Ram Island - 08/17/08

Ram Island

Ram Island YC - Around the Island Regatta
Crew: Megan, Seth & RW
Current: ebb North Hill 1137, 1202 at Race Point
Winds: SW 8 to10 at start, 6 to 8 backside of island, 10-12 beat home
Start: between GLP & Horseshoe, Finish: Ram Island
Course: counter-clockwise around Fishers Island, Distance: 14.4 nm
Shrouds: @ base  

Seth, Megan & I discussed our strategy (with a counter-clockwise course in mind) on the drive down. 

  • With such a large class, we wished to be windward of the fleet at the start.
  • We would consider a port tack out to the west early in the favorable flood if not laying Race Point.
  • Upon rounding and settling down from the spinnaker set at Race Point, we would consider jibing for the shore at the best opportunity.
  • Pray for wind at the east end of Fishers to get us up Lords Pass.
  • Wind allowing; harden up at C7 to C9 for current reduction prior to bearing off for the Stonington Gong, and hope there's wind all the way home to Ram.

 

Ram Island - 08/26/07

Seth Magner Ram Island

62nd Annual Invitational Race
Crew: Bob, Seth & RW Course: 1,
Around Fishers Island (ccw) Race length: 15.0 nm
Winds: SWW, 10 kt avg Barometer: 29.92 to 29.96 Temperature: 78 to 75 F
Current: ebb 09:52 Ram Island (3.3 kts) Spring tide, lunar eclipse Monday night

On the drive to the boat in the morning Seth & I discussed our strategy for the day providing the forecast proved true. Our primary goal was to proceed from the start westward along the Connecticut avoiding the current as much as possible until we were assured of weathering Race Point, without any further port tacks into the ebb. Secondary, was praying for ten plus knots of wind up Lord's Pass on the east end of Fishers and to the Stonington Gong.

Ram Island - 08/20/06

Seth Magner Ram Island

61st Annual Ram Island YC "Around Island Race" Sunday, August 20, 2006
SeTherin First Place - Class E - Spinnaker
Crew: Brian, Kim, Bob & RW
Winds: SW 12 to 18, gusts 20, (one lull 5 knots)
Current: ebb 0917 Ram Island, flood 1509 Napatree

Considering the forecast, we motored out to the Groton Long Point starting area in our weather gear & pfds. The winds were gusting into the mid to high teens with a medium overcast & a possibilities of thunderstorms forecast. I cinched up the srouds- 2 turns on the afts & uppers, 1.5 turns on the fwd's.

In the half-hour leading up to our 1030 start, the wind dropped down to 8 to 10. We had a so-so start in the upper third of the line on time yet gassed by a few larger boats (14 in our class, 61 in the fleet). In a 10 to 12 knot breeze we took a hitch to port in the current shadow of Horseshoe Reef and a short tack on starboard prior to another hitch to port insuring we could clear the west side of Sea Flower. Reasoning that the current was weaker here than farther down the west side of Fishers where the wind often goes light near Silver Eel. Turns out most of the fleet on starboard were swept east and ended up sailing through the Dumplings.

Ram Island - 08/28/05

Seth Magner Ram Island

60th Annual Ram Island YC Around Island Regatta
SeTherin - First Place Sunday 8-28-05
Race 2 of the Island Cup
Crew: Brian, Seth, Kim & RW
Current: flood 1240 Napatree Point
Wind: SE 5-14 kts.
Start: 1015 hours. ¼ m/W Groton Long Point
Course: counter clockwise around Fishers, finish at Ram Island 1353 Distance: 14.4 nm

Ram Island Yacht Club's Annual ˜Around Island Race" is one of the premier races of Eastern Long Island Sound and one of three annual races around Fishers Island (this coming Saturday is the last). In a twelve boat class made up of most of the boats from Wednesday nights? Class 3, plus a few more, we had a so-so start in about eight knots breeze mid-line then shortly tacked to port. Soon the faster boats (all of them) pulled away and left us in clear air all the way to Race Point. For some odd reason the boat would not point with the fleet on port, so we bit the bullet doing our best to keep the boat going fast as possible a couple degrees farther off the wind. Past North Hill it got gusty (10 to 14) and we got things cooking with Brian working the flattening reef-boomvang combo as Kim & Seth constantly moved back and forth across the boat in gusts while also trimming the genoa.

Ram Island -"Inside" 08/15/04

Seth Magner Ram Island

Ram Island YC Regatta "Inside"
Sunday 08/15/04
Starting area: between GLP & Horseshoe
Currrent: ebb 1105 North Hill, 1120 Ram Island
Course: start - Silver Eel - Vixen - Stonington Gong - RI
Ram Island Distance: 14.5 nm

With the remnants of Hurricane Charlie (a ghost of his former self) whizzing by in the early morning hours, the race committee announced at 8am, a one hour delay till 1055 for the first warning, then chose an inside course for the first time in years.

We had an excellent downwind start, popping the spinnaker just short of the line and gun, and stayed with the fleet fairly well until Silver Eel. The fleet slowly pulled away in beat to Vixen with our eleven tacks against the current. The long reach to the Stonington gong with the ebb in our favor was not enough to make up for the beat to Vixen.

After rounding the gong at Stonington we reached up towards the CT shore for current relief. About half way to the finish, thinking we may be high enough (TWA 120 degrees at TWS 10 kts), we set the spinnaker for an exhilarating reach for the finish.

We finished 6th out of 10.

Link to chart

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