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 #9

Winds were light from the SSW between 2 and 8 knots.  Current was slack, moving to ebb.  Skies were partly cloudy.  Course for all divisions was from H to K to G and back to H.  

Tonight was a east side favored night for the upwind leg.  We recognized this before the start.  The line was fairly square, so we decided to run the line on starboard and start near the pin.  As the start time was approaching, we had a lot of steam and we were early to the pin by at least 10 seconds.  With 40 to go, a boat tacked right in front of us, so we headed down to hook them to leeward.  At this point, we were going way to fast and came up tight while easing the sails to try and slow down.  This worked for our boat speed, but it forced the other boat over the line early.

We dipped back down with 20 seconds to go and began to get some speed.  With 8 seconds to go, we headed back up to the line and trimmed in for speed.  We got off the line on the end we wanted.  Unfortunately, we did not stick with our pre-race plan and found ourselves on the right side of the course.  The left was favored with current and possibly with wind too, but we missed it. 

After some back and forth up the course, we settled back into the left side and were able to get around K ahead of the fleet.  We held off the fleet for the entire leg and then stretched out on the final leg for a win.

Many boats got caught in the time limit.  It is important to note that the time limit for the early start races is 20:15, not 20:30.  I believe this was a new addition for this year. 

After the race, the wind was light, but we kept sailing.  Soon a NW wind filled in and we were back to sailing in a decent breeze.  This kept us going for another 45 minutes before dying out and then we headed in.

The Half Moon was back on the bay.  Here is a rough video.

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 #8

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.

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.