Crew: Brian, Bob & RW
Wind: NW at 8 kts, Baro 29.94", Temp 73F
Avg Wind: 305 at 8 kts
Start: X
Current: flood RI 1613
Course: s/f-I-S/f*2; Distance: 6.5 nm
The RC chose a two lapper to Intrepid and back, with a downwind start in the routine GLP starting area. I suffered another of what has been a handful of brain-farts this season. Realizing the leeward mark was not the pin too late to prevent an OCS, we had to return losing better part of minute correcting our mistake.
Collecting our wits, we chose to sail in the current lee of Groton Long Point, as did Cosmic while Jolly Mon, Sans Souci & Breaking Wind took a more direct route.
There was a fishing boat anchored at the Intrepid buoy, positioned down current. With Jolly Mon & Cosmic rounding first, the more direct route seemed to pay off with Sans Souci arriving a half-minute or less ahead. All three sailed around the south side of the anchored boat, as did Breaking Wind trailing us to the mark. Jolly Mon & Cosmic rounded and sailed out on port. The last three minutes or so of the approach, I chose to maintain a range, squeaking between the anchored boat & the mark, saving a handful a’ boat lengths. All in all things were looking good.
Unexpectedly, Sans Souci rounded and tacked to starboard. Did Ted see us prior to the tack, I don’t know? we were now stuck between a rock & a hard place (buoy & fishing boat) As a result, (with addition of the significant current push) Sans Souci's bow hit us at about a sixty degree angle at the forward port stanchion.
Somewhat shaken by the incident and not know what the damage may have been if any, I chose to withdraw.
In retrospect, with a lap and a half left in the race, a part of me wishes we would have hung in there with a good chance of finishing in the money.
Withdrew at Intrepid (leeward mark)
Link to chart
Link to results
Wind: S at 4 kts
Avg Wind: 195 at 4.7 kts, Baro 30.11" Temp 75F
Start: just west of West Clump
Current: ebb RI 1502
Course: s/f-W-I-W(s/f)
Race Length: 4.2 nm
Brian, Bob & RW
It was three of us again, thankfully quite manageable with the light air. The start area lay just west of West Clump, with West Harbor’s R6 as the windward mark and Intrepid the leeward. Our leg up to the windward mark was good, with wind going light short of the mark, and we rounded with in relatively close quarters behind Jolly Mon, Cosmic and Mayaro with San Souci trailing not far behind.
Mayaro some lost time sorting out a bad set. We threw in three jibes before settling in on port for Flat Hammock, covering Cosmic from behind. Sans Souci rounded and jibed to our windward maintaining a fresh port over the Flat Hammock reef to point well up-current of Intrepid. Due to the low tide, we gave the reef a bit more caution. It was a mistake to maintain a range to Intrepid (though it worked for Jolly Mon) rather than a fresher jibe, similar to Sans Souci. Cosmic & Mayaro favored the middle exiting the West Harbor approach. They may have had a bit more current in their favor there. Yet they then were more up-current to Intrepid.
As I remember it, Jolly Mon rounded first, then Cosmic. Sans Souci approached nearly dead down-current requiring a 180 at the mark and was drifting backwards as we approached and round ahead. As we then found ourselves similar to Sans Souci, and to make matters worse, Mayaro slipped in between us and the mark. We now found ourselves being rolled by numerous larger boats. At some point, Sans Souci was able to slip by inside also, as did Breaking Wind.
Once clear, I made my fatal mistake of the evening- tacking to starboard with the thought of covering Sans Souci now far ahead back toward West Clump. The smart thing would have been to maintain port, benefiting from a current lift till an appropriate time to tack back towards Flat Hammock.
*We were so focused on achieving Intrepid, there was no discussion of the strategy for the next leg.
Sans Souci proceeded east then came up the east side of West Clump, where they ran aground for five minutes or more. After an aborted attempt on port (in dying wind) to gain the harbor, I decided to go with the current up to alongside the Clump to work our way back. It very slow going, and a bit short of the line in darkness, the RC gave us a finish time of 2020.
Congratulations to Mayaro on their first 1st place.
Actual GON Wx
22 17:56 S 7 CLR 76 62 62% NA 78 30.11 1019.5
22 16:56 S 7 CLR 76 63 64% NA 78 30.11 1019.6
22 18:56 SW 6 CLR 74 64 71% NA NA 30.10 1019.3
22 19:56 Calm CLR 71 64 78 71 79% NA NA 30.11 1019.5
22 20:56 Calm CLR 69 64 84% NA NA 30.13 1020.1
Comments by Greg:
08/15/12
Wind: East at 4 kts, Baro 29.84" Temp 74F
Avg Wind: 096 at 4.2 kts
Start: GLP western side
Current: flood RI-1614, NH 1649
Course: s/f-I-N-s/f
Race Length: 3.6 nm
Brian, Seth & RW
Again, just three of us last night, though a different mix. We had a good start in very light air, against a cooking flood, so chose to go deep into Mumford Cove. On the tack back out to the Point, we may have had a bit of back-eddy assisting. Following a series of tacks at Groton Long Point for current avoidance, the final tack back in around GLP#22 may have hurt us, as the current was really ripping there.
Following Intrepid, it was slow going till picking up the current through the Dumplings. Our set at North Hill was smooth. The best air of the evening lay between the NH and N. Dumpling, then it continued to drop towards the finish.
We pulled off a second behind Jolly Mon, boat for boat with Cosmic five minutes to our rear. There were four DNF’s in our class alone.
A storm approached on our way in, making the motor back to Spicer’s and putting the boat to bed very wet
Actual GON Wx
16:56 E 75 68 79% 29.86 1011.2 Fair CLR
17:56 SE 5 75 67 76% 29.85 1010.7 Fair CLR
18:56 Calm 74 68 82% 29.83 1010.2 A Few Clouds FEW050
19:56 W12G30 1.25v 69 65 87% 29.87 1011.5 Heavy Rain Fog/Mist BKN016 OVC041
Link to chart
link to results
Greg's Comments:
Wednesday - 08/08/12
Crew: Brian, Dan & RW
Wind: SSE, 3 to 6, avg 4.5 kts
Weather: High OVC, 75F, Baro 29.95
Current: ebb 1600 NH
Start: GLP start area
Course: s/f-W-s/f; Distance: 4.3 nm
On the motor out, the outboard overheated just past the Spicer day marks, as the impeller bit the dust. Fortunately, we hitched a tow on Dark & Stormy as she came by on the way out. At the five minute warning and short of GLP 24, we ditched the tow knowing we were not going to make the line prior to the gun.
We rounded the pin a minute late, on Class 2’s four minute warning and continued out on a current lifted port for a ways. Shortly after the start Cosmic bailed on to port for clear air, while the rest of the class continued out the left on starboard. Shortly after our tack to stay in a band of wind, Sans Souci crossed safey ahead on port and contined right. Confident in our wind band, we decided not to cover. Brian did a great job picking the wind all the way to West Harbor, with a slight favor to the Flat Hammock side some.
The rounding and set was good in spite of the traffic from overtaking classes. On the downwind, had I not taken it so close to Flat Hammock, we may have benefited more from current farther from shore, yet still cut inside the FH buoy. Past Flat Hammock it was a game of very light air spinnaker (Dan) & main trim with a bit of up current strategy. I guess Sans Souci may have trailed us two or three minutes at "W" yet closed to a minute, 18 seconds at the finish. Either, she benefited from a private breeze accompanying her, or that extra 45 square feet of downwind sail area really paid off.
Gratefully, Dark & Stormy again gave us a tow; deep into the marina. With a bit a sculling we eventually docked. Brian took the outboard home for analysis & maybe repair. Fingers crossed.
Greg Gilmartin's comments: