It seems hard to believe that I am sitting here writing about the final race of the year while it seems only a few days ago we were putting the 2010 Race Calendar together for Mille Onde and wondering if we could find enough crew to be able to campaign the boat. All in all it has been a great year and Risa and I want to take this opportunity to thank all that raced with us.
As a befitting end to the season, we raced in the eighth race in the Carl Anderson Memorial Series hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club. In a word the wind was howling yesterday at least by Long Beach standards. Many thanks to the crew of David Harper, Larry Palmer, Warren Wolfe and of course my darling co-captain Risa K. Scott. We were first to cross the finish line and also took first on corrected time.
The wind was blowing about 10-15 knots (as predicted) as we were prepping Mille to leave the dock. We had both the number 2 and the number 3 jibs on deck so we could choose one for the start and also be ready to switch them if necessary. As we headed out to go through some race prep, the wind was picking up so we opted for the #3 for the start which for once proved to be a good decision. We got a good start hitting the line with King's Gambit and Prankster almost in a line of three boats. On the first upwind leg we decided to put the first reef in the main which was again a good decision (wow- two in a row) as it balanced the helm and made David Harper's work a bit easier. We were able to point a bit higher on the first leg and held our own against the other two boats and rounded the first mark in third place but within striking distance.
The second leg was downwind and was for the most part uneventful. All of these boats are designed to carry a spinnaker downwind and since none of us had opted to fly a chute, the downwind legs are usually "beer time". We shook the reef out of the main and headed for the second mark in a line with the competing two boats. Both rounded ahead of us but again we were all three in a competitive position.
On the next upwind leg things changed quite a bit. We had a good rounding and opted to tack immediately to head out to the breakwater partially to get away from the Laser regatta that was going on and also because we thought the wind would be better. We put the first reef back in the main and again were happy with the result. After a couple of tacks to dodge the vacant bait barges near the Alamitos Bay end of the harbor, we had moved ahead of the two competing boats. We were able to point higher and faster than both of them. Also, it is nice to call a tack perfectly so we were able to make the mark without pinching and yet not covering any additional distance. We rounded the third mark in first with a bit of breathing room.
The fourth leg was another downwind leg in which we shook out the reef (nice to actually get to use reefing to our advantage) and we were able to hold off the other two boats and round in first place.
A shorter upwind leg had us holding our position (after reefing the main a third time). We called the tack just right to slide between an anchored freighter and Island Freeman, which was our fifth mark. We had a short reach to the final mark and our turn for the finish line.
As is often the case with the finish in this series, when you round the final mark it looks like you will be able to make one close-hauled beat to the finish only to have the wind shift or to get headed as you near the finish. We tacked early to avoid the "Wind hole" behind Island Grissam and for the last time called the tack perfectly to make the finish without sailing a lot of extra distance.
The last time we raced with a reed in the main was the first race of the year with Shoreline Yacht Club, the Avalon and Return race. Interesting to start and finish the year with a reef in the main and not use it any other time.
All in all it has been an interesting year - filled with some success (we did win some races this year), some failures (we did have some DNF's for the year), some equipment issues (replacement of both the main and the #1 jib) but most of all it has been fun and we have made some great new friends along the way! 2011 is now in the planning process and we are looking forward to a second year of making the boat go fast, but most of all - Having Fun!
Happy Holidays to all - see you on the water
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Long Beach to Dana Point Race
On Saturday, September 4th we raced the Long Beach to Dana Point Race hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club, Dana Point Yacht Club and Dana West Yacht Club. Thanks to the crew of Josh Lippett, David Harper, Lesley MacDonald, Victoria Hodge and my darling co-captain Risa K. Scott.
As of this writing we don’t have the final results but I don’t believe that we will place well in our class. We were racing in a class with 5 other boats, and Mille has the lowest rating in the group which theoretically we should have been the fastest boat in our class.
We had a decent start with winds better than had been predicted. All of the weather predictions had the winds to be around 6 knots at the start and building to 12-15 mid-day. Boy did they blow that forecast. We had 10+ knots of wind at the start and they continued to build from there. We were about 30-45 second late to the start line but not in a bad position.
The first leg had us beating up wind to Angel’s Gate at the mouth of Los Angeles Harbor. As noted above, the winds were about 10 knots or so at the start and they quickly started building. We were over-powered with the #1 genoa up and made the decision to change to the #2 when it was clear that the winds were not going to drop. We tried to change to the #2 on a tack but got stuck between the breakwater and a barge being pushed by a tug and couldn’t get enough time on a single tack to make the change. To make matters worse, during all of the turmoil, we got the #2 jib started up the headstay but the body of the sail slid under the lifeline and filled with water. It ripped part of the luff tape loose so it was (and is) out of commission until it makes another trip to the North loft in Costa Mesa. David Harper did a great job of helming the boat in these less than perfect conditions until we could get out of Angel’s Gate and started more on a beam reach.
The second leg was a beam reach out to a pair of oil platforms about 20 miles offshore from Laguna Beach. Although a beam reach is a fast and comfortable point of sail (compared to the close hauled beating we took on the first leg) it is mostly a drag race to the next mark.
The third and final leg was more downwind so we decided to let the spinnaker out of the bag. With David and Risa on the foredeck we got a great set and were off and running. We quickly passed two boats that had passed us near the end of the previous leg and were making time on several boats ahead of us. We had a great run under the chute but due to the direction of the wind it was taking us deeper to the south than we needed to go. We didn’t handle the gybe as well as the set and managed to wrap the spinnaker around the headstay. Josh and David did a great job getting it free without any damage to boat, sail or crew. We then carried the chute all the way to the finish with only three minor challenges. First we got headed about a quarter mile from the finish and after recovering from that we had back to back gusts that rounded the boat up even though I was doing everything with the helm I could and the trimmers had both the main and chute eased as much as possible. Holding on through a gust like that is about all you can do when the boat is determined to round up. After getting through all of that we headed for the finish where a committee boat was supposed to be stationed. All there was was a power boat with no flags on it under power and two inflatable runabouts milling around. After about 7 hours of racing it would have been nice to have the race committee to acknowledge our finish!
After finishing we went to drop the chute but opted not to raise the jib to blanket it as it was still blowing about 18-20 knots. Bad mistake. Without the jib to blanket the spinnaker, it again got wrapped around the headstay but this time managed to wrap the topping lift in also. Again hard work by Josh and David got it unwound from the headstay and into the boat and we headed for our slip and some dinner.
We are now motorsailing the boat back to Long Beach after a well deserved good night’s sleep.
I will update the blog when we get the results of the race.
Next race is the second in the summer half of the Long Beach Harbor Invitational Series.
As of this writing we don’t have the final results but I don’t believe that we will place well in our class. We were racing in a class with 5 other boats, and Mille has the lowest rating in the group which theoretically we should have been the fastest boat in our class.
We had a decent start with winds better than had been predicted. All of the weather predictions had the winds to be around 6 knots at the start and building to 12-15 mid-day. Boy did they blow that forecast. We had 10+ knots of wind at the start and they continued to build from there. We were about 30-45 second late to the start line but not in a bad position.
The first leg had us beating up wind to Angel’s Gate at the mouth of Los Angeles Harbor. As noted above, the winds were about 10 knots or so at the start and they quickly started building. We were over-powered with the #1 genoa up and made the decision to change to the #2 when it was clear that the winds were not going to drop. We tried to change to the #2 on a tack but got stuck between the breakwater and a barge being pushed by a tug and couldn’t get enough time on a single tack to make the change. To make matters worse, during all of the turmoil, we got the #2 jib started up the headstay but the body of the sail slid under the lifeline and filled with water. It ripped part of the luff tape loose so it was (and is) out of commission until it makes another trip to the North loft in Costa Mesa. David Harper did a great job of helming the boat in these less than perfect conditions until we could get out of Angel’s Gate and started more on a beam reach.
The second leg was a beam reach out to a pair of oil platforms about 20 miles offshore from Laguna Beach. Although a beam reach is a fast and comfortable point of sail (compared to the close hauled beating we took on the first leg) it is mostly a drag race to the next mark.
The third and final leg was more downwind so we decided to let the spinnaker out of the bag. With David and Risa on the foredeck we got a great set and were off and running. We quickly passed two boats that had passed us near the end of the previous leg and were making time on several boats ahead of us. We had a great run under the chute but due to the direction of the wind it was taking us deeper to the south than we needed to go. We didn’t handle the gybe as well as the set and managed to wrap the spinnaker around the headstay. Josh and David did a great job getting it free without any damage to boat, sail or crew. We then carried the chute all the way to the finish with only three minor challenges. First we got headed about a quarter mile from the finish and after recovering from that we had back to back gusts that rounded the boat up even though I was doing everything with the helm I could and the trimmers had both the main and chute eased as much as possible. Holding on through a gust like that is about all you can do when the boat is determined to round up. After getting through all of that we headed for the finish where a committee boat was supposed to be stationed. All there was was a power boat with no flags on it under power and two inflatable runabouts milling around. After about 7 hours of racing it would have been nice to have the race committee to acknowledge our finish!
After finishing we went to drop the chute but opted not to raise the jib to blanket it as it was still blowing about 18-20 knots. Bad mistake. Without the jib to blanket the spinnaker, it again got wrapped around the headstay but this time managed to wrap the topping lift in also. Again hard work by Josh and David got it unwound from the headstay and into the boat and we headed for our slip and some dinner.
We are now motorsailing the boat back to Long Beach after a well deserved good night’s sleep.
I will update the blog when we get the results of the race.
Next race is the second in the summer half of the Long Beach Harbor Invitational Series.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sorry
I have been chastised by several of you for not updating the blog in several weeks (okay maybe months). Wow - guess there are a few folks actually reading this thing.
Our last race was the Dog Days of Summer hosted by Little Ships Fleet Yacht Club. This is the first race in the second half of the Long Beach Harbor Invitational Series. There are three more races in this series between now and November. We places fourth in our class. Thanks to the crew of Lesley MacDonald, David Harper, Larry Palmer, Carolin and Jack Lusby and my darling co-captain Risa Scott.
We had a good start hitting the line right after the gun went off on a starboard tack which is Mille's favorite tack. The winds were good and steady around 10-11 knots. We tacked a couple of times out to the first mark and rounded in third place. The next leg was a downwind run and we had a great spinnaker set thanks to the foredeck crew of David, Lesley and Risa. Larry helmed the entire race and kept us right on course and moving constantly in the direction of the next mark. The run to the next mark under the chute was good but the wind kept trying to move more to the west and as is usually the case, we had to be vigilant about trimming the chute. The foredeck crew shown again with the douse and we rounded the second mark still in third place and in competition with the leaders in our class.
The next leg was again a beat to windward as we tacked to get out of Queen's Gate to make our third mark. The wind was building and we debated about switching to the Number 2 jib but stayed with the Number 1. By the time we rounded the mark, the wind was blowing 18 knots. As the next leg was a deep reach to get around the east end of the breakwater, we opted to leave the chute in the bag and go with the Number 1 jib. The boat that was in fourth place managed to pass us and we were not able to make the ground we lost back up.
The last leg was a short upwind beat to the finish line and as noted above we finished fourth in our class. Thanks again to the crew and to the race committee at Little Ship's Fleet for their work in hosting the race.
The weekend before we did the Ship Rock Race hosted by Seal Beach Yacht Club. This is the first in their Ocean Racing Series which are a nice change to the buoy racing that we do a lot of in Long Beach Harbor. Many thanks to the crew of Warren Wolfe, David Harper, Jim Merk, Lesley MacDonald, and my wonderful co-captain Risa Scott. This race started near Oil Island Chaffee, rounds Ship Rock at the Isthmus of Catalina and finishes in the entrance to Alamitos Bay. Interesting to have a race that is slightly less than 50 nautical miles and one one mark to round! Although to a person the crew had a great time and has all agreed to race with the team again, we finished last in our class.
At the start of the race, you are close to the east end of the Long Beach breakwater and so our navigator (yours truly) took us around that end of the wall and started the process of tacking to get to Ship Rock. This proved to be the wrong call as the majority of the fleet headed up Long Beach Harbor inside the breakwater and exited via Angel's Gate. Although is is slightly longer the angle of attack from there to Ship Rock is much better and avoids some current that is outside the wall and also the tacks necessary to make the only mark. The wind started at about 10 knots but continued to build all day. We opted to switch from the Number 1 jib to the Number 2 about half the way over to Ship Rock.
We saw many of the boats in the two fleets that started ahead of us (and apparently in our class also) headed back as we were still on our approach to Ship Rock. By the time we rounded the only mark in the race the wind was 18-20 knots. We were on a deep run and making about 7-8 knots which is at or beyond maximum hull speed of Mille. We opted to leave the chute in the bag and run home under the Number 2 jib. As often happens right around sunset, the wind dropped off to a mere 3 knots as we were less than one nautical mile from the end of the breakwater. Warren Wolfe had tantalized the crew with thoughts of crab legs at Gladstones instead of the turkey sandwiches which we had planned on. This plan looked good until the wind died! It took us about an hour to finish the last mile and half crossing the finish line just a few minutes past 21:00 hours.
Next race is the Long Beach to Dana Point on Saturday, September 4th hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club. We will race to Dana Point on Saturday and then bring the boat back to Long Beach on Sunday.
Our last race was the Dog Days of Summer hosted by Little Ships Fleet Yacht Club. This is the first race in the second half of the Long Beach Harbor Invitational Series. There are three more races in this series between now and November. We places fourth in our class. Thanks to the crew of Lesley MacDonald, David Harper, Larry Palmer, Carolin and Jack Lusby and my darling co-captain Risa Scott.
We had a good start hitting the line right after the gun went off on a starboard tack which is Mille's favorite tack. The winds were good and steady around 10-11 knots. We tacked a couple of times out to the first mark and rounded in third place. The next leg was a downwind run and we had a great spinnaker set thanks to the foredeck crew of David, Lesley and Risa. Larry helmed the entire race and kept us right on course and moving constantly in the direction of the next mark. The run to the next mark under the chute was good but the wind kept trying to move more to the west and as is usually the case, we had to be vigilant about trimming the chute. The foredeck crew shown again with the douse and we rounded the second mark still in third place and in competition with the leaders in our class.
The next leg was again a beat to windward as we tacked to get out of Queen's Gate to make our third mark. The wind was building and we debated about switching to the Number 2 jib but stayed with the Number 1. By the time we rounded the mark, the wind was blowing 18 knots. As the next leg was a deep reach to get around the east end of the breakwater, we opted to leave the chute in the bag and go with the Number 1 jib. The boat that was in fourth place managed to pass us and we were not able to make the ground we lost back up.
The last leg was a short upwind beat to the finish line and as noted above we finished fourth in our class. Thanks again to the crew and to the race committee at Little Ship's Fleet for their work in hosting the race.
The weekend before we did the Ship Rock Race hosted by Seal Beach Yacht Club. This is the first in their Ocean Racing Series which are a nice change to the buoy racing that we do a lot of in Long Beach Harbor. Many thanks to the crew of Warren Wolfe, David Harper, Jim Merk, Lesley MacDonald, and my wonderful co-captain Risa Scott. This race started near Oil Island Chaffee, rounds Ship Rock at the Isthmus of Catalina and finishes in the entrance to Alamitos Bay. Interesting to have a race that is slightly less than 50 nautical miles and one one mark to round! Although to a person the crew had a great time and has all agreed to race with the team again, we finished last in our class.
At the start of the race, you are close to the east end of the Long Beach breakwater and so our navigator (yours truly) took us around that end of the wall and started the process of tacking to get to Ship Rock. This proved to be the wrong call as the majority of the fleet headed up Long Beach Harbor inside the breakwater and exited via Angel's Gate. Although is is slightly longer the angle of attack from there to Ship Rock is much better and avoids some current that is outside the wall and also the tacks necessary to make the only mark. The wind started at about 10 knots but continued to build all day. We opted to switch from the Number 1 jib to the Number 2 about half the way over to Ship Rock.
We saw many of the boats in the two fleets that started ahead of us (and apparently in our class also) headed back as we were still on our approach to Ship Rock. By the time we rounded the only mark in the race the wind was 18-20 knots. We were on a deep run and making about 7-8 knots which is at or beyond maximum hull speed of Mille. We opted to leave the chute in the bag and run home under the Number 2 jib. As often happens right around sunset, the wind dropped off to a mere 3 knots as we were less than one nautical mile from the end of the breakwater. Warren Wolfe had tantalized the crew with thoughts of crab legs at Gladstones instead of the turkey sandwiches which we had planned on. This plan looked good until the wind died! It took us about an hour to finish the last mile and half crossing the finish line just a few minutes past 21:00 hours.
Next race is the Long Beach to Dana Point on Saturday, September 4th hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club. We will race to Dana Point on Saturday and then bring the boat back to Long Beach on Sunday.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
First, First, First, Second
Wow, it has been awhile since I lasted posted - has been a lot going on both travel and the start of a new business venture.
On Sunday, June20th we raced in the second race of the Summer Series hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club. Thanks to the crew of Larry Littrell, Lesley MacDonald, Liz Roberts, Victoria Hodge, Dave Lyon and of course my darling co-captain Risa K Scott. We took a first in that race after taking a third the week before.
The following Sunday, Jim Merk skippered Mille in the third race of the Summer Series as both Risa and I were out of town. Congrats to Jim and his crew on another win for Mille in that Series.
On Wednesday, June 30th, Risa skippered Mille in a Cuba Cup race hosted by Pacific Sailing. Congrats to her all female crew of Lisa Anderson, Lesley MacDonald, Shannon Saunders and Liz Roberts. The "Sea Chix" as I believe they wanted to be called went out and kicked the guys butts and took the win over three other boats skippered by their male competitors.
Finally on Saturday, July 3rd Risa skippered Mille in the fourth race of the Summer Series and took a second. I was working the race committee for that race and so I watched their start from the committee boat and their finish from the deck of Shoreline Yacht Club. Congrats to her crew of David Harper, Lesley MacDonald, Jim, Victoria Hodge, Liz Roberts and Dave Lyon. The race started with a nice breeze of slightly less than 10 knots coming almost directly out of the south. Due to the wind direction we sent the spinnaker class down towards the south end of Long Beach Harbor and around the breakwater on the Alamitos Bay end. The wind started to veer to the west and so what was supposed to be a run to Queens Gate became a reach instead. After entering through Queens Gate, they popped the chute for a spinnaker run to a mark near the beach between Belmont Pier and the Alamitos Bay jetty. The final leg was a beat back to the finish line near Island Grissam.
Next weekend we have two races. On Saturday, Mille is racing in the Queen Mary Regatta hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club. This race starts off King Harbor in Redondo Beach and finishes in Long Beach off the stern of the ......... (drum roll!!!) ...... (you guessed it) The Queen Mary. On Sunday Mille is racing in the fifth race of the Summer Series also hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club.
On Sunday, June20th we raced in the second race of the Summer Series hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club. Thanks to the crew of Larry Littrell, Lesley MacDonald, Liz Roberts, Victoria Hodge, Dave Lyon and of course my darling co-captain Risa K Scott. We took a first in that race after taking a third the week before.
The following Sunday, Jim Merk skippered Mille in the third race of the Summer Series as both Risa and I were out of town. Congrats to Jim and his crew on another win for Mille in that Series.
On Wednesday, June 30th, Risa skippered Mille in a Cuba Cup race hosted by Pacific Sailing. Congrats to her all female crew of Lisa Anderson, Lesley MacDonald, Shannon Saunders and Liz Roberts. The "Sea Chix" as I believe they wanted to be called went out and kicked the guys butts and took the win over three other boats skippered by their male competitors.
Finally on Saturday, July 3rd Risa skippered Mille in the fourth race of the Summer Series and took a second. I was working the race committee for that race and so I watched their start from the committee boat and their finish from the deck of Shoreline Yacht Club. Congrats to her crew of David Harper, Lesley MacDonald, Jim, Victoria Hodge, Liz Roberts and Dave Lyon. The race started with a nice breeze of slightly less than 10 knots coming almost directly out of the south. Due to the wind direction we sent the spinnaker class down towards the south end of Long Beach Harbor and around the breakwater on the Alamitos Bay end. The wind started to veer to the west and so what was supposed to be a run to Queens Gate became a reach instead. After entering through Queens Gate, they popped the chute for a spinnaker run to a mark near the beach between Belmont Pier and the Alamitos Bay jetty. The final leg was a beat back to the finish line near Island Grissam.
Next weekend we have two races. On Saturday, Mille is racing in the Queen Mary Regatta hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club. This race starts off King Harbor in Redondo Beach and finishes in Long Beach off the stern of the ......... (drum roll!!!) ...... (you guessed it) The Queen Mary. On Sunday Mille is racing in the fifth race of the Summer Series also hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Summer Race Series
On Sunday, June 13th we raced in the first race of the Summer Series hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club. Many thanks to the crew of Larry Palmer, Lesley MacDonald, Victoria Hodge, Liz Roberts, Dave Lyon and my darling co-captain Risa K. Scott, we took third in the spinnaker class.
Although the forecast was for a lighter day than Saturday, we had about the same 10 knots or so of wind at the start. We had been out practicing and were almost late to the start, but we still got a good start and were first across the line. We tacked shortly after the start which proved to not be the right call and by the end of the first mark we were in third place. Mille goes to windward really well and we should have been better placed at the first mark.
The second leg was a broad reach along the breakwater which the competitors split with about half going inside and about half (Mille included) going outside. As the wind was building and during our practice before the start of the race we had had problems with setting and handling the chute, we decided to do this leg under genoa and main. Again there was a split in the fleet with some of the competitors opting to fly their chutes and others like us, deciding not to. The boats that decided to fly their chutes had a clear advantage, but we caught and passed one competitor on this leg. We gybed around the mark for a short beam reach to the next mark.
The wind had continued to build and was steady at 15-16 knots gusting to 18-20 as we made our upwind beat to the next mark. Although it was not the classic tacking duel that we used to see in the America’s Cup competition, we crossed three times with Hassle, a Catalina 38, gaining ground on her on every cross. We were the second boat around the upwind mark although the lead boat (a trimaran) was so far ahead of the rest of the fleet they must have felt like they were sailing a different race. I looked over my shoulder as we were making the mostly downwind run to see where Hassle was when I saw their main split about 2/3 of the way up. Having had sails rip a couple of times, it is not a sight any sailor wants to see.
We made the last mark and turned for the upwind beat to the finish line. We crossed as the second boat in our fleet (Puddle Jumper, the trimaran was already at the club for drinks) but finished third on corrected time. After the race most of our team headed to Shoreline Yacht Club for grilled hamburgers made with kobe beef donated by American Kobe Beef, LLC and wonderfully prepared by Lisa Anderson.
Next race is the second race in the Summer Series on Sunday, June 20th.
Long Beach Harbor Invitational Series
On Saturday, June 12th Mille raced in the fourth race of the Long Beach Harbor Invitational Series. We had raced in the second race of the series back in April. Many thanks to the crew of Steve and Lisa Anderson, Lesley MacDonald, David Harper and my co-captain Risa K. Scott. We were the biggest boat in our class and therefore had the lowest handicap. We placed fifth in our class. With the new sails we added this year from North Sails, Mille does extremely well upwind, but we have to improve our downwind performance.
At the start the winds were 10 knots and with the first leg an upwind run to Marker #2, we did well, crossing in second place in our class. After rounding the mark we popped the chute for the first downwind leg. The set was good and we threw in a good gybe about mid-way down the leg. The problems came at the take-down. We fouled the jib with the spinnaker lines and we dead in the water for a few minutes while they could be cleared. This allowed several of our competitors to pass us as we struggled to get Mille moving again.
The third leg was upwind and as has been the case, Mille made ground on the boats ahead of us and we rounded the mark in third place. As the wind was building and the crew was still tired and a bit discouraged from the last spinnaker run, we decided to leave the chute in the bag and run the downwind leg with the genoa and main. As the rest of the fleet was able to fly their chutes, we lost ground on this leg and were in fifth place as we rounded the final mark for the short upwind run to the finish.
At the start the winds were 10 knots and with the first leg an upwind run to Marker #2, we did well, crossing in second place in our class. After rounding the mark we popped the chute for the first downwind leg. The set was good and we threw in a good gybe about mid-way down the leg. The problems came at the take-down. We fouled the jib with the spinnaker lines and we dead in the water for a few minutes while they could be cleared. This allowed several of our competitors to pass us as we struggled to get Mille moving again.
The third leg was upwind and as has been the case, Mille made ground on the boats ahead of us and we rounded the mark in third place. As the wind was building and the crew was still tired and a bit discouraged from the last spinnaker run, we decided to leave the chute in the bag and run the downwind leg with the genoa and main. As the rest of the fleet was able to fly their chutes, we lost ground on this leg and were in fifth place as we rounded the final mark for the short upwind run to the finish.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Mille Wins!
This past Saturday we raced in the Start Your Heart Out series of races hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club. This was the first in the summer sailing season for our group. Thanks to the crew of Lesley MacDonald, Liz Roberts, Dave Lyon, Victoria Hodge, Nick, Jim Merk (arrived late – more on that below) and my darling co-captain Risa Scott, we won our class.
This series of five short races (average about 25 minutes each) were designed to give all of us practice at the all important start for a race. The course was a .75 mile windward/leeward course. As is the case in racing, each start presented a unique set of challenges, some of which we handled well, some not so well. It was a great set of races to get some needed practice at nailing the start. We won four of the five races and as noted above, won our class.
The start of the first race was dominated by light winds as is often the case in Long Beach earlier in the day. At one point I wasn’t sure we would even get to the start line but we did for what was the closest and best start we had all day. We came into the start line on starboard tack but had a boat below us which came very close to pushing us over the line early. As it was, we were not over early and after a couple of tacks were the first boat around the mark. When we were going upwind the light winds weren’t noticed as much but how light they were became very apparent as we headed to the finish line down wind.
The June Gloom started to clear and the winds started to pick up a bit for the start of the second race. We didn’t get quite as good a start for the second race, crossing the line second but made up for it with a great first leg upwind to the mark. We were again first around the mark for our class, although we were behind a couple of the boats in the class ahead of us. We also had a good time dodging the Cal 20’s that were having their own one-design regatta. As the wind was picking up the race committee decided to run a slightly longer course by adding another mark rounding and a short upwind leg to the finish. Unless you are flying a spinnaker sailing downwind is just not as much fun as being close hauled on an upwind leg.
Apparently we decided subconsciously to make all of our mistakes for the day in one race and the third race of the day was that race! We had our worst start of the day crossing the line in last place for our class. We had a good upwind leg driven primarily by the new light #1 jib that we added to Mille’s sail inventory just a month or so ago. North Sails of Long Beach did a great job of designing and making the sail – thanks to them for their work. We decided that since the object of this race series was practice, we decided to practice using the spinnaker. Our launch after the rounding of the first mark was late due to the foredeck crew (yours truly) not being ready. After a short run with the chute up we needed to gybe to make the next mark but after noticing a tear in the spinnaker from strapping it against the bowrail, we decided to douse it and finish the race with the jib. Due to all of the time lost to trying to get the chute up and flying, we finished last in our class for this race.
We got a better start for the fourth race, crossing the line second in our class as we did in the second race. After another good upwind leg to the first mark, we rounded it in first place in our class. Mille really does like to be close hauled and charging hard. As we had retired the damaged spinnaker and our injured pride, we made the boring but uneventful (mostly) run to the second mark. The highlight of this leg was the appearance of Jim Merk by jet-ski to join us. Much to his chagrin, Jim had gotten called into work Saturday morning to fix some issues for two of the executives who were headed out of the country the next day. He got the work finished in time to join us during the fourth race. It is not every race that you take on additional crew from a jet-ski during the race. We made the upwind sprint on the third leg for our third victory of the day.
The fifth and final race was almost a repeat of the fourth except we now had additional crew on board but with the same result – another victory.
Many thanks to the Race Management Committee of Shoreline Yacht Club, chaired by Steve Anderson for this unique and interesting series of races.
Next race is the fourth in the Long Beach Harbor Invitational series hosted by Little Ships Fleet Yacht Club on Saturday, June 12th. The following day (Sunday, June 13th) we start the Summer Series hosted by Shoreline Yacht Club.
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