Shennecossett YC - Pre-Off Soundings 06/06/15

 Wind: NE 18 G20+, N 7, SE 8, average 10.5 kts, Temp: 72,74,68 F, Baro: 29.90
Current: 2 hours flood remaining at start. Ebb North Hill 14:19
Start/Finish: Vixen
Course: s/f-DM-s/f*4, 2.7nm at 230, starboard roundings (race shortened at 2 laps) 
Race Length: 10.5 nm
Crew: Adam, Brian, Josh & RW

With winds near start time kicking up into the high teens, gusting into the low 20’s we chose a heavy air setup and the Heavy #1 genoa, though did put in the reef as it was a downwind start to a drop-mark 2.7 nm southwest out near where to old Dumping Grounds’ buoy had been.

We were third off the line behind Balance & Arabesque. About 2/3s down the run the wind diminished and we were not see anything above 10 knots for the remainder of the race.
Following a smooth douse and hardening up on starboard for a short while, we tacked to port for most of the beat, except for a brief & mistaken starboard. The leeward mark was difficult to see, so we tacked comfortably short of the pin for the starboard rounding, yet found we had slightly overstood the mark as it came into view.

The second run commencing with a jibe-set was long and arduous in the light air & power boat chop. Less than five-minutes from the mark still on port-jibe, the wind suddenly died and a new breeze rose out of the southeast. We quickly hoisted the genoa, doused, rounded and re-set the spinnaker for a single reach all the way back to Vixen where the race was finished.

Link to chart
Corrected Time Results: Balance, SeTherin, Arabesque, Blind Monkeys, Bagatelle

Shennecossett YC - Pre Off-Soundings

Sunday, 06/04/11
Crew: Brian, Seth, Bob & RW
Winds: SSW, avg 7 kts; increased to high teens 100 yards short of finish
Current: flooding, ebb - North Hill 1307
Start/Finish: offshore of Vixen
Elapsed Time: 208 minutes
Course: s/f(Vixen)-Rapid Rk-NorthHill-DM(V)-SL-s/f(Vixen); Distance: 13.5 nm
Shrouds: +4,+5,+4

Gene Fiese & RC chose a great course. We elected to start on port near the pin knowing the likelihood of ducking some sterns, as port was favored and the pin got us farther offshore with the possible advantage of clearing Black Ledge without tacking.

Five minutes into the race, we were in the lead momentarily as the rest had all extended out on starboard prior to tacking, and it looked like we would clear Black Ledge. It was just brisk enough for all of us to be up to the high side hiking a bit and feeling good as our competition egan to creep up to windward, Watercolors on our beam, when suddenly the wind quit. The boat straightened up and heeled over to windward and all three crew got wet. Fortunately, the lull lasted only a minute or so and we were again back in the hunt. These extreme velocity changes along with erratic changes in direction were the theme of the day.