCTIONS Section C rules do not apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line from the time boats are approaching them to start until they have passed them. Proper Course A course a boat would sail to finish as soon as possible in the absence of the other boats referred to in the rule using the term. A boat has no proper course before her starting signal. Room The space a boat needs in the existing conditions while manoeuvring promptly in a seamanlike way. Keep Clear One boat keeps clear of another if the other can sail her course with no need to take avoiding action and, when the boats are overlapped on the same tack, if the leeward boat can change course in both directions without immediately making contact with the windward boat. Let’s look at the last rule first. The preamble to Section C makes it clear that rule 18 will not apply at our starts. Since there is navigable water around our starting marks, you do not get room. This will prevent barging. Since there are no rule 18 considerations, we end up treating the situation as though it happened on open water with one exception. The pin can be used to consider a boat’s proper course. With boat A clear ahead and boat B going faster, let’s assume an overlap is imminent. Boat B has a choice to make. If they go above boat A, then boat A will be able to luff up to head to wind. Since we established that B is faster than A, this could result in B being over the line early. B needs to consider their relative speed advantage, the distance to the start line, and the time left. A has right of way through this whole scenario. So rule 15 will not apply since before the overlap B is the keep clear boat under rule 12 and after the overlap, B is the keep clear boat under rule 11. So all we are left with is rule 16. This is a bit of a game here. If A has been holding a steady course and then decides to come up once she sees what B is doing, then rule 16 will come into play. Initially, B does not have to anticipate a change of course. All she needs to do is keep within the definition of Keep Clear (see above). This is where you will often see a boat scream to take it up, but they do not come up themselves. If a boat is going to push you over the line early, at least make them get close to going over early as well. React to the boat’s movements, not the yells as they try to intimidate you into being over early. As long as you come up as they do and continue to keep clear, you will not be penalized. A seamanlike manner is not a tactical manner. It does not matter the competency of the crew. You need to turn the boat to weather as much as the boat below you and do it fast. Your sails may not keep up with the turn, but you had better start turning when the leeward boat does. So in the above situation, boat B risks being over early. If they can get above A and stay clear, then they will end up with a better start to windward and with more speed. The other option for boat B is to tuck in below boat A and begin to luff them. If boat A is going very slow and B has good speed, it may be possible to sail right by them and then get clear air ahead. Here the rules are a little trickier. First, when boat B gets the initial overlap to leeward, boat A becomes the keep clear boat. Rule 15 now applies because boat B acquired the right of way. This means boat B will have to give boat A some room to keep clear. In other words, boat B cannot just get the overlap a foot away from A, but has to give a little more room so A can keep clear without making contact when they turn. So now we have boat B to leeward of boat A. Rule 17 applies. You may look at rule 17 and think that boat B is bound to a proper course. The trouble here is in the definition of proper course. A boat has no proper course before the starting signal. So even though rule 17 is in effect and will be in effect for the entire duration of the overlap, there is no proper course, therefore no limitation on the luffing rights of B. As long as B follows rule 16, she can luff A up to head to wind. Sometimes if B has slowed enough, A may break the overlap when they turn up. At that point B once again would become the keep clear. Assuming the overlap never breaks, B could potentially push A over the line. If you find someone trying to do this on a Wednesday night, it is a dick move. They need to be close enough to you to luff. They need to give you time to change course in a seamanlike way. If they do it properly, they will most likely end up over early as well since they had greater speed and need to keep their own boat up to force you over. Too often I see people just expect the windward boat to drastically change course and the leeward boat barely heads up. It is one thing to protect your position on the line; it is another to purposely chase a boat from behind with the intention of fouling up their start. There are other reasons for B to take A up. If A is too far from the line, B may push A closer so they both get a better start. B may also want to slow A further to get clear air by getting ahead of them. Since the overlap is created from clear astern, both rules 15 and then 16 limit the speed with which B can force A up. Now I said that when B gets the leeward overlap from clear astern, rule 17 applies, but proper course does not exist before the starting signal. AFTER the starting signal proper course applies. The proper course for a boat going upwind is close-hauled. B is now limited by rule 17 to sailing no higher than close-hauled while she is within two boat-lengths of A. There is only one exception in this example. If B needs to sail above close-hauled to get around the pin, then that is their proper course and only then are they entitled to luff A above close-hauled. So before the start, B can luff up to head to wind, but after the start close-hauled is the limitation, unless B needs to pinch above the pin. Even if A and B are 1.5 boat-lengths apart, the leeward B cannot sail above close-hauled. This is often lost on most racers. Most racers think they can head up until they are right next to the windward boat. They cannot. Once you get leeward overlap from behind and while staying within two boat-lengths of a windward boat, you are obliged under rule 17 to sail your proper course. The windward boat can drive down onto the leeward boat, but you cannot sail up under them. Good luck!