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Shorthanded Midwinters 2015/2016

Sounds like it was a really nice, but light wind race. I had been watching that weird wind all day and was kinda jonesing to go, but I ended up getting a TON of boat projects done and just now finished a cost proposal. I'm feeling really good. There's always next month!!! I might also have new paint on the bottom and a spinnaker flying by then :)
 
That was fun !!

Had a good start with Ragtime! and TIDJ. Then Bob hit the afterburner and took off!

Did two sets and douses with the spinnaker, of course if you were watching, you might call it something different!

My biggest time killer was sorting out the jib, jib sheets, and the pole after dousing at the leeward mark. And watching it slip past.
Timing and planning.

Hey Dirk, hope I didn't mess you up at the first mark, we were pacing each other pretty well till I rounded and then began wrastling with the spinnaker.

Didn't take many pictures myself. Here is one of FUGU. (I know, he's doublehanding)

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For me, hitting the afterburner upwind is getting the genoa trimmed just right and then hand-steering to its telltails.

Even though we were on the Berkeley flats I think the big ebb was a factor. The boats that stayed left sailed a shorter distance. I think we may have had a little more pressure on that side too, at least for the first lap. Several of you tacked away after the start and ended up on the right side of the course, then had to work back to the windward mark against the ebb. The same thing happened on the second beat.

(If that sounds backwards to those who weren't there, the wind was ENE.)
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It was cold and there was a postponement, and not much wind toward the end, then it started to sprinkle, and ... it was indeed a splendid day to be on the water, wasn't it? Sailors just wanna be on the water! I had a terrific time!
 
Philpott said:
It was cold and there was a postponement, and not much wind toward the end, then it started to sprinkle, and ... it was indeed a splendid day to be on the water, wasn't it? Sailors just wanna be on the water! I had a terrific time!
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Lots of SSS burgees out there!
 
Daydreamer said:
I had a great time! How about you?
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Those are great photos, especially of you. Nice job carrying that kite on a headstay reach. It's always good for an upper body workout!

The forecasters sure missed it - the NNW never materialized. Once the R/C gave up trying to move the marks around it was looking like a fetch both ways. Nathan (ELISE) and I set up for a port tack start at the pin. There was a little more breeze down there and a great angle to the windward mark without a tack. Jindrich (GRACE) was down there too but I lost track of him after our start. (Jindrich was playing with a new code zero on a furler - it was a good day for it.)

Not only was it a fetch to the windward mark but I was able to crack off slightly for speed. I'd left the reaching kite unpacked at home and was having serious doubts about the runner but rigged it anyway. Letting the autopilot drive while doing all that was slow and the crack team on MOTORCYCLE IRENE stayed with me - they were on their second sausage.

After rounding I saw the boats ahead struggling with their kites so I opted for a rail lead on the #2 and left the kite in the bag. I confess that when ELISE went by (still headed upwind) I pulled out the sprit so he'd assume I was setting. From there on it was a parade down to the leeward mark and back to the finish. Unfettered by needing to douse, a clean leeward rounding allowed me to fetch the pin end of the line without being hard on the wind.

A shirtsleeves-and-shorts midwinter race on San Francisco Bay - gotta love it! Thanks again to all who came out for the series.
 
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That was a fun day, although I loathe postponements. I had my spinnaker all ready to go and the day was perfect for it. Crawled up to the bow and readied everything when I realized that the boats ahead of me at the mark weren't raising their kites. Why? Because they were on beam reaches after the rounding. Well, hell! I was going to set my spinnaker anyway cuz it's pretty and fun to trim. Note to self for the future: 1/ wait until after rounding to roll up the jib; and 2/ figure out how to stuff that into the bag so as not to get the dreaded hourglass. Sigh. Here are a couple of photos. Nice seeing you all out there.
 

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"(Jindrich was playing with a new code zero on a furler - it was a good day for it.)"

Jindrich - I go by Henry.
Great day for the Code 0, although I hoped that I will make bigger inroads:-)
The sail is not new, I have been using it since early 2013 in SoCal during the PSSA races.
My boat has wide shrouds and I can't have overlapping sails, so I decided on the Code0, after over two years of usage, I am very happy with the sail.
One of the Code 0's advantages is that it could be easily furled and un-furled.
Looking forward to use it again during the Corinthian race.
 
It was a FANTASTIC day! Beccie had not been out on the water since around October, I think. Other than the drift to the windward mark, everything picked up nicely and we had a quick once around. We won't dwell on the DFL placing, both in the series and this race, other than to say that it would have been great to have raced more this winter. I have to say that Bobbi Tossi and her crew are top notch. Beccie and I were commenting on how well she runs the races and we love her voice over the radio. During the postponement, we also enjoyed catching up on each other's lives and saying hi to everyone like the social butterflies we are not. Then we had a nice beam reach past Treasure Island where we came to a dead stop past the Bay Bridge heading to my new home in the estuary. The clothes came off (ha, I mean the foulies and fleece!) and the beers came out while we motored back to the slip in the blazing sun. Northern California at its best :)
 
I'll get in trouble for this but it's worth it.

We're drifting around during the postponement and Jackie asks if we'd like some music. (Sure!) So she puts on some Bob Dylan and cranks it. With Greg (NIGHTMARE) in earshot, I holler over that I still have Jackie's little black dress in my car. Greg says "That doesn't sound right." I quickly correct my comment to "Dura Mater's little black dress" and Jackie attempts to explain. Then it all got kinda quiet.
 
Gamayun said:
Yeah, yeah, so you say. What happens on the water, stays on the water :)

Right, Jackie?
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Bob has offered me a black mylar jib for Dura Mater. Hence the "little black dress". He thinks I want to go faster. Ragtime! has so much bling he thinks DM needs some, too. I prefer shabby chic for my boat, + I don't want to have to take it down and roll it up every time. Greg did turn around and raise his eyebrows. I explained.
 
Philpott said:
Bob has offered me a black mylar jib for Dura Mater. Hence the "little black dress". He thinks I want to go faster. Ragtime! has so much bling he thinks DM needs some, too. I prefer shabby chic for my boat, + I don't want to have to take it down and roll it up every time. Greg did turn around and raise his eyebrows. I explained.
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What???

First, that is a nice looking sail you've been offered, Jacki.

Second, you keep Dura Mater in the water so you are already far, far short on post race/sail chores. Half the fun is grinding through rolling up 3, 4 or 5 sails, repacking a couple of kites, coiling up several thousand yards of spaghetti and then hoisting the boat onto the trailer. Really, you should try it sometime. It truly adds to the experience.

And finally, if you are stuck with just one available headsail on a furler, what do you do during the race with no sail changes to contemplate, get wrong, undo, then redo, then undo again? Even the Melges 24 crowd gets to wind up and unwind the shrouds to change gears.

I bet you just sit there eating cookies and listening to music.
 
JohnS said:
What???

First, that is a nice looking sail you've been offered, Jacki.

Second, you keep Dura Mater in the water so you are already far, far short on post race/sail chores. Half the fun is grinding through rolling up 3, 4 or 5 sails, repacking a couple of kites, coiling up several thousand yards of spaghetti and then hoisting the boat onto the trailer. Really, you should try it sometime. It truly adds to the experience.

And finally, if you are stuck with just one available headsail on a furler, what do you do during the race with no sail changes to contemplate, get wrong, undo, then redo, then undo again? Even the Melges 24 crowd gets to wind up and unwind the shrouds to change gears.

I bet you just sit there eating cookies and listening to music.
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Is this John Shannon? For a season I crewed on Dire Straits over in Alameda. At the end of the day I did assist in getting it up and out of the water, onto the trailer and back into its parking space. All that after rolling up the sails and coiling the lines. Even with four other women helping, it took awhile. And did I mention there were other people? Very nice people, but still.

With no winch covers or bench cushions or hanks for the jib, in her upwind slip, I can rig DM, raise her sail and be out of the slip in 15 minutes. No bling can compensate for that. Those boats with crews look happy. Sweaty but happy. Like bees in a hive from afar. And yes, cookies are good. :-)
 
Hey, Henry (S/V Grace) I have your second place award from the Berkeley Yacht Club. If you plan to come into the Corinthian after the race I will have it on DM (500 euro duty/free!). If not, let me know how I can get it to you. Tom Boussie, I have your third place award. I can also throw your awards from boat to boat to you both before the start of the Corinthian.
 
Philpott said:
Hey, Henry (S/V Grace) I have your second place award from the Berkeley Yacht Club. If you plan to come into the Corinthian after the race I will have it on DM (500 euro duty/free!). If not, let me know how I can get it to you. Tom Boussie, I have your third place award. I can also throw your awards from boat to boat to you both before the start of the Corinthian.
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Jackie,
That sounds like a good reason to stop by at Corinthian:-)and even 500 Euro is bargain.
Thanks a lot
 
Berkeley Midwinters

Philpott said:
Hey, Henry (S/V Grace) I have your second place award from the Berkeley Yacht Club. If you plan to come into the Corinthian after the race I will have it on DM (500 euro duty/free!). If not, let me know how I can get it to you. Tom Boussie, I have your third place award. I can also throw your awards from boat to boat to you both before the start of the Corinthian.
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Jackie,

Sadly, I will be out of town on the 19th and will miss the Corinthian race. Please keep my 3rd place Berkeley Midwinters award on your boat and we will arrange a mid-ocean transfer some time in the future. God knows my sailing trophy case has plenty of available room.

Tom
 
tboussie said:
Jackie,

Sadly, I will be out of town on the 19th and will miss the Corinthian race. Please keep my 3rd place Berkeley Midwinters award on your boat and we will arrange a mid-ocean transfer some time in the future. God knows my sailing trophy case has plenty of available room.

Tom
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"mid-ocean transfer". Now that sounds like an adventure. I'm looking forward to it.
 
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