Single Handed Farallones

[Photoboy]

"Heads up! If you're thinking about the Singlehanded Farallones race May 18, be aware that the skippers meeting is one week earlier than usual: Wednesday May 8, 7:30 pm at Oakland YC. You'll still have until the 15th to enter, but all competitors are urged to attend the meeting - especially first timers!

Renowned naval architect Jim Antrim will give an overview of what waves are all about, what those NOAA wave forecasts really mean, how changes in water depth dramatically changes the nature of waves, and how to stay safe when the wind and waves are “up” (which happens frequently in the Gulf of the Farallones).

Round The Rocks Awards Trophy Party:

Did you know there were three collisions in last week’s race, with significant damage to five boats? Did you know the racers on the “wrong side” of these collisions were two of our most experienced singlehanded racers? If this can happen to them, it can happen to any of us. They have both graciously agreed to talk about “what went wrong” – so we can all learn from their mistakes.

Remember, tonight's meeting is combined with the skippers meeting for Singlehanded Farallones to save you some driving."



http://www.sfbaysss.org/

[Hanno]

The new sheriff BobJ says he's going to be strict with the entry deadline: 1700 today. So get on your horse, or cut bait!

[BobJ]

(That mixed metaphor is pretty funny coming from you, Hanno.)


Actually Jackie is the tyrant. We want to give the CG the link that will tell them what color underwear you'll be wearing and all that, so she needs to wrap this up.

40 boats - not nearly as many as 2011 but more than the Stand-Down Marathon (I think). Looks like a good fleet.

We could stand here and talk until the cows turn blue - let's do this thing.

[Rx]

Just an FYI...Jibeset Regatta page shows registration closing at midnight tonight. Yes, I know what is in the SI's....this conflict could just be a bit frustrating for some

[Hanno]

Uh-oh.

[BobJ]

Just sozya know, Rx is another bean-counter - can you tell?

I'll see if Ray can fix that easily. The SI's control and I'm not afraid to point this out, so 1700 it is.

[Aussie]

Registration have now closed --- at 17:00:00 today. Sail safe!

[Photoboy]

Results are up!

Hung around as long as I could hoping to catch the 1st boats back, but, alas twas past my contract there is nada to share.

Looked "fresh" outside the Gate and a friend reported sailing out a few miles then decided it was "Too Fresh" for them and turned tail
and head in after crew upchucking...saw a few white sails later on the StFYC cam...how was it?

[Photoboy]

Division Breakdowns

[Photoboy]

Max to the rescue! A very nice shot of the Moore 24 The Bar-ba-loot at the stinky rocks!

[Hanno]

Solar Wind report

The race got off to a funny start, with the first gun fired on time at 0830 but then nothing. Clearly we were in a postponement although I couldn’t see the AP clearly. After a while the RC came on the radio and said they were dropping the AP but we were still postponed, and they’d be getting in touch in half an hour or so. Finally Sheriff Bob came on the radio to announce that the start was shifted from A buoy and the StFYC deck, to X buoy and an orange mark near the stone lighthouse in the parking lot. I’ll let him fill in the details if he’s so inclined, but suffice it to say that the RC improvised and came up with a bootleg starting line in the best tradition of the SSS.

We finally got underway one hour late. I had already decided to start with the #3 even with the very light wind at the original start time, as an old geezer like me has to conserve energy for later in the race and not blow it all tacking the #1 and changing down in an hour or so anyway. By the end of the postponement the 3 was a good choice. While the pesky Wyliecats led class E out the Gate, I thought I was looking pretty good, even crossing ahead of Shaman the Cal 40 a couple of times. But I blew it playing the middle near Bonita. Even though I was seeing mid-8s over the ground, most of the boats on the north side got past me. Then, as predicted, it got windier and lumpier. The first reef went in somewhere around the Lightship, then it was the usual slog out in maybe 25 knots apparent with the pesky Wyliecats slowly pulling away and no sign of Shaman. Naturally I took a big wave into the cockpit and down the front and back of my jacket before I was fully zipped up.

It actually eased up a little about five miles from the island and got pretty comfortable, but the rounding – about 1500 – was as rough and windy as predicted. I’m pleased to report that everyone in sight took a very conservative line around the northwest corner. A cautious but uneventful bearaway, then a chicken jibe followed shortly by shaking out the reef.

With the apparent wind right on the beam in the upper teens and the 3 sheeted to the rail, it was comfortable – a little too comfortable. This is a race, right? So I put up the high-clewed 125% that’s been good on this leg in the past. Unfortunately, the wind picked back up, gusting above 30, and the boat just wouldn’t go straight. The autopilot couldn’t cope, so for a couple of hours I was hand steering, fighting roundups and pondering how to get rid of the damn sail. Finally, just south of the ship channel, I let the boat round up, locked the helm to weather, and dragged the jib down, finding the halyard had come unshackled and the head had pulled out of the luff tape. Then I had to run back to the helm and head up to avoid hitting buoy 6. Enough excitement for the time being, so it was main only for a few miles. After passing Bonita, everything mellowed out, so back up with the #3. Spinnaker? Let’s think about – NO. I finished about 1850 with a couple more heavy weather lessons learned, like: Don’t be stupid! Fortunately for the RC waiting out in the open, the last finishers were in before 2100.

[BobJ]

Re the start, "we meant to do that." (Yeah, right.) We were prohibited from making sounds or signals until we vacated the premises, hence going silent after 0830. Once on public property guns are not allowed. No flags either (no flag pole), but we all know we don't look at the flags anyway (well maybe you do!). I had a back-up plan to start you guys with no signals, had it come to that.

Re the finish, we were in my car between boats. My headlights were pointed at the X-Buoy had it become necessary. During a lull Cindy got us dinner from the StFYC Grille Room. We were quite comfortable actually. Paul D did the horn, Cindy called the time and I wrote them down. Then we'd call Kathy aboard their boat and she entered the finish times in Jibeset. Nancy entered some too, and she kept the Coast Guard up to date. We had a great radio with masthead antenna on the boat - better than what we would have had on the race deck - so communications were never a problem. I think we were in a better position to respond to a problem than we normally are.

The team did a great job of flexing along the way and I thought it all went quite well. I still wished I'd raced though.

[familysailor]

Curious---
Did you have prior arrangements to use the St. Francis Deck? If so, what changed?
If not, what was the original plan?
I did not read the SI's or any other race documents, so I apologize if the info was readily available elswhere.

[BobJ]

Yes, and the StFYC did what they could to make it work for us on short notice. It was just a little too late to get our ducks in a row when we were told the GGYC would be under construction. We had reserved the GGYC in January (or earlier) for this race and were told it would be available until July 1. Fortunately our PRO called a bit ahead or we would have just showed up there (GGYC) on Saturday morning.

However, I DON'T want this to be the focus, although any perceived controversy titillates these days. The race was a success from the racers' perspective and that's all that counts.

[Single Hander]

Nice report Hanno, I bow in your general direction!