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A weekend of racing

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/21/2008 : 12:50:22

Saturday was the San Diego to Mission Bay race, 9.6 miles in the ocean. Sunday was the reverse.

On Saturday we left Mission Bay at 0730 for an 11 AM start. We live in Mission Bay but all the racing is in San Diego, so we sail over, do the race, then sail back. I love Mission Bay too much to ever want to move over there permanently.

On Saturday we had a fantastic start. Practicing starts 2 hours per day for a couple of months has paid off. I hit the line in first place within 5 seconds of the gun, at full speed and at the favored end!

The first part of the race was out the channel to one of the final San Diego approach buoys, SD3. It was about 2 miles. I could not point as high as the mylar jib equipped boats and footed off a little for speed. We were right with the fleet at the first mark, but downwind about 1/4 mile. Then we sailed into a big hole and tacked and tacked to make the mark, finally rounding while watching most of the other boats sail away from us.

Right after the mark we went up spin with very unusual light SW winds for the NE run to Mission Bay. We stayed heated up high all day and ran in speeds in the mid 5s. We caught several boats and had a long duel with a Freedom 50 (non spin) that is always trying to take us up.

When we gybed my green crew lost the spin sheets overboard (my fault, I usually tie them but didn't this time). With total novices, I have to do bow, leaving the best sailor at the helm and a young man who has been practicing at pit. Well, we got a spin wrap on the forestay, spin sheets in the water, major screw up. We finished under main alone while I sorted out the mess. Everyone was angry and frustrated, but I said "That's racing. We hit the wall on the last lap and finished with a flat tire!" Still, we got 2nd, only 3 minutes behind the Catalina 27 that has been giving the whole fleet fits.

We had a big raft up and party on the beach, catered dinner, live music, then we dropped out of the raft and went back to our slip.

Sunday we still had the SW wind, it was light, about 5 to 6 knots, and we tacked and tacked to get from Mission Bay back to San Diego. I learned we are very competitive down wind with the spin up but not so much upwind. After rounding SD3 we went up spin and ran into the bay pretty hot, but finished 15 minutes behind the Cat 27 and our other competition the Cat 34.

I got to read Steve Milby's articles again about improving pointing. But then I have a real nice dacron jib and a old old stock Catalina dacron main so there is not too much I can do against guys with new high tech sails in a pointing race.

I sailed about 50 miles over the weekend total, on the water from 0700 Saturday to 2100 Sunday, nothing broke and now I have to get ready for the vacation cruise, leaving Friday at dawn.

Indiscipline 1978 FK SR #398

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3321 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2008 : 17:21:17

"I hit the line in first place within 5 seconds of the gun, at full speed and at the favored end!"
Add "in clear air" to that Jim and you have the perfect start!
Congrats on your achievements this year.

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2008 : 19:45:45

How clean and smooth is your bottom? (I mean the boat)
A baltoplate bottom job might give you the edge you need.

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2008 : 06:55:21

Sonds like great fun! Pointing is always the biggest challenge we face as well. I found that trimming the main was what helped us the most. Being a novice, I didn't have the shelf set right on the foot of the main (loose-foot dacron, very new), and remembering when to apply backstay tension. Once we got that more or less sorted out (we are still working on it) our standings took a big jump. The other thing that has helped us is when the good boats go on vacation ;)

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2008 : 07:46:04

Great review Jim.
For those of racing challanged, any chance you could post your gps rounte with comments. It sure would help me et.al. understand a bit more of what's going on when you guys race around marks.

Paul

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2008 : 08:55:53

Paul,

The best way to understand is to go crew on someone's boat. A GPS only gives part of the story - where one boat went. What it doesn't give is what happens when the wind shifts and you have to decide whether to tack, or what to do when the other boats all tack over. It doesn't play out the game in the crew's head which is more focussed on trim and steering and finding puffs in light air.

Here is some rules and courses on video to give a better frame of reference. Maybe when I am on "special" races in the future, I'll post a link to the race's website for your reference.

http://www.racing.sailingcourse.com/sailing_rules.htm

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2008 : 11:48:30

Sounds like a lot of fun!!!

I suppose you can't practise with your crew as often as you would like, to get the spinnaker hoists and douses and jibes as professional as your starts!

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2008 : 11:56:11

I wish I could post a GPS track, and my GPS can record a track. I don't have the gear for getting it on my computer, however.

Edited by - on

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