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Round the Rocks Sept 8

Philpott

Philpott

Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
We are still cogitating over the course for this race so we don't criss cross the BIG BOATS too much. Please be patient. We will start at XOC and finish off the Berkeley Marina. The Berkeley Yacht Club will host us afterwards: their kitchen is terrific with your choice of burgers, brats, chicken, salmon or steak and all the food you usually only get to eat at the 4th of July picnic. Prices are between $10-$20, our Club is invited to raft up and the Berkeley harbormaster has made lots of slips available on the same side of the marina for our boats to use while their skippers eat and visit.
 
Jacky,
Is this course what you intended?

From the Start,
to Alcatraz, leaving it to starboard,
then to Harding Rock buoy (RG “HR” Fl (2+1) R 6s)
leaving it to starboard,
then to Red Rock leaving it to starboard,
then to the Brothers leaving them to starboard,
then to Red Rock leaving it to port,
then to the Finish.

Leaving Red Rock to starboard on the northbound leg seems to take it out of the picture entirely. Leaving the Brothers to starboard will require tacking through the rather narrow channel east of the East Brother, probably against the flood (at least by the time I get there). That should be interesting.

Seems like leaving Red Rock to port and the Brothers to port on the northbound leg is more in keeping with the usual routes. Maybe I'm missing something.

Mike C.
 
Mike, the intent behind leaving Red Rock to the east in both directions is to minimize violations of the Long Wharf restricted zone that we always seem to have when we pass that way. It's been pointed out to me already that we need to specify that Red Rock is not a rounding mark on the northbound leg, so that nobody is tempted to do a 360 around it.

As for the Brothers, we just thought it would be interesting to go the other way for a change. I confess the difficulty of tacking through that gap in a flood didn't occur to me, but it can be tricky planning a jibe and douse going the other way too.

Slack is 1345 at Red Rock and 1423 at Pt. San Pablo mid channel, so I don't think the current will be much of a challenge. But we can revisit the SIs if there's enough concern.

Max
 
Wholly Sea Gull Crap, 2x around Red Rock in the same race. Who could pass up a chance to get stuck 2x in the shallows behind that big red obstacle? Count me in, my spinnaker is so light from overuse and abuse that every puff in the wind shadow behind Angel Island will move me 3x farther than a 30'+ boat. The sailing instructions are posted now on the home page. Looks like a good chance for us small boats in the shallows. I'll start studying the tide charts today.
 
Matt and everyone,

Unless the wind is doing something funny, I doubt you'll be getting into the shallows on the north side of Red Rock. You just pass to the west of it on both the way to and the way from the Brothers. On the way north, your string doesn't touch it (if you come up through Raccoon Strait) so it's not a rounding mark; on the way south (heading for Berkeley) the string does touch it, so it is a rounding mark.

Remember to bring plenty of string!
 
It was a good day in the water. Great weather and we managed to avoid any wind holes. We did hear over the radio countless request from folks for the location of the finish line. We had 'Q' to follow into the finish, but we never really saw the mark until about 200 yds from the finish. That could be improved.

Most of the course was challenging and provided for some tactical choices. Except for the last 6 or so miles which turned into a bit of a procession. We never saw any depth issues reading over 15' most of the time, though we didn't cut the corner either. Wonder what others saw. On the marina however we only had about 4' under the keel. We left the boat overnight so we might have sat on the mud a bit.

Oh, and there was the business with the radio checkin in the morning, when someone had an open mic and made communication with the RC impossible unless you were 100' from the committee boat. For race that 'require' checkin 'prior' to the first warning we might need to have a backup protocol when this type of situation arises. Just before we were able to reach the RC a handful of boats were checking in for each other.

Thanks to the RC and the BYC for hosting.
 
We on Stink Eye would like to see the track of boats that went the right way.(We went the wrong way) So if you had a GPS running and can upload your track to Jibeset, do so. (This means you Dan, Greg, Stephen, Glenn, Gordie and Christian.)
 
Regarding the open mike at the start, that was very frustrating for those of us trying to check in boats, too. In retrospect, I think the open mike was not on one of our boats, because there were several people heard talking. With 72 boats registered, it is a good policy, but clearly we'll need a back up in the future. My suggestion would be to post a cell phone number in the instructions, though that particular spot in the Olympic Circle is exactly where Sprint punks out. Messages can be left with a cell phone, though. Thank you, sailors, for relaying check-ins for others.
 
I wonder if you really need check-ins for the Bay races. Except perhaps for the 3BF, there are minor differences between the final registration Wednesday night and the starters Saturday morning. What do you actually do with the additional check-in information? Seriously, think about it. 72 boats are a lot of check-ins.

In the Bay only - there's no question the Coast Guard needs that information for the ocean races.

Edit: To clarify, I'm wondering whether the R/C can put the onus on the 3-4 skippers who registered but don't show up (to call and report their DNS) rather than on the other 69 skippers who did what they said they were going to do. Sure clears up the airwaves and simplifies things for the race deck.
 
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Travieso said:
We had 'Q' to follow into the finish, but we never really saw the mark until about 200 yds from the finish. That could be improved.
Click to expand...

That's OK, it balances out that the RC could barely see the mark (a yellow, 2-foot-long section of broomstick) from the shore, either, especially as the reflected glare increased later in the afternoon. :cool:
 
What - really? Why doesn't the SSS buy an inflatable mark?

I remember they had to use a life jacket for a "pin" one time.
 
BobJ said:
What - really? Why doesn't the SSS buy an inflatable mark?

I remember they had to use a life jacket for a "pin" one time.
Click to expand...

I was being facetious about the new BYC mark, which is pretty small, and not that far away from a confusingly similar-shaped mark to the NW.
 
Okay, but it's still a valid question. There was the life jacket for a pin, the lack of a pin for the HMB race recently and no doubt other instances.

My unique "peanut gallery" position this season allows me to ask such irritating questions . . .
 
Go it, the loyal opposition! ;)

This was my second time (along with my 12-yr-old) doing RC under the leadership of Jan. Both were 'typically atypical' in that some of the start and finishe marks were a bit improvised, rather than being a well established race deck like at GGYC or StFYC. It is very educational and a good experience to see the race from the RC perspective, and I hope I can get out a time or two more next season, at least. Also, I have a better appreciation of just how labor-intensive the task is, if done well. So I would urge SSS members if their boat is down for maintenance or unavailable (as mine has been) to come out to do RC for your own good and for that of the organization.

As far as having inflatable marks and so forth, I'm sure this is possible, but someone would still have to set and retrieve them and this requires manpower and resources (like a boat) as well.
 
Yes, I've helped with the 3BF a couple of times and that was an eye-opener.

At times the pin issue has come up when the R/C was on a boat anyway and the intended permanent mark was missing - but with pre-arrangement a regular SSS racer could set it and except for the HMB race, pick it up (the penalty for being the last finisher?). I also suspect that for a contribution, a boat from the host club would take care of it.

This also allows flexibility in choosing starting locations - something the SSS may need in the months ahead.
 
I would like to serve on the race committee at the St Francis. Especially if I got lunch served to me at one of those tables overlooking the water, the ones with the linen tablecloths. I would like a salad nicoise and an iced tea, please. Then maybe a double expresso. Bob, it would be delightful to have you back on the board. I would buy you a double espresso, too. And I don't think last finishers should be penalized. The public disapprobation is shame enough.
 
By the way, how did Greg Nelson come in first? Again? I thought we set up this race to circumvent his speed and ingenuity. Wasn't he supposed to get stuck in the mud out there on the Olympic Circle? Sneaky sneaky Outsider. Hmmm. Maybe a mark closer to Brooks Island for next year.... Gordie said Santanas get stuck in the mud over there.
 
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