Saturday Afternoon - 05/30/09

Yesterday afternoon, Bob, Brian, Seth & I went out for a calibration/tuning/practice sail.

We would have preferred 8 to 10 knot conditions, but on the way out (1350 hours) found 12, gusting to 15. After hoisting the sails in the lee of Groton Long Point, Seth took us out to Intrepid then a long port past Horseshoe where we thought the water would be flatter off the airport (GON) due to less current. Our theory worked out and we spent the next hour an’ a half tacking back and forth to get a handle on TWD & the up-wash angle (which we found to be in the 10 degree range at 12 to 13 kts wind).  Unfortunately, we know of no way of calibrating out the up-wash out in Nexus, though may be able to do so in CompuSail. Short of three o’clock the winds moderated down to eight and ten.  

This was our third sail of the season & amidst all our tacking Seth noticed (a surprise to us all) that the sail #’s on the genoa were incorrect, 9274 instead of 9472.  Previously, the sail had no numbers on it. I had sent the sail to Waters over the winter to trim the leech a bit, and ordered a new genoa with numbers on each sail.  This coming Wednesday, we hope to run the new genoa for the first time, maybe to discover the numbers on it incorrect also.

At a quarter to three, we set the new spinnaker (Waters) for the first time (numbers correct, 9472) and proceeded eastward down Fishers Island Sound. We discovered that the previous TWS spinnaker compensation of 8% was too much, and after numerous adjustments decided no-compensation necessary.
Passing Seaflower, we noticed a Race Committee setting a finish line, and remembered the MRYC Long Distance was taking place.  After continuing our jibes down past East Clump, we doused for a beat back to West Cove, and witnessed ‘She’s the Boss, J105’ crossing the finish, no other competitors in sight.  Must have been some fun; reaching under that big ass’y all the way from Montauk.

GON Wx 
 1 PM (17) May 30 68.0 (20.0) 57.9 (14.4) 29.67 (1004) SW 14
 2 PM (18) May 30 68.0 (20.0) 55.9 (13.3) 29.67 (1004) WSW 16
 3 PM (19) May 30 70.0 (21.1) 55.9 (13.3) 29.67 (1004) WSW 15
 4 PM (20) May 30 70.0 (21.1) 55.0 (12.8) 29.66 (1004) SW 13 
 5 PM (21) May 30 71.1 (21.7) 53.1 (11.7) 29.66 (1004) W 13 
 6 PM (22) May 30 72.0 (22.2) 50.0 (10.0) 29.66 (1004) WSW 13 
onboard baro - 29.61-29.63

Another great day on the water, with more than twenty miles under our keel…
Afternoon chart

Related Articles

Sunday 10/31/04

Sunday 10/03/04