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New Boat 4 Sled

Huge Kudos to crew of PERPLEXITY! "To windward for over two days in 20k-30k and 10-12' cross seas were trying conditions," writes Jim Quanci. Proud to know these guys and cheer their accomplishment.
 
Huge Kudos to crew of PERPLEXITY! "To windward for over two days in 20k-30k and 10-12' cross seas were trying conditions," writes Jim Quanci. Proud to know these guys and cheer their accomplishment.
As we know, due to its illustrious history, course, and challenging weather the Sydney/Hobart Race has strict qualification and safety standards. Even still, 35 out of 128 boats, more than 1/4 of the fleet retired. Indicative of the rugged conditions on the course and even more reason for applauding PERPLEXITY's performance. As mentioned above, we are proud to know this team. And I would be remiss to remind that PERPLEXITY, an Express 37, was designed by Carl Schumacher and built by friends here in Santa Cruz 40 years ago.

Happy New Year All!

carl-schumacher.jpg
Carl Schumacher 1951-2002
 
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Custom 30 Performance Sloop 1997 docked at marina, featuring wooden deck and sail.
 
There is an often quotes saying ‘that if you have to ask the price of the sailboat, then you can not afford it’. Well, this boat is less affordable than the others I couldn’t afford and bought. I have fondness for cold moulded boats. I guess I to be content with looking at the boat at the past Wooden Boat Festival.
 
There is an often quotes saying ‘that if you have to ask the price of the sailboat, then you can not afford it’. Well, this boat is less affordable than the others I couldn’t afford and bought. I have fondness for cold moulded boats. I guess I to be content with looking at the boat at the past Wooden Boat Festival.
If Endangered Species is not your cup of tea, maybe Timberwolf would be. This sweet Farr 38's record is impeccable both in the ocean and on the Bay.
 
I think I remember from WB magazine that Guzwell was sensitized to epoxy and Endangered Species was built with resorcinal?
Or something like that.
 
This year's 3 Bridge Fiasco was an amazing confluence of good weather and wind in the dead of winter, brisk competition in a multitude of classes, and exceptionally well run fiasco race management with quickly posted results. Well done to all! Especially to dear friend and SSS comrade in arms Ants Uiga of Bodfish who designed, proposed, and executed the first 3BF on Super Bowl Saturday of 1984. Since then, even during Covid, up to 369 boats and 650 sailors, singlehanded and doublehand, have participated in Ants' inventive game plan: give the skipper and crew the chance to chart and plan their own race course with the possibility of everyone finishing near the same time. during a time of year when few other races were scheduled.

in 1984, out of 40 entrants, only two finishers: Lester Robinson won in his Moore 24 LEGS won, and Linda Newland was second. Since then, as Ants is quick to point out, it is not only the unique course and time of year that makes this the largest annually scheduled race west of the Mississippi. But, and I capitalize, "the SSS crew on Race Deck have made the 3BF happen with good cheer and amazing coordination for 42 years.

PS: Can someone please prove me wrong that there are 25 different course options for the 3BF given there are 4 marks that can be left on either hand including Start and Finish mark, and 3 in any order, including Crissy, TI, and Red Rock.
PS2: A Moore 24 this year pulled off a class winning, legal move by going inside the 30' shoal gap between the south pylon of the Bay Bridge and rocky east tip of Yerba Buena Island, thereby gaining 10 lengths by being in reduced ebb current. Will bet no one else chanced that.
 
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Hi Skip,
Regarding the number of 3BF course options. I think there are 96. Here's my back-of-the-envelope logic:
There are 6 mark rounding options: 1234, 1243, 1324,1342, 1423, and 1432 where 1 is the start and 2,3,4 are the other marks.
There are 8 course possibilities for each rounding order, for example, 1234 has these: 2s3s4s, 2s3s4p, 2s3p4s, 2s3p4p and 2p3s4s, 2p3s4p, 2p3p4s, 2p3p4p. Thus, for a given start, there are 6x8=48 course possibilities.
There are two allowed course starts, so the total number of course options is 2x48=96.
I'm sure there's formula for this, but if I ever knew it, it's long gone from my memory!
Steve
 
my answer is: 192 (same as Steve but with two finish options)

2 starts (to the west or east)
6 first marks, blackaller to port, blackaller to starboard, redrock to port, redrock to starboard, TI to port, TI to starboard
4 second marks
2 third marks
2 finishes (to the west or east)

2 x 6 x 4 x 2 x 2 = 192
 
Hi Skip,
Regarding the number of 3BF course options. I think there are 96. Here's my back-of-the-envelope logic:
There are 6 mark rounding options: 1234, 1243, 1324,1342, 1423, and 1432 where 1 is the start and 2,3,4 are the other marks.
There are 8 course possibilities for each rounding order, for example, 1234 has these: 2s3s4s, 2s3s4p, 2s3p4s, 2s3p4p and 2p3s4s, 2p3s4p, 2p3p4s, 2p3p4p. Thus, for a given start, there are 6x8=48 course possibilities.
There are two allowed course starts, so the total number of course options is 2x48=96.
I'm sure there's formula for this, but if I ever knew it, it's long gone from my memory!
Steve
Hi Steve, Thanks for this! There may be even two further course possibilities that I've encountered first hand: If Red Rock is your last mark, and you are sailing to the finish through Raccoon Straits, the Finish Line off GGYC is exactly in line with your course from Angel Island's Pt. Stuart and you could legally finish going either direction through the finish line.
 
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I didn’t think of the two finishes. Good catch!
Rereading the 3BF Rules says you may start and finish going in either direction as long as you don't approach the Line within 50 yards unless starting or finishing. This shoots down the US Sailing Judge who argued our 3BF course must be a taut string around all the marks and we must finish from the direction of the last mark.

I believe Todd22123 has the correct number of possible courses for 3BF as 192 and wins a quart of Tillamook Peanutbutter/Chocolate Icecream. We also wish Todd and Lily a safe and fun upcoming cruise to the Bahamas on their Corsair F31 WATERWINGS.
 
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