Summer Race #4

Heavy winds from the south between 12 and 20 knots.  Current was ebbing.  Skies were cloudy with showers.  Course for A&B was H to K to H, twice around.  C1 and C2 sailed H to 22 to K to H.

It was our Race Committee night and we were disappointed to have to do it on such a great sailing evening.  The heavy winds from the south made for big waves and lots of fun.  We motored out to the course area and dropped the hook.  Since the ebb was opposite the wind, we had to be careful anchoring as the stern swung into the breeze.  This made for an odd motion as the stern was being hit with 2-3 foot waves.

We set the line with the boat end slightly favored.  As the start approached, a brief shower came through and brought extra wind.  During the puff, the first start went off.  One boat was over early and had some trouble getting back.  Another quit the race shortly after the start.

After the boats cleared out, we cooked and ate a few racks of ribs and had a few beers.  Eventually the current eased up and our bow was now into the wind.  This made the anchoring more pleasant.

We chose the above courses in order for boats to finish around the same time.  I always like to try and send C on a shorter course, but not too short. I feel a Wednesday night race should be at least an hour long if possible.  So we went with A/B going twice around a windward leeward course.  This would maximize the strategy for them and they are suited for that course.  For C, we sent them to 22 in order for them to have a slightly longer leg.  Then they would reach to K before going downwind to H.  The timing worked out well as all the racing boats finished within 30 minutes of each other.  There was one boat that appeared to have a breakdown and raced without her main.  She finished 20 minutes after the fleet, but I cannot plan for boats that do not sail with a main.

We recorded the finishes on three sheets.  That way if two disagree we have a tie breaker.  We also used the "Rite in the rain" paper I like.  This is waterproof paper and for a few bucks makes the whole shower thing irrelevant.  I print the score sheets on the water proof paper and we can keep it outside the whole time.  It also helps to have a waterproof pen.

After the last finisher, we unfurled the jib and sailed around for a while.  We wished we would have been able to race on this fine evening, but the little bit of sailing went a long way to easing that pain.

Some boats withdrew from racing.  I thought that this was a good decision on their part.  If you and your crew are not up for the conditions, then withdrawal is the proper thing to do.  I was happy that there was no radio chatter about it being too windy to race.  We are out there for wind and 20 knots is a great sailing breeze.  I was happy to be able to allow the rest of the fleet to challenge themselves against these conditions.

In the video below, Mad Hatter and Chi are going upwind.  The rest of their fleet is on the left and the C fleets are on the right in the distance.