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Tough race day in San Diego Sunday

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/10/2008 : 16:40:10

In interest of spicing up a slow forum-

Saturday night we had rain and a frontal system pass. Sunday it was forecast to be 15 to 20 knots, gusting 25. When I got up seas at Mission Bay were 9 feet and winds were 15 gusting 20. It breaks across the bar when over 8 feet essentially closing Mission Bay.

I was taking a first time sailor out. I did drive down, but we got there to pretty intense conditions. I decided storm sails and double reefed main were not the best first sail experience so we cancelled and went home to watch football.

There was a Hot Rum race that day in nearby San Diego Bay. Here are some stories. Note that big winds and waves break huge parts of the Pt. Loma kelp bed loose and it blows downwind into the channel and race area.

My friend on Sojurn, a Cat 30, wrote this email today:

This is a summary of some of the anecdotes I have heard about the race yesterday:

The race committee called the race because the weather mark that they put in the water near SD-3 on an 8# mushroom anchor managed to intercept a long strand of kelp on the rode and was dragged 2.7 miles east of its proper location so nobody who made it out there had a turning mark. A lot of boats sailed out as far as SD-1 looking for it.

Alinka II was one of the boats that went out to 1 and reported seeing a 50 knot gust with sustained wind of 25-35 knots.
Several boats reported 8-12 foot seas.

Zig-Zag got out most of the way to 3 but became concerned about unusual boat handling and vibration. They began to think they had a keel problem and checked the keel bolts looking for water ingress but there was none. They had picked up a monster strand of kelp around the keel.

A Kirby 30 (used to be Scrambled) turned at 3 and sailed downwind toward the leeward mark but had multiple problems with halyards and broke their boom.

Abacus (Flying Tiger) got out to 3 but shredded their main.

Junkyard Dog was sailing out of the channel under main only and was hitting 11 knots on the reach.

Hasl Free collided with another big boat that was to weather when a wave picked the other boat up and slammed them to leeward into Hasl Free.

A small boat, 24 footer or so broached and turned turtle.

Mosh Pit lost their rudder and was taken in tow by El Sueno but the tow line broke and the last I heard was Vessel Assist trying to pick them up before the washed onto the beach on Coronado.

Sojourn was lucky. Before the start we were hoisting the #2 jib (We already had the main reefed down). One of the big gusts slammed in when the jib was part way up and the luff of the sail pulled out of the track on the foil.

When it went it yanked the feeder out with it. Luckily the bowman grabbed the part before it went overboard, but the jib was flying sideways from a halyard sheet and tack!

We got it down ok but decided to bail out before the gun.
We saw 35 knots appear on the wind meter for a second and were seeing
20-27 knots consistently inside the bay at the start line.
The feeder is put back together since it is designed to snap in and out so we will go out and do it again in a couple of weeks.

Crew of Indiscipline went home and watched the Chargers.

Indiscipline 1978 FK SR #398

Edited by - on

johnsonp
Admiral

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USA
606 Posts

Response Posted - 11/10/2008 : 17:36:15

Same story with pictures.

http://www.sailkarma.com/2008/11/25-knots-hot-rum-race-1-abandoned.html

paulj

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dave holtgrave
Captain

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USA
427 Posts

Response Posted - 11/10/2008 : 17:45:11

see, there's some spice!!!!!

what a wild race.

jim,thanks for the report.

dave holtgrave
5722 sk/tr
hard and dry near carlyle lake in southen illinois

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3321 Posts

Response Posted - 11/10/2008 : 19:05:08

Jim - that wild ride makes my 18 -23 knots seem like a drifter! (see racing forum).
There are times when discretion really is the best part of valor!

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/10/2008 : 21:32:51

So Jim... You're saying that if your crew was more experienced, you would've gone out there and down to SD Bay for that race--and then home??

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2008 : 06:44:53

Wow! Thanks for the memories from my racing days! Now I remember why I don't do this just for fun, but for transportation! Someone once said that an offshore race was "horrible conditions sandwiched by two great parties." Interestingly, the post from the Race Committee congratulated those who turned back early. Prudence IS the greater part of Valor... Ahh, but I don't have any cups!

Personally I would worry about a C25's rudder getting fouled in the kelp and just ripping it right off. That stuff is nasty. And sustained of 25-35 knots is above Frank's design spec unless you have beefed up everything - oversized, backing plates thicker than god, and that inboard C25 might not be a bad idea if all hell did break loose. Still, if a 24 turtled?! Hmmm... I'd be watching football.

Sten

DPO Zephyr - '82 C25, FK, SR
SV Lysistrata - C&C 39 - Wrightsville Beach - going offshore to ST. Augustine! No more DITCH!

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2008 : 08:09:24

Ominous weather, shreaded sails, broken booms, collisions, a turtled boat, a lost rudder...some people have more dollars than sense!

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2008 : 10:23:02

I thought you were gonna say "Some people have all the fun!"

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2008 : 10:25:05

We all know that the skipper is responsible for the safety of the boat and its crew. If he decides to go out and race in those conditions, he will probably be considered legally and morally responsible for any damage or injuries.

When I first started racing on the Chesapeake Bay, I thought, "These guys are serious racers, and they won't be so quick to postpone or cancel a race because of severe weather," but I found that not to be true. Basically, we all think alike. Nobody wants to break his boat or hurt his crew.

Some of the racers talk tough, but you shouldn't believe everything you hear. One of them told me he had never seen the race committee cancel a race because of weather, and the very next race, the RC cancelled it when a tropical storm was passing through the area, and winds were predicted between 30-35 kts, combined with big, choppy seas.

If you're scheduled to crew for a skipper who insists on going out and racing in ridiculously severe weather, you don't have any obligation to go with him.

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2008 : 12:33:05

Sounds like our last race of the season on Keweenaw Bay on Lake Superior - winds gusting to 40, sustained 25 kts, waves 4 to 6 feet. I was sailing with a friend on his 1970's 30' C&C Blackbird. He had lost a leeboard on a cruise two weeks before and we were taking on water in the cockpit. I happened to notice water building up in the cabin and went down to investigate. I started bailing with no progress and noticed water pouring out of the engine compartment. My first thought was that we were taking in water through a ruptured stuffing box. The pucker factor went up a bit to say the least. Turns out the water entering the cockpit was also entering an unsealed locker and flushing through the engine compartment. A change of tack and the electric pumps solved the problem. Interestingly, we were inched out of a win by a 24 footer primarily because of the sailing adjustments we had to make when the water started entering the boat.

Although I've been out in conditions not quite as bad, I would have definately dropped out in my C25 - even with crew.

Edited by - on

bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1778 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2008 : 20:56:46

And I always thought that the weather in San Diego was ALWAYS perfect! Amazing how mother nature can have fun with us all!

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