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!
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