Great Vallejo 2013

[Photoboy]

On Firebolt we had fun racing to Vallejo as a family. The sailflow forecast looked scary for Sunday afternoon, considering it was going to be just me and my two sons, so we motorsailed home as soon as we got free of the raft-up. Turned out the forecast was wrong, but we had a nice day anyway.

I attached a photo from the gopro. The kids took turns driving and trimming but got some reading in too.

-Mike





Thanks Mike!

[IOR Geezer]

http://h2oshots.smugmug.com/Sailing/...oPT2-688-L.jpg

Art in motion!

[Photoboy]

Finally...


All Done!

[Photoboy]

After another massive weekend editing session, purdy damn proud to let you know the 1/2 way mark got reached.


Half Way Done


These are mostly chronological , so the back of the pack comes in last...sorry, its just the way it is...

[Slackwater_SF]

Nice trim, moving along:










A couple of pictures above, SkyDrive has the gallery of pictures, S-->

[Slackwater_SF]

A few pictures are online from the Vallejo Race finish area on Saturday: LINK.pictures.Saturday-Finish

Some of the starts on Sunday morning were delayed. (del.pic)

Sunday pics, posted online (del.txt)
Link.Pictures.Sunday-Start

[Photoboy]

Okay, all done editing the 1,700 images from Friday's AC 45 training with "The Force"

1,133 images to go....damn it's good to be me sometimes.....( I know, I know, stop yer bitchin and get back to editing already)

Here's Team Akula with both prodigy's making aopa proud!

[Idiotwind]

I had whip-smart noob Cal 20 owner for Sat. The guy was a buck sixty-five geared-up. He blew his back out on the approach tack to the weather mark, not bracing for the jib-sheet trim. He said he was good, but I've heard that. Lucky me: he could drive, took direction, processed, and played with the knowledge. We had Garth Copenhaver, on the Tuna 22 "Oreo" to duke with, and we worked it inside to Pt. San Pablo, By Pt. Pinole, he, a 20-something from Argentina, was a surf master. We stayed south after Pt. Pinole, to the Shell docks, then cranked left to avoid "Roller Coaster", who was walking the talk. 4th overall, monohull, and division Ace was satisfying.

Sunday, sporting Howard Martin, another Cal 20 stalwart, we took the north side after leaving G1 to starboard. Short tacking the rocks with "Oreo", we traded positions several times. When Pat Broderick finally caught up, his words were: "I'm watching you..." Stayed in the sweet water as much as possible. PHRF upwind in a Cal 20 is a fools errand, though. Garth got us by 13 seconds. Upper third, overall.

Saw photos of Golden Moon recovering MOB, ISAF textbook style. 18" lifelines......

[DeathSpear]

Sorry to hear about the rig Pops.

It was a pretty interesting race with many opportunities to gain and lose.

1. At the start we went right ++
2. After the windward mark we stayed left + (The big boats near Richmond were all fighting to get back to the left, unusual for us not to set anything at the windward mark)
3. Played middle left from R bridge to the brothers +
4. Gave the Brothers a wide berth left to avoid the current --- (boy that sucked, let everyone in)
5. Stayed on better current on the far left side, we were committed to that side already, neutral
6. Back to the right at Pt. Pinole +
7. Cross early to the sea wall ++ (regained most of what we lost around the Brothers)
8. First to find that there is no water at the entrance to the Vallejo YC -----

Sunday everyone was a bit slower, no one firing on all cylinders. We almost call it as it took ages to retrieve the start mark from the yellow 105. Did a very conservative start, good as we didn't realize that we were supposed to leave the mark on port when all the fleets before us left it to starboard. Tried to set kite, but changed to Code to exit the river. Just played shifts and currents as best we could. Made a good call to go stay in the middle as we approached San Pablo. It allowed us to hook into better current than the folks on either side during the wind transition, resulting in a much stronger showing than our otherwise mediocre race to that point.

[The Flash]

Yeah Alan, you're right about that - although there were a fair number of younger guys and ladies over near the big, fast boats.

[Alan H]

That was fun. I haven't done a Vallejo race in 8-9 years, so getting out there in the Moore 24 Cookie Jar was a good time. Couple of notes...

1. moore 24 with 18 knots of wind behind and some running chop is a lot of fun.
2. squeezing my expanded, aging butt into a moore 24 pipe berth is not so easy and demands the very limit of my flexibility. Once there, however, i slept like a rock.
3. I didn't hear the party AT ALL. *Was* there a party?
4. Wyliecat 30's are flippin fast to windward.
5. It's gotten pretty shallow at the entrance to the new municipal marina.


I remember my first Vallejo race. Oh, the glamour. ...The racer-chaser chicks hitting on the younger crew guys. The scads of late 20-somethings and 30-somethings with neon clothing and glasses, driving fast boats. Thi syear, we went to the Club after the race for coffee and my overwhelming impression is of an aging crowd of guys. The young ladies present were mostly someones daughter or granddaughter. Where were the late-20-somethings grinding on the hot boats and wearing neon lens sunglasses?

How many people stayed on their boats? Almost nobody slept on their boats, on our dock. I assume everybody got a hotel room. Jeez, for me, it wouldn't be Vallejo if I didn't snooze on the boat. I saw gazillions of 80's vintage boats, quite a few 70's vintage boats, a fair number of 90's vintage boats and not a whole lot of 2005 or newer boats. There were some, for sure, but not a LOT. I think we're semi-stuck in a time warp locked into about 1988-1990.

[Wet Spreaders]

We arrived home about 7:00 last night and the boys spent 20 mins talking over each other telling their mom about the weekend, and crashed at 7:30pm, which never happens. We had a couple of great races and finished well in our class, which has them all excited - plus they were allowed to eat junk food, which is contraband at home. Only one serious piece of drama was a horrendous wrap approaching the river on Saturday. We decided to jibe and cut behind the freighter that looked like it wanted in at the wharf. I hosed-up the sail handling and we put the kite around the jib, which took a couple of minutes to clear and cost us a place (one-design provides brutally immediate feedback of your mistakes). On the video it looks a lot quicker than it felt while we were struggling and the wind doesn't look 21 kts either.

[Charlie Tuna]

https://www.jibeset.net/racedoc/YRA_...l?t=1367814701

Sundays results!

[Photoboy]

David Kean provide a few frames from aboard the Extreme 40 "Smart Recruiters"

[The Flash]

referencing post 20, fricking rotating wing masts. Remember it was twisted so you have a funny angle from this view. but I like it photo boy, maybe I'll buy a shot. I'd have to check the track, but i'd say we were just doing about 15 there, we didn't get wound up till later in the run. Nice amount of sag in the forestay no?

Anyway, downwind the rig was a rock, she blew up on that hate-mission turn and burn. Upwind, reefed. Broke about 1 foot about the spreader.