Summer Race #1

Wednesday 7/21/2010 Consistent storms cancelled the racing for this evening. We arrived at the boat to a hot and humid 90 degrees. We knew a line of storms was approaching, but the line was wavering around the NY/NJ border. We decided to take a peek out in the river before the storm hit. Some people were nice enough to warn us about the coming storm, but we tried to let them know that we were just looking around. With three people on board, docking is easy, so we figured we would have a better view of the conditions form the river. Once out past the pier, we saw the conditions deteriorating. There were a couple of boats out on the river and it did not look like they would be able to find safe harbor. We went back to our slip. At this point, the race committee had already postponed the start until 1845. This was a smart move as it kept boats in the safety of the harbor. Then the storm came with at least 40-knot winds and hail. While in the midst of the storm, the race committee called over the radio and cancelled the race. While it was the smart call to make, I wish they had waited until 1845 to cancel the race as the race instructions say that races should not be cancelled before that time. It just seemed that the race committee reacted to the strength of the storm. I do not think what they did was wrong; it was just too early to fit within the rules. It helped us, as we were able to leave the boat before the next round of storms came through. If I were RC on this type of night, I would have said at 1800 that the radar looked bad and the race would probably be cancelled at 1845. That is all that is allowed within the rules. Either way, the correct call was made and we left. Determined to sail on this night, we went to Franklin Lakes, NJ. My brother has 3 boats ready to go there (2 Sunfishes and 1 Hobie Bravo). There was no wind at the lake, but the sky was nice. To the north we could see the storms rolling furiously to the East. We headed to the bar to have a cocktail. Right as we stepped in, the winds picked up and we decided to go out on the water. We enjoyed the only 30 minutes of breeze on the lake that evening before calling it quits when the wind died again. It was a weird night. Terrible storms in one location and a clear sky ten miles south. We will have to wait another week before making our debut in the B division.

Spring Race #10

Wednesday 7/14/2010 Early storms cleared out and left a nice night with light northerlies. The current was flooding hard and I think the rain added to the flow. C sailed from H to Breakout and back. A & B did the same course twice around. We left the slip early to dump the holding tank. There was a rumor that the race was cancelled, so we were a little concerned since there was not much activity on the docks at 17:30. After pumping out, we motored to the course and were happy to see the race committee out there early. Right away we noticed the current was going to be a factor. Light northerly winds and a flooding current would make it tough to cross the starting line. As more boats came out, the RC moved the line and made it longer. The boat end seemed favored in the new configuration. Many boats stayed upwind (and up current) of the line. As the start was coming up for A & B I saw Comet do a dip start. This was a good strategy for the conditions and seemed to work out for them. It took a long time for the entire division to get across the line. Trying to stay above the line ourselves, we had to sail through the first group with about 3 minutes to go until our start. One racer was not happy that we were close to them and hailed that they were racing. I reminded them that we were racing as well. They were on starboard and we were on port, so we ducked them anyway. It just annoys me when boats don’t know the rules and yell incorrect things. Both of us were racing and I was not compelled to stay clear, as I would have been before their start and one minute after their start. It was important to stay above the line and I weaved through the first group of boats to maintain my position. First, the racing instructions state the following: Racers shall keep clear of the starting area until their preparatory signal is sounded. Failure to keep clear will be grounds for protest by a competing yacht or the committee boat. Notice the phrase “prepatory signal.” A boat is considered to be racing once the prepatory signal has sounded. You cannot use propulsion after this point and you are allowed to move freely around the start area as long as you follow the normal racing rules. The starting area is not defined in the instructions, but it is usually considered on half of the distance of the line away from the line. This makes an oval or rectangle that is twice the length of the line on the long part and on length of the line on the short part. Sometimes I get some of this reaction from boats that are slow to start, but tonight was different since we stayed on the course side of the line. The Racing Rules of Sailing state in their definition section: Racing A boat is racing from her preparatory signal until she finishes and clears the finishing line and marks or retires, or until the race committee signals a general recall, postponement or abandonment. So clearly we are racing just like all the boats that have already started. We needed all the time we had to get across the line and setup near the RC. With the light air, we tacked right next to the RC and slowly picked up speed waiting for the start. At the gun, we were in a great spot and took off. Well, I guess it was more like inched away, but it felt nice. Bugaboo was directly behind us and A-Train seemed to linger around the starting area. Right after the start, Christiana approached us on port and attempted to lee-bow us. A lee-bow maneuver is when a boat tacks right below a boat that they cannot cross. The hope of the lee-bow boat is that they can carry enough speed to keep from getting rolled. Once they are back up to their speed, they will then try to pinch off the windward boat. I was able to defend our position by footing for speed with the little room I had then rolling over them. I doubt they were trying to affect us, but the result would have been the same if we were not able to roll them. As it turns out, we would have been better off if we were forced onto port since the right side of the course was favored. We were near Gusto at this point and watched them head off right. We could immediately see the gains they were making, so we tacked and headed to the East shore. We hoped for more wind and knew we would be in less current. This move paid off and we built a nice lead on the rest of the fleet. As the lead boats approached the area where C is supposed to be, the mark was missing. Breakout was the leader at the time and they decided to drop anchor and act as C for the rest of the fleet. This selfless act saved the race for the rest of the people out there. Breakout’s quick action showed the Corinthian spirit is alive and well on the Hudson. They sacrificed their race so that the rest of the fleet would not have to. I greatly appreciate his effort. We rounded Breakout with a decent lead and drifted with the current to the finish. We won the race. When the lead boats were coming to H, they asked if they still had to go around twice. The response was affirmative. Then some of them complained. While I agree with the complaining boats that the course should have been shortened, this hardly seemed like a reason to complain on the radio. All boat one boat made it around twice this evening, so the result was fine. It seems there are a few boats out on the water that want to always get in as fast as they can. I received similar hostility when I did not cancel the race I was RM for at the earliest possible time. There was a protest on the course as well. I was not a witness to the events and only briefly spoke with Merlin while racing to get the protest reason. Apparently A-Train tacked too close to Merlin. Here is the rule that is involved: 13 WHILE TACKING After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course. During that time rules 10, 11 and 12 do not apply. Notice that you are not considered on the new tack until you come down to a close-hauled course. I would consider this to be the time the jib fills and begins to pull. I do not think close-hauled is defined in the rules, but it is a generally accepted concept. This race was the conclusion of the spring series. There were nine races sailed and we were the only boat in two of them. Four of the other seven races only had two or three boats in the division. Since the participation is so light, we are going to move into the B division and sail it non-spinnaker. Unfortunately, this will leave the C1 division with only 2 active boats. I would like to add a spinnaker to be more competitive in B, but my boat is still used primarily for cruising with my children. I need to keep the netting, bimini top, anchor on the bow, jack lines on the main, roller furling, etc. This makes it difficult to add the spinnaker gear just for Wednesday nights. So we will start the Summer Series in the B division and race without a spinnaker. The 24-second handicap should help in a medium breeze. It will be too much in heavy air, and not enough in light air. I would have liked to stay in the C1 division, but there just is not enough participation. We’ll see how things go and may reconsider our decision next year.

The Protest

My wife said something to my son Rowan today that he did not like. He yelled "PROTEST!" I am a big rules guy in sailing. I have not had a protest make it to a jury since 2000, but I make sure I have a red flag ready to go. Over the years I have tried taping a flag to the backstay, Velcro, and now a great solution I found at http://www.sailorsprotestflags.com. Rowan was fascinated with the latest product. It is a protest flag shielded in a tennis ball. This beats keeping the flag on the backstay as the sun would fade it. It also beats Velcro for convenience. I just pull on a strap and out pops the flag. Rowan asked about it. I explained that in sailing you must fly a red flag when you protest. He asked what a protest was. I explained that it is what a boat will do when they think another boat has broken a rule. If the other boat acknowledges the foul, they will take a penalty. If not, the protest can go to a jury to be decided. With that in mind, Rowan protested his mother when she said something he did not like. I may have to get him his own red flag. I will convene a jury tonight and find the facts of the protest. Odds are it will be thrown out for improper procedures.