Wind: S 5 to 12 kts
Avg Wind: 178 at 7.9 kts, Baro 30.05" Temp 67 F
Current: flood NH 1417, ebb 1940
Start: West Harbour Approach
Course: (s/f-W-LMK-W-s/f, 1 nm at
Race Length: 3.95nm, Log: 5.2 nm
Crew: Brian, Dan, Bob & RW

Based on the forecast, the RC decided on the approaches to Fishers Island West Harbour for the race.  It takes a little longer to get there than the typical motor to Mumford Cover. Short of time we decided to the leave the rig at base, reinforced with the thought of diminishing wind. In retrospect, cinching it up one or two steps may have helped pointing somewhat.

We had a very good start leading the class down the line at the gun, the consequence being pinned to the left longer than we wished. San Souci was over early, having mistaken the leeward mark for the pin, which I’ve been guilty of in the past. The wind appeared to be slightly stronger on the right, so we decided to avoid venturing east for the downwind. At the rounding of “W” the spinnaker halyard got caught again on mainsail upper batten (will be fixed by next week). Once up and flying, the downwind went very well heeling to windward & sailing slightly by the lee.

We had good leeward douse short of the mark, though too slow getting the genoa trimmed allowing Swiss Cheese to get above and roll us. Approaching the red-nun off Flat Hammock, Brian reminded us to tack shortly afterward as the reef curves out to the southeast.  Just as we were about to tack, I noticed Cosmic about a hundred yards ahead, then Watercolors run aground.  Cosmic shook themselves free still able to maintain a lead over us, but Watercolors was stuck good and eventually retired.

Rounding "W" a spinnaker hoist problem arouse again, this with the chute going up sideways (photo-op missed).  Fortunately, the Dan & Bob quickly corrected the problem as Brian human poled the genoa wing &wing. Soon as things were sorted out we again sailed by the lee even closer to the rhumbline for a shorter course to the finish, third boat for boat with San Souci, Breaking Wind and Merganser never in the hunt.

Once more the wind gods defied the forecast for a very pleasant sail all the way back to Noank, for our longest Wednesday night of the year and Bob’s last Wednesday night race (moving to Georgia this weekend).

·         We need to get the spinnaker windward clew farther to windward prior to the hoist.

Link to Chart
Link to Results

ARENA RACING
Written by Greg Gilmartin

43 boats turned out for some close in action as the Donzo Wednesday Night Series passed the half way mark of the Spring Series.   The early calm around the Horseshoe Reef starting area forced the RC to head for West Harbor as the playing field, setting up a 4 mile windward leeward race.  Surprisingly, the wind filled in all around, but proved to be strongest right where we were.    Solid 8-13 from SSE.  
            Quantum Leap and Wild Horses each scored their third straight wins.  Ursa Minor also looked strong out front, but not so strong they could hold off Swiss Cheese on corrected.   SeTherin did correct out for the win in Class One.  Zig Zag Zoom and Eclipse took the guns and covered in their classes.
            Five in the books, the rest is gravy.  Some boats will be at Race Week next week, but the Donzo will rage on.  Now, let's get talking about building bleachers along the West Harbor shore in time for next year.

Wind: NW 5 to 12 kts
Avg Wind: 300 at 8.5 kts, Baro 29.77" Temp 72 F
Current: ebb NH 1330
Start: GLP Starting Area
Course: (s/f-DM (150 at 1.4nm)-s/f) *2
Race Length: 5.7 nm, Log: 8.5 nm
Crew: Brian, Bob & RW

The wind had been howling out of the northwest all day, mid to high-teens, with gusts in the mid-twenties. As we psyched ourselves up on the motor out to the starting area, it moderated to the low to mid-teens & gusts to twenty. The race and first class finally got underway at 1820, after a false start following a five minute delay setting the drop mark roughly a mile and a half southeast at 150 degrees for a downwind start.  Minutes prior to the tart the breeze subsided significantly to less than ten knot with an occasional gust into the low teens.

Coming into the pin on starboard, bearing off and popping the chute gave us a relatively good start in the company of Jolly Mon and Breaking Wind, with the remainder of the class favouring the committee boat. Jolly Mon really stretched out on this first leg and continued to so for the remainder of the race. The wind was noticeably stronger the farther offshore we got.  We favoured the starboard jibe, sailing mostly by the lee and heeling to windward.  This seems to work well, giving a course up current of the mark and fresh port jibe to the rounding.

We lost a few seconds on the take-down and rounding, and planned to favour the left side offshore route for more wind, yet, on three occasions were forced to tack, about to be pinched up by faster boats from overtaking classes. Rather than tacking back, we allowed ourselves to be forced towards shore and less wind.

On the hoist, rounding the windward mark, the spinnaker halyard got caught on an upper mainsail batten, which took a good two minutes or more to shake free.  Had incoming traffic not prevented me from bearing off as much as I intended, this may not have happened.  The wind had noticeably dropped off and we repeated a similar course and strategy on the second downwind, with a much better douse and rounding.   We discussed the fact that we were headed some on starboard, yet chose to stick with an offshore strategy.

·         First windward leg, we should have made a more aggressive effort to stay offshore and in more wind while it lasted.
·         Leg statistics: 
o        DW1: 18 minutes,        Avg TWS:10,  Avg Bps:4.9, Log:1.48, Pf:93.8%
o        UW1: 33.5 minutes,    Avg TWS:8.3, Avg Bps:5.1, Log:2.84, Pf:98.7%
o        DW2: 21.5 minutes,    Avg TWS:8.5, Avg Bps:4.3, Log:1.52, Pf:89.4%   (due to hoist)
o        UW2: 33 minutes,        Avg TWS:7.0, Avg Bps:4.8, Log:2.67, Pf:94.8%
·         Second windward leg: starboard was headed compared to the first leg.  Distancing ourselves on port from North Dumpling may have lessened that, yet we would not have benefited from less current in the lee of North Dumpling.
·         Seven seconds faster elapsed time would have put us in third, and two minutes in second.

Link to Chart
Link to Results

Wind: SSW 8 to 10 kts
Avg Wind: 200 at 10 kts, Baro 30.14" Temp 61.5 F
Start: GLP Starting Area
Current: flood NH 1621
Course: (s/f-N-I-s/f-Wmk-s/f) *2
Race Length: 5.9 nm
Crew: Brian, Bob & RW

We were a bit late to the line, trailing Jolly Mon at the committee boat.  When we took a short port hitch for clearer air; both Watercolors to our lee and Jolly Mon slightly ahead to lee followed suit. Following our eventual tack, we held starboard to the Dumplings‘ mid-channel.

Rounding North Hill with a smooth set, we chose to jibe and split for the west side of North Dumpling for current reduction (while most of the boats chose the shallows along the south side of the channel through the Dumplings). This took us farther westward than I expected and hurt. Possibly, a starboard by lee would have been shorter to ND. Along with the current reduction there was an unfortunate softening of the wind as it lifted over the island.

Past the island we had a fresh angle to our jibe around Intrepid, followed by a reach into the leeward mark. Jolly Mon first around Intrepid, really stretched out; Watercolors chose to douse and lost some to JM on this leg.

After the leeward douse & rounding of the leeward mark and tack to starboard, we had a problem with the genoa halyard tension slipping, which took a couple minutes or more to resolve. A fix is in the works. Approaching the windward mark, I decided to leave the spinnaker (result of leeward douse) setup alone and go for a jibe-set (a mistake). We should have taken time to switch the spinnaker over to port, as we would have faired better with a bearaway.   After jibing back to starboard, we had nice 10 to 12 knot run to the finish.

Link to Chart
Link to Results

Wind: SSW at 4 kts
Avg Wind: 200 at 4.3 kts, Baro 30.02" Temp 64F
Start:  GLP Starting Area
Current: ebb NH 1505
Course: (s/f-d/m-s/f) *2
Race Length:  3.96 nm
Crew: Brian, Bob & RW

It was a day of firsts:
• I believe the first time we’ve launched and raced in the same day.
• The first time we’ve been first in class to the windward mark.
• And a first place in our first race of the season; first in spite of what in most cases would have be a game changing mistake.
It had been a hectic Memorial Day Weekend finishing up SeTherin for the season’s launch with everyone pitching in (Dan on Sunday, Bob & Brian on the Holiday).   Arriving at Spicer's at 10, in the water and at the dock by 11, I had the mast up by 1300 and sailable by race time. 
 
Starting in the familiar outer reaches of Mumford Cove just west of Groton Long Point and in consideration of the light air the RC chose a two lapper out to a drop-mark 1 nm southeast at 190 degrees.
 
We tend favor the right with such course for the likely current lift in the ebb, maybe even more so in this case than out to North Hill. A couple minutes prior the gun I noticed what looked like a bit more wind out to the southwest also, Bob & Brian concurred.  Ducking a couple of transoms and crossing Breaking Wind, we continued port on our lonesome.  A third of the way up the course a well timed righty noticed by Brian and subsequent tack to starboard set us up for the mark and for the win.  The race was now ours to lose.
 
Approaching the mark, about to hoist the spinnaker, I noticed the wind had clocked significantly (briefly to the northwest), so we just jibed around the mark and began a beat back the north, which became a drifter near the mark. Rounding on to starboard for only a short while, we tacked to port avoiding a down current situation out in the channel.  This also worked greatly in our favor, as the wind now backed allowing us to fetch the mark.  The wind had backed to the southeast as we approached the mark, and in a fit of dyslexia I called for a jibe set.  Fortunately, our decisions up till now had put us positioned us well enough to survive such back-assed thinking.  
Jibing back to starboard and staying up current of our competition we finished with nearly three minutes ahead on corrected time.
 
Prior to the launch & sail, I had not the time to clean the deck & cockpit as much as I would have liked, so there was still much Glastonbury arborvitae here and there which Brian contributes to our good fortune.

Lessons:

• In light air, strive to stay up current of the the mark.
• Especially when the mark has is positioned in a high current area.
   
  Link to Chart
  Link to Results