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.

Summer Race #7

Wind was light from the ENE between 2-6 knots.  Current was mostly slack.  Skies were overcast.  Course was from H to C and back.  A&B went twice around.

I left the dock early as I was the only person able to sail this night.  It is best to do everything early when sailing alone since it can be tough to overcome any issues that come up.  In a light northerly, I sailed over to H and then hardened up to sail to C.  I figured that would be the course and wanted to see if one side was favored.  I preferred the right side on this preview of the race.  I then motored back to the starting area and chatted with the RM about the conditions and the line.

The RM did an amazing job tonight.  First, they solicited input from some racers about the wind and whether to start or not.  They then reset the line and tried to get a start going.  The wind crapped out, but the RM made the difficult call to postpone the first start and wait for more breeze.  When that breeze came, they made a good course for all divisions and rolled back into the start.  It was just a great job to confer with other boats and postpone the start until conditions were better.  They were on top of things.

As my start approached, I noticed that I could run the line on starboard, but it would be tough to cross the pin (port) end on starboard.  This set up for a port tack start.  With over 1 minute to go, I was running the line on port and flipped over to starboard.  I was able to stay close to the line, but then turned down to fend off some port tack boats and keep them out of the good lane.  With 25 seconds to go, I flipped to port and started on time.  I was ahead of the fleet and covered the closest boat all the way up the leg.

With a good lead at C, I turned downwind and got busy.  I poled out the jib to one side.  By the time that was complete, the wind clocked to the ESE.  I then took the pole down and headed up to move along.  The wind continued to change and I continued to adjust everything.  Eventually with about 300 yards to the finish, I stopped all the work and just floated across the line.

It was a nice race and I was happy to get the bullet.  I then sailed around for a bit since the best wind of the night was building from the north.  I sailed on until 21:30.  At that point it was dark and I was getting tired.  Docking alone is the toughest part of sailing alone.  Everything has to be done methodically and I did not want to be exhausted in case something went wrong.  Around 21:45, I pulled into the slip and relaxed for a beer before heading home.  It was a nice quiet night on Jazz.

Fleet on the course