Summer Sailstice YRA Race

[Photoboy]

Bodacious is not afeard and not intimidated by Saturday's big breeze!

From the SF 30 Fleet Yahoo Group:

What a day in the Slot of Hell. The term for the wind ---- NUKING ---. We had Shameless, Heart of Gold, Elusive, & Wind Speed. Anyone know what the wind speed was? I suspect it was over 20 kts. We choose to be less competitive as others and kept the spinnaker in the bag. Shameless must had a sled ride to the circle mark. The others I, let them tell their story. We were doing 9 kts with just reef main and #3 jib. Anyone, get a shot or our keel at the leeward rounding. A blast knocked us off our feet. Watched as the water was lipping into companion way opening. Shock out the reef on the last leg to finish under surfing conditions. It was definitely a ---Nuking Slot of Fun -----.

Tony Castruccio
J-30 Wind Speed


Great day to be sure. Our WS indicator decided to take the day off, so not sure of wind speed, but I was guessing mid twenties, Two weeks ago on the HDA Pt. Bonita race, we had low thirties on the way out the gate and mid-thirties to low forties when we got back to the gate. My butt is still B & B from that run! We were only 5 yesterday, and it took us a bit get get the trim correct for the light crew. We were surprised at the lack of kites yesterday, which really made the difference. Overall a fun day. I think the SF 30s had the biggest group on the line. Even saw Bob Izmirian out on Jane Doe as a single hand. Surprised he wasn't under his kite.

See everyone at the 2nd Half opener in a month.

George Ellison
Shamless, Schumacher 30'

My wind instruments were also on strike. Anyone who made the mistake of TackTick instruments has learned the hard lesson that they are not very good, and since they were bought out by Ray Marine the customer service pretty much matches the poor quality of the instruments.

I was really impressed with everyone’s downwind speed except my own. I don’t know how I could have sailed much faster under my full main and no. 3 as I chased Shameless down the Bay to the turning mark in the Circle and watched Elusive and Wind Speed catching me, Tony sailing downwind with a reef. I hit almost 10 knots on one short surf and my boat was bow down no matter how far back I sat. The downwind ratings probably tell the story. Shameless rates 645, Elusive/HoG 645, Wind Speed 657 and Jane Doe 663. That extra weight in the bow is a killer.

Bob Izmirian

We sailed Smokin’ J from KKMI in Richmond over to SF yesterday. Not racing, but we saw some of you folks as we crossed the slot. Apparent wind was in the low to mid-twenties as we beat across the slot.

Later that day on the way home to Coyote Point we hit 10.7 knots over ground on the GPS, bucking the ebb south of Candlestick. This was on the 95% jib and reefed main on a beam reach, bearing off to surf. Apparent wind speed was high twenties and low 30’s.

Great day!

Mark Bettis
J/29 Smokin’ J







Bashing towards Harding




Deathspear lights the afterburners




When the going gets tough, the kids go below and play video games!




When the other Express 37 retired, nowy Owl was in the drivers seat!




Red Cloud readies the kite




Zingaro reaches across the City Front




One for th resident Geezer, Roller Coaster...have not seen her in some time!




I think this Erik Menzels Wabbit, but no can find on entry sheet




No race is complete with the Can bringing up the rear...

Results not yet availible...

[IOR Geezer]

The old Doug Peterson, Choate built sloop.

She's looking good! Who's the new owner?

[DeathSpear]

Indeed it was a great day for JetStream. Our only regret was not tee'ing up the #4 at the start. It would have made for a better upwind runs. We have no wind instruments but i would guess to solid 20s West of Pt. Blunt with closer to 30s in the circle. We took a couple of good accelerations in the circle that got us over the 20knots mark. Most of our previous 20+ runs have been wave assisted, not Saturday. We delayed our first set until around Alcatraz to ensure we could make 21 in the the strong flood and we were rewarded. It would be nice it the leeward mark could be made visible, in those conditions, flying at hight teens, with your head on keeping the mast pointing up, it really sucks not to be able to see the f&*(GH mark until you are on it. We didn't miss it, but we weren't so sure for a while. With an untested crew member (for JetStream) there were some vague concerns, but she delivered. And Andrew on the kite making sure my mistakes on the tiller don't show.

The second beat was a bit of a parade as everyone pretty much followed the same strategy, port tack to the lee of Angel, tack to Pt. Blunt, tack back to port until you think you can make Harding, ... but we knew we would get rewarded with another great run, and it delivered. Behind us Mintaka and the SunFast looked to be having a nice boat for boat battle all the way to the finish.

Unfortunately the turnout was a little disappointing. Only 3 boats on our start, with just one Antrim27 and a Flying Tiger showing up. Encinal had a good party going on after the race. Have to finish more races there.

Slivereagle next Saturday, lets hope for another blow

[Andy Newell]

Ahi saw low 20's and at least one puff to 28 on the way to F on the first lap. We had a good first lap and then got too conservative and reefed for the second lap, failed to shake the reef before Harding and failed to hoist on the second downwind leg, although I wish we had done so half way down the leg as the wind lifted and moderated a bit. Oh well...

[DeathSpear]

Yikes, looking over the results is looks like the RC sent everyone on course 3. Must have been a long day for the slower boats (and the RC). We were already lapping some of the boats just getting started on our second beat.

[Andy Newell]

There was a postponement right before H fleet to re-set the line because the committee boat dragged, probably took them about 20 minutes.

[Wet Spreaders]

We had a great day on the water. We made the right call at the start (head left, tack onto a layline for Sausalito - minimize exposure to the late flood at some risk of being knocked on the long port leg with the fleet to our right with leverage) and beat our fleet to Harding. With the breeze in the high teens, gusting over 20, I'd already decided that it was too much for the kite with just me and the little guys on the boat; we were lucky that the leg to 21 was too fine an angle to carry anyway, so we were first there too. After that, we could not compete and saw the SunFast and Mintaka blow past below us on the run down to FOC. The competitive juices were flowing and I was very tempted - saved only by the fact that our gear was on the wrong side after the jibe.

Photoboy is right - the boys take off downstairs periodically to play video games and raid the junk food out of my sight, generally during the "boring bits" - defined by kid-logic as the times when we are not in mortal peril or turning a corner.

Here we are just after the start - extracted from the POV cam on the stern

Snapshot 1 (6-24-2013 4-50 AM).jpg

[Andy Newell]

Yikes, looking over the results is looks like the RC sent everyone on course 3.

I think because there is an 'overall' perpetual trophy that they need to send everyone on the same course.

[DeathSpear]

I think because there is an 'overall' perpetual trophy that they need to send everyone on the same course.

Didn't know there was one, but that would make sense. Thanks.

[DeathSpear]

We had a great day on the water. We made the right call at the start (head left, tack onto a layline for Sausalito - minimize exposure to the late flood at some risk of being knocked on the long port leg with the fleet to our right with leverage) and beat our fleet to Harding. With the breeze in the high teens, gusting over 20, I'd already decided that it was too much for the kite with just me and the little guys on the boat; we were lucky that the leg to 21 was too fine an angle to carry anyway, so we were first there too. After that, we could not compete and saw the SunFast and Mintaka blow past below us on the run down to FOC. The competitive juices were flowing and I was very tempted - saved only by the fact that our gear was on the wrong side after the jibe.

Photoboy is right - the boys take off downstairs periodically to play video games and raid the junk food out of my sight, generally during the "boring bits" - defined by kid-logic as the times when we are not in mortal peril or turning a corner.

Here we are just after the start - extracted from the POV cam on the stern

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1248[/ATTACH]

Hope to one day join you on the father/son(s) fleet. But I'm still a few years away. You sailed that boat remarkably fast upwind with no one on the rail on the second beat. I did briefly questioned your sanity, though

[Wet Spreaders]

Hope to one day join you on the father/son(s) fleet. But I'm still a few years away. You sailed that boat remarkably fast upwind with no one on the rail on the second beat. I did briefly questioned your sanity, though

Those who whine about "saving sailing" and opine on the benefits of Optis or Vanguards for all etc have it all wrong. The secret is unfettered access to sugar. Since they were small, they learned to associate sailing with a massive and sustained sugar high because I'm too busy to supervise them properly and I can't see what they are doing down stairs. I'm slowly weaning them into driving for longer and longer periods - In a couple of years I'm planning to stay below with the rum and let them deal with the physical discomfort and salty spray.

My boat is a rocketship upwind because the class requires all of the boats to weigh the same. Mine is an early boat (hull #16) and I need 700lbs of lead to meet the minimum weight. You can guess where that goes and the effect it has on reducing the need for railmeat in breeze.

[DeathSpear]

Those who whine about "saving sailing" and opine on the benefits of Optis or Vanguards for all etc have it all wrong. The secret is unfettered access to sugar. Since they were small, they learned to associate sailing with a massive and sustained sugar high because I'm too busy to supervise them properly and I can't see what they are doing down stairs. I'm slowly weaning them into driving for longer and longer periods - In a couple of years I'm planning to stay below with the rum and let them deal with the physical discomfort and salty spray.

My boat is a rocketship upwind because the class requires all of the boats to weigh the same. Mine is an early boat (hull #16) and I need 700lbs of lead to meet the minimum weight. You can guess where that goes and the effect it has on reducing the need for railmeat in breeze.

I think I can subscribe to the 'sugar and rum' theory.

[Wylieguy]

On "NANCY" our TackTick was working. We saw consistent Apparent Wind in the low 30s, with a few gusts at 35, especially around Blunt. We were having too much fun, so when we got to Harding for the first time and realized we'd be doing that upwind leg twice more since we had to go home to Sausalito after the finish, we decided home looked good right then.

[Wet Spreaders]

Our first upwind saw about 17kts at the start, max of around 22kts in the Central Bay. The downwind was the same. On the second time around we went right and tucked in behind Point Blunt where it was pretty puffy - I saw 26kts max. Once we were away from the disturbed air the speed was between 21kts and 24kts back to Harding and stayed in that range on the run back down until we were behind TI, when it dropped off considerably. We finished just before 2pm, so likely the guys still out on the course saw more of the bigger breeze than we did.

[Bitchin Bow Dude]

http://vimeo.com/68930183

How its done