Wednesday – 07/11/12
Crew: Brian, Dan, Bob & RW
Winds: SE 4 to 8 kts, occasional gust to 11, Baro 30.16" Temp 75F
Current: ebb - North Hill 1739
Start/Finish: between GLP & Horseshoe
Course: s/f- W-N -s/f (starboard roundings), Distance: 4.5 nm
Shrouds: @ base
I chose a midline line start with Sans Souci safely to windward. Cosmic came in on port and tacked in our lee, though luffing our sails kept the gap large enough that they could not pinch us up, and we got a good start in clear air but downspeed some. We tacked to port within a couple minutes for the lifted tack, as did Watercolors on our starboard quarter. Was we predicted, port tack had a very good current lift with HDM matching COG. Sans Souci and a few others continued out on starboard. Watercolors chose the west side of the Dumplings, while I felt the path along S. Dumpling would be too much of a reach in less wind. I hung on to port too long though, and was late recognizing a header around 1807, which may have amounted to a minute's loss.
Half way out on our in starboard, Breakin’ Wind came across on port to leebow us, though we were able to roll through. Nearing Flat Hammock on the starboard, San Souci well to our lee appeared to be ahead. That early in the ebb, I figure she must have benefited from a stronger current along the shore of GLP for her easting, than we in mid-channel.
Approaching the layline, we were fouled by Avara crossing on port (rather than ducking), slowing us some. The rounding and set in traffic went fairly well, and we had a nice spinnaker reach to North Hill. Following the jibe around N, we chose a path through the Dumplings for current and wind angle, with Watercolors the only boat in our class choosing the west side. We had a good run, but only equal to that of Sans Souci safe ahead. The wind held and it was nice to get a full race in for the last race of the Spring Series.
Link to chart
Link to results
45 seconds out of second (Jolly Mon)
A minute 33 seconds out of first (Sans Souci)
I’ve a couple thoughts about our sets and jibes.
- Spinnaker sets: again we need to be more aggressive in getting the tack to windward of the headstay ( if not to the end of the pole), and the genoa down, if only partially, as that will allow air to fill the top of the spinnaker.
- Jibes: do not ease the pole go too far forward blanketing the spinnaker behind the main, preventing it from filling.