Association Forum - Another race writeup...

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Racing Forum

Another race writeup...

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Member Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/11/2009 : 11:11:37

I know reading about other folks' glory isn't all its cracked up to be...

Anyway, Iris takes 3rd in a night race with some heavy weather. Story here:http://littleboatiris.blogspot.com/2009/08/night-race-2009.html

<s>We</s> I made a few mistakes that cost us 2nd, possibly first.
1. I went all the way down to the storm jib when I should have reefed the main and put up a 110.
2. Lots of new crew on a wild ride. I had overestimated the abilities of one of my crew, who I had in a critical role. By the end of the race he came through for me, but there was a lot of learning and discomfort going on before he got there.
3. I need to figure out efficiencies in sail changes. Its taking way too long to drop the genoa to go to something smaller. The sail changes cost us this race.
4. One (ok, 2) extra tacks. If I had gotten the layline on the island right, I would have saved 2 minutes or more, the difference between 2nd and 3rd.
5. I need to stop beating myself up post-race. I'm doing this for fun, remember.

"Iris"
1984 FK/SR #4040
http://frosthaus.blogspot.com/

Take a minute to register your boat with the association!!
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/owner_questionnaire.htm

Edited by - Prospector on 08/11/2009 11:26:38

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2009 : 11:42:50

Most of us love to hear these stories. Keep em coming!

It sounds like you did very well in a very tough race!

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2009 : 11:56:33

Good work! So how many did you beat?? We're all learning, all the time. In the night race I referred to, the C&C 36 had a way-to-big mylar genny and full main up, but since the skipper didn't want to sacrifice the time, we stayed overpowered with green water over the rail for the whole dark, wet ordeal. Maybe he was right...

Sounds like you're ready for a double-groove luff foil so you can hoist and peel like the pros... maybe even a Harken furler with that foil--then all the options to choose from. Then you just get all your headsail luffs re-done...

...and you'll take that bullet!

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2009 : 12:22:52

Thanks guys.

In our class there were only 6 boats so we were middle of the fleet. I think I beat a couple of the PHRF Low boats on handicap, but haven't checked. We are still in first overall, but tied with 4 other boats (everyone who has taken a first is in first right now). The rest of the season counts since in this series there are 11 races with the 7 best scores counting. I just got news th atNewfie is out for the next four races - that is good news and bad since he is our toughest competition, but also the guy I default to copying when I need a tactic.

Dave, your skipper sounds like he needed to rethink his priorities. I would rather lose a race than lose crew. For 2 of my guys this was their first race, for one of them it was his first sail. Both of them were a lot more relaxed once that tiny sail went up and the ride smoothed out. We held our speed and gained position with it, so reducing sail area was definately th eright thing to do, I just should have thought out the process better.

Since all our sails are hank on, I found myself revisiting the dual forestay rigs today...Hoist the small sail inside the big one, sheet in, drop the big sail. I would need a second set of sheet leads (snatchblocks) up front to do it, but its very workable. Rigging Shoppe could swage together the forestay and have it to me in a couple weeks if I wanted.

Oh yeah, the boat's for sale and I'm not supposed ot be putting more cash into her... As if.

What I find interesting is that in a race that was this long, the spread between th efirst boat and last boat was only 2 hours (uncorrected). Thats a tight fleet when you consider we have everything from Olsen 30's and Hunter 385's down to Tanzer 22's and Catalina 25's.

You might also notice in our tracklog that the tacks were all close to 90°... I am very proud of that. Another high point is that all the best sailors showed up since the weather was obviously not good for the fair-weather folks. This meant a smaller than normal fleet, and only skilled folks out there. It is good that I held my own against the best, and came back with a flag.

At the start of the next race they should be making flag presentations... So far we have a first, second, and third coming to us. Its time to start going for repeats.

Edited by - Prospector on 08/11/2009 13:10:48

windsong
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
318 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2009 : 14:19:53

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Prospector
 ...I found myself revisiting the dual forestay rigs today...Hoist the small sail inside the big one, sheet in, drop the big sail. I would need a second set of sheet leads (snatchblocks) up front to do it, but its very workable. Rigging Shoppe could swage together the forestay and have it to me in a couple weeks if I wanted.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Thanks for the report. It's almost as good as being there. :)

A headsail "slip" is indeed the answer to your headsail change dilemma in a race, but you'll need a good bowman who has practiced that maneuver. It's easy to get confused with four sheets, two halyards, two sails, not to mention your own tether all in your tiny bow on a choppy sea at night. You'll have a working sheet crossing over to the windward winch - unless you have a second winch on your coaming. Anyway, it's quite a thing to pull off. Definitely fun, and ultimately worth it in a tight race.
Try to do it when someone is watching.

Edited by - windsong on 08/11/2009 14:51:18

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 08/12/2009 : 06:51:16

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Prospector
 I would need a second set of sheet leads (snatchblocks) up front to do it, but its very workable.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> On many racing boats you'll see genoa cars with very wide rollers for the sheets to ride on. The purpose of those is so that you can run two sheets through the same block at the same time. Thus, if you want to change sails on the fly, you don't need two separate genoa cars. You lead the sheet for the new sail back through the same genoa car and to the same winch. Then you raise the new sail, which won't be heavily loaded yet, because the previous sail will still be carrying most of the load. You put a couple of wraps of the new sheet onto the winch and take up the slack, and then ease the old sheet, unwrap it from the winch, and pull the previous sail down.

My point is, if anyone is thinking about getting new genoa cars for this purpose, you should consider getting the ones with the wide roller, because they'll be more versatile.

Edited by - on

windsong
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
318 Posts

Response Posted - 08/12/2009 : 07:04:03

If you really want to get diabolical, you can do it without a second set of sheets. Use the windward sheet of the headsail as a temporary working sheet. Raise the new sail. Untie the lazy sheet (leeward) of the old sail and tie it into the clew of the new sail and trim her up. Now take down the old sail, tie the lazy sheet from the old sail onto the clew of the new sail and presto, you've swapped headsails with just two sheets. There may be a reason why this is wrong. I did it once because no one had told me I needed a second set of sheets and I just improvised. You have poor sail shape for a few minutes while you get the sheets changed out, I suppose that would be the disadvantage (be ready to tie your bowlines FAST), but I doubt the boat ever dropped below hull speed. Anyway, it worked for me.

Edited by - windsong on 08/12/2009 07:38:39

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 08/18/2009 : 17:02:12

Here's my idea on changing hank-on headsails in a racing situation:
Let's say we're reducing sail from the genoa to working jib, and assuming you have a second set of jib fairleads on the genoa track and have a second set of sheets already attached to the jib. (Otherwise, use the single set of sheets method above) Let's say also that you have a shackle attached to the bow and have a snap shackle attached to the tack of both headsails. Bring the jib on deck and thread the sheets under the genoa sheets. Hank on the jib to the forestay between the tack and the second hank of the genoa. As the helmsman starts to tack, crew members ease the genoa sheet and release the halyard. foredeck crew brings down the genoa inside the lifelines, changes halyard to the jib, unhanks genoa above the jib and signals crew to raise the jib. Then he releases the last hank and the tack snap shackle and stuffs genoa down forward hatch. to change back, reverse the process, being careful not to tangle the sheets.

Edited by - dmpilc on 08/18/2009 18:40:28

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.