A great adventure successfully completed

Janet and Jeff were available but that was it. I was prepared to go with three. However, at the last minute Nick's plans changed. It was a good thing as we were in for a windy day with 25 knots plus.

In rough seas I am constantly checking on the motor. It loosens itself with the constant pounding. In order to eliminate this anxiety, the motor was stored below. We sailed out to the start.

The wind was on the nose. Not the best CMG. We were late; very late. Papa was already flying for Start IV. I hailed the RC as we crossed the line; I wanted them to be sure that they knew we were actually in the Start III. The committee looked somewhat uncertain, perhaps thinking: 'Are they sane?'. We pounded our way to windward. Four minutes plus to make up!

The conditions were not to everyone's taste. Many of the regulars decided that being cold wet and miserable was not a great way to spend a fall afternoon.


It wasn't long before we could make out Balance and Windburn. We were able to sail closer to the wind. Clearly we were a lot faster. Navigation was awkward as everyone needed to keep their weight out as much as possible. A cold and wet ride for the crew.

We were still behind at the first mark. The next mark was T1. This would be a long downwind leg. It would be a bit dicey flying the chute; especially with the chop and the danger of having the stern getting tossed into a 'Chinese gybe'. “Let’s try.” It was too unstable and we doused it fairly quickly. No one else tried. I figured that it was worth it and it was good experience. Besides no guts, no glory.

The fleet separated. We were on a broad reach, which took us to the north; the other boats in our division kept south. As we approached Gibraltar we tried a wing on wing. Janet was not happy as the human pole. The wind kept trying to rip the sheet from her hand. We got by Gibraltar and then headed to T1 on a broad reach. Our controlled gybes were very good. Our boat-handing and more direct course meant that we rounded just ahead of Windburn at T1.

After rounding T1 we headed into the north shore of Centre Island. There was not much protection here from the wind. Balance went closer. Once again we did well. At the second rounding of Gibraltar, Balance was abeam. There was only one more boat (Kokomo) to catch and they owed us time. It is at moments like these that make me fell very good (!). (Interestingly I had a premonition that something was going to go wrong. Things were just too good.)

Our next mark was Dufferin. We were able to hold a higher course than Balance. On the Dufferin layline we tacked clear ahead. Kokomo misjudged the layline and had to take a couple of tacks to round the mark. That was enough for us to take the lead. Balance was able to make up lost ground and it was a close finish.

Remember my premonition: on the second to last tack the traveller car broke. We held things together enough to stay ahead of Balance. A bullet! It felt great; the successful completion of a great adventure!

Are you sure?

The Race Committee obviously can do what ever it wants. Sometimes they are creative. Once the course is set one immediately gets out the GPS to figure where are we going. OK the wind is there and the mark is there; but that would be downwind? Yep a downwind start. The committee boat did have the pin to its port but that would mean it would be on starboard to boats starting downwind. Yep creative! This situation caused a lot of boat to boat hails: "Richard is it really a down wind start!?!"

The wind was more or less north. At the start line the wind was light. We slowly moved to the pin and hoisted the spinnaker after the start. I found the winds frustrating and confusing. All the other boats seemed to be doing well but our chute just wouldn't fly properly. I decided to douse. This was a big mistake as the other boats increased their lead. We were way behind and I had no clue why the boat wasn't moving.

As we rounded the mark the wind slowly died for everyone. The boats to the north (Balance and Windburn?) lost wind completely. Everyone drifted together. We never lost way. The winds were very inconsistent. Our heading went from north to east to south to east. The big problem was that we had no idea were we were going and we were slowly taking the lead! The boats were too far away for a hail. We used one of our 'lifelines': Call a friend; to get someone to check the website and tell us what is meant by 'mark 2'. Claudiu and I tried but there was no answer.

Finally some of the bigger boats got some wind and we could follow them to the mark. The new wind was south east. We rounded the mark. It was a spinnaker run to the next mark. As we approached the mark the wind became very hard to read. The chute came down and we used a human pole to micro adjust sail trim. It did not take long after the mark rounding to get back into the good south wind. We had a good mark rounding and once again raised the chute for the last leg to the finish. As we approached the finish it was apparent that boats ahead were sailing upwind. I didn't want the chute to be back filled. We dropped it in lots of time.

We sailed the boat well except for the bad call to drop the chute on the first leg. A fourth place finish.

The problem was reading the wind. There was a transition zone between the north wind and the south east wind near the start/finish line. The chute had to be hoisted then doused; which, might make people wonder whether one knows what one is doing (especially after the bad call on the first leg)! I think it was only on the last leg when I was asked: 'Are you sure?'

Fair dinkum

A few years ago the club decided to extend the racing season into September. A fall series was added. The start is 30 minutes earlier. It is difficult for some crews to make the earlier start so the series does not count in the season's overall results. There are two starts. All white sail entries are start 1 and all FS are start 2.

The first race had excellent conditions. The course was "Whiskey" with a windward mark bearing of 205. It was a short course at 0.5 nautical miles. We had a great start. It was particularly nice looking down the start line and seeing the bows nicely lined up. (Too bad I couldn't get a photo.)

The combination of big and little boats in one start makes for some traffic on the first leg. Our big mistake was tacking too soon. The bigger boats created exhaust. We thought we could make the line, and could of made it, if there wasn't the other boats already on the layline. We had to make several tacks to avoid the other boats; a sad situation of having to sit by and watch a number of boats get ahead.

We didn't make the same mistake on the second windward leg. We sailed the boat well. We knew we were well behind the J22 but with a large fleet it is really hard to figure out what effect the PHRF handicap will have on the results. The PRO had a difficulty in pronouncing Aristosera when the results were announced. It took us awhile to figure out that we got a second, fair dinkum.

F*** it let's get a beer

The photo shows a nice relaxing derigging after a pleasant sail. The actual sail wasn't so sedate. The forecast was for winds to be one of the strongest for a race this season. It was the same forecast for Tuesday but, Tuesday ended up being a light wind (with residual swell) event. Wednesday looked like it was the real deal. The NYC weather station indicated winds of about 17 knots. The winds were moderated by the shelter of Ontario Place point. It was clear that once we got into Humber Bay proper the winds would be much stronger. (Aferwards we heard reports of gusts over 30 knots.)


Jeff had indicated that he might not be there if the 'storm' hadn't cleared. He has had challenging weather on all of the events on Aristosera. Tonight was not going to be an exception! It was good to see him and it was also good that we had regulars Chris and Janet whose experience would come in handy with the heavier winds. (Flawed was short handed. They made a good call to opt out of a noob from the crew bank. At the dock I knew it was going to be a difficult night for them.)

This was the "Crew Race". Chris would be good on helm with his skipper experience. Janet could do foredeck, with help from Jeff. I wanted to do sheets. Although I trust whoever I put on helm, I still want to be nearby.

Taking off from the dock was a bit of a problem. Flawed had rafted up; with the number of drysail boats launched, there was not enough space for everyone to tie up to the quay. I wanted to flip the boat so my bow would be heading more into the wind. It took a bit of time, with the onshore wind, but eventually we motored off. I wanted to sail as soon as possible. I used the motor to hold the boat into the wind, while still protected by the breakwater, and the crew put up the main sail. The main sheet got wrapped around the block. While Jeff cleared the line he got knocked by the boom. We were headed into the wind so the main sail was pretty much depowered. Jeff got hit at the hairline and the deck was starting to resemble a crime scene from CSI. I handed the helm over to Chris, jumped below to get the first aid kit. Janet and Jeff went below to sort things out. Things were all sorted by the time we got clear of the point and faced the full force of the wind.

We headed more or less west. The RC had set up at Gibraltor. They were short staffed so Kim was on-board. Dragon Lady wasn't being used. Dufferin was the windward mark. It would be a long and rough upwind leg. We sailed west and approached the starting area on a broad reach.

I delayed putting up the jib until were at the line and starting. We almost didn't make the line as our upwind ability was hampered until the jib was up. We had to tack onto port to make the line. We had good start. Flawed was clear ahead but we were well ahead of other boats. We were headed over to the island. I wanted to avoid tacks and I wanted to avoid a lee shore. We were one of the first boats to tack back. Flawed and Aristosera were the two western most boats. We followed Flawed on a course that would take us slightly west of the white buoys.

The upwind leg was rough. I was worried we wouldn't be able to complete tacks, since we were headed into rough seas which would act as a brake. Boats can stall out before the tack is completed. Fortunately that wasn't a problem and Chris handled the boat well. The wind was fairly steady which made sail trim much easier. I sat on the rail trying to keep the jib sheet uncleated and ready to be released. With the other hand I was holding on! It was a very uncomfortable ride.

As we proceeded north it was apparent that we were catching up to Flawed. They clearly decided to head in. (They had a ripped jib, which we couldn't see from our perspective.) We were now lead boat. I decided to tack over. We crossed Daybreak. I wasn't sure they saw us. 'Starboard'. They altered course in lots of time. Just before we got to to layline of the windward mark, Janet reported that there might be some rain approaching. Grand National also made an appearance. They were too late to finish at Dufferin(!How annoying!). We were now closest to the Club and if we headed back to the finish we would have to complete another upwind sail to get back home. We would be cold tried and then there was the rain. We bailed a Moitessier: 'F*** it let's get a beer'!

Training wheels

Chris was at the cottage and Davidhad started his fall activities. Jeff returned from last week so I had to fill a second position from the crew bank. The crew bank provided Marcia, who had some dinghy experience. I decided to let her do sheets while Janet and Jeff would do foredeck.

The winds were 205 @ 10+ knots. I opted to use the jib and we didn't bother with the spinnaker. It would be a challenge but not too much that the novice crew wouldn't be overwhelmed. The boat was very underpowered. We ended up last but not disgracefully so. The crew handled the boat well. On my boat crew is has to be active in boat handling and are not just deck fluff. I hope I am not being disparaging when I say that we use 'training wheels',( i.e. jib not genoa, and no chute) with a novice crew.

A weird race

For the first time I had to use crew bank to fill out the crew. Jeff was the assignee.

Obviously the first order of business is the train the noob. On my way out of the basin I held my noob quiz, e.g. point to the main halyard. I think Phatome overheard and was amused by my tutorial effort. We arrived in the starting area in time for a chute practise. Things went slightly FUBAR as the wind made a dramatic 90 degree shift just as the chute was set; co incident with the arrival of rain. A mad scramble ensued to get the chute down and find foul weather gear. (I have a plastic bag rain coat that I got as swag from a Youngstown regatta. This was given to Jeff.)

When the rain was over the wind settled in to a south east direction. Unfortunately the start line was badly skewed. I distinctly heard several sounds and was under the strong belief that we went into AP. We didn't but the second start did. It was very confusing to me. We were well behind when I eventually figured out we were racing. (Note to self: Assume you are racing even if you are confused.)

We did manage to catch up to one of our division on the last down wind leg. The wind had shifted so we were windward and abeam but on the opposite side to the committee boat. After we arrived back at the dock we were told that the RC wondered where we were. We had been hidden by the bigger boat and the RC didn't record our finish.


It was a good experience. I like introducing people to sailing. It gave Janet an opportunity to teach someone the ropes (lines?). A good experience even though it was a weird race.

Downwind

Very light wind day. We did our pre race spin hoist but this put us OCS (unless we got back to the start). Unlike some boats we managed to, just.

We rounded the pin on port and moved towards to committee boat. A port tack start. There was a bit of traffic as some boats were still trying to make their way back to the start.

We had a good upwind leg. We seemed to almost catch Flawed at the offset. However on the downwind they increased their lead. On our second upwind leg we rounded ahead of Windlight. Windlight went on their own course. Perhaps we should have stayed with them and covered. Windlight finished well ahead. I was very frustrated since I could not figure out what was our problem sailing downwind.

AHMEN II

It was NYC's day to host the race. The course was 4 (windward floater), 5, 9, Dufferin, Gibraltar, 4 and 3. Buoys were to starboard. It was a great course: no long leg across Humber Bay from T1 to 5; windward start and downwind finish.

On the way to the start we decided on positions. Nick who was more familiar with my boat did foredeck; Sarah mast; and Claudiu sheets. Nick and I were the the only two with experience in these positions on my boat.

The start was good. We had no problem finding the floater nor 5. We were uncertain about 9, but being in a slow division we had boats ahead to lead the way. The fleets had caught to each other at Dufferin. there was a lot of traffic and we put in perhaps an unnecessary tack to keep clear. Rounding the marks to starboard meant we had to be on port tack as we rounded.

At Gibraltar we ran into further traffic from another race. They were using Gibraltar with buoys to port so as they rounded they were on starboard. We rounded the mark with a bit of ducking and weaving.

I made a big mistake about our course to the next mark. At this point we wee ahead of Windlight. However with the nav error we sailed off course and had to put in an extra gybe. As we converged on the penultimate mark we were now clearly behind. There was no way we could make up the difference.

I assumed we had a good race. Balance, who owes us time was not that far ahead. I was wrong about that too. There were also a few boats that I hadn't been tracking. As a result we finished 4th.

Vertically Challenged

The wind was from the east. We sailed out (still no motor) in lots of time. We did a flawless spin practise. At one point we thought that the PRO would use Gibraltar as the windward mark however, just before the start Dragon lady set a windward mark and an offset.

We had a good start at the fist mark rounding threes Company was clear ahead. At the windward mark we were in good position until we tried to hoist. Somehow the chute snagged in one of the genoa hanks. We spent quite a bit of time trying to unsnag. Each crew member tried in order. Unfortunately it was the more vertically challenged who made the first attempts. Really unfortunate given that we had a good race to the windward mark. We certainly didn't give up but we were now defacto out of the race.

We sailed the boat well and it was a good day to be on the water; but for the race, not so much.

One second

Perfect conditions for the start of the AHMEN series. The wind was from the south; light but building. There was more activity with the drysail crane than I expected; two melgies, a shark and a viking were also racing. We got launched and motored off. Jamie packed the chute, Claudiu helmed, Nick programmed the GPS and I bailed out what water there was in the bilge.

I decided we could go a bit faster and reved up the motor. The acceleration snapped the motor mount and the engine went for a swim. We quickly recovered the engine and set up the sails.

The RC (provided by EYC) set a 'floater', an inflated buoy about a mile to windward of the start line. It was nice having a windward first leg. The course then went east to Gibraltar, north to Dufferin, west to Mark 1 (near the entrance to the EYC basin), and back east to the start at the centre of Humber Bay. It was the same course for the white sail and FS divisions.

As usual I had a bad start. We started near the committee boat, as planned; but this was because we had to gybe to avoid hitting a soling. We started on port and ducked the fleet. After a couple of short tacks we ended up on a long starboard tack to the mark. We had almost fully recovered from the start. A soling was slightly ahead; we were abeam of Windburn; and slightly behind Balance. We were windward. PHRF handicaps meant that Windburn was probably slightly ahead.

It was a starboard beam reach to Gilbraltor. At Gibraltor we would have to gybe. There would not be much time to hoist the chute on starboard before gybing around the mark. We elected to do a windward hoist. I was confident in the crew in sorting things out even though we haven't (or at least very rarely) done this. The manoeuvre went very well. The chute was powered up as we gybed. The windard hoist/gybe was a success. We were now clear ahead of Windburn.

We were on a fairly hot angle on the downwind leg to Dufferin. As we approached Dufferin, we decided to do a windward takedown. It did not appear that the winds would be right for a spinnaker run on the last leg. The windward douse meant that we could if we found out that we could. The Dufferin mark rounding/windward douse went well. We were inside at the mark and windward of all other boats on the next leg, the second last leg. Once we rounded the penultimate mark it was a beam reach to the finish. No spinnaker.

We finished behind Balance but close enough to probably beat them. I was pretty certain that we were not far enough ahead of Windburn. Probably a second place finish. What a great day! I was very pleased with the crew's performance. I think the crew was happy; we sailed the boat well. The chute was prepped for a hoist so that is what we did. We took the long way back to the club. It was a great day, second best is OK if you are having fun.

The results were emailed a few days later. On corrected time we won our division by one second. What is better than great? One second.

Race to the crane

Last night was another drifter. We did do a spinnaker hoist practise (with me as 'crew'). Interesting radio chatter about compasses and GPS. Otherwise a chance for 'scuttlebut'. We were second in the 'Race' to the crane.

Fair weather sailors?

The discussion at the club: 'What do the dark skies to the west really mean?'. When it started to rain I decided to bail. In the end there was a race for a few (fool?)hardy sailors. We now know who are the fair weather sailors?

A "better" race

Dragon lady was not available so the Race committee had to use fixed marks. There was good wind from the north north west. Gilbraltor to Dufferin worked. We once again opted to use the jib due to the brisk wind. We did not plan on using the chute.

We had another bad start. About a minute to go we were located a few boat lengths astern of Grand National. My idea was to force out boats to windward. For some reason, we were slow to power up. Windburn overtook us to windward. We opted to go on port tack and head off on our own away from the fleet.

The wind made for difficult to manoeuvre . In heavy wind conditions, crew has to stay on the rail until we are head to wind; and then must quickly and adroitly (?) ‘scamper’ to the new windward side. I tried to slowly tack; to give everyone time to move. There was a conflict with the theory of crew placement and the ability of crew to move ‘quickly and adroitly’ when the boat was head to wind. My response was to utter sotto voce 'get ready' to the jib trimmer, so as to keep the rail crew uninformed. I tried to keep things on a need to know basis. This didn’t work. The crew got wise to my modus operendi and starting to move as soon as they saw the trimmer start to set up. Theories once again are just theories!

In spite of this conflict between proper and practical procedures, we had a good upwind leg. I kept the main sheet uncleated. It was difficult to hold but it allowed me to trim given slight changes in wind strength. There was little change in direction; more a problem of velocity.

On the first downwind leg we didn’t fly the chute. There was a discussion about whether we should. I felt that we could. Once we had a consensus to possibly use the chute on the next downwind leg, the crew set about setting the lines. There was a bit of a problem to figure out the lines. We did use the chute on the second downwind leg but, there were unresolved line issues and it wasn’t completely powered until we were 2/3rds on the way home.

The conditions were more challenging than last week. It was not the no wind drift of last week. All in all I found this was a better race.

No photo

Janet was back. After five weeks it was the regular Wednesday crew.

The wind was very light and variable. The RC set a course at 230 but the wind was very much STC. We had a poor start. For some reason I allowed port takers in. We were slow and behind all night. As we rounded the windward mark I could hear Posieden helpfully shout: "You are slow!",just in case I hadn't noticed.

On the second downwind leg there was a huge shift. Chris pointed out that Anthem had gybed immediately after rounding the mark. Good plan. After I made a quick scan of of the course, we gybed and were on a near beam reach. The wind continued to shift. We had to drop the chute and finish with the genoa.


I think basically it was a case of me not showing up mentally. Perhaps I was discouraged when we had such a great race last week and due to RC error it wasn't getting scored. Consciously I didn't think it had an impact but maybe it affected more than I realized.

Unfortunately for the crew; who were all very enthusiastic and patient in trying to deal with the light conditions. I even forgot to get a photo!

! + ?

Janet was still away in NL. Jamie was available as replacement. He did sheets while Chris and David were foredeck and mast. We had a fair breeze from the east. About 5 J22s showed up at the start. A regatta next weekend?

We were a bit early to the start. I tacked back on port; either I was to run into a Beneteau or had to duck. I elected to tack. At first I was apologetic about the decision however, in hindsight it was probably a good call. We were able to squeeze out the Bene, although we were behind the other boats in our division.

On the upwind leg we found ourselves on the left side of the course, while the J 22s were leeward, to starboard. The wind made a big shift to the left. Our heading went 150 and dropped to 138. We had to tack. We stayed on port for a short time; when we tacked back we were just off the port layline of the windward mark. The lift continued and it brought us almost to the mark. There were no worries about starboard tackers as we were now clear ahead.

The chute went up nicely and we had a good downwind leg. As we approached the mark we were on port gybe. There was a bit of discussion about a plan: dropping the pole, free flying the chute, and doing a windward takedown. We were overstanding the leeward mark before a decision was made; we headed up on port tack. At the mark rounding we had to go leeward of Windburn; Three was able to get inside. The combination of our bad air from Windburn and Three's clear air meant we fell back.

The chute was doused on port gybe. There was some discussion about whether to do a port hoist or move the sheets to set up a normal hoist. From last week I felt part of the problem was the port hoist. We decided to move the sheets.

At the windward mark we tacked on the layline but couldn't make the mark. Three, who was between the windward and offset mark couldn't make the offset mark. We tacked onto port and had to duck Flawed. Flawed couldn't make the offset and had to tack back. We were now on starboard and they had to duck us. The chute hoist was good.

Upwind and downwind boats tried flying their chute in a vain effort to find some wind. We elected to keep ours up and managed to get a bit of wind. Three was abeam and south. Were they windward? They dropped their chute. What little wind there was favoured them (so I guess they were windward). They were able to head directly to the finish and keep up some boat speed.

The main thing about the first part of the race was the shift(!) to the left; the main thing about the last downwind leg was the lack of wind(?). Unfortunately it wasn't scored since the RC finished some of our division at the windward mark. It was still a great race. Competitive fun.

Lessons Learned

This week it was Janet's turn to be away. She is in Newfoundland for two weeks, visitng with some former club members. David was back. Chris and David did foredeck and Nick was on sheets.

The wind was more or less west and there was a concern that it would be too strong. We decided to use the jib. The wind was brisk but we were being over cautious.

Our start was OK but not good. Threes Company, Defiant and Windlight were the competing boats in our division. Threes Company started ahead and gained throughout the race.

As we approached the leeward mark another boat over took us to windward. We were starboard they were wing on wing (but the mast indicated port tack). As they got closer we urged them with increasing intensity "to get out of the way". This year I haven't brought out my protest flag as I view these races as competitive fun. We carried on with the discussion with no change. When the other boat's boom was over my port rail I decided to get out of the way. Unfortunately we were now on port gybe as we rounded the leeward mark. The chute was on the wrong side for a normal hoist.

On the upwind leg I explained to the crew about what the plan was at the windward mark. We had to round the mark and gybe. I thought it was easier to explain the port hoist rather than supervise a transfer of the spin sheets for a normal hoist. We reviewed several times what everyone would do and everyone was ready. We rounded the offset mark but the jib halyard got caught. The crew concentrated on the jib halyard but my concern was to get the chute up and flying. The further we went on port the poorer are angle would be to the finish. Eventually we got sorted and were able to gybe over to starboard. We were almost on a dead run. The wind shifted so we were eventually sailing by the lee.

We had a couple of interesting discussions over dinner. The skipper from the overtaking boat came over. We had a pleasant conversation about the encounter, in an effort to better understand what should've been done. My view was that starboard boat has rights over port. (QED?)

The second discussion: the crew was a bit miffed that I changed the plan for the second windward mark rounding. When I set out Plan A I did not account for the snag in the jib halyard. The crew was attentive and followed the instructions to the letter. However good the plan was, reality intervened; the jib halyard got snagged. The unstated priority was to get the chute powered up, after making a quick assessment of the effect of the jib halyard snag. Things change quickly, especially at a mark rounding. What was planned may have to be changed without the luxury of time for an explanation! The key was to adapt to a new situation. Miscommunication can lead to bigger problems. It was helpful for me to get their perspective and be aware of the need to be more clear about unstated 'priorities' when they become a priority. In order to improve communication it is not only necessary to know what was said but also to know what was heard. A good lesson for me.

We will see next week if any lessons were learned!

Second best?

There was another bad weather report to ignore. Nick replaced David who was working at the G8; Chris was back from his three week visit to France; Janet and I filled out the crew. The RC once again set up a long way south. We motored all the way to the start and arrived in time to do a chute practise.

We had what appeared to be a good start. Basically we were running the line and had to barge in. We were able to be just ahead and windward of Pearl. I wasn't happy with the start; our good start was based on luck rather than being well thought out. (One of the interesting things about reality versus appearance is that you should be able to tell the difference between good luck and competence. Publicly: 'It is all skill'; just be sure, privately, you know the real deal.) Taz started late.

It is always a bit maddening to be first as you don't have anyone to act as tactician or navigate to the mark. The wind had shifted west and the swell was still more southerly. As we approached the windward mark the wind lessened. On starboard tack we were headed more directly into the swell; and with the lighter wind, it seemed slow.

Our mark rounding and spin set went well. Taz slowly caught up to us. At the leeward mark, we did a windward take down of the chute. This difficult manoeuvre went well but was a bit slow. One of my problems on helm is that I am nervous/anxious when other boats are around me. As Taz overtook, I made things worse by losing focus. There was nothing we did particularly wrong except we weren't doing things as well as Taz. As a result Taz was able to get ahead.

We followed Taz more or less to the finish. Taz, Anthem (from another division) and Aristosera finished clear ahead of the other boats. We did well and I am not unhappy that we came in second. Second best is good enough? Maybe. Sometimes yes.

Non race race

It was the sort of night that nothing happened but everything happened. The rain had cleared by 16:00 but there was wind. Normally I wouldn't go out in wind gusting over 25 knots. Races are different. The wind was gusting up to 35 knots. I had a consultation with the crew: Jamie, Janet, and Melissa.

I felt comfortable that we could handle the situation. It would be uncomfortable and the conditions would be challenging. I have a high regard of Jamie's abilities and I felt he would have no problem. I think I am honest with my crew assessments and I believed that Janet and Melissa would be OK. I wanted to be clear that it was up to each crew member to decide if it was too much. The crew should not be pressured into going. We decided to go.

We had the boat on the hook when the RC went into AP. Rather than launch or put the boat back we decided to leave it pending clarification from the PRO. I told Richard we would launch if he wanted to go. He decided to launch so we put the boat in the water. It was a bit difficult using the crane in the high wind. I almost lost the windex. Almost. We tied the bow to the dinhy dock. The RC decided to head out. I couldn't get the motor to run so we sailed off the dock. I wanted to use the western most exit. As a result we threaded our way through the yachts anchored in the outer basin.


Grand National was about a mile and a half south of Ontario Place. As we rounded the Ontario Place point and entered Humber Bay, the gusts became more intense. The wind was from the north north west and was pretty intense in the open waters of the Bay. The shackle on the jib gave way. Jamie went forward to control the sail. A bit of a rough ride. I tried to sort of feather the boat and keep things a bit depowered. The boat was more or less headed directly into the waves. Jamie got things sorted and we headed back.

The westerly wind direction meant we had to do a few gybes. In these conditions you don't want to be headed directly downwind for fear of an accidental gybe. However a broad reach meant we were not able to sail the most direct course to the club. It was a bit of a challenge. The boom swinging across the boat can be intimidating. There was no problem; we handled the challenging situation.

The docking was the next problem. The quay was on a leeshore. My intention was to sail into the harbour and head up into the wind just as we came to the dinghy dock. (The dinghy dock is about 90 degrees to quay.) The boat was going too fast and I didn't get the boat headed up as I planned. We avoided any mishap but it was not my best docking. We got lots of help from other drysailers who decided not to go out after all (including Richard!).

It was a non race but not a non event.

In a bit of a fog

It seems like I have been confused this year. It is difficult for us to get to the start line on time. We just made it last night, i.e. we started at the pin. We hadn't had time to check the wind or check in with the committee boat. The only positive was that the other boats in our division were in the same 'boat'.

The easterly wind had shifted a bit to the south during the night. This meant that at the windward mark one had to gybe onto port for the downwind leg. Our gybes were not good. At second leeward mark rounding we were well behind Threes Company.

On our way to windward, I lost contact with Threes Company. How could that be? They weren't that far ahead? We ended up finishing on our own. The course was twice around and we did three times. Once Threes figured this out, they must have gone back and finished. We thanked the RC for their patience.

As you can see from the photo there was not much fog. It was basically low lying cloud that enveloped the city's towers. Of course there is more than one type of 'fog'; and I must admit that my thinking was definitely in a bit of a fog last night!

November Alpha

There were a couple of late afternoon weather reports from my crew: "Hi. Richard, it's raining." My response was: "It will dissipate!". I hate the idea of cancelling before the event given my experience with Environment Canada.

It continued to rain. Sailors sheltered in the clubhouse and took the opportunity for a scuttlebut session. It was an opportunity to meet and greet the crews from the other boats. A few topics: Janet and I discussed yesterday's Tango. There was a collective whine over the preparations for the G20. Eventually the RC hoisted November Alpha.

Apollo 10

Jamie and I decided to try the Monday double handed event. The main feature is that it allows Jamie to bail at the last moment. I was able to get the boat launched on my own. Just after I got the boat in the water Jamie called. Oh no, cancel? No worries; just a traffic report.

There was of course no wind. We motored out to about 2 miles south of Dufferin, drifted aimlessly for 30 mins. and then motored back. It was sort of like Apollo 10, all of the procedures of a lunar mission were successfully completed except for the lunar landing.

Sailpast

Charles with cap

NYC's annual Sailpast was held on May 29. A tradition is something that is an absolute necessity, which is completely unnecessary, i.e. something has to be done but what exactly has yet to be determined. There is a rough outline of procedure: blessing of the fleet, remembrance of the deceased, on water review of boats, an official receiving line and a dinner. I pick and choose from this list. Most of all it is an excuse to go sailing!

I asked Charles to crew. He has been a loyal member of the Wednesday crew for the last few years. This year he has decided not to rejoin and use the sailing season to master his Contender. He discovered that membership does have its privileges as he was forced to use public parking at a cost of $15!

It was a breezy day. I rigged the jib and prepared for a spin run. We cruised around Dufferin buoy waiting for the on water review to start. The scheduled start was 15:00 but all was ready by 14:45. There some discussion from the organizers on the radio. The decision was made to start early. We had a bit of a problem staying behind the lead boat in our division. The spray from the fire boat hit us as we passed the review boat. The on water formalities were complete and we were now free to head off for a pleasant early season sail.

Launching the spinnaker with only one crew is a bit of a challenge. Everything went well; the chute was up and flying nicely. At this moment Charles's NYC cap went overboard. The chute was doused. It was a futile search. We were too busy getting the chute down to get a landmark of where we lost the cap. The blue cap did not stand out in the water. The chute went back up.

The wind died suddenly as we approached the western harbour entrance. I decided to return south of Centre Island rather than go through the harbour and the two gaps. The wind picked up again; there was no trouble going back to the club under sail. We arrived at 17:45 and the boat was back in Drysail Spot 1 by 18:04, just in time for the announcement that the official receiving line was finished. I dressed my boat with race flags and got my blue jacket from the car. Charles and I did a meet and greet as we meandered around the clubhouse.

We experienced the best (IMO) of the Sailpast tradition: a social event, a chance to dress the boat with race flags, and a great early season sail!

Enjoyable picnic

The crew was late. We were last boat in. We started just before the second start, i. e. a few minutes after our division. The winds were very light from the south south west. Our division was well spread out, but we were very much last.

One of the advantages (?) of being late is you can see how the upwind boats are doing. The faster boats had trouble making the windward mark. We sailed beyond what felt like the layline. There was a big lift on port tack. The wind seemed to be rotating around the mark. We tacked having taken full advantage of the lift and to the windward of the other boats. By the windward mark, we had passed one of the J22s!

The big boats from start III caught up to us at the windward mark. There was a lot of traffic at the rounding. At the offset mark, we hoisted the chute, jibbed, and dropped the chute, all in quick succession. The wind slowly died and we drifted, with the current, east. We now had to tack in order to finish. No wind; we were dead in the water. I dropped the genoa and we had a sushi picnic. Thanks David. The other J was able to keep way and hold a steady course to make the finish. When there was a little bit of wind we tried to tack but in the end we couldn't hold a course to the finish. The current was too strong. I decided to bail. Victor, in the CS 30 division, was in the same predicament. After he got back to the club he told me that he had to make two more attempts before he finally was able to finish.

The good points: 1) Our reading of the winds at windward mark enabled us to pass another boat in our division; 2) We did well to get through the traffic at the offset mark; 4) No wind is no wind; 5) And lets not forget the enjoyable picnic!

RAF

My second sail was the 2010 Spring Round the Island race. It was a beautiful day for the annual Club race around Centre Island. The winds were light from the east. We were the first start. Jim and Chris were out in their J22s and Nick had a J24. Chris was I believe with some new crew. I was happy to have Melissa, Jamie and Claudiu as crew. The start used Dufferin as pin.

We had a good start, at mid line, with the other Js. We were very close to Flawed Logic (I think), who started nearer the committee boat. At crossings we were ahead, then they were ahead. Jim stayed closer to our track but a bit further west. Jamie said that they had sailed into a wind well and by our next crossing we had gained. As we approached Gibraltar we were slightly to windward (on Jim) and we were able to continue to gain. They had to tack away. At Gibraltar we were clear ahead of the other J22s.

We went further south on port. The next mark was almost due windward and the wind closer to shore did not look good. We continued to gain on Jim; I lost track of Chris. Nick was clear ahead. We basically followed Nick, but at a distance.

Wind was very light in the lee of the spit. However we were able to keep up way and there was no problem getting through the Eastern gap. We planned to raise the spinnaker as soon as possilbe. The last leg through the Harbour was are only chance for a spin run. As a former Harboursider, the harbour is where I learned to fly the chute; my desire to fly the chute whenever possible earned me the nickname 'spinard'.

We observed that Nick wasn't flying the chute. Why? If there was a proscription from flying the chute we would be protested. I definitely entered the FS division. Notorious was flying their gennacker. There must be two division! It wasn't until we returned to the club that I was told that there was no spinnaker flying in the harbour. It was in the SIs. Wow, no harbour spinnakers, that would've certainly destroyed the fun a being a Harboursider! I of course withdrew; RAF, Retired after finish.

Anxiety: the upside

Chris, Janet, and David are back. Charles and Emi decided not to join the club this year. My crew plan for Wednesday night is to go with 4 as crew. Janet will do foredeck with help from Chris, while David handles the genoa sheet. I will, surprise, helm.

We are the first start. The winds were light and we motored out. The committee tried to see if there was wind at Gibraltor, a long way away. Unfortunately my motor couldn't make it. The others in our division didn't have motors to begin with. we all used the chute but it wasn't much help. We were all late to the start; we were the latest.

Most of the race I was anxious about the motor. It is annoying when something that you can do nothing about can occupy your thoughts and prevent you from thinking about stuff that needs your attention. We did not win. It was OK. What about the motor!

I took the motor in for repair on Thursday to Klaus Marine. The impaler for the water coolant pump broke. Apparently the pull start will lock in order to prevent the motor from starting if the motor is too hot. The motor will be ready for Monday's Round Island Race. The upside about being anxious is that if you fear very bad things, when you find out that things are much less bad, you are greatly revealed!

First 'event'

Boat prep for a dry sailed "maxi dinghy" is pretty straight forward. You don't have to worry about plumbing; no anti fouling, just re-rigging. The mast is keel stepped. I need three people to help out: one to operate the crane; one above deck; and one below deck, to guide the mast into the step. I like to wait until the big boats have launched (usually on the first weekend in May). One of the great things about sailing is that you get to meet a lot of people. You can't have everyone on the boat at the same time. The solution is to divide the season into different events and sort out crew for each of those events. For the first event of the new season, 'mast step' , Claudiu and Nick were the crew.

I wanted a sunny day with little wind. I also wanted to give the crew enough warning for them to be able to make a commitment. There is a conflict here; the more warning, the less reliable the forecast. Wednesday seemed like a good day. Claudiu was able to help in the afternoon. If all went according to plan we would be ready to step the mast when Nick arrived. We have a plan!

Claudiu and I reattached the life lines. The only mishap was that I broke the windex (again!) and I had to rush over to get a new one. Windexes and I seem to have a problem forming a longterm relationship. Nick arrived just as we were ready to move the boat over to the crane. One of Nick's first comments was about the dark clouds to the west. He figured we would have about an hour. I felt the first drop of rain as I attached the sling to the mast. The stepping went quickly except that the starboard inner shroud was askew. I had to use the bosun's chair to adjust it. We were able to get the mast secured before we got completely drenched! My tradeoff between reliable forecast and planning lead time was a bit off.

Thanks Claudiu and Nick. The first event of the 2010 season was successfully completed.

Harbourside Reunion 2010

Judith and Anthony look over a Shark painted by Harbourside Centre: "It looks like Splash!"

Last Sunday I attended the annual 'Harbourside reunion'. I was a member of Harbourside Sailing Club (now Harbourfront Sailing and Powerboating) from 1992 to 1997. A very good experience; I learned how to race there. A few years ago I thought of holding a 'reunion', a. k. a. a minimum billing event, in April, just before sailing season begins. National Yacht Club requires a minimum restaurant tab of $45 every month. I have established a series of events in the off season to cover this: November, Mark's Birthday; Dec., ABYC/NYC exchange; Jan., boat show; Feb., AHMEN Awards night; April, the Reunion. That leaves only March! The April MBE is a great excuse to hold a 'reunion' and renew old friendships.

Most of my friends have their own boats (my name for this group is BOC, the Boat Owner's Club). We have chosen different boating options. I own a J24, so my emphasis has been on improving my racing skills at NYC. Anthony's boat a 27' foot Jeaneau, which is used as a 'family' day cruiser and is sailed from ABYC. Karen has a 42 foot leviathan for extended cruising (a project boat?) and is sailed from EYC. Judith has a 30 footer, which is used as a live aboard and is sailed from the Island Marina. Donna is only non boat owner. She has continued as a member at the successor club. From a common port, each of us has set a different course.