2015 Fall Series Finale - Nov 14th

Fall Regatta Fifth Race Day, Nov. 14, 2015

A  Z-Cat Day

For the last Regatta of the Fall Regatta Series, 3 boats came to the starting line. Matsya with George Boger crewing, Z-Cat and the usual crew, and No Lizard with Tyler Nales (a student at Henderson) crewing.

The winds were light out of the SE. The start/finish line was set up at B near the Island, running SW to NE. Marks were set up at K and I in anticipation that the wind would shift toward the south.

The first race was B to K to B, port rounding. No Lizard and Z-Cat got off a good start. Matsya was a bit behind, and it got worse for her as the wind started dying at that end of the lake. Z-Cat got to the mark first with No Lizard close. No Lizard got the spinnaker up, and made it back first, then Z-Cat, and Matsya having a hard time making up for no wind on her first leg.

Matsya "looking" for wind

The course for the second race was moved to I as the wind indeed started shifting toward the south. The course was B to I to B, Port rounding. All boats got off to a good start. Z-Cat again made the mark first. All fought the wind, sometimes blowing at 4 to 6 (maybe!) or, barely 1 with the lake glassing over. Again, with the help of the spinnaker, No Lizard got home first, then Z-Cat 1 minute behind, followed by Matsya.

Eddie relives a scene from "Titanic"

Between races, the Assistant Committee moved I more NE in order to line up better to the wind, AND to shorten the course due to the unpredictable wind.

The third race was again B to I to B, port rounding. No Lizard started on the NE pin on port. Z-Cat started from down the line from the SW on starboard. Just after the start, No Lizard had to tack out of Z-Cats starboard line. Matsya started in better position. Z-Cat made it to the pin first, with No Lizard right there.

Teamwork

This was the theme of the day; Z-Cat, with her Baby Butt Bottom and light weight, making good time upwind, No lizard making up time downwind with her spinnaker.

Matsya was having a better race staying much closer to the others.

Now, it gets interesting. Coming to the finish line, Z-Cat decided to have some fun, and force No Lizard away from the finish line and possibly into third place behind Matsya. No Lizard was on a port run coming to the SW end of the finish line. Z-Cat, closer to No Lizard at the finish than previously, also on a port run and leeward of No Lizard, claimed her leeward rights and started forcing No Lizard into the SW pin (allowed under the pre-2013 rules. More later). The boats were drifting in close quarters to each other and the buoy. With the buoy just feet away, and Z-Cat just inches away, No lizard’s captain, being just a bit irritated, ordered the crew to grab Z-Cat’s shroud (yes, she was that close) and pull Z-Cat into the buoy causing her to foul the buoy!!! (yes, the buoy was that close).  Fortunately for No Lizard her crew mutinied and did not follow through.  Because of Z-Cat’s mischief No Lizard had no choice but to bear off to the west, drop her spinnaker, and circle around to get back to the finish line.  In the slight winds and close quarters, Z-Cat tapped No Lizard.  No Lizard protested the contact and Z-Cat took a 360 penalty turn.

Now, it is possible that Matsya will correct on No Lizard for second place. No Lizard will be P’O’ed if his “friends” on Z-Cat were successful!!!  We shall see when the Race Committee calculates the results.

Thanks to Ron for providing that colorful narrative and the race photos.  I have felt his pain many times.

Before I get to the results though, this is an excellent example to help understand the rules.  IMYC is definitely not a Blood-and –Guts racing club.  But thinking through various scenarios is a great way for us all to get more comfortable with the rules and less intimidated by them.  So how did Ron come to his conclusion... and is he right?

First let’s look at some of the definitions:

Mark - An object the sailing instructions require a boat to leave on a specified side, and a race committee boat surrounded by navigable water from which the starting or finishing line extends. An anchor line or an object attached accidentally to a mark is not part of it.

Zone - The area around a mark within a distance of three hull lengths of the boat nearer to it. A boat is in the zone when any part of her hull is in the zone.

Regarding being forced beyond the end of the finish line:

There are four basic right-of way rules, and several limitations.  I usually approach a rules question on the water or after the fact by first applying these four in their order of priority (Not tacking, Starboard, Leeward, Ahead (NtSLA)), then looking for limitations.   

(1)   Nt – Not Tacking does not apply because neither is tacking.

(2)   S – Starboard does not apply because both are on the same tack.

(3)   L – Leeward DOES apply because one is leeward.  The fourth basic rule (ahead vs astern) is not material since the higher priority “Leeward” rule applies, and if they are overlapped then one cannot be ahead.

What does the basic “Leeward” rule say?

a.     Rule 11    ON THE SAME TACK, OVERLAPPED

When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat.

Based on this rule it appears Z-Cat can luff No Lizard up and away from the finish.

But are there any other limitations?  Two come to mind.

One common limitation that applies when one boat is passing another is found in Rule 17   ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE

If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two of her hull lengths to leeward of a boat on the same tack, she shall not sail above her proper course while they remain on the same tack and overlapped within that distance, unless in doing so she promptly sails astern of the other boat. This rule does not apply if the overlap begins while the windward boat is required by rule 13 to keep clear.

In essence this rule says that if you are a leeward boat that is passing then you cannot sail above your proper course while overlapped.  But if you are being passed it does not prohibit you from exercising your leeward rights. 

 

 

Maybe that could apply here, but there is another limitation that definitely does.  It is found in Rule 18 Mark Room (pertinent parts below)

18.2    Giving Mark-Room

 (b) If boats are overlapped when the first of them reaches the zone, the outside boat at that moment shall thereafter give the inside boat mark-room. If a boat is clear ahead when she reaches the zone, the boat clear astern at that moment shall thereafter give her mark-room.

 

Either end of the finish line certainly qualifies as a mark since the sailing instructions require a boat to leave it on a specified side. So it is clear that IF No Lizard and Z-Cat were overlapped when the first one reached the Zone (3 of her boat lengths from the mark), THEN the outside boat (Z-Cat) must give the inside boat (No Lizard) room at the mark.

From the race narrative it appears likely that there was such an overlap at the zone, and that technically Z-Cat fouled No Lizard by forcing her to the wrong side of the mark. 

There is no rule that explicitly prohibits a crew member from grabbing another boat to alter her course.  If this had actually happened, two rules immediately come to mind. 

Rule 4   AVOIDING CONTACT

A boat shall avoid contact with another boat if reasonably possible. However, a right-of-way boat or one entitled to room or mark-room

(a) need not act to avoid contact until it is clear that the other boat is not keeping clear or giving room or mark-room, and

(b) shall be exonerated if she breaks this rule and the contact does not cause damage or injury.

So even if No Lizard had violated Rule 4 and initiated contact, she “shall be exonerated if she breaks this rule and the contact does not cause damage or injury”.

The more important rule is

Rule 2    FAIR SAILING

A boat and her owner shall compete in compliance with recognized principles of sportsmanship and fair play. A boat may be penalized under this rule only if it is clearly established that these principles have been violated. A disqualification under this rule shall not be excluded from the boat’s series score.

Grabbing a competitor’s shroud and pulling her into the mark would clearly violate the principles of sportsmanship and fair play, and may result in being scored as a DSQ for that race.

I hope this rules discussion has helped clarify a few issues.  Now on to the results…

Last Fall Regatta, Nov. 14, 2015

Z-Cat does it again with three bullets!  Congrats Eddie.  Its starting to sound like a broken record.  Good work guys.  In case you are wondering, her near three minute margin in the last race was enough that even if she had thrown in another penalty turn she’d still have won.  See the numbers right below.

 

 

Now that we have the last races behind us we can proceed to the 2015 Fall Series standings.  Team Zeiler Wins again!  Eddie and Frank pulled off another series win.  But this time the scores are much closer than in the spring.  Only 2.5 points separate Z-Cat from No Lizard.  Just a total of 58 seconds strategically placed would have changed the series winner.  If on Nov 7 in the first race No Lizard had been only 2 seconds faster and Matsya 35 seconds faster,  and on Oct 3 in race 2 No Lizard had been 21 seconds faster, the positions would have changed enough that No Lizard would have won the series.

 

I continue to be impressed with how competitive our racing has become.  I don't mean competitive in the cut throat sense.  I mean competitive in that on any given day you don't know who will come out on top, and probably by a small margin.

I want to close by thanking all of the people who have helped me this year.  Without Ron Nash agreeing to fill in for me during my absences I could not have agreed be the "Race Guy".  Over the year many of you saved me literally hours by picking up the marks after the races.  And I especially appreciate the lack of complaints when I goofed up running the races.  I'm looking forward to racing in 2016.

 

Keith Sugg

 

 

 

2015 Fall Series Fourth Race Day - Nov 7th

2015 Fall Series Fourth Race Day - Nov 7th

The wind gods made up for the slick-as-glass conditions on Oct 24th that resulted in cancelled races.  We had steady 8 - 12 knot ENE winds the entire day, with a few gusts up around 15.  Plus, the rain dissipated just in time, making for delightful racing conditions.

Ron Nash was single-handing No Lizard (again).  Bob and Julie Rhodey aboard Matsya got a little help from George Boger who decided to crew with them rather than take his own boat out.  The Zeiler boys were on Zcat.  And I had our sailmaker Dave Sample with me aboard Rendezvous.

The windward/leeward course was set as I-A-I-A-I, up and back twice.  The legs were short, but with what the wind gave us that was about the only way to get a good course orientation that required us to make decisions about when and where to tack and gybe.  The wind direction was steady enough that we used the same course for all three races.

Unfortunately I do not have a race narrative.  With the fresh breeze and the intensity of the racing I did not have time to make notes.  And I know better that to rely upon my memory.  The boats were closely packed on the starting line, and maneuvering at close quarters and at full speed.  One of eth challenges was to be able to shift gears to maintain control in the gusts while still having enough power in the lulls.  Suffice it to say that the racing was exhilarating.

With Dave Sample's considerable help, Rendezvous captured three first place finishes.  That man certainly knows how to make a boat move.  The hard part for the skipper is that sometimes the correct thing to do goes against what your gut tells you is right.

Looking at the results, I am certain that in race #1  Ron Nash can identify at least a dozen instances in the first race where he gave up more than one second.  One measly second is all that separated his third place finish from the Rhodey's well-sailed second place finish.  Congrats Bob, Julie and George for a heck of a race.  Team Zeiler should thank the Rhodeys.  That second place that Matsya earned pushed No Lizard to third place overall, and Zcat second overall.  Not too bad for using the "beater" sails.

The racing was close.  Notice that only one point separates second from third, and third from fourth.  Most of all it was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to improve boat handling skills.