IMYC Spring Series Race Day #2 April 4, 2015

IMYC Spring Series Race Day #2

The day started out lovely.  For the last 8 years I have had a strain-relief in the form of a rope that runs with my electric and water connections from the dock to the boat.  In the event the boat tries to pull them too far, the rope will take the load and not damage the connections.  And for the last 8 years it has been untested.  I should have known when I finally "tested" it Saturday by attempting to motor out of the slip while still connected that it was not gonna be a my day. 

Well, at least the weather was beautiful, sunny, and warm by the afternoon.  The wind, however, was another story.  Despite the predictions, the wind was the most erratic we have raced in in years.  It ranged from zero (yes, zero) to 12kts and from every conceivable direction, sometimes in completely opposite directions within a few hundred yards.  Frustrating, but providing lots of opportunity.

We had two visitors from Greers Ferry Lake Yacht Club racing with us.  George Yerger is captain of the Catalina 22 fleet 145 there.  He brought his C22 Sirocco.  He had Lee Hoover (ComPac 23) from IMYC as crew.  With him came Dwight Seagraves who brought his experience sailing his 33 footer and crewed with Bob Paxton aboard Pax.  Over the next few hours both George and Dwight would prove themselves to be quite good sailors.  And, maybe now Lee will put his beautiful ComPac through its paces on the race course.

Your intrepid racing blogger was a little busy on this Race day.  With the wind shifts and the seven other boats to dodge my notes were sparse.  Even though we had John Bomar crewing with Barbara and me aboard Rendezvous, the need to trim kept interfering with my photography and note taking.  So I described the circumstances I could recall.

Race 1   Course: BABDB   Wind: all over the map

The starting line was set north/south, positioned just north of island “B”.  The start was fairly good with no one too far off the line.  I think Rendezvous was one of the last to start.  Right off the bat we were all impressed with how well a properly prepared Catalina 22 can move in the right hands.  Sirocco showed amazing speed, and made us all check and recheck our sail trim. 

Nearing the half way point Pax had a comfortable lead.  Rendezvous was in second place leading the pack toward the second mark.  We really had to work to get any decent position. 

Then we encountered the bane of downwind racing.  We've all been there at some point or another – ahead of a group on a downwind leg…  Then the wind dies. Ok...  No big deal... if it dies for every one.  But invariably someone trailing will catch the new breeze and ride it down to you as you sit helpless.  Rama and No Lizard must have made the proper offerings.  

Rama and No Lizard capitalize on the erratic wind, riding it toward the becalmed, helpless leaders



Sirocco makes it look easy.  Note the forward position of both pieces of "ballast" to lift the stern and reduce wetted surface area.

After riding the wind down to the second mark the fickle wind abandons Rama and No Lizard. 

Drifting around the second mark in a group.

Rules Quiz:  In the photo above under what conditions could Sirocco have come up to force No Lizard to the wrong side of the mark? 

The wind filled in for a while on the third leg up to mark "D".



No Lizard and Rama crossing swords

The wind hung in long enough for No Lizard to fly the colorful beast. 

I know Ron was thankful to have Joyce aboard today.

I thought a Cat 22 was supposed to be slower than a Cat 40!!!!  What is she doing on my transom?

After almost two legs of hard sailing Rendezvous finds herself embarrassed by a boat she has to give a lot of time to.

Pax turned an amazing performance, finishing as Bogy, Lil Girl and ZCat round the second mark.

Becalmed Bogy "enjoys" watching Lil Girl , Pax and ZCat ride the wind down to her.  Just another example of how unpredictable the wind was.

However, Pax's speed wasn't enough to hold off Sirocco on corrections.  Thanks Captain Yerger for starting off your visit to IMYC by giving us a sailing lesson.  Pax took second and Rama third.

Race 2   Course: BDFB   Wind: a crap shoot

For the second race we threw in a run down to and around the island at the State Park Lodge.  The start was fairly good again.  Notice in the photo below how Pax is on starboard, Rama just to windward is on port, and Sirocco jus to leeward is also on port, but sailing an angle between the other two.

Another good start

The fleet quickly spread out,  Rendezvous and No Lizard got out ahead briefly.  Lil Girl tried her luck south toward the chute.

Sirocco and Pax charging toward the leaders



Pax is all business as she works her way upwind on the first leg



This is a sight I got tired of seeing - Sirocco chomping at my heels

On the long downwind run No Lizard flew the big red and blue asymmetric.  Once Joyce got Ron to fly it right they took off.



No Lizard glides past Rendezvous, powered by acres of nylon

At the bottom mark Rendezvous had a slight lead with No Lizard, Pax and Sirocco close behind.  She tried to give the lead back with a couple of extra tacks in the island-disturbed air, but the others didn't fare much better.

Julie has Rama in the groove as they drive upwind toward the finish.

Rendezvous sloooowly stretched out her lead.  No Lizard and Pax were duking it out as they played the shifts.





The scene reminds me of a 30 year old Tartan ad - "A gentlemen's choice of dueling weapons"



Rendezvous held on to finish first, with Pax next just 14 seconds ahead of No Lizard.  But to no avail.  On corrections it was ZCat and Sirocco (the two Cat 22s), then No Lizard.

Race 3     Course: BDBDB   Wind: finally started to settle

Thankfully the wind was a little more steady out of the southeast for the third race.  But only a for a while.  The start was tight.  About a minute into the race the wind shifted 100+ degrees to the north.   Yes, 100+ degrees!   Of course Rendezvous (and most of the rest of the fleet) was on the wrong side of the shift.  However.... Sirocco had started on the north end of the line leeward of the seven other boats When the shift hit she caught it first, tacked her sails to the starboard side while hardly changing course, and started pulling away. 

Pax on the layline to the first mark.  Her heavy displacement came in handy when she had to coast up to the mark in a well-timed header.

Pax lead to the first mark with Rendezvous not too far behind.  After Pax rounded Rendezvous and Rama converged on the mark quickly.


The fleet works up the first leg

Toward the end of the second leg Sirocco discovered that she had been dragging a fender the whole day, and no one told her.  After some good-hearted jeering from Rendezvous she threw the fender back in just in case it actually had helped her.

Lee takes it easy working foredeck.  Now we know George's secret weapon - towing a fender

Sirocco stretched out her lead over the last two legs.  Pax finished second with Rendezvous third.

I love a parade.  The last leg of the last race.

After corrections Sirocco did it again.   Another first place, sealing a first place for the day.  Congratulations George and Lee.  We did have a few finish positions determined by just a few seconds.  In Race 1 Rendezvous hung on to fourth by just 28 seconds over No Lizard.   Lil Girl took sixth from Rama by just 4 seconds.  And in race three ZCat took a third place from Rama by just 3 seconds.  God results on a day with such variable winds.

George Yerger showed us that it doesn't take a "fast " boat to win, just one that is well prepared and sailed well.  I hope our GFLYC guests will return and let us try to even the score.

Rules Quiz:
If No Lizard was overlapped inside Sirocco at the time Sirocco reached three of her hull lengths from the mark (the Zone), then per 18.2 (b) "...the outside boat at that moment shall thereafter give the inside boat mark-room".  Otherwise Sirocco is free to exercise her rights as leeward boat.  Did you get it right?

For those that want to see the numbers...



 

Notice of Revision of March 21st race results:
A discussion with George Yerger revealed that I had used the wrong PHRF for ZCat for our first race day.  The corrected results are below.  Positions that changed are in BLUE.  Rama still won the day.

Revised results from the first race day on March 21, 2105.