Winds were light and variable. Current ebbing. Race Cancelled.
Another light and variable night on the river. There was little hope of getting a race off this evening. It is one of the rare times where we did not put up our main.
As the race was in postponement, a racer called in to say that he was counting on the race committee to make the right decision. A few moments later, the race was cancelled. While the thunderstorms that the anonymous radio caller was concerned about never materialized, neither did any breeze and no race would have been held.
With little else to comment on, it is worth noting that the anonymous caller was incorrect. He should not have been relying on the race committee to cancel the race to be safe. He could have gone in on his own. If the clap of thunder was deemed to be a safety issue by any captain, then they should take their boat in. Any responsible captain should have the discretion to make that decision on the water regardless of the race status.
4 DECISION TO RACE
The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue racing is hers alone.
In one of our first years on the river, we withdrew from a race 5 minutes from the finish. We saw a squall line coming in on the radar and I decided it was no longer prudent to stay on the river. We were winning the race, but we still withdrew and headed straight into harbor. We got there just as the skies opened up. As captain, I made the decision that the conditions were going to become too risky for a Wednesday Night race and we withdrew.
That is what boats should do, rather than try to encourage a cancellation with the race committee. I think the best thing to do is a simple hail such as "we are withdrawing from tonight's race due to the lightning that appears to be moving in."
Don't rely on the race committee to keep your boat safe. Make your decision as captain and stick to it. What may be safe to some boats may not be safe for yours. The race committee should not be responsible for the safety of all the boats out there.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Spring Race #7
Winds were light and variable. Current flooding. Race Cancelled.
Early in day there were some good northerlies. They quickly died down when we went on the water around 17:40. We motored over to the start area and found the wind light and variable.
After the postponement, we motored up to Croton and sailed in a nice 4-6 knots from the south. As we made our way back to the starting area, the breeze shifted to the west and died. Looking back at Croton, the wind we saw there also died.
Finally, around 18:45, we motored to the west thinking we saw something near the marina. As we got closer, we saw nothing and finally took the main in. The races were then cancelled for the evening and we were in the harbor a few minutes later.
We then had dinner at the Hudson Water Club. Looking out on the river, we never saw any improvement before we left the restaurant a little after 21:00. The night was pleasant, but no sailing was possible.
Early in day there were some good northerlies. They quickly died down when we went on the water around 17:40. We motored over to the start area and found the wind light and variable.
After the postponement, we motored up to Croton and sailed in a nice 4-6 knots from the south. As we made our way back to the starting area, the breeze shifted to the west and died. Looking back at Croton, the wind we saw there also died.
Finally, around 18:45, we motored to the west thinking we saw something near the marina. As we got closer, we saw nothing and finally took the main in. The races were then cancelled for the evening and we were in the harbor a few minutes later.
We then had dinner at the Hudson Water Club. Looking out on the river, we never saw any improvement before we left the restaurant a little after 21:00. The night was pleasant, but no sailing was possible.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Spring Race #6
Winds were light from the North around 6-10, quickly dropping to light and variable. Current was full ebb. Course for C was from H to C to 26 to 24 to H. A & B sailed to F in place of 26.
Tonight started off rough for me. I usually leave the office by 16:00, but got held up until 17:00. I rushed to the boat and we got to the line with 10 minutes to spare before the first signal. We quickly surmised that the line was square with a slight starboard end advantage. We thought the right side of the course would be favored due to less current and a possible NE bend in the wind there.
As the start approached, I was coming in on port and A-Train was setup well on starboard. We went to tack behind them with 45 second to go, but the jib got caught on the rigging during the tack and we stopped. Due to the light breeze and being 40 seconds from the line, this put us about 20 seconds late at the start. A-Train was much closer to the line at the start and had better speed.
Clearing the line, we both tacked and A-Train continued to maintain a loose cover for the leg. As the breeze died down, A-Train continued to stretch out on us. This is typical for Jazz. In light air, we have to win the start and cover our competition to have any chance of staying ahead for the first mark. With A-Train out ahead, they just stretched and stretched until they were ahead by 5 minutes at the mark.
We finally made it around C and stayed very high to make sure we did not lose bearing on 26. The GPS can be very helpful here as can a sight of the mark against land. We had to head 15-20 degrees high of 26 to make a course over ground (COG) straight at it. We managed to make the mark before the wind died. Only three C boats made it to 26.
Getting to 24 was easy thanks to the current. We pointed the boat straight at it and the current carried us there. A-Train again rounded well ahead and they reached out to the East side looking to catch a light easterly that had filled in. We tried to do the same, but the easterly was gone by the time we reached the spot where it had been.
After floating away from the finish, we finally dropped anchor. This improved our boat speed, but the COG was zero. We stayed on anchor for about 10 minutes before a light SW breeze filled in. This was enough to get us moving again, but with an ETA at the finish of 20:43, we knew that we would miss the time limit.
The time limit expired and we motored in to the finish. It was a disappointing night. I blew the start as I left no wiggle room should something go wrong and of course something did go wrong. In light air, I really need to focus on staying on top of the competition and making sure we get a lead right away. Once A-Train was ahead, we needed a mistake and they did not oblige. Even when they were ahead, I went a bit nuts trying to get to one side of the course while they sailed to the other, but that meant that I was not playing the shifts properly. Next time I will accept being behind and try to keep it close. We can close distance on A-Train in light air when the boats are sailing downwind. We ended up so far behind that there was no chance of catching up.
The weather was at least nice so that anchoring was enjoyable. We got to watch the sunset. Blah, blah, blah. We had a bad race, so everything else was bullshit. See you next week.
Tonight started off rough for me. I usually leave the office by 16:00, but got held up until 17:00. I rushed to the boat and we got to the line with 10 minutes to spare before the first signal. We quickly surmised that the line was square with a slight starboard end advantage. We thought the right side of the course would be favored due to less current and a possible NE bend in the wind there.
As the start approached, I was coming in on port and A-Train was setup well on starboard. We went to tack behind them with 45 second to go, but the jib got caught on the rigging during the tack and we stopped. Due to the light breeze and being 40 seconds from the line, this put us about 20 seconds late at the start. A-Train was much closer to the line at the start and had better speed.
Clearing the line, we both tacked and A-Train continued to maintain a loose cover for the leg. As the breeze died down, A-Train continued to stretch out on us. This is typical for Jazz. In light air, we have to win the start and cover our competition to have any chance of staying ahead for the first mark. With A-Train out ahead, they just stretched and stretched until they were ahead by 5 minutes at the mark.
We finally made it around C and stayed very high to make sure we did not lose bearing on 26. The GPS can be very helpful here as can a sight of the mark against land. We had to head 15-20 degrees high of 26 to make a course over ground (COG) straight at it. We managed to make the mark before the wind died. Only three C boats made it to 26.
Getting to 24 was easy thanks to the current. We pointed the boat straight at it and the current carried us there. A-Train again rounded well ahead and they reached out to the East side looking to catch a light easterly that had filled in. We tried to do the same, but the easterly was gone by the time we reached the spot where it had been.
After floating away from the finish, we finally dropped anchor. This improved our boat speed, but the COG was zero. We stayed on anchor for about 10 minutes before a light SW breeze filled in. This was enough to get us moving again, but with an ETA at the finish of 20:43, we knew that we would miss the time limit.
The time limit expired and we motored in to the finish. It was a disappointing night. I blew the start as I left no wiggle room should something go wrong and of course something did go wrong. In light air, I really need to focus on staying on top of the competition and making sure we get a lead right away. Once A-Train was ahead, we needed a mistake and they did not oblige. Even when they were ahead, I went a bit nuts trying to get to one side of the course while they sailed to the other, but that meant that I was not playing the shifts properly. Next time I will accept being behind and try to keep it close. We can close distance on A-Train in light air when the boats are sailing downwind. We ended up so far behind that there was no chance of catching up.
The weather was at least nice so that anchoring was enjoyable. We got to watch the sunset. Blah, blah, blah. We had a bad race, so everything else was bullshit. See you next week.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Spring Race #5
Clear skies. Wind was from the southwest between 10 and 15 knots. Current was beginning to flood as the race started. Course for C was from H to 22 to K to H. A & B substituted G for K.
When I got to the marina at 17:00, the river was beginning to come to life with a southerly filling in. By the time we left the harbor at 17:35, the wind was a nice 10-12 knots and we sailed around to check out the current. Nothing was unusual, so we went back to the start and prepared for our start.
The line was nice and square, but a little shorter than usual, but it still took 35 seconds to run the line. We decided to get out to he right for better breeze and therefor to start on the right end of the line. As the start was approaching, I was relieved to not see a bunch of bargers setup on the starboard end. There was one or two boats reaching in, but they responded to our hails of leeward and we got off the line nicely. We soon tacked to port and headed to the western side of the course.
We were very close to Dream Chaser and traded the lead on the upwind leg towards the mark. We made a bit of a gain on them when my crew executed some nice tacks. It was just enough to hold a 30 second lead as we began the reach to G. We had to stay high on the reach as the current was pulling hard to leeward. We rounded G and stayed high to get back into the fresh breeze and more current. This worked out, but we did not stretch out from Dream Chaser who was threatening to take our wind. When it was time to wing it out, the crew once again executed it well and we made a little gain before finishing.
We then sailed around for a little while and headed into the Hudson Water Club for pizza and beer. It was a nice night on the river and we were happy to sit out on the deck and continue to take it in, despite the annoying line dancing that was going on.
Something worth noting is how bad the west side of the course can be near 22. We lost a few boat-lengths on the windward leg when we were west of the competition. We saw other boats get hurt even worse on the west side. It is a predictable pattern. When going up to 22, it is best to stay a few hundred yards to the east and then take a port tack into the mark. If you get up into that channel, the wind will not cooperate and you can lose some serious time. At least when the flood is going and the wind is from 180-200.
When I got to the marina at 17:00, the river was beginning to come to life with a southerly filling in. By the time we left the harbor at 17:35, the wind was a nice 10-12 knots and we sailed around to check out the current. Nothing was unusual, so we went back to the start and prepared for our start.
The line was nice and square, but a little shorter than usual, but it still took 35 seconds to run the line. We decided to get out to he right for better breeze and therefor to start on the right end of the line. As the start was approaching, I was relieved to not see a bunch of bargers setup on the starboard end. There was one or two boats reaching in, but they responded to our hails of leeward and we got off the line nicely. We soon tacked to port and headed to the western side of the course.
We were very close to Dream Chaser and traded the lead on the upwind leg towards the mark. We made a bit of a gain on them when my crew executed some nice tacks. It was just enough to hold a 30 second lead as we began the reach to G. We had to stay high on the reach as the current was pulling hard to leeward. We rounded G and stayed high to get back into the fresh breeze and more current. This worked out, but we did not stretch out from Dream Chaser who was threatening to take our wind. When it was time to wing it out, the crew once again executed it well and we made a little gain before finishing.
We then sailed around for a little while and headed into the Hudson Water Club for pizza and beer. It was a nice night on the river and we were happy to sit out on the deck and continue to take it in, despite the annoying line dancing that was going on.
Something worth noting is how bad the west side of the course can be near 22. We lost a few boat-lengths on the windward leg when we were west of the competition. We saw other boats get hurt even worse on the west side. It is a predictable pattern. When going up to 22, it is best to stay a few hundred yards to the east and then take a port tack into the mark. If you get up into that channel, the wind will not cooperate and you can lose some serious time. At least when the flood is going and the wind is from 180-200.
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