Summer Race #10

Winds were good from the SW between 4-8 knots.  Skies were clear.  Full moon rose early in the evening.  Current was ebbing.  Course for A&B was from H to K to G and back.  C sailed H to G and back.

We motored out of the harbor at 17:30 and put up the main and jib.  It was a nice tight reach to the starting area.  We sailed upwind a bit and it seemed like the right side would be favored.  We went to the starting line and found it to be square to the wind with maybe a slight advantage at the port end.

We were surprised when the announcement came over the radio that all divisions would go to G as the first mark, since K was the upwind mark.  The original course selection was also odd since boats would be finishing on opposite sides of the same line.  After some complaining from the A&B division boats, the course for them was changed and they were given a true upwind leg.

For us in C, the course remained G and back.  It was a reach to reach course with very little strategy involved after the start.  So we looked over the line again and found the pin end to be much closer to G than the boat.  Since the line was mostly square, if not pin favored, we knew we would start at the pin. 

As the start approached, we ran the line on port and flipped over to starboard with 45 seconds to go.  There was a C2 boat in position to win the pin, so we took an aggressive shot head to wind to slow ourselves and then settled into a reach to get that speed back up for the starting gun.  We hit the line on time and held a close-hauled course for the first half of the leg.  I wanted to make sure we did not have boats going over the top of us.  Once we were on the windward edge of the fleet, we headed down for more of a reach and got to G in a hurry. 

We were first around, but had to navigate through the other 15 boats that were headed to G on starboard.  Once through them, we had an easy sail to the finish.  One boat was close to passing us as we got close to G, but they failed to adjust their sails to the reaching angle we were on close to the mark and slowed down.  Other than that, it was a quiet race.

Looking back at the fleet on the reach.

A&B fleets reaching to G from K.

We never tacked during the race.   It was a close reach followed by a slightly broader reach.  The whole affair took about 30 minutes.  We were done by 18:45.  The course should have sent us to K for the first mark.  Buoy races should always start with an upwind leg if possible.  You want the boats to have a chance to separate and use tactics in the race.  A reach to reach race is all about the start and then boat-speed. 

After the brief race, we sailed around for another hour or so.  The wind was nice and the full moon made for a nice evening of sailing.  When it finally got really dark around 20:00, we headed in and went over for pizza.  This time we made it in time to get some fresh slices.

With the season over, I would like to thank John Nonenmacher and John Edwards for their hard work putting this whole series together. Many boats and their crew also deserve praise for doing their turn as Race Marshall. It was a great season and I look forward to next year.

Moon at 19:14, shortly after rising.

19:30, still enough sunlight to see Gusto and the moon is taking over.

Summer Race #2

Shifty North wind between 6-12 knots.  Current was ebbing over 1 knot in the channel.  Skies were partly sunny.  Course was from H to 26 to K to H.  A&B sailed H to 26 to 22 to G to H.  

Early in the day, I saw the forecast and the moon rise prediction and thought it was the perfect night for a late night sail.  With a northerly gradient, I thought the breeze would hold up well into the night and if we got a break from the clouds, we would get a nice moonrise.

Joey and Tommy

Soon after deciding to skip pizza night and sail longer, I got word that we could take some of the youth sailors out for a ride.  I always enjoy this and made arrangements to pick up Joey and Tommy from MYC.  By 17:40, we were on the water sailing downwind to the starting area.

We did a test run sailing up the river to 26.  The right side was favored in wind and with less current.  It was a no-brainer at this point.  We crept over to the very favored pin end of the line and waited for A&B to start.  During their start, the wind changed at least 60 degrees to the right.  The port tack start that we were going to use failed for the A&B boats.  The starboard tack boats were coming off the line well and by the time our start was 3 minutes away, the boat end was now clearly favored.  We adjusted before the start and got off the line by the RM boat a few seconds after the gun.

This put us in the position of being the right most boat in the fleet as a righty was taking over.  We were lifted above the mark and stayed there knowing the current was ripping.  By staying to the right, we thought we would have a little less current than the boats below us.  We also kept it high since the wind was good and we may need the speed of footing closer to the mark.

Everything worked out well and we rounded 26 a minute ahead of the next boat.  We then cruised at 8 knots over the ground to K.  This was a short leg, but we were able to gain a little more distance on the fleet.  Rounding K, we held port tack for 2 minutes.  After tacking back to starboard, the current had shown that the 2 minute lead would not mean much distance on this leg.  We let A-Train get above us on starboard tack since we were already making the mark.

I was concerned about this.  First, A-Train would be further from the channel and probably in less current.  Second, the wind was from the NE now and A-Train was closer to the NE shore.  In the end, we got some additional lift and cracked off a bit near the finish.  We let the kids drive most of the last leg and across the finish.  Although not as talkative as the girls from last year, they seemed to have a great time driving the boat at the end of the race.

Sunset

Their parents were nice enough to pick the kids up at the Haverstraw fuel dock.  This made it easy for us to get back out and enjoy the new freshening breeze.  The wind went back to the north and built to a refreshing 12-18 knots.  These were the conditions we were hoping for to extend the sail into the night.  We sailed down to Croton before tight reaching back and forth. 

Finally around 21:30, with clouds blocking the eastern horizon, we sailed in for the evening.  It was a great ride after the race.  The winds were perfect and the sunset put on a nice show.

The Race Committee did a great job.  For the second week in a row, two courses were used and the boats came back close to each other.  It was a nice length for the conditions.

Pizza night was tough to miss.  We love the event, but I could not turn down this night of sailing after so many weeks of light or no air.  Since I don't get out much on the weekends anymore, the night was just the sailing fix I was looking for.

Sun behind flag

Post sunset

Spring Race #9

Decent winds from the south around 4-8 knots.  Current was flooding.  Course was from H to K and back.  Skies were overcast with a chance of showers.

For this July 3rd race, I decided to take the kids with me.  Haverstraw was supposed to have fireworks that night, so it seemed like a great way to combine a race and some fireworks.  Unfortunately, on the drive down, we saw a sign that the fireworks had been postponed, probably due to the forecast.  This was disappointing, but we got ready for a long night on the water regardless.

With the grill on the stern, we sailed out to the start.  The kids had a great time on the boat before the race.   At 5 and 7, they are now able to move about the boat freely and enjoyed being on the bow as I tacked the jib a few times.  As the start approached, I had the kids sit in the back with Tara while I moved into the middle to do everything.

We approached the start line in a decent position with about 80 seconds to go.  The wind let up and we were a bit late to cross the line, but everyone was later, so it was a good start.  There was not much strategy on the first leg.  Everyone went to the left side and tacked close to lay-line.  We were able to maintain a lead all the way to K and then turned to go downhill.

On the downwind leg, I poled out the jib while the kids and Tara helped with lines and steering.  It was fun to see the kids get involved for the first time in their lives.  Up to this point, they have just been spectators on races.  We have come a long way from the times when Tara was breastfeeding Rowan on the reaching legs.  The kids are eager to help with the race and enjoy taking part in it.

After the finish, we sailed around a bit and headed up to Croton to anchor and eat.  After dinner we sailed out of Croton and saw the Ossining fireworks at a distance.  Around 21:30, we headed back towards Haverstraw in a light southerly.  The river was wavy as all the motor boats were going home from the fireworks display.  By 22:30, we had enough and motored into Haverstraw for an end to the night.

Hazel steering with help

The whole gang

Rowan Driving downwind in the race

Hazel likes to grind the winch

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.

Spring Race #4

Wind was light and shifty from the SW between 5 and 10 knots.  Current was starting to ebb around the start time.  Skies were clear.  Course was from H to 24 to D to H.

For the fourth time in a row, the early forecast called for bad weather.  Continuing the streak, the weather turned out to be great.  When we left the harbor, we put the sails up and immediately noticed the 30-40 degree shifts happening on the west side of the river.  The wind was from the southwest and the puffs would roll in from a west direction. 

We checked out the current on 26 and were surprised to still see a flood at 17:30. The current table we usually use said the current would change at 17:15.  Around 17:50, we sailed by 24 and still saw a light flood.  I will have to remember that the channel does not change current for at least 40 minutes after the table says it will.  By the time the race started and we got back to 24 around 18:40, the current was in a good ebb by then.

The start was crazy.  The starboard end was heavily favored.  This made the fleet converge up there. In the A&B start, a C boat was crossing the line with 30 second to go on port.  Not sure why they were there, but when I saw them tack onto starboard my heart sank.  Then I saw the jib was not released, so the jib back-winded and the boat spun to leeward and hit another boat.  This incident made me very cautious going into our start.  

When our start was approaching, I saw the typical barging boats coming in.  This time there were at least four boats barging into the start.  We were set to start inside A-Train, but sailed to leeward at the last second since the bargers were unaware of how to start and I knew they would not move for anyone.  We then reached down the line and let A-Train get screwed by all the bargers that were not aware of their lack of rights.  One of the bargers was sailing down onto us and I hailed for him to change course higher.  This hail was not welcome, but I was still reaching and wanted to sail higher, but the closing gap was not enough for me to make a good course alteration.  In the end, we were able to maintain clear air while A-Train got caught up with the barging boats and lost 6-7 boat-lengths through no fault of her own.  These types of starts are crazy and it is why I wrote a long blog on barging.

Once clear of the mess, we sailed up the course nicely.  We then hit a really bad wind change during a tack near 24.  This put us back to the next boat in the fleet.  As we approached 24, we were on port fetching the mark.  A-Train was approaching the mark on starboard.  I originally thought it best to duck A-Train's stern at the mark and be the inside boat.  I then decided that the rules with tacking near the mark may not be clear and I did not want to put myself between A-Train and a government mark.

As we got closer, I made sure A-Train had enough room to tack at the mark inside of us.  We were on a collision course, but I knew his proper course was to round the mark.  What I did not put together in this moment was that rule 18 did not apply.  Yes, we are rounding a mark that we are fetching, but rule 18.1 turns off if boats are on opposite tacks heading to windward.  Here are the rules that applied.

10 ON OPPOSITE TACKS
When boats are on opposite tacks, a port-tack boat shall keep clear of a starboard-tack boat.

18 MARK-ROOM
18.1 When Rule 18 Applies
Rule 18 applies between boats when they are required to leave a mark on the same side and at least one of them is in the zone.
However, it does not apply
(a) between boats on opposite tacks on a beat to windward,
(b) between boats on opposite tacks when the proper course at the mark for one but not both of them is to tack,
(c) between a boat approaching a mark and one leaving it, or
(d) if the mark is a continuing obstruction, in which case rule 19 applies.

While I was thinking of 18.2 and 18.3, I forgot that 18.1(a) turns off 18.  We were two boats on opposite tacks on a beat to windward.  Even if I were no longer beating, 18.1(b) clearly means the rule is turned off.  We broke rule 10, so we fouled.

I did not realize this on the course.  I continued to sail and made no penalty turns.  Once we got to pizza night, I talked to Bert and still was not clear on the rules.  I downloaded a racing rules app (very cool) and was able to quickly realize that 18.1(a) meant that we were wrong.  Luckily the sailing instructions allow a penalty even after racing is done, so I emailed the RM the next day to accept a penalty.  The only other option would have been to withdraw.

I only accepted the penalty because I write this blog about rules.  It would be hypocritical to break the rules, no matter how little other people follow them.  This is the rule I could not get around:

BASIC PRINCIPLES
SPORTSMANSHIP AND THE RULES
Competitors in the sport of sailing are governed by a body of rules that they are expected to follow and enforce. A fundamental principle of sportsmanship is that when competitors break a rule they will promptly take a penalty, which may be to retire.

As soon as I realized I had broken a rule, I took my penalty.  End of story on that.  There was a lot of confusion at the mark in both divisions, so I will try to add a special section on starboard windward roundings in the future.  Don't hold your breath.  The one on barging took about a year to write.

Our downwind leg was tense.  We had two boats threatening to take our breeze and one off to the south that seemed to be in a better breeze.  Luckily we stayed ahead into D and rounded to finish ahead of the other boats.  We ended up with a first on the water which got knocked down to a second after the penalty was applied.

The RM did a good job.  Pizza night was nice and we still got to catch the sunset.

Spring Race #3

Another threatening forecast followed by another great evening.  Winds were from the south once again between 7 and 14 knots.  Flood current was just starting at the beginning of the race.  Course was from H to K to G to H.  

A light wind most of the day gave way to a healthy southerly by the time I reached the river at 17:00.  The chart on the right is from WeatherFlow at the site south of Croton Point.  While the wind came up pretty strong before the race, it settled into the 8-10 knot range during most of the race.  This chart is always a little less than the actual wind.

We left the marina and sailed close-hauled to the starting area.  From there we sailed upwind to get some readings and found the course to be pretty good.  The right side seemed to have some better pressure and with the flood starting at 18:15, we though the right side would be better for current.  I am starting to really understand how the east side of Haverstraw Bay changes current at least an hour before the middle of the river.  Since a flood was beginning, we thought the east side would be more affected than the west side.

The start line was backwards again with the Race Marshall on the port end.  I first wrote about what end the RM should setup on in 2010.  Here is an excerpt.

It may not seem like it should matter which side of the line the boat is on, but it can make a big impact. The side of the line matters because of the racing rules. Since starboard tack has the right of way over port tack, most boats will start the race on starboard. This causes them to leave the starboard end of the line to windward and the port end of the line to leeward. Since the boats are heading upwind, it can be tough to get above the leeward end of the line. Because the boats are on starboard, it is the port end of the line that will have most boats struggling to clear. If the port end is a buoy then it is easier for boats to clear it since there is no rode extending upwind from the mark. Using a mark at the port end makes it less of an obstacle.

The impact of being on the port side of the line is made more significant by a long scope. When a committee boat has a long scope, it makes a bigger obstacle for the racers since its anchor rode will need to be avoided and the rode is upwind of the committee boat. You now have a 100-foot obstacle to get above when starting.

The port end was favored and that is where the RM was, so we setup for a port tack start.  The fleet left us enough room to cross ahead on port and we were on our way to the preferred west side of the course.

About halfway out to the layline, we saw our speed over ground (SOG) numbers improve by over half a knot, so we knew the right side was the place to be.  We even passed the entire B fleet by taking advantage of the right side.  The wind seemed to be fresher and the current was negligible compared to the flood on the left side.  We also noticed that boats that were only 200 yards to our east were being hampered by the current, while we seemed to be out of it.

When we got to K we saw the flood was running at half a knot and steered a course just high of G to compensate.  After rounding G, Frank noticed that the boats that were close to H were being headed.  Since I wanted to get away from the east shore and get to the stronger breeze in the middle of the river, knowing a knock was in store allowed us to head high and get into the better breeze.  Once that breeze hit, we got knocked enough to make the finish without having to wing.

There was a rules issue we heard about.  A boat in C2 hit G and asked what they should do.   Here are the rules:

31 TOUCHING A MARK
While racing, a boat shall not touch a starting mark before starting, a mark that begins, bounds or ends the leg of the course on which she is sailing, or a finishing mark after finishing.

44 PENALTIES AT THE TIME OF AN INCIDENT
44.1 Taking a Penalty
A boat may take a Two-Turns Penalty when she may have broken one or more rules of Part 2 in an incident while racing. She may take a One-Turn Penalty when she may have broken rule 31...

44.2 One-Turn and Two-Turns Penalties
After getting well clear of other boats as soon after the incident as possible, a boat takes a One-Turn or Two-Turns Penalty by promptly making the required number of turns in the same direction, each turn including one tack and one gybe. When a boat takes the penalty at or near the finishing line, she shall sail completely to the course side of the line before finishing.

By touching a mark a boat breaks rule 31.   Rule 44.1 addresses this breach and says that a boat can take a penalty for touching a mark.  That penalty is a one-turn penalty as described in rule 44.2.  Please remember that a one-turn penalty should be taken as soon as possible.  If you hit a mark, you should immediately sail away from other boats and execute the penalty turn.  It is not OK to sail for a while and then do the turn late in the leg. 

Overall, it was another great racing night.  The race was run very well by the RM and the conditions were great.  The hazy sunset put on a nice show.  There was also a full moon opposite the setting sun.  It was nice to see a bunch of boats hanging out after the race to catch the sunset.

Hazy sunset.

Sunset with Blue Horizon under it.

Spring Race #2

Another tough forecast followed by a great evening.  Winds were from the south between 7 and 14 knots, getting lighter as the night went on.  Current was ebbing.  Course was from H to K to G and back to H.  

Going into this Wednesday, the forecast was once again poor.  Showers with thunderstorms were possible, but the weather cleared out early and we were left with a perfect May sailing night.  I had a bag of foul weather gear that was luckily never used.

When I pulled into Haverstraw, I looked out on the river to see a nice 12-14 knots of wind.  The brown waves were churning up the water pretty good and there were a decent amount of whitecaps on the river.  I stepped out of the car and got a taste of how cold the wind was compared to the warmth on land.  I knew I would be leaving the marina in a T-shirt, but throwing on some layers once I got out to the river.

My crew was different this Wednesday as Bob from my home town was out and the crew from the previous week were all unable to make it.  Bob and I hoisted the sails and sailed upwind for a while to get a feel for the conditions.  Similar to the previous week, we had a southerly and the current was ebbing.  Once we sailed upwind for a bit and found the conditions even across the course, we decided not to repeat the previous week's mistake and cover the right side of the course.

The A&B boats had an interesting start with some circles going on.  We did not see an early advantage to either side of the course as they headed upwind, but still thought the right side was best.  With that, we setup a little early for a starboard end start.  We got off the line with little room to spare and immediately tacked to port to head right.  We had a good lead on most of the fleet from the start with Dream Chaser on our hip.  We sailed out a mile or so and tacked a little early to stay away from a barge.  You do not want to get caught in the barge's wake because the backwash will really hurt your speed.

After tacking to starboard, we were heading for Dream Chaser's stern.  They held their course on port and I held mine, but we were about 5 feet away from them at the cross.  This was pretty close for a crossing and surprised me since they could have nailed us with a lee-bow maneuver.    They ended up tacking to starboard about 30 seconds later and I was still more confused.

Lee-Bow Maneuver

When you are crossing or close to crossing a boat on the opposite tack, a lee-bow maneuver is a way to slow the other boat down and head to the side you want.  This is done by tacking ahead of the other boat and just to leeward.  You need to execute a good tack for this to work right.  After the tack, you will find yourself slightly ahead and to leeward of the other boat.  Once you get your speed back from the tack, you can begin to pinch up and give the boat behind you bad air.  This should make the boat behind slow down and head lower to keep their speed.  As they head lower, they will be in more of your bad air and you will gain an advantage.  You can also over-trim and stall the main during the maneuver to hurt the boat behind some more, but this will also slow you down as well.  Properly executed, a lee-bow will allow the lead boat to gain a boat-length or two and either force the other boat to tack away or spend more time in your bad air.

Click here until I can load the video into the page.


As Dream Chaser and Jazz headed to the port lay-line, we tacked first.  Dream Chaser soon followed and we went to the starboard lay-line.  We again tacked first and Dream Chaser tacked a boat-length to leeward of us.  We did not get much bad air from them and were able to round the mark with good speed.  We held a high course and were just able to roll them and take the lead.  We managed to barely hang on to that lead by about half a boat-length by the time we rounded G.  From there we headed high again to get back to the middle of the river where I thought the wind was better.  Dream Chaser took the low road and we stretched out a little on the last leg.

It was a beautiful night and I was able to take the below picture that shows some of the spinnaker boats heading downwind on the last leg. 

Spinnaker boats heading to finish.

After finishing we reached back and forth across the river a few times and enjoyed the sunset.  After the sunset, we noticed some clouds building in and the wind continued to get lighter.  It was almost calm by the time we made it in to the dock.  Luckily the forecast was wrong and we all enjoyed another great night on the river.

Sun setting on the river.

Summer Race #10

Winds were from the northerly direction at 4-10 knots.  Wind varied from almost ENE to WNW.  Current was ebbing hard.  C sailed from H to C to 26 to 24 to H.  A & B sailed H to C to F to 24 to H.

Tonight was just Peter and I from the regular crew and a sunfish sailor from Cupsaw lake.  We left the harbor pretty early and sailed over to the starting area.  I was surprised to find Gusto there on station.  John had sent out a call for a volunteer to do Race Committee and even though quite a few boats never had a turn this season, Gusto was there for the second time in three weeks. 

While sailing around, we noticed the northerly would bend and blow from the direction of the land.  John Nonenmacher explained this concept clearly in his Hudson River sailing tips class.  Tonight was the ultimate example.  On the East side of the river, the wind was from the NE and even close to due E when you got close to the shore.  On the West side of the river, the wind bent to the NW and even WNW. 

With the above in mind, we decided to try and protect the left side.  The left side of the line was also favored, so starting there was the best move.   With the current ebbing hard and pulling boats away from the line, we stayed above the line before the start.  Due to the line's angle, port tack was the only good way for boats to actually cross the line.  So at the gun we were on the left side of the line with a good port tack start.

Soon after the start, we flopped to starboard hoping to push West and get the stronger NW breeze.  We could see the NE breeze on the right side of the course, but thought that to be the weaker of the two battling breezes.  Right after the start, this looked wrong, so we went back onto port tack to get into the NE breeze and then back to starboard again.  Finally we were on the lifted tack, but lost some ground on the other boats. 

We still believed in the left side being favored, so instead of pointing high on starboard tack, we footed for speed allowing the boat to still slide left and expecting the NW to influence us soon.  As we got knocked more and more, I was getting happy.  Rather than tacking back into the NE breeze area, we dug into the West side and the NW breeze built up and continued to move west to the point where we were no longer making positive VMG (velocity made good) to the mark.

So we then tacked onto port and found ourselves pointing about 20 degrees high of the mark.  We stayed high knowing that we were eventually going to get knocked again as we got closer to the east shore.  This worked out and we rounded the first mark with a good lead over the fleet.  We even passed some of the boats in the earlier start on this leg.

Foot to a Header

Not sure if this is an proven concept, but I learned early in sailboat racing to foot to a header.  If you expect a header to be coming either from looking at boats ahead or a predictable wind shift, the old thinking says to foot.  This will push you more towards the header and get you there faster.  Once in the header, you will soon want to tack over to the lifted tack and the extra distance you made to leeward on the old tack will be favorable on the new lifted tack.  In the case above, footing allowed us to get left faster than other boats so when the big header hit, we were on the inside of the new favored tack.

After rounding the weather mark (C), we stayed high to get to 26.  We once again expected to have the breeze go left as we got closer to the west side, so staying high would allow us to reach the whole way rather than tighen up as we approached 26.  The current was also a big factor and staying up current would buy some insurance should the wind die down.  The wind did go left, but the velocity remained good, so we rounded 26 nice and clean. 

The broad reach in the WNW breeze got us to 24 in no time.  From there, we rounded and tightened up to upwind mode on port tack.  We were 30 degrees high of H, but stayed up here since the breeze was good and we expected to get knocked as we moved east to H.  The lighter NE wind came sooner than we expected and we were in full upwind mode to finish.  With the wind getting lighter and the current going strong, I was worried we would repeat the pattern from a few weeks ago where boats parked a few hundred feet from the finish. 

This did not come to pass and we were able to cross the finish line after about 10 minutes of fighting the current within 200 yards of the finish.  We got to sail into the harbor after that.  It was a bit annoying that in the dark a motoring boat was not yielding and we had to tack to avoid them.  When we tacked back to go in, the same motoring boat was again not yielding, so I gave a hail to let them know we were sailing and they should avoid us.  I assume they thought they were going to give us room, but in the dark, I prefer more than a boat-length cushion for safety.

With the season over, I would like to thank John Nonenmacher, John Edwards and John Beck for their hard work putting this whole series together. Many boats and their crew also deserve praise for doing their turn as Race Marshall. It was a great season and I look forward to next year.

Summer Race #9

Perfect late summer evening.  Wind was from the south between 6 and 14 knots.  Current was flooding.  C course was from H to K and back.  A&B sailed H to K to G to H.

We arrived at the usual time for the race.  The boat had some water in the bilge, so we spent some time on boat maintenance before heading out to the course around 17:30.  As soon as we cleared the breakwater, we turned into the southerly and hoisted the sails.  We were a little tight on time, but the Half Moon was in the area, so we cracked off and went to take a look.

Seems like the boat still had its original crew of surly prisoners because we did not even get a wave from the people on deck.  It was about 400 years ago when the crew told Henry Hudson that the river ended shortly and he never did go much further.  Maybe they are channeling that energy. 

After seeing the floating replica (complete with radar and generator running), we turned upwind to get to the start.  It took a while against the current and I fired up the iron sail to get a reading on the start line.  The starboard end was favored.  Since the line was backwards, the starboard end was the pin.

We decided early to start at the pin in a barging position.  We assumed like last week that boats would get pulled back from the favored end and give us enough room to hit it at the start with good speed.  We also decided to make sure we covered the Bugaboo maneuver.  As I have written many times, the Bugaboo maneuver is going left towards Croton in a southerly.  Having the current flooding made this an iron clad requirement for us and we would do everything we could to protect the left.

The start went as planned and we had the main competitor on our heels.  I stuck the boat up for about 2 minutes in an effort to get the competitor to tack away to the right.  When they finally tacked, we started sailing properly and our speed went from 3 knots to about 5.  The left side paid off early and we only had to deal with the boats that went left with us. 

About half way up the leg, we were straddling a 40 degree wind shift.  We got knocked 40 degrees, dug in a little, tacked and then got knocked again on the new tack.  We decided to head back to the left as the Bugaboo effect works pretty much up the entire leg.  This second tack put us way to the left of the competitors and that allowed us to get a decent lead by the first mark.

The ride downhill was great.  We had the current at our back and cruised across the line.  The wind built up a little and we sailed around for a while.  As it got darker, it felt like 21:00 when it was really 19:30.  Shortly after 20:00, the wind completely stopped.  This was odd as it went from a 12-14 from the south to 4 from the west.  At this point, the sign was clear and we headed in.

It was a pleasant night on the river and all boats finished the race.  After the race, I counted at least 4 other boats sailing around in the waning light.  The conditions were ideal and it was nice to see some boats take advantage of the second to last Wednesday night.  Having the darkness creep in sooner was a stark reminder that the season ends next week.

Summer Race #8

Wind filled in after 18:00 from the NW at 4-8 knots.  Current ebbing over one knot.  Course for C was from H to 26 to 24 to H.  A&B used K instead of 24.  Low clouds were moving in from the east.

We got to the boat around 17:00 and were off the dock by 17:15.  I noticed when I drove in that the river was mostly calm with a few ripples in some spots.  The forecast did not look good either.  As we left the marina, the wind was so light that we did not even hoist the main.  We motored to H instead of sailing for the first time this year.  Once there, a light ENE breeze could be seen, so we motored to D and sat there and realized the ripples on the water were more illusion than actual breeze.

I saw some breeze in the NW direction from D and we motored that way.  There was a light northerly, so we hoisted sails and sailed for just a bit before being becalmed again.  Finally, a NW breeze filled in from the east.  This was odd, but we went with it and began sailing back to H at the edge of the breeze.  After another 5 to 10 minutes, the NW breeze filled in across the course and we knew racing would begin shortly.

As the start approached, we decided the starboard end was favored and set up to start there.  We also thought the east would be favored, but after the breeze filled in, the course looked good on both sides.  As the start approached, we came in at a barging angle knowing the current would sweep boats away from the line.  We started at the starboard end and ended up in a good position relative to the fleet.  As soon as our fist competitor tacked over to port, we tacked on them.  Not the nicest thing to do, but since they are faster than us in light air it is the only way to stay ahead on the upwind leg.

Approaching 26, we knew the current was strong and we would have to over-stand to get around.  Instead of giving ourselves a huge cushion, we went for a tight line and figured it was better to tack twice than over-stand by 60 seconds.  Since we were about a boat length shy of lay-line, it turned out to be a tough call at 26 and we were just able to shoot the mark. 

Shooting a Mark

Shooting a mark is a term for when a boat is shy of the lay-line by a little bit and makes it around the mark.  To pull this off in foul current, you have to continue to sail towards the mark at full speed.  You should not pinch as this will slow you down and you will not have enough momentum to shoot around the mark.  Also, the slower speed will result in more time getting swept by the current, so you want to approach the mark as fast as possible.  Coming at the mark fast will allow you to point the boat straight into the wind and have the momentum to get back above it. 

The trickiest part is when your bow is above the mark and your stern is going to hit it due to the current.  At this point, instead of staying high, you want to turn down sharply.  This will cause the boat to pivot around the center and the stern will actually move a few feet to windward and allow the boat to clear the mark. 

Besides the possible damage, I was not too worried about hitting the mark since a 360 after rounding would be faster than two tacks at that point.  Luckily we cleared with two feet to spare and had clear sailing the rest of the race.

On the last leg from 24 to H we sailed close hauled almost the entire way.  At times this put us 30 degrees above the mark, but the current was ripping so we were only making slightly to weather of the rhumb line.  I was seeing the wind get a little lighter and expected it to continue lightening up, so I wanted to get as far up current as possible. 

We ended up finishing right at H, so the extra distance sailed did not hurt us.  Soon after our finish, the wind died down and most other boats had trouble crossing the finish.  There was a pile up at H.  Many boats were within a few boat-lengths of the line when the wind would die and they would move backwards.  I know from experience how frustrating that can be at the end of a race.  It has happened to me during Around Long Island races where a 4 hour lead can disappear in the last mile as boats try to fight the outgoing current in Hempstead harbor when the wind dies out. 

While the racers were having trouble, the wind remained to the north of the course and boats that had finished were still sailing in a 4-6 knot NW breeze.  We reached back and forth a few times to witness the finish.  When a puff made it past H, a group of 3-7 boats would all finish within a few minutes.  Then it would die out again and the rest of the boats would float back until the next puff.  Finally around 20:00, all boats got the puff they needed to finish.

Trying hard to finish.

Still trying to finish.

Race Committee did a great job tonight.  They waited for the breeze, set good courses where both divisions finished close to each other and took care of the details.  We consider ourselves fortunate on Jazz to race in an area where the RC's take their job seriously and do it well.  The HBRA committees are some of the best I have ever raced under.

It seemed like we were out a long time, but we were back to the dock before 20:45.  It was dark and the end of Summer is feeling more real now. 

Summer Race #7

Wind was light from the ENE.  Current started flooding after the start.  Course for A&B was from H to 26 to 24 to H.  C skipped 26.

My father and twin sisters joined us for the race this Wednesday.  It was their first time on the boat and unfortunately, the wind was very light.  We headed out to the course and sailed a bit in the shifty conditions as the wind went from due north to southeast in 30 minutes, before finally settling in at ENE.

We had a decent start near the boat end and hoped to get right early.  We had one boat on top of us and I waited too long to tack in front of them.  Another boat in our division was less cautious and went right in front of this starboard boat.  I saw the starboard boat change direction, yet the port tack boat insisted this was done for no reason since they saw trees coming from the bow.

Making Trees

When two boats are coming together on opposite tacks, it is common for a racer to gauge the crossing on whether the bow of the upcoming boat is making or losing against the land.  If the boat seems to be moving forward against the land, then they will probably cross the observer.  If the bow seems to be losing land against the observer, then the observer will probably cross.

While this is effective in lakes and bodies of water without current, the current renders this method less effective since both boats will have some movement against the shore regardless of their own speed in the water.

In the end, it did not matter as the other boat blew by us upwind.  We have little chance of keeping up with some boats when the wind dips below 8 knots and this was the case on this race.

We got to the weather mark in a bit of traffic and sat for a few minutes while boats piled up to the east of us.  Since the wind was from the east, we headed due south to get away from the disturbed air and finally got clear after 7 minutes of idle floating.

The rest of the race was pretty stretched out.  Xanadu made a nice northerly move on the downwind leg to make up some serious ground on the C1 fleet and win C2.  Most boats finished within the time limit, but 4 C2 boats were OTL.

We sailed a bit after the race before heading in after dark.  It was a nice night out on the river and my father and sisters had a good time racing. 

Summer Race #6

Winds from the SSE 10-15 dropping to 4-8 from the SW.  Current was ebbing.  Course for A and B was from H to K and back, twice around.  C sailed from H to K to G and back.

We were race committee tonight.  We left the dock at 17:10 and headed straight to H.  We saw a healthy SSE breeze from 170 and decided to anchor so that H bore 80 degrees from us.  It took three tries to get the anchor to finally stick.  The first try failed due to hooking a rather large rock.  The second failed for unknown reasons and the third time worked like a charm.

We thought the line to be very square and announced the courses.  With about 4 minutes to go before the start of the A&B fleets, we saw a change in the breeze.  It went right about 40 degrees and got lighter.  Now our line was skewed and I was wishing we had just let it drag since it would have been square if we fell north 200 yards or so.  Since the wind was also getting lighter, we stuck with the original course fearing that 22 was too far for this dying breeze.  At least with the A and B course, we could always shorten them to one lap should the breeze die.  We were not too worried about C as the current would push them upwind and then they would reach out of the current by going to G. 

So everyone started on a starboard end favored line and had a skewed beat up to K.  Most boats had to tack during this beat, so I felt a little better about the course.  In the end, everyone that attempted to finish the race did so with time to spare.  I also like that the entire fleet finished around the same time.  This is always a goal of mine when race committee and is not always possible. 

Once the racers were off, we ate some ribs and had a few beers.  It was a great night to be on the water and we enjoyed the hour between the start and the first finisher.  All boats were done racing by 20:12, so there was no risk of anyone not finishing in time.  We then hurried in to the dock and I went over to pizza night at Minisceongo Yacht Club.

Here is my analysis of our night as Race Committee.

Good

1.  We went out early surveyed the conditions and set the line.

2.  Being out early allowed us to set the line three times without delaying the race.

3.  Wrote down scores on three sheets to make sure a typo did not skew the results.  One sheet did not match the others in one case and it was nice to have the other two agree.

4.  Had a special sheet to help us remember to make the proper moves at the proper times.

5.  Set courses that allowed the fleets to finish around the same time.

Possible Improvements

1.  We could have delayed the start to allow the dying breeze to settle in.

2.  We could have changed the line to be more square in the new wind.

3.  We needed more ribs.

As far as delaying the start to set a better course after the wind changed, I decided against it since I did not want to have everything push back too late.  It was pizza night and sending boats to 22 could have caused an issue with a delayed start.  Boats could have been drifting until the time limit which probably would have extended to 20:45 or later.  I was also thinking that the lull could be temporary and all the changes would be for nothing.  

I am on the fence as to whether or not it was worth it to reset the line.  Hindsight is 20/20, but on this issue, the decision is still not clear to me.  I would welcome any comments on the matter as it could help with future races.

Summer Race #5

Unstable atmosphere.  Wind settled into a light northerly.  The course was from H to C and back.  Current was flooding.

This night started with storms passing through the area.  I sat in my car from 17:00 to 17:45 and waited for the rain to ease before heading down to the dock.  While in the car, we heard some chatter starting at 17:30 or so with sailors asking what the status of the race was.  It seemed apparent that the radio people were looking for an early cancellation.  The boat I heard never made it out.

When I walked down to the dock, I passed a group of sailors hanging out under a tent.  Most of them never made it out.  When I got to the boat, another boat in the marina had their engine running even though the fleet was in harbor hold.  They never made it out.

Using my phone's radar app to judge the weather, we left the marina just after 18:00 to take a real life observation of the river.  It was raining at a good clip, but the northerly was up so we hoisted sail and cruised around for a bit.  Around 18:30, the wind and rain lightened up.  Around 18:45, the race marshal announced an end to the harbor hold and went out to the course.  I was very happy to hear we would have some company.  Twice before this season, we went out in questionable conditions to find the race cancelled.

Things were not looking good wind wise as the RM headed out to H.  Fortunately, once they got set around 19:20, the wind picked up enough to give us hope for a race.  The course was announced and we rolled into sequence at 19:35.  The total delay was 80 minutes.

The start line was heavily boat (starboard) end favored.  We got off to a nice start around a barging boat and were off the line well.  The C fleet tightened up at mark C as boats were rounding into the flood and having trouble making any progress over the ground.  It was a difficult start to the leg, but the wind did increase and veer to the ENE to give us a nice reach to the finish.  All boats finished before 21:00.

Breakout withdrew from the race.  They were the only boat in A and as such, their withdrawal means that A had no race this night.  By withdrawing, they gave all the boats in their division that bagged out early a break.  Had Breakout finished, the race would have counted and those boats would have used their throw-outs on it.   It was a classy move to not take advantage of the other boats impatience. 

Race Marshal

The race marshal was excellent this night.  They followed all rules and procedures to the letter.  When the conditions were uncertain before 18:15, they announced a harbor hold to keep boats safe.  They continued that hold until 18:45.  At that time, they determined that the conditions were safe to go out on the river and attempt a race.  Once out on the river, they realized a race could be held and executed it very well.  Escpecially considering the compressed time they had due to the late start.

I heard some chatter about sailors being unhappy that a race was held so late.  Some have even gone so far as to say that there is a time a race cannot be started after.  They are wrong.  There is no limit to when a race can be held. The 18:45 time in the postponement section is the earliest time a race can be cancelled, not the latest time it can be started. 

Wishing for a Cancellation

When I was a kid and raced with my father, it was more an obligation than for just fun.  I used to root for a race to get cancelled because I enjoyed the break from racing, but still liked to be around the boat.  I mention this to give some perspective that I can understand why people would want a rainy race cancelled.

The trouble on this night is that people get on the radio to pressure the RM into cancelling.  These are boat owners looking to get out of racing.  I have some advice, don't race, go home.  It is that simple.  If you don't want to race on a given night, just drive home.  Do that without getting on the radio and trying to force the entire HBRA to miss a race.  If you are that worried about your score, accept that you will have to stick around on Wednesday nights since an RM should do everything they can to get a race in. 

We get 20 Wednesday night races each year to compete in.  Getting out each Wednesday is important and I don't want a little rain or a bad reading of the radar at 17:30 to cancel the opportunity to race.  The race instructions are setup to give the RM the power to get a race in even when conditions are not perfect at 18:15.  This night was an example of that.

In the end, many people drove to Haverstraw, got ready for a race and went home.  They did that because they could not wait for 80 minutes.  It is fine for a crew to skip the race, but they should stay off the radio and not complain when other boats wait for a hour and get a race in.  After all, it is why we get together for 20 Wednesday nights each summer. 

Starting Time Limit

I realize I may not be in the majority when it comes to getting races in on a Wednesday night.  I put a poll at the top right of this site to allow people to vote on a time limit for starting a Wednesday night race.  Please vote.