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Donzo WNR - 06/20/18
Wind: S 4 to 8 kts, gust 10
Current: ebb North Hill 17:30
Start/Finish: near Horseshoe (start at 1805)
Course: N-I_s/f-N-s/f
Race Length: 6.5 nm
Crew: Brian, Adam, Dan & RW
The forecast was for a fresh breeze throughout the evening, but it was not to be.
About a minute & a half prior to the start my plan ran into a major obstacle- “Vitesse” sailing alongside the committee boat blocking our path to the line. It felt like waiting for a freight train to pass. We trailed the class across the line, and after a minute or so tacked out for clear air, but decided to remain on port, not a good choice.
Nearly last in class to the North Hill bell other than Liquid Foundation, we trailed Sans Souci rounding well ahead. Passing through the Dumplings, I noticed Jolly Mon exiting Intrepid at a good clip for the s/f-pin. Farther down the run we began to close on some boats & passed Merganser on our starboard.
We noticed Thunder Chicken’s jibe around the buoy (continuing under spinnaker) and San Souci stuck at the mark with their genoa not providing enough power to exit. We were able to jibe inside SS as they began to re-hoist their spinnaker, as Merganser reached above to stall our progress. In retrospect I should have made an more of an effort to stay above Merganser rather than be concerned about San Souci trailing us back under spinnaker. It was a ten minute struggle to put distance beyond the mark, often drifting backwards in the current, with numerous boats rolling us to windward, Liquid Foundation included. Finally after 20 minutes we reached a wind-line and road it to the pin. San Souci never made it and retired.
We rounded the pin with a leeward take down choosing to tack rather than follow Merganser out on port, thinking starboard a shorter course to better breeze. Considering the current, we should have anticipated it would take us towards the Intrepid wind hole, as that is where we ended up (1938 hours on the chart). Eventually we noticed Merganser back on starboard paralleling us to well to windward prior to their tack to sail up the west side of the Dumplings. By now we were committed to the east side, tacking to port to sail in the current lee of North Dumpling for a short starboard across to South Dumpling and eventually to the mark for the rounding.
Time finally ran out for a TLE as we were sailing along the west shore of North Dumpling at 2030. Only three boats in our class of eight managed to finish, Jolly Mon, Cosmic & Gimlet.
Donzo WNR - 06/13/18
Wind: S 8 to 10 kts, gust 12
GON Baro & Temp: 29.79” & 64F
Current: flood North Hill 17:50
Start/Finish: near Horseshoe (start at 1805)
Course 4: 230 at 1 nm, s/f-wmk-lmk-wmk-s/f
Race Length: 3.92 nm
Crew: Brian, Adam, Dan & RW
During the pre-start there appeared to be more wind offshore towards the windward mark, so a starboard tack was preferred & and also current lifted.
Running down the line, we had a reasonable start. Though I should have anticipated Cosmic crossing the line ahead of us right at the pin resulting in some close quarters sailing with them to our lee and not able to accelerate as we wished. I should have eased up our approach speed some by luffing the sails. Though when clear of us Cosmic shifted out of point mode giving us clear air for a good starboard. Our tack to port was delayed by Merganser on our windward hip, to what we thought may have been too close to the port layline, though not so as we approached the mark.
We had a good set, then worked the east side of the course where the breeze upwind appeared stronger, requiring a port jibe for the rounding. The douse was good, though a little late, slightly delaying our turn to port upwind. A breeze had by now filled in down the course so we continued on port a while. This may have been a mistake, as our COG was headed significantly. We should have tacked back out on starboard shortly after the leeward mark. The chart shows a weird header just prior to our starboard tack.
I delayed our tack onto the starboard layline to cross ahead of Thunder Chicken, giving us a bit more overstand then I would have liked. Both of the roundings at the top of the course were overstood some in the flooding current for a slight loss. A full hoist was delayed some due an entanglement of the spinnaker & port jib halyards. This time we maintained starboard jibe for the full leg, though by the lee nearing the finish for another unprecedented string of first places in class.
Link to chart
Link to results
- double check halyards are not crossed
- may consider setting shroud tension one step tighter above 10 kts TWS
- main could have been flatter upwind.
Donzo WNR - 06/06/18
Wind: S 3 to 8 kts, gust 10
GON Baro & Temp: 29.94” & 70F
Current: ebb North Hill 17:10
Start/Finish: near Horseshoe (start at 1805)
Course 4: s/f-NH-lmk/finish (shortened to one lap);
Race Length: 2.75 nm
Crew: Brian, Adam, Josh & RW
Early on, our strategy favored the right-side of the course, verified in the pre-start wind check. We had a good start running down the line by ourselves in a light breeze less than4-knots to harden up at the gun safely short of the pin and lead the class off the line. Once settled down and up to speed, we switched to port tack safely crossing the class. Shortly thereafter, Cosmic & Jolly Mon followed suit, eventually passing us to leeward. Merganser was the only other boat of our class to join the port tack parade, slowly gain on us as well, though they had to tack off as they closed on our stern. In studying the chart, we may have benefited from a very short tack towards the middle at about 1817. Though the air was so light, a tack may not have been wise. .
The air began to freshen farther offshore and we extended a good bit after Cosmic & Jolly Mon crossed us. But the pressure softened closer to the mark in ebbing current, requiring a short port to round the bell for a smooth hoist & set. Shortly after nearing North Dumpling for our maximum SOG of the night we took a long jibe to port to ride the greatest pressure of the evening. Returning to starboard, the race now shortened to one lap, we crossed behind Cosmic & Jolly Mon close enough to correct to first.
Donzo WNR - 05/30/18
Wind: SE 3 to 6 kts
GON Baro & Temp: 30.13” & 64 to 63F
Current: flood Ram Island 18:50
Start/Finish: near Horseshoe
Course 4: s/f-wmk-lmk-wmk-s/f; 0.8 nm at 100,
Race Length: 3.25 nm
Crew: Brian, Dan, Josh & RW
After a so-so start on port in clean air about a quarter a way down the line with the rest of the class down towards the pin, we moved out on port as planned, the only ones to do so. For some reason, most of the class headed towards for Groton Long Point (I assume with the thought of current avoidance that the flood was further along?). Nearing what we felt was the southern wind boundary, we took a hitch towards the middle. There was some discussion we may have ventured too far south at this point, yet the chart shows this was our best SOG of the night, which correlates to the greater depth of the channel & and a lingering ebb farther from the Connecticut shore. The closer we got to the mark the lighter the wind became along with evidence of flood.
Following the rounding, we worked our way towards GLP for a current boost, there to gain on Merganser farther offshore in the last of the ebb. Reluctant to head offshore, we delayed too long & overstood for the jibe and now a reach (yet we faired well relative to our competition nose to in the current) to the leeward mark where we had a smooth leeward douse & hardened up on port for an upwind similar to the first.
For the final downwind we took a port jibe soon after the rounding more offshore for what appeared more to be wind towards the middle and now some helpful current. We followed Cosmic (getting the gun), Jolly Mon & Merganser across the line, though close enough to correct over all three.
Donzo WNR - 05/23/18
Wind: average 260 at 11; 9 to 12 kts, gust 14 & 16
Current: ebb North Hill 18:55
Start/Finish: near Horseshoe
Course: 1.1 nm at 260, s/f-DM-LMK-DM-s/f
Race Length: 4.1 nm
Crew: Adam, Brian, Josh & RW
We ran down the line at the start trailing San Souci, to cross just short of the pin at the gun (as Sans Souci ran out of line) and continued out on starboard, then took a port hitch towards the middle half way up the course. We switched back to starboard when Jolly Mon overtook us to windward, crossed behind Gimlet, then comfortably north of Seaflower took a final port for the layline to trail Gimlet & Jolly Mon around the mark with a good set. (Our first starboard upwind was approximately 210 but 15+ degrees higher & somewhat stronger near the top of the course.)
We covered Jolly Mon on starboard jibe then slightly inside them on a port to the leeward rounding. Jolly Mon and Gimlet continued out on port from the bottom of the course while I chose starboard soon as we were cleaned up for a tack. (Starboard was now twenty degrees higher than the first upwind, and the wind showed no sign of dying.)
Rounding the top mark, with the wind now clocked 20 degrees from the first upwind to 230, we took a port all the way to the finish, possibly benefiting from a ebb beginning along the shore. The wind had picked up some to what felt like 14 and an occasional 16. We salvaged our time on Jolly Mon with the more direct course as they sailed a course similar to the first lap. Gimlet got the gun, Barbara’s first but Jolly Mon corrected over them for second.
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