Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Saturday, 13 October 2007
We won! (again)
Aristosera is first in PHRF V fleet for 2007. Pictured are David (Trimmer), Richard (Skipper), Janet (Mast), Chris (Foredeck), and Charles (Tactician). Congratulations on a great job and thanks for a great season!
Friday, 14 September 2007
An Act of God
The third AHMEN race was on Sat.. The club was very busy as host for the Shark World Cup, the J24 Ontario Championship, and the NYC/QCYC Open. The AHMEN has a late start; so the J's and the Sharks had all left by the time we launched. The crew included regulars Chris and David with replacements, Alan and Dave.
The AHMEN series allows one to get the feel for different Club RC's styles. Some Clubs are more active in Race Management and it shows. The RC arrived on station flying the AP and making frantic radio announcements "We are on our way" at 10 minutes to first signal. Was that a sigh of relief, "We made it", heard from the RC? The dramatic entrance was indicative of their style. Race Management 101 dictates that the start line is set at 90 degrees to the prevailing wind. What we had was a 'creative' Committee. One can use poetic license and do whatever? The committee obviously had deep philosophical insight: "start" as metaphor for something which may or may not be "real".
Of course the big problem was lack of wind and not the creativity of the RC. We managed to get a good start. The fleet stayed together for the first two mark roundings but then started to separate. The wind was patchy, either light or none, but we managed to find enough wind to keep going.
Along with the RC creativity and lack of wind we now discovered a third problem: Where was the third mark? We started to get radio reports that the mark was missing. (I suspect that the mark went missing due to an over night violent wind storm that blew the mark out of position, i. e. "an act of god".) So what was the RC going to do? After some delay the committee decided to abandon the race but would stay on station to provide a "finish" time. We elected to continue. (Very nice day and we were having a good time.) The fleet selected a course change by rounding the next nearest mark as a substitute. We went on a long close hauled tack to Gilbraltor and then a spinacker run north to the finish.
The "Finish" line was as creative as the "Start" line. As we crossed the line we hailed "thank you" to the Committee with (sotto voce) "You did your best!". Afterall, the non race wasn't their fault but rather due to the missing mark, i. e. "an act of god".
The AHMEN series allows one to get the feel for different Club RC's styles. Some Clubs are more active in Race Management and it shows. The RC arrived on station flying the AP and making frantic radio announcements "We are on our way" at 10 minutes to first signal. Was that a sigh of relief, "We made it", heard from the RC? The dramatic entrance was indicative of their style. Race Management 101 dictates that the start line is set at 90 degrees to the prevailing wind. What we had was a 'creative' Committee. One can use poetic license and do whatever? The committee obviously had deep philosophical insight: "start" as metaphor for something which may or may not be "real".
Of course the big problem was lack of wind and not the creativity of the RC. We managed to get a good start. The fleet stayed together for the first two mark roundings but then started to separate. The wind was patchy, either light or none, but we managed to find enough wind to keep going.
Along with the RC creativity and lack of wind we now discovered a third problem: Where was the third mark? We started to get radio reports that the mark was missing. (I suspect that the mark went missing due to an over night violent wind storm that blew the mark out of position, i. e. "an act of god".) So what was the RC going to do? After some delay the committee decided to abandon the race but would stay on station to provide a "finish" time. We elected to continue. (Very nice day and we were having a good time.) The fleet selected a course change by rounding the next nearest mark as a substitute. We went on a long close hauled tack to Gilbraltor and then a spinacker run north to the finish.
The "Finish" line was as creative as the "Start" line. As we crossed the line we hailed "thank you" to the Committee with (sotto voce) "You did your best!". Afterall, the non race wasn't their fault but rather due to the missing mark, i. e. "an act of god".
All about me?
An interesting, and I think, unique tradition at National YC is the "Crew Race". The race provides an opportunity for a regular crew member to helm a race. Giving up the helm for a race is not something most skippers will do. The number of boats participating was lower than average. A lot of skippers made the decision to select a family member as "crew skipper"; a decision which undermines the purpose of the event. Is sailing all about me? My boat, my helm! A good skipper should recognize the need to let others develop. A race is a very different experience than a casual sail. Letting others helm gives them an opportunity to experience what it means to be skipper during a race.
This year David did the honours of being crew race skipper. The wind was fairly intense at about 20 knots from the east. It was decided not to fly the chute. The lack of experience showed. Our tacks were rough and as a result we weren't able to make up for a poor start. We were able to catch up to Honey Bunny before the last windward mark rounding. Excellent! We got a Third. This wasn't a race to be competitive but an experience to develop skills. It was a success. The experience was good for the crew; including the skipper, if for no other reason than that it re-enforces the concept: "It isn't only about me"!
This year David did the honours of being crew race skipper. The wind was fairly intense at about 20 knots from the east. It was decided not to fly the chute. The lack of experience showed. Our tacks were rough and as a result we weren't able to make up for a poor start. We were able to catch up to Honey Bunny before the last windward mark rounding. Excellent! We got a Third. This wasn't a race to be competitive but an experience to develop skills. It was a success. The experience was good for the crew; including the skipper, if for no other reason than that it re-enforces the concept: "It isn't only about me"!
Thursday, 30 August 2007
Summer's End
The last race of the summer series had good winds from the south south west. The crew included Chris and David, as well as replacements Dave and Dan. We had an excellent start. Victor approached on port and had to tack away. We were ahead of the other boats in our start with good speed. I could see that Jack Rabbit was stalled in traffic by the committee boat. Jack Rabbit was the only other boat in our fleet. Their start left them well behind. We just needed a loose cover. The course was skewed so we mostly sailed on starboard upwind and port downwind. I slowed down my tacking to be sure we got set up on the new tack. Our hoists were flawless. At the leeward mark we did windward takedowns, once again flawlessly. After the second leeward mark rounding Jack Rabbit hit a hole and stalled, while we still had good air. Our finish was 11 minutes ahead of their's! The only downside was that the traveler cleek released and the boom gave David a bad knock before the start.
After dinner Alf, Jack Rabbit's skipper, came over for a chat to explain what happened. In addition to the bad start and no wind he had cut his hand. We both acknowledged that we had had an enjoyable season competing against each other. (The fall series does not count as part of the overall season standings.) They won if we just looked at the two boats; not fleet placings. We won the spring series and they won the summer series. I tried to figure out the overall fleet standings for the season but I am not sure how many races will count. If 9 plus races are counted then we will win; 8 or less then Jack Rabbit wins. It was close and it was fun.
The crew really performed well. Clearly we have improved over the course of the season. We worked well together. That made it a lot of fun for me and I think the crew enjoyed it as well. The competition with Jack Rabbit meant we had to stay focused; we were always racing. A hard fought success is more rewarding than an easy win.
Summer maybe over but we still have lots more sailing to do!
After dinner Alf, Jack Rabbit's skipper, came over for a chat to explain what happened. In addition to the bad start and no wind he had cut his hand. We both acknowledged that we had had an enjoyable season competing against each other. (The fall series does not count as part of the overall season standings.) They won if we just looked at the two boats; not fleet placings. We won the spring series and they won the summer series. I tried to figure out the overall fleet standings for the season but I am not sure how many races will count. If 9 plus races are counted then we will win; 8 or less then Jack Rabbit wins. It was close and it was fun.
The crew really performed well. Clearly we have improved over the course of the season. We worked well together. That made it a lot of fun for me and I think the crew enjoyed it as well. The competition with Jack Rabbit meant we had to stay focused; we were always racing. A hard fought success is more rewarding than an easy win.
Summer maybe over but we still have lots more sailing to do!
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Losing your marbles
Does participating in a J24 race mean you have lost your marbles? Sometimes!
Dan asked whether or not I would go to a regatta this year. OK, but we need some experienced crew. Dan was; and Jaimie impressed me as a very competent sailor/racer. Emi was trying to do windward sheeting and had good weight. The fifth would be a problem but it wasn't a deal breaker. So we were going to the EYC Open. I could rely on Dan to find a good candidate for the fifth, with his racing connections? As it ended up Dmitry was a last minute addition and worked out well.
The "get together" sail, i.e. our first sail together as a crew, was on Thursday. Everything went well until the traveler broke! We had time to repair. A "McKean" repair means one has to repair the repair. I spent Friday afternoon rotating the traveler. I decided to rotate the car as well. Oops. As I removed the car from the track the bearings spewed out. Traveler mechanics were obviously something new to me. I tried to reload the "marbles" back into the car. It never quite worked and each time I lost a few more "marbles". Eventually it looked OK. We left the dock for a pleasant sail over to Etobicoke. As pressure was placed on the main sheet, the traveler disassembled again. For the next two hours Emi and I searched for a replacement "marbles" while trying to figure out how the damn thing worked. At our last stop, a Canadian Tire Store, we were told that they didn't sell ball bearings but our sample "marble" looked like shot from an air gun. We motored over to EYC and did most of the repair repairs. Did I say Emi was a great crew? Well without him there would be no regatta.
There were other mechanical challenges. On Thursday I tried to replace the windex (with Uri's help!) but only manged to completely brake off the fitting. During the race on Sat. the compass came out of its bracket and was lost. The main sheet cleek broke and was replaced by one of the toe rail cleeks during a pause in racing.
So the regatta itself was a bit anti-climatic. We had good starts but our tacks were too slow. In one race we were OCS. The J's use colourful language when advising one on boat handling. On one start we were the only boat to start at the pin. Good call since all the biggees came over to the pin for the next race. In another race we were second to the first windward mark rounding only to finish second last. Our tactics weren't the best. On a downwind leg, we tried to head up a boat so we could overtake after a gybe. The wind had shifted so much that, when we tried to complete the manoeuvre with a gybe, we were heading way off course. We lost one boat on that. At one windward mark rounding we arrived on port. I ducked half the fleet trying to get a spot on the starboard layline queue. Our regatta result: 16/18.
We had a good crew. Even with our experience and skill level we were only at the 'entry' level for the fleet. Perhaps a good base but we will see.
Life lesson: You can temporarily lose your marbles and still have a good time.
Dan asked whether or not I would go to a regatta this year. OK, but we need some experienced crew. Dan was; and Jaimie impressed me as a very competent sailor/racer. Emi was trying to do windward sheeting and had good weight. The fifth would be a problem but it wasn't a deal breaker. So we were going to the EYC Open. I could rely on Dan to find a good candidate for the fifth, with his racing connections? As it ended up Dmitry was a last minute addition and worked out well.
The "get together" sail, i.e. our first sail together as a crew, was on Thursday. Everything went well until the traveler broke! We had time to repair. A "McKean" repair means one has to repair the repair. I spent Friday afternoon rotating the traveler. I decided to rotate the car as well. Oops. As I removed the car from the track the bearings spewed out. Traveler mechanics were obviously something new to me. I tried to reload the "marbles" back into the car. It never quite worked and each time I lost a few more "marbles". Eventually it looked OK. We left the dock for a pleasant sail over to Etobicoke. As pressure was placed on the main sheet, the traveler disassembled again. For the next two hours Emi and I searched for a replacement "marbles" while trying to figure out how the damn thing worked. At our last stop, a Canadian Tire Store, we were told that they didn't sell ball bearings but our sample "marble" looked like shot from an air gun. We motored over to EYC and did most of the repair repairs. Did I say Emi was a great crew? Well without him there would be no regatta.
There were other mechanical challenges. On Thursday I tried to replace the windex (with Uri's help!) but only manged to completely brake off the fitting. During the race on Sat. the compass came out of its bracket and was lost. The main sheet cleek broke and was replaced by one of the toe rail cleeks during a pause in racing.
So the regatta itself was a bit anti-climatic. We had good starts but our tacks were too slow. In one race we were OCS. The J's use colourful language when advising one on boat handling. On one start we were the only boat to start at the pin. Good call since all the biggees came over to the pin for the next race. In another race we were second to the first windward mark rounding only to finish second last. Our tactics weren't the best. On a downwind leg, we tried to head up a boat so we could overtake after a gybe. The wind had shifted so much that, when we tried to complete the manoeuvre with a gybe, we were heading way off course. We lost one boat on that. At one windward mark rounding we arrived on port. I ducked half the fleet trying to get a spot on the starboard layline queue. Our regatta result: 16/18.
We had a good crew. Even with our experience and skill level we were only at the 'entry' level for the fleet. Perhaps a good base but we will see.
Life lesson: You can temporarily lose your marbles and still have a good time.
Sunday, 19 August 2007
PHRFed!
AHMEN II was on Sat. and I was crew challenged. Chris was the only confirmed crew member and he phoned from the middle of Lake Ontario to report that he had experienced more "Joys of Boat Ownership" and would not make it. The winds were supposed to be light so I thought it was OK to go with 3. Emi, who has sailed with me on Wednesdays, and Jamie. We had a brief crew meeting before launch and we agreed that Emi would do pit and Jamie was good for foredeck.
The wind was from the north so no problem getting out to the Start. We had another good turnout of boats. Jazz joined our fleet. They were the only participant in last week's AHMEN. The course was designed as a panhandle: south, then east all the way to the eastern Harbour entrance, then west to Gibraltar, north to Dufferin, south to "3", and then east to Gibraltar. The start was set for a beam reach point of sail to the first mark. (The first mark was west of the start.) We had an excellent start and were ahead of the fleet. However as we approached Centre Island we elected to drop the chute while others didn't. This allowed us to sail a more direct course. We were more inshore and the winds died while those that stayed more offshore gained. As we approached the eastern Harbour entrance buoy, the wind started to fill in from the south. We took off and by the time we got back to Gibraltar we had caught up to the fleet. Heading north the winds became increasingly light and patchy, however we were able to stay on port all the way to the western mark. Unfortunately we were now lead boat and my GPS was wrong! OOPs. A crowd rounded together. We were able to sort through the traffic and had a great run to the finish. I think we were one of the first boats to finish. It felt great. We handled the boat well and worked well as a team.
We ended up with a 4th !!. The first place finisher was 12 minutes behind, 2nd was 11, and third was 8. I feel we have been PHRFed. We appeared to do really well; the PHRF reality was a bit of a shock. An important lesson: perception is not reality?
The problem with PHRF on long races is that when the wind dies you basically restart but the rating will be for the full race. In this case we meet a wind well about an hour before the finish. All boats sailed to the "well" and stopped, waiting for the wind to fill before "restarting". We drifted together about an hour before the finish so our 12, 11, and 8 time difference should have been for a 60 min. race and not a 3 hour one. Ah, so perception is not reality?
The wind was from the north so no problem getting out to the Start. We had another good turnout of boats. Jazz joined our fleet. They were the only participant in last week's AHMEN. The course was designed as a panhandle: south, then east all the way to the eastern Harbour entrance, then west to Gibraltar, north to Dufferin, south to "3", and then east to Gibraltar. The start was set for a beam reach point of sail to the first mark. (The first mark was west of the start.) We had an excellent start and were ahead of the fleet. However as we approached Centre Island we elected to drop the chute while others didn't. This allowed us to sail a more direct course. We were more inshore and the winds died while those that stayed more offshore gained. As we approached the eastern Harbour entrance buoy, the wind started to fill in from the south. We took off and by the time we got back to Gibraltar we had caught up to the fleet. Heading north the winds became increasingly light and patchy, however we were able to stay on port all the way to the western mark. Unfortunately we were now lead boat and my GPS was wrong! OOPs. A crowd rounded together. We were able to sort through the traffic and had a great run to the finish. I think we were one of the first boats to finish. It felt great. We handled the boat well and worked well as a team.
We ended up with a 4th !!. The first place finisher was 12 minutes behind, 2nd was 11, and third was 8. I feel we have been PHRFed. We appeared to do really well; the PHRF reality was a bit of a shock. An important lesson: perception is not reality?
The problem with PHRF on long races is that when the wind dies you basically restart but the rating will be for the full race. In this case we meet a wind well about an hour before the finish. All boats sailed to the "well" and stopped, waiting for the wind to fill before "restarting". We drifted together about an hour before the finish so our 12, 11, and 8 time difference should have been for a 60 min. race and not a 3 hour one. Ah, so perception is not reality?
Thursday, 16 August 2007
It's never over till it's over
The forecast was for light winds but when I arrived at the dock the wind was blowing about 10 knots. Chris was still in Kingston due to an engine problem. My plan was to go with 4 crew. I anticipated light winds. As it ended up this was the correct call.
There was a temporary replacement as PRO. He threw in a variation on the delayed start. There was a one minute gap between 1 start and 2 warning and a two minute delay between 2 start and 3 warning. That was easy to figure out. The other problem was figuring out the start line. The pin was the yellow mark? Shouldn't it be red? Or is it fixed "0" mark? A lot of boats were confused by the timing and/or marks. There were a lot of individual recalls. We got it right. The pin was very skewed; we were almost able to lay the mark on port. The winds were now light and variable.
On our second upwind leg the wind died. Most of the boats bailed and we got out some munchies waiting to see what JR would do. we were well ahead of them. We were within hailing distance of Victory Dance. Victor wasn't going to retire. JR did so we did as well. Victor admonished me back at the club. The wind eventually filled in; they finished.
I hope that doesn't blow it for us. We would've had a first. The boat and crew performed well and that should build confidence. Victor was of course right; it's never over until it's over.
There was a temporary replacement as PRO. He threw in a variation on the delayed start. There was a one minute gap between 1 start and 2 warning and a two minute delay between 2 start and 3 warning. That was easy to figure out. The other problem was figuring out the start line. The pin was the yellow mark? Shouldn't it be red? Or is it fixed "0" mark? A lot of boats were confused by the timing and/or marks. There were a lot of individual recalls. We got it right. The pin was very skewed; we were almost able to lay the mark on port. The winds were now light and variable.
On our second upwind leg the wind died. Most of the boats bailed and we got out some munchies waiting to see what JR would do. we were well ahead of them. We were within hailing distance of Victory Dance. Victor wasn't going to retire. JR did so we did as well. Victor admonished me back at the club. The wind eventually filled in; they finished.
I hope that doesn't blow it for us. We would've had a first. The boat and crew performed well and that should build confidence. Victor was of course right; it's never over until it's over.
Monday, 13 August 2007
AHMEN I: First
The first race of the 2007 AHMEN series was on Saturday. Chris was still on cruise. Mike filled out the crew and Janet did foredeck. We had to do a bit of spinnaker repair before leaving. With the wind from the south we were able to sail most of the way and arrived in lots of time. Balance and Kokomo were back and there were a couple of new additions to our start. A good turnout. The forecast called for very light winds. However, we had good winds for the start. I had a set of SIs, a diagram of the marks, and a GPS. There was enough time to enter a route for the course. Charles observed that a race is not a good time to figure out a new GPS! We are a slow boat in our start and we are 4th start so observing the lead boats is perhaps the best way to navigate an AHMEN course.
The course took us west and south (mark '3') and then on a beam reach to Gibraltar, a seemingly long leg. Gibraltar becomes a phantom; we are anxious to find it but can't. From Gibraltar we went to Dufferin, which was our only spinnaker leg. I found myself apologizing to David for the micromanaging of spinnaker trim. Next, we went back up to '3', then to Gibraltar then finish. We had wind but it was light and Mike spent most of the three hours to leeward. I was almost sure that with PHRF we would get first.
After the race we had a nice snack provided by the crew. Janet helmed. We hoisted the chute but the wind finally died. A good start for the AHMEN 2007 series.
The course took us west and south (mark '3') and then on a beam reach to Gibraltar, a seemingly long leg. Gibraltar becomes a phantom; we are anxious to find it but can't. From Gibraltar we went to Dufferin, which was our only spinnaker leg. I found myself apologizing to David for the micromanaging of spinnaker trim. Next, we went back up to '3', then to Gibraltar then finish. We had wind but it was light and Mike spent most of the three hours to leeward. I was almost sure that with PHRF we would get first.
After the race we had a nice snack provided by the crew. Janet helmed. We hoisted the chute but the wind finally died. A good start for the AHMEN 2007 series.
Thursday, 9 August 2007
Holiday Replacements
Unfortunately three crew had plans for this week. Charles was on vacation to NotL, David was hosting a rehearsal dinner, and Chris was cruising the Thousand Islands. Fortunately, I was able to get good replacements: Emi from Topaz and Dan from Chicone. We did a few drills on our way out to the start. We had a good practise, which was needed for the new crew.
The wind was from the north north west (340) and seemed to be more intense closer to shore. The pin end was favoured. Jack Rabbit and Platypus were the only boats in our fleet. This being Peter's week as PRO, we had a 5 minute delay between 2nd start and 3rd warning. The course was shortened from 3 X to 2 X.
We had a good start but Jack Rabbit was better, i.e. we were behind and windward. We followed them on the first leg; neither gaining nor losing. We had a good mark rounding and hoist. At the leeward mark I opted for a windward takedown while Jack Rabbit was once again too conservative. I commented that JR was being kind to us. Were we going to give it back by screwing up the takedown? Nope. We had a great windward leg and almost caught up to them at the windward mark. There was a little bit of confusion at the offset mark, I wanted to do a quick gybe onto port. We never did catch JR and the screw up on the gybe put us back a bit more. The main problem was that new people were not familiar with the boat and weren't able to do things as fast as needed. (After the race the crew commented about my cool but focused commands; which may say more about other skippers than my racing temperment.) At the finish the wind had shifted enough that the chute could not be flown properly. We doused just after JR. However, JR was confused by the course change and headed up for another circuit. We were able to pass and finish ahead of them, before they realized their mistake. It was not enough with PHRF. We were 1st but got a 2nd.
The race was close and we had to be ready for quick manouvres. Everyone did a good job, especially given that we had a 50% replacement crew. We had a great time!
The wind was from the north north west (340) and seemed to be more intense closer to shore. The pin end was favoured. Jack Rabbit and Platypus were the only boats in our fleet. This being Peter's week as PRO, we had a 5 minute delay between 2nd start and 3rd warning. The course was shortened from 3 X to 2 X.
We had a good start but Jack Rabbit was better, i.e. we were behind and windward. We followed them on the first leg; neither gaining nor losing. We had a good mark rounding and hoist. At the leeward mark I opted for a windward takedown while Jack Rabbit was once again too conservative. I commented that JR was being kind to us. Were we going to give it back by screwing up the takedown? Nope. We had a great windward leg and almost caught up to them at the windward mark. There was a little bit of confusion at the offset mark, I wanted to do a quick gybe onto port. We never did catch JR and the screw up on the gybe put us back a bit more. The main problem was that new people were not familiar with the boat and weren't able to do things as fast as needed. (After the race the crew commented about my cool but focused commands; which may say more about other skippers than my racing temperment.) At the finish the wind had shifted enough that the chute could not be flown properly. We doused just after JR. However, JR was confused by the course change and headed up for another circuit. We were able to pass and finish ahead of them, before they realized their mistake. It was not enough with PHRF. We were 1st but got a 2nd.
The race was close and we had to be ready for quick manouvres. Everyone did a good job, especially given that we had a 50% replacement crew. We had a great time!
Saturday, 4 August 2007
Coburg
At dinner after the Wednesday race, Chris asked me to sail with him over to Coburg in his C&C36. It was short notice; I would have to be up by 6. The trip would be over ten hours. Did I have anything planned? Hmm. I decided to go. I set the alarm for 6 but actually woke up at 6:23, as per usual. I had packed the night before and after a quick shower, I loaded up the car. At 6:50, as I walked over to Starbucks, I called Chris to say that I wouldn't make 7:00. We left the dock at 7:22.
The winds were light from the southwest. According to sailflow it would be about 10 knots from the southwest by noon. We got the sails up and motor sailed south of Centre Island and the Spit. There were few other boats. However they did seem to be sailing. We decided to try hoisting the chute.
Chris has a sock for his spinnaker. We got the sock out, hoisted it, and set the sheets. The chute got twisted and wouldn't launch. After a few tries (3?) we eventually got it up and it filled. Motor sailing we were doing 5 knots but with the chute our speed went up to 7 knots. Very pleasant. The auto helm was put on and Chris did his project, installing the cockpit table. After three attempts, he got it right; just in time for lunch. If I had a complaint it would be the provisioning; lunch was an apple and chips!
We had a great day. The wind died just south west of Port Hope. We doused and sat on the bow. Chris was somewhat concerned about Peter's Rock. There is a cardinal buoy to mark the location and we easily missed it. We arrived in Coburg about 19:15. Chris docked to get fuel and I grabbed a cab to catch the 19:48 train back to Toronto. The train was about 12 minutes late. I was in lots of time. People in Coburg are perhaps too friendly(?).
So that was a 12 hour sail? We spent a lot of time talking about sailing. I enjoyed hearing about Chris's adventures and his boat owning experiences. It is good to be on other people's boats (even if you would never buy one like it!). The spinnaker was a good experience and I think a bit of a learning one for both Chris and myself. I really liked being on the water.
The winds were light from the southwest. According to sailflow it would be about 10 knots from the southwest by noon. We got the sails up and motor sailed south of Centre Island and the Spit. There were few other boats. However they did seem to be sailing. We decided to try hoisting the chute.
Chris has a sock for his spinnaker. We got the sock out, hoisted it, and set the sheets. The chute got twisted and wouldn't launch. After a few tries (3?) we eventually got it up and it filled. Motor sailing we were doing 5 knots but with the chute our speed went up to 7 knots. Very pleasant. The auto helm was put on and Chris did his project, installing the cockpit table. After three attempts, he got it right; just in time for lunch. If I had a complaint it would be the provisioning; lunch was an apple and chips!
We had a great day. The wind died just south west of Port Hope. We doused and sat on the bow. Chris was somewhat concerned about Peter's Rock. There is a cardinal buoy to mark the location and we easily missed it. We arrived in Coburg about 19:15. Chris docked to get fuel and I grabbed a cab to catch the 19:48 train back to Toronto. The train was about 12 minutes late. I was in lots of time. People in Coburg are perhaps too friendly(?).
So that was a 12 hour sail? We spent a lot of time talking about sailing. I enjoyed hearing about Chris's adventures and his boat owning experiences. It is good to be on other people's boats (even if you would never buy one like it!). The spinnaker was a good experience and I think a bit of a learning one for both Chris and myself. I really liked being on the water.
A NYC RC first?
Very hot for Toronto but we are still having good winds. Jazz reappeared after a long absence. We had two competitive boats in our start. The winds were from the south at between 5 to 7 knots. I was worried we might not have enough wind to complete a race. Winds from the south/southwest tend to get offset by an offshore breeze in late afternoon. Pre launch, I had loosened the rig to a very light wind condition setting.
Our start was good. We were on our own and in clear air on the left side of the course. The wind might have been a bit better and more consistent on the right. The problem with being the farthest on a side is that we have to wait for boats to tack over before we can tack. I eventually decided to tack and duck Jazz. Jazz continued to go left. Jack Rabbit was on the right side of the fleet and quickly tacked, so we took separate courses to the windward mark. Everyone arrived at the windward mark about the same time, Jack Rabbit just ahead of us. The rounding went well and we gybed shortly after rounding. We didn't have to gybe again and stayed on port gybe to the mark. Jazz stayed on starboard gybe and sailed hotter angles; a strategy that kept them in contention. Prior to the start I demonstrated a windward takedown. In light winds I thought it would be worth the risk. We did a windward takedown and it went well. Jack Rabbit took the other gate so we separated. They seemed to be more conservative on their takedown and were slower.
On the second upwind we crossed ahead of Jack Rabbit. However by the time we got back to the leeward gate we rounded at the same time. We went inside but were not able to hold and had to tack away. That was pretty well the race as Jack Rabbit then held their lead. Perhaps the foot was too loose on the main; I had deliberately bagged it out for the expected light wind conditions. We just followed them around the remaining part of the course. The winds were too variable and we did not want Jazz to beat us on time. In a strict match race we might have tried a different course even though it wouldn't have been the best course. I was pleased with the crew. The lead went back and forth between JR and us. We were able to do two windward takedowns without a problem at the leeward mark. Very well done!
After the race, John, Jazz's skipper, informed me that the RC screwed up when they shortened course. Apparently one of the third start's boats had rounded the leeward mark and was away from the RC boat when sierra was hoisted. Also, the shark was "finished" when they were a leg behind the rest of the fleet (!). The results on the website had the lead finisher marked DNF. Another NYC RC first? Later Chris reported that we got a second with (Jack Rabbit, first) on the bulletin board posted results.
Our start was good. We were on our own and in clear air on the left side of the course. The wind might have been a bit better and more consistent on the right. The problem with being the farthest on a side is that we have to wait for boats to tack over before we can tack. I eventually decided to tack and duck Jazz. Jazz continued to go left. Jack Rabbit was on the right side of the fleet and quickly tacked, so we took separate courses to the windward mark. Everyone arrived at the windward mark about the same time, Jack Rabbit just ahead of us. The rounding went well and we gybed shortly after rounding. We didn't have to gybe again and stayed on port gybe to the mark. Jazz stayed on starboard gybe and sailed hotter angles; a strategy that kept them in contention. Prior to the start I demonstrated a windward takedown. In light winds I thought it would be worth the risk. We did a windward takedown and it went well. Jack Rabbit took the other gate so we separated. They seemed to be more conservative on their takedown and were slower.
On the second upwind we crossed ahead of Jack Rabbit. However by the time we got back to the leeward gate we rounded at the same time. We went inside but were not able to hold and had to tack away. That was pretty well the race as Jack Rabbit then held their lead. Perhaps the foot was too loose on the main; I had deliberately bagged it out for the expected light wind conditions. We just followed them around the remaining part of the course. The winds were too variable and we did not want Jazz to beat us on time. In a strict match race we might have tried a different course even though it wouldn't have been the best course. I was pleased with the crew. The lead went back and forth between JR and us. We were able to do two windward takedowns without a problem at the leeward mark. Very well done!
After the race, John, Jazz's skipper, informed me that the RC screwed up when they shortened course. Apparently one of the third start's boats had rounded the leeward mark and was away from the RC boat when sierra was hoisted. Also, the shark was "finished" when they were a leg behind the rest of the fleet (!). The results on the website had the lead finisher marked DNF. Another NYC RC first? Later Chris reported that we got a second with (Jack Rabbit, first) on the bulletin board posted results.
Friday, 27 July 2007
Wednesday July 25
Wednesday saw good wind conditions. Peter was once again the PRO. He delayed the third start so that a course change could be made. The thrid start is composed of slower boats. Our fleet has to do two circuits while the other two fleets do three. Very good plan actually since it gets everyone back to the 'barn' at about the same time.
For some reason I was somewhat irritable. Hard to describe but I wasn't as focused as I should be. At any rate we missed the start and I had to do a 360 in order to avoid hitting the pin. This didn't help my disposition. The wind was east so I headed towards Centre Island. Polaris was to windward and prevented me from tacking. We went almost to the layline. Jack Rabbit seemed to be confused about the course and headed further east, perhaps to Gilbraltor. We had a good rounding of the windward. The spinnaker hoist went well. Jack Rabbit didn't hoist their chute until we had almost caught up to them. We had to do a gybe to get around the mark and this was badly screwed up. This didn't help my disposition. We were now well behind so the 'gifts' from JR, e g not flying a chute, weren't going to be enough .
We did practise on Sat. (?). Yes, it payed off. David did a good job with the spinnaker sheets and as a result we had a better spinnaker run than Jack Rabbit. Our windward hoist was good. We lost it at the start and the first gybe. Our tacks were poor and this may be because I was too fast on the helm. Obviously getting distracted and losing focus cost us; we knew what to do but didn't do it. Actually that is easy to fix. We got another second and that leaves Jack Rabbit 4 vs. us 3 in our match ups.
For some reason I was somewhat irritable. Hard to describe but I wasn't as focused as I should be. At any rate we missed the start and I had to do a 360 in order to avoid hitting the pin. This didn't help my disposition. The wind was east so I headed towards Centre Island. Polaris was to windward and prevented me from tacking. We went almost to the layline. Jack Rabbit seemed to be confused about the course and headed further east, perhaps to Gilbraltor. We had a good rounding of the windward. The spinnaker hoist went well. Jack Rabbit didn't hoist their chute until we had almost caught up to them. We had to do a gybe to get around the mark and this was badly screwed up. This didn't help my disposition. We were now well behind so the 'gifts' from JR, e g not flying a chute, weren't going to be enough .
We did practise on Sat. (?). Yes, it payed off. David did a good job with the spinnaker sheets and as a result we had a better spinnaker run than Jack Rabbit. Our windward hoist was good. We lost it at the start and the first gybe. Our tacks were poor and this may be because I was too fast on the helm. Obviously getting distracted and losing focus cost us; we knew what to do but didn't do it. Actually that is easy to fix. We got another second and that leaves Jack Rabbit 4 vs. us 3 in our match ups.
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
July 18, 2007: We had a good start. On the start line, the boat end was favoured but we started near the pin and in clear air. Jack Rabbit had a poor start behind lots of boats. The wind quickly died and we had to struggle to get around the windward mark. We were second boat; Polaris (not in our fleet was first). As we drifted, Dragonlady took up station near the windward mark. Shorten course? Finish? No. What a disappointment! We headed back looking for wind; but there was none. As lead boat I was reluctant to bail but by 21:30 and no wind we withdrew. No one in our start finished.
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Mixed Signals
Wednesday July 11. Another blustery day. The wind was gusting 25 knots plus from the northwest. We changed sails on the dock (Jib - Genoa) and then again while waiting for the start (Genoa - Jib). Although we seemed to be "settled", we were not confident about the timing. Jack Rabbit started (but crossed noticeably later). The committee boat did not fly 'X Ray'. Actually there were no flags on the RC Boat, and that would be consistent with a proper third start. However something wasn't right. A lot of boats didn't start. How confusing! I decided to go around the pin and restart. The decision was based on our lack of confidence in the time; we crossed at 18:49 and the start would probably be at 18:50. There were a lot of other boats below the line. As we were rounding the pin, "three" , our five minute warning, was hoisted at the committee boat. Oh, so we are in sequence!
The committee did not hoist our 3 rd start warning at the 2nd start. We are so used to the normal sequence that we didn't bother to check the flags after the warning for the 1st start. It was fortunate that we were "early", since it convinced me that we had to go back.
Not that things were easy. The motor fell off due to the choppy conditions. Charles and I manhandled it back on board while David kept us from tacking. Not fast. We did fly the chute on the second downwind leg but it got fouled. Fortunately the fleet is mostly composed of fair weather sailors and didn't want to race in 30 knot gusts and Jack Rabbit didn't get the start figured out. I wouldn't describe it as an easy first, but a first is a first! We have tied Jack Rabbit 3 to 3 in our match ups. The motor started "normally" so seems to be OK. No damage and a First!
A good start to the summer series.
Friday, 6 July 2007
Thursday, 28 June 2007
An easy 2 nd?
There was a "thunder storm watch" in effect for Toronto. The wind was heavy but not over powering. Jack Rabbit was the only other boat that raced in our fleet. So an easy 2nd?
Elizabeth from the crew bank replaced unwell Chris; Janet did foredeck.
We had a pre race hoist which was interesting. I think the wind shifted 45 degrees as we prepared to hoist. I was confused about where the wind was coming from. We accidently gybed through the boats waiting in the starting area. I could 'hear' some people's thoughts: "That crazy J!". The wind died and we replaced the foresail: jib with genie.
Our start was good. We started level with Jack Rabbit (who had a nice new genie!) and drag raced them to the windward mark. We were to windward and covered them. We slowly gained and may have been a couple of boats ahead at the mark. Our hoist at the offset did not go well. We had to take down the chute and untangle it. We reset. Our gybe also did not go well. About half way between the leeward mark and the club, Dragon Lady came over and asked if we were withdrawing. What? Why! "This is just like the Kiwi's in the Americas Cup!" It was easier to douce on port gybe. We sorted things out and sailed back. At the offset we rounded and gybed hoisted and gybed again. Everything went well. Of course we were way off the pace. We hung in there and did not allow mishaps to lead to defeatism. How do you learn to ride a bike? When you fall off, you get right back on. That's in effect what we did and it paid off psychologically. Failure is part of the process.
Fortunately there were only two boats out. It was an easy second but we got it the hard way.
Elizabeth from the crew bank replaced unwell Chris; Janet did foredeck.
We had a pre race hoist which was interesting. I think the wind shifted 45 degrees as we prepared to hoist. I was confused about where the wind was coming from. We accidently gybed through the boats waiting in the starting area. I could 'hear' some people's thoughts: "That crazy J!". The wind died and we replaced the foresail: jib with genie.
Our start was good. We started level with Jack Rabbit (who had a nice new genie!) and drag raced them to the windward mark. We were to windward and covered them. We slowly gained and may have been a couple of boats ahead at the mark. Our hoist at the offset did not go well. We had to take down the chute and untangle it. We reset. Our gybe also did not go well. About half way between the leeward mark and the club, Dragon Lady came over and asked if we were withdrawing. What? Why! "This is just like the Kiwi's in the Americas Cup!" It was easier to douce on port gybe. We sorted things out and sailed back. At the offset we rounded and gybed hoisted and gybed again. Everything went well. Of course we were way off the pace. We hung in there and did not allow mishaps to lead to defeatism. How do you learn to ride a bike? When you fall off, you get right back on. That's in effect what we did and it paid off psychologically. Failure is part of the process.
Fortunately there were only two boats out. It was an easy second but we got it the hard way.
Monday, 25 June 2007
Thursday, 21 June 2007
Another beautiful day
On Wednesday night, the wind was about 10 knots from the south (185). We had a full crew; Charles replaced Mike from last week. I had Charles do 'tactics' and gave him my new handheld compass to take bearings (!). Janet packed the chute for the first time. She did a good job. The pre-race practise hoist was good.
Before the race I had a brief chat with Alf, Jack Rabbit, and we discussed last week's race. We obviously did well winning 3 out of the 4 legs. The last leg was what we had to win and we didn't. The little tacking duel, and the fake out tack indicated that they were pulling out all the tricks, even psyhcological ones. They were behind, they knew it but they weren't going to give up. It paid off with a bad call on my part on the last downwind leg. My intention was not to let him get away with that again. It was a nice chat; perhaps a bit of verbal joisting before the main event.
Tonight was similar to last week with nice winds and flat seas. We had good start with clear wind while Jack Rabbit was in traffic. As a result we were able to pull away. We were on the left side of the course and had to wait until the fleet tacked. The boat handled well and we were able to gain. We stayed clear of other boats and didn't cover Jack Rabbit. We watched the earlier started boats round the windward mark. We could see that the port gybe was favoured so that is what we did. We made it to the leeward mark on one gybe but it was slow going. I think the wind shifted to the west as we went north. We decided to douse on port and raise on port at the windward mark. Both leeward and windward roundings went well. On the last downwind leg the wind shifted to the west enough that we couldn't use the chute, so we doused. We finished well ahead of Jack Rabbit.
I was pleased with the race. Good boat handling, good tactics, good team work. A happy boat!
We sailed back to the club. The NOOD will be next weekend and some of the early arrivals were blocking access to the crane. The wind from the west meant that we couldn't head into the wind as we docked. A tricky docking given the limited space and wind direction but everything went well. Everyone was very cool, no comment, but I was pleased with my docking.
After dinner the PRO announces the results: starting with PHRF I and ending with our fleet, PHRF V. Janet asked the PRO, Harvey, to reverse the order of the results, since people get tried of clapping by the time our results are announced. Harvey didn't do that, but did make a request to for all to make an extra effort to clap! Fortunately I do not blush as much as I used to. We did get a suitable amount of applause for our season's first "gun".
Before the race I had a brief chat with Alf, Jack Rabbit, and we discussed last week's race. We obviously did well winning 3 out of the 4 legs. The last leg was what we had to win and we didn't. The little tacking duel, and the fake out tack indicated that they were pulling out all the tricks, even psyhcological ones. They were behind, they knew it but they weren't going to give up. It paid off with a bad call on my part on the last downwind leg. My intention was not to let him get away with that again. It was a nice chat; perhaps a bit of verbal joisting before the main event.
Tonight was similar to last week with nice winds and flat seas. We had good start with clear wind while Jack Rabbit was in traffic. As a result we were able to pull away. We were on the left side of the course and had to wait until the fleet tacked. The boat handled well and we were able to gain. We stayed clear of other boats and didn't cover Jack Rabbit. We watched the earlier started boats round the windward mark. We could see that the port gybe was favoured so that is what we did. We made it to the leeward mark on one gybe but it was slow going. I think the wind shifted to the west as we went north. We decided to douse on port and raise on port at the windward mark. Both leeward and windward roundings went well. On the last downwind leg the wind shifted to the west enough that we couldn't use the chute, so we doused. We finished well ahead of Jack Rabbit.
I was pleased with the race. Good boat handling, good tactics, good team work. A happy boat!
We sailed back to the club. The NOOD will be next weekend and some of the early arrivals were blocking access to the crane. The wind from the west meant that we couldn't head into the wind as we docked. A tricky docking given the limited space and wind direction but everything went well. Everyone was very cool, no comment, but I was pleased with my docking.
After dinner the PRO announces the results: starting with PHRF I and ending with our fleet, PHRF V. Janet asked the PRO, Harvey, to reverse the order of the results, since people get tried of clapping by the time our results are announced. Harvey didn't do that, but did make a request to for all to make an extra effort to clap! Fortunately I do not blush as much as I used to. We did get a suitable amount of applause for our season's first "gun".
Monday, 18 June 2007
Shanghaing the crew
On Wednesday, I was only certain that Janet and Chris would be available. The Club has a "crew bank" were skippers in need of crew can "shanghai" crew looking for boats. I don't like to use this service unless I have a good core crew (e. g. Janet and Chris).There is supposed to be a club volunteer to supervise but on this Wednesday it was pretty much a free for all. I got two good crew bank crew: Mike, who has experience sailing but not racing; and David who has dinghy experience.
We needed the extra crew to help manhandle the boat. The drysail dolly was out of commission. The dolly acts as a 'third wheel'. It supports the trailer's tongue. My boat is not well balanced on the trailer and is bow heavy. The dolly makes it much easier to move. Fortunately the boat is near the crane and we now had lots of able bodied crew.
The winds were very light and I was convinced that there would be no racing. In late afternoon the 'sea breeze' sets in and counters any wind coming onshore. There can be very little wind in our racing area for a few hours before sunset. You can avoid this problem by going south into the lake. That's what the Race Committee had us do. There was a nice easterly wind once we got about 2 miles south of the shoreline.
The wind wind was from o45. We had a good start and managed to stay clear of the bigger boats in our start. The conditions were excellent for people new to the boat. We were ahead of Jack Rabbit at the second leeward mark rounding and on the upwind leg there was a bit of a tacking duel. I did a loose cover, since I wanted to stay south; in the better wind. After a couple of tacks I let JR go north while I stayed south. With our inexperienced crew and JB's experienced crew there is an advantage to JR. At any rate our strategy was good and we gained. The downwind leg winds were difficult to read. I chose a hotter sailing angle than JR and as a result we lost to JR. Very frustrating but still a good race.
Friday, 8 June 2007
Good Luck Paula
Aristosera wishes Paula and crew of CAN 16 all the best as they compete for Canada in the ISAF world championship in June. She will be part of a Yngling crew. Paula: Have a great time and good luck in the regatta!
It's OK but I am not happy
Well my 'thinking' didn't amount to much as we did very badly on Wednesday. We went to the wrong side. Very shifty conditions and I didn't know where the wind was coming from. Once we chose a side we kept with it even when it was no longer favoured. We overstood the layline to the windward mark on the last windward leg. Our windward douces went well (given our level of experience!). Generally a very bad race. We could improve on technique, but I think the big problem was that we were unwilling to challenge our perceptions.
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
America's Cup thoughts
I watched the first three races of the America's Cup and it looks like the kiwis will have another chance to win the cup. The first race saw a dramatic 30 degree shift which helped TZ. Luna could rationalize that "we kept it close, so we did OK". The second race was a TZ start and cover. However, in the third race Luna won the start but lost. Wind shifts? Luck? Well yea, it's sailing! However, after three races the excuses become irrelevancies.
I thought the commentary on the third race was a bit silly. "TZ is ahead. It was all in the prestart."? Luna won the prestart! " TZ never made a mistake". Once again the start! What can you say after 60 minutes sailing? It must be hard to sound exciting and you have to say something. You go on auto pilot and say whatever is on the tip of the tongue?
In one of the starts, TZ bore away on Starboard and Luna went downwind. Does a ROW in the start sequence have to sail it's proper course; so once the Giveway boat goes on a run the ROW boat has to head up and can't penalize the port tack boat? My understanding is that the ROW can protest; in this race they weren't allowed to.
I thought the commentary on the third race was a bit silly. "TZ is ahead. It was all in the prestart."? Luna won the prestart! " TZ never made a mistake". Once again the start! What can you say after 60 minutes sailing? It must be hard to sound exciting and you have to say something. You go on auto pilot and say whatever is on the tip of the tongue?
In one of the starts, TZ bore away on Starboard and Luna went downwind. Does a ROW in the start sequence have to sail it's proper course; so once the Giveway boat goes on a run the ROW boat has to head up and can't penalize the port tack boat? My understanding is that the ROW can protest; in this race they weren't allowed to.
Saturday, 2 June 2007
All that Jazz
Once again light winds led me to believe that there would be no race. Crew was on time but Charles was not well. He helped with launch but didn't sail. To fill out the crew I used the crew bank and Chris joined Janet and Paula. Light winds meant we had to motor off the dock. Peter was PRO and had us head out, way out: first to 'o' then a little over a mile due east of Gibraltar. The wind filled in nicely; more or less east and about 6 knots. Gibraltar was the windward mark.
Janet did a good job doing foredeck during our pregame hoist. Jack Rabbit showed up for it's first race of the season. Their jib was badly delaminated. A bit more work to get the boat race ready? We watched the 1st start fleet and decided to head over to the island. Lots of time as Peter did a general recall. We had a good start; Jack Rabbit didn't and tacked. We followed our plan and had good wind.
Unfortunately Jazz somehow was ahead. On our last upwind leg they were several boat lengths in front. I was annoyed by this, since by this time they should be well behind. Doing a match race with a slower boat is not my idea of a good race. Our outhaul was not trimmed properly and the rig may need to be tensioned. I tried to get over my annoyance on the last leg. Much better performance. We passed to windward and finished a minute ahead. If we had done all are windward legs like that one we would've had a first! Corrected time was very bad. Our third 2nd! I checked the AHMEN results and I could see that we have preformed well against Jazz so what is the problem? Analysis: tension and trim should be improved and I should stay focused on driving the boat.
Saturday, 26 May 2007
3 and 5 (in some order)
There was enough wind for us to sail off the dock. We had time to do a chute practise and for Allan to hail the crew about a personal matter (i.e. someone's birthday). When we got out to the start the winds had completely died. The crew discussed their travels/travel plans: Janet's English adventures, Chris is looking forward to a trip to Italy, and Paula will be going to Portugal to compete in a Yling event. I assumed we would be drifting until the RC decided enough was enough; but the wind finally filled in from the east, so we got ready to start. We did some tacks to get the crew back into sailing mode.
Our start was good. I decided to try to shut out Platypus and so we lingered just leeward of the start line. The course was the regular windward/leeward with gates. It was a short course because of the delayed start. We sailed with the old fleet: windward of Polaris, with Avra being behind (and therefore somewhat annoying). VD was well ahead as they had manged to stay clear of the other boats. They brought a chute (last week they didn't) which of course made for a better relative performance. In our fleet, Platypus retired, but Jazz somehow got well ahead. I assume that some of our boat to boat gamesmanship with the old fleet actually slowed us down relative to Jazz. We got a second 2nd.
Monday, 21 May 2007
A Regular Race
It rained on the first regular Wednesday night race. Not the best conditions for sailing but there was wind. There were 'irregularities'. The 'dolly', which was used to help move the trailer to the crane, couldn't be found. The third wheel on the tongue works as 'brake' as much as 'wheel'. Fortunately I am near the crane and there were lots of people around. The RC was late getting started; no mark boat. Our first race would be an old triangular type.
The course was Gibraltar, 1, and 0. The wind direction was 095; the course to the 1st mark was 097. Crew for the first race: Chris was on foredeck, Charles did pit and Paula did mastman. I didn't like my start so we redid it. Actually I was confused with the revised sailing instructions which I thought eliminated the third start. Clearly our fleet hadn't started and the RC was flying "3"; so I was wrong again (!). We had more than enough time to get back and restart on time. It was a better start after the practise.
Did I say it was raining and the wind on the first leg was on the nose? I think the wind was about 15 knots, so there was a good swell. The boat had a much better feel than the Round the Island Race and that made me a happy skipper. I was also using my newer sails. However, with the rain and the wind we were cold.
The spinnaker went up without a problem. The run from Gibraltar to 1 went well except for the fact that the sheet came off. We did an excellent recovery. Victory Dance isn't in our fleet this year but is in our start. We were able to stay ahead of him even with the mishap. (He chose not to fly chute since in his fleet no one was.) Our leeward mark rounding didn't go well and we spent too much time dousing and VD was able to finally get ahead and stay ahead to the finish. (2 nd: we were beaten on PHRF by a shark.)
We sailed back to the dock. Paula and Chris took advantage of the boat's spacious cabin to get out of the wind. Cold and wet but great! I especially enjoyed the little match race we had with VD. Great wind; who cares about the cold?
The course was Gibraltar, 1, and 0. The wind direction was 095; the course to the 1st mark was 097. Crew for the first race: Chris was on foredeck, Charles did pit and Paula did mastman. I didn't like my start so we redid it. Actually I was confused with the revised sailing instructions which I thought eliminated the third start. Clearly our fleet hadn't started and the RC was flying "3"; so I was wrong again (!). We had more than enough time to get back and restart on time. It was a better start after the practise.
Did I say it was raining and the wind on the first leg was on the nose? I think the wind was about 15 knots, so there was a good swell. The boat had a much better feel than the Round the Island Race and that made me a happy skipper. I was also using my newer sails. However, with the rain and the wind we were cold.
The spinnaker went up without a problem. The run from Gibraltar to 1 went well except for the fact that the sheet came off. We did an excellent recovery. Victory Dance isn't in our fleet this year but is in our start. We were able to stay ahead of him even with the mishap. (He chose not to fly chute since in his fleet no one was.) Our leeward mark rounding didn't go well and we spent too much time dousing and VD was able to finally get ahead and stay ahead to the finish. (2 nd: we were beaten on PHRF by a shark.)
We sailed back to the dock. Paula and Chris took advantage of the boat's spacious cabin to get out of the wind. Cold and wet but great! I especially enjoyed the little match race we had with VD. Great wind; who cares about the cold?
Monday, 14 May 2007
FINALLY
The "Spring 'round the (Centre) Island Race" was on Sat. May 12. (My first sail last year was on May 22.) The provs said there would be lots of wind from the North, building as the afternoon progressed. Reality on the start line was light winds from the East. A typical early season day on Lake Ontario, i.e. light winds!
There was enough wind for us to sail out to the start at Dufferin. We were the only spinnaker entry; so we were the only boat in the first start (?). Chris reprises his role as 'foredeck', Janet as 'mastman', and with Charles as 'pit'. The course was Gilbraltor, T1 and the finish was in the Harbour. Some of the bigger boats passed us before Gilbraltor. One got caught in the current and stalled out as they tried to pinch around the mark. As a result we were able to overtake. Great photo op! The Gilbraltor - T1 leg ended up being a drifter so we ended up discussing books, e.g. 'the Kite Flyer', and eating almonds (Thanks Janet!). It was a nice day to be on the water. After rounding T1 we put up the shute and gybed. OK. So the only thing left to do was to try the motor. I was very anxious about the motor and true to form it did not start. The boat does come equipped with paddles. I may be anxious but I am also persistent (er, stubborn ?). The paddles weren't needed. On our way through the Eastern Gap we met the RC boat flying 'N' over 'A'.
Not a win but still a great season opnener. Sailing has started for another season. Finally!
Friday, 11 May 2007
Monday, 7 May 2007
May Day but don't panic!
May 1st saw me down at the club helping clean up the yard after launch weekend. My goals at launch are to help set up the drysail boats, making sure my drysail spot is OK, and look for potential crew. (Link to drysail .mov. My boat is the black masted J which is located next to the clubhouse.)
I have spent most of the past week trying to organize crews. Last year there was one committed crew member for the first Wednesday race. This year I have commitments for the 'Spring round the Island' (May 12).
May 5/6th saw me fixing up the boat. The deck was washed and the hull cleaned. The main sheet was re-attached. The sails, motor and lifejackets were put back abroad. The lights don't work but I think it is merely a matter of cleaning up the terminals. I didn't demast last fall so 'launch' is pretty easy.
I have spent most of the past week trying to organize crews. Last year there was one committed crew member for the first Wednesday race. This year I have commitments for the 'Spring round the Island' (May 12).
May 5/6th saw me fixing up the boat. The deck was washed and the hull cleaned. The main sheet was re-attached. The sails, motor and lifejackets were put back abroad. The lights don't work but I think it is merely a matter of cleaning up the terminals. I didn't demast last fall so 'launch' is pretty easy.
Sunday, 6 May 2007
Yacht racing in Toronto (and you ?)
There are many opportunities to be involved in yacht racing in Toronto. Most sailing or yacht clubs have a crew bank which matches crew with boat. Since 1998 I have owned a J24 and been a member of National Yacht Club (NYC). Last year, NYC had three nights devoted to racing. Monday night is for new skippers. Tuesday night rules allow the use of "white sails". Wednesday night rules permit the use of a spinnaker. A spinnaker or chute is a large colourful sail, which is used sailing downwind. The crew bank opens around 17:00 and the boats leave the dock around 18:00. The races start at 18:30. I believe a crew membership costs less than $200. All sailing clubs have a similar program.
The Lake Ontario Racing Council(LORC) is the main organizing body for weekend regattas. The highlight of the regatta season is the Toronto NOOD held jointly at NYC and RCYC on the third weekend in June. Another interesting event is the Youngstown Regatta held at Youngstown, New York. Youngstown is noted as a great party as well as a great regatta. A major long distance race is the Lake Ontario 300, which is a circumnavigation of Lake Ontario.
Most club races are organized under a handicap system (e.g. PHRF) since different boats will be racing against each other. Class racing involves the most competitive boats. When there is sufficient numbers, a specific boat class has a class organization. The ‘class’ organizes ‘level’ regattas. One of the more active class associations involves the J24. The governing body for sailing in Ontario is the Ontario Sailing Association. The OSA supervises ‘Learn to sail’ programs, provides support for sailing instructors, and trains race officials.(If you are not interested in racing, most clubs need volunteers to man the Race Committee boat.) There is also an active program for disabled sailors. The NYC is the base for one of Canada’s yachting para-olympians, Bruce Millar.
My 2006 sailing experiences can be found at my yahoo blog.
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