Passion
We did get a very good seven to ten knots sailing breeze for the Wednesday sail our of RANSA and a real bonus as only three knots had been forecast. Before the start Geoff had predicted the direction would move about and that it did indeed. Meanwhile inside the boom a shackle pin worked loose, possibly after a flogging last Wednesday and Friday when the main was reefed and the main outerhaul was lying loose inside the boom. The upshot was that we had no outerhaul and had to jury rig and fix the clew of the mainsail in one position for the duration of the race. It was too full for the windward work and too flat for the reaches but it was a reasonable compromise.
We had a well timed start off the boat end in clear wind with a slight shift favouring the boat but eventually it knocked putting the pin end starters who had persevered on starboard well in front when they tacked.
Krakatoa was just above us and as they tacked early we had freedom to move which we did to stay in phase with the fleet. I Super did something super and was clear ahead of the fleet. Back int the pack we were having some good gains and some of those shift which go down as losses. Consequently we were ahead and behind of the same yachts many times on the long work to the heads. We arrived at the top mark ahead of Allegro and Krakatoa but behind a close bunch including Amanti, Joli, Meridian, Hanni and Hitchhiker. Crosshaven snuck in there too so we had plenty of company for the run back to Steele Point. We stayed out with Crosshaven trying to emulate what they did two weeks ago by going wie around Steele Point but it did not work as the fleet close inside got a good gust along the shore and successfully shot the corner. Out wide we were still hoping to get the breeze from over the top but it came from forward of the beam and we were left in the dirty air of the fleet. Around the Rose Bay mark we gave room to a big Div 2 yacht and suffered from her dirty air so the leaders moved further ahead.
Behind Allegro and Krakatoa were coming down with fresh breeze while we were sitting in our private light patch. The three of us tried to round the Point Piper mark at the same time with Allegro getting the front spot and Passion X the inside spot on Krakatoa and that was the way we rounded the island.
For the final run home Allegro went north and picked up the first use of a new squirt and bounded away and Krakatoa persisted with giving Passion X dirty air to be successful by a short nose over the line.
Between Rose Bay and home Passion X lost 4 minutes on the leaders which is a bit troubling as it is not normally the case. I suspect we had the rig a bit stiff because as I review the video footage of the race I can see the loose leaches on the mainsails of the yachts leading away from us into Rose Bay.
Well done to I Super for the wind and to Joli for getting back onto the podium. Unfortunately for them the point score series finished last week with Krakatoa taking the prize on a countback from Passion X. It was a well deserved win for Krakatoa as they performed well from the first race.
Thursday in idyllic conditions I audited a GFS yacht and in turn was audited ready for the 2020 2021 season. Post audits I tackled the broken mainsail outerhaul and was able to replace the broken shackle and reinstate the 4:1 purchase system ready for the Friday afternoon pursuit race at Balmain.
The fleet did better close in to Steele Point
Where the fleet got away with the freshening breeze on the nose into Rose Bay
The nicest thing about the Friday Afternoon pursuit series run out of Balmain is the spirit in which racing is conducted from the honour system for starting to the leeway given in awkward situations. We sail very short handed for a yacht of our size so we are not the quickest to respond and today even with extra crew the strong wind called for a lot of caution. Thank you to the sailors who gave us some slack and did not drive us into Cockatoo Island off the start line. Thank you to Tana for not putting us about into the moored yachts we had just tacked away from along the Balmain shore.
On the careful front we went out with a double reef in the main and the No3 jib thinking that with the small crew today would be a good time to see how we went with such aggressive reefing. It was a good test as to windward we were competitive with the single reefed sailors while downwind we suffered as would be expected. A gun crew might have taken one reef out on the runs and put it back in for works but we were making a little ground and our 7th place out of 17 starters was a satisfactory result. Maximum boat speed was 9.4 knots according to the same instruments that recorded 12.4 knots on Wednesday with more wind and a single reef.
By a small margin over Odyssey and Van Demon we were fastest around the course but that might be a bit generous as Irukandji parked next to the “No Loitering” sign off of Spectacle Island and while they did not incur the nominated fine they did suffer a bit of embarrassment. At times we made up a little ground on them but when they parked they probably had us by a small margin on fastest time.
Another windy day this time beating towards Darling Harbour
A big thank you to RANSA for running the Wednesday afternoon series today and getting it done before the big breeze hit. We did see 38n knots on the sind instruments on the way back to the mooring. Today was the first time we had contemplated the No 4 jib since we purchased it for the 2017 series but that contemplation was brief and I brushed the thought aside in favour of the No 3 jib and a reefed main. Before the start we watched our competitors one by one sail off into Rushcutters Bay to put in a reef so that by the start most of the fleet was on smaller jibs and reefed mains.
Krakatoa timed the start perfectly while we had to wait for Reve to get far enough forward so we could duck her stern and head to the line.
Helped by the strong breeze we were able to hang onto Krakatoa’s tail for the reach to the heads and the most exciting bits were surfing down her stern wave in the gusts. Our maximum boat speed showed at 12.4 knots although the most we saw while watching the dial was mid tens. The 12.4 must have been off of Krakatoa’s stern wave in one of the gusts where we momentarily drew level. We had by now build up a handy 80 metres lead on the fleet and were content to safely follow Krakatoa around the top mark and head off on a very tight reach to Steele Point. Along this leg we went higher to be able to pass without any interference and pass we did particularly as we approached Steele Point and freed off for the reach into Rose Bay. Amante and I Super were also not far behind and we had a long beat to the finish line to try to hold them out.
In theory the Sydney 36crs are faster to windward in 20 knots and we had all of that and some more so we knew we would be working hard to hold our slim lead. Everyone pitched in with winching and tailing the main and jib and calling the angles and telltales so we were in good shape for the work home. We stayed in phase with the fleet on the way home and were surprised when Amante took a detour not realising that we were sailing the No 2 course and heading straight for home. Next in line was i Super with a full main then Krakatoa holding onto here place from a mighty reach to the heads. Behind we could see Leeward with mainsail backwinding and enjoying the fresh conditions and further back Allegro but we held on for our first fastest time for the season and first in a breeze. On handicap we had a close win over our similarly handicapped I Super and we waved to our old crew member as they crossed the line..
The win elevated Passion to equal first with Krakatoa on the leader board and a handy place to be at this time of the series.
The moment we caught Krakatoa
This Friday afternoon was possibly the lightest day sailing in a long list of light day sailing. Quite probably a day just as light was experienced in Canberra in the distant days when I sailed NS 14s and where the water was so flat it was hard to tell what was reflection and what was real. In the even more distant days when I was a young Moth sailor 54 years ago we had a winter race at RPYC in Western Australia where the breeze died and in second place I refused to retire even though it was windless. In that distant day before cut off times for races the committee turned off the lights so I could rock home over the line and everyone could go home. Also there was a string of light days at Jeju Island in South Korea where we could not get off the beach for lack of wind but as far as light days where we actually started today was possibly a record. We started in two to three knots and made good progress up to Birchgrove but along the Drummoyne shore any wisp of wind was a figment of an overactive imagination and off of Spectacle Island the committee cruised around the fleet making gestures as to indicate that the race was dead. Yes like the Norwegian Blue it was dead, deceased, no more.
On the bright side we motored home at speed stowing the sails and beat the rain. Now safe inside the warm house with air conditioning blasting warm air into the room we can be grateful for another day of light exercise and sunlight before the rain.
Britannia cleaned up big time today both on the upwind leg to the turn mark and spectacularly on the reach back into Rose Bay where they went right across to Shark Island for breeze and skirted the fleet.
Our goose was cooked when we planned on reaching into the line and starting behind the most windward yacht.
On the run to Steele Point we ran square while Crosshaven and Britannia went far out into the mid channel and came back around the fleet. Agrovation was slowly gaining ground and giving us a dose of wind shadow while we did the same to I Super. Allegro was charging up on the shore side when we decided to stay wide. As we watched Britannia reach away over on the Shark Island shore we tried to stay as low as possible and keep some wind across the sails. At times I Super and Agrovation looked to be picking up wind inshore but eventually the sailed into nothing as did Allegro behind them .
From there it was a follow the leaders home and the best breeze of the day was the work to the shortened course off the top of Shark Island.
The dying breeze into Rose Bay spread the fleet out so that some of the finish margins look a bit cruel. In particular the six minutes gap from Meridian and Amante and the 4 minutes from Joli hurt but then our 5 minute margin over Allegro was not indicative of boat speed.
For the day we were happy to hold out I Super and Agrovation by a minute over the line and salvage eight handicap points and hang onto equal 4th place overall with Larrikin.
The forecast wind shift put us behind the eight ball.
The run of fine weather had to come to an end and it did so with a vengeance. So wet was it that only six yachts braved the conditions and Elaine may have been the only lady on the course.
The early starters were unlucky as right on 14:09 hours, our start time, a breeze sprang up and powered us up the reach to Long Nose where the becalmed fleet lay waiting. from there it was almost all drift with just a little shifty wind around the south side of Goat Island.
The drift back to Cockatoo Island was particularly frustrating as the wind from the Harbour proper kept filtering through up to Long Nose and no further.
Avalon made good us of the wind filtering in across Balls head to lead the fleet by Cockatoo Island. At this point we managed to put our nose in front of the rest of the fleet and set off after Avalon.
On the final reach from Snapper Island Elaine took the helm and I played with the sail settings and we made up a lot of ground on Avalon. Perhaps it was our turn to have the breeze but if felt good to do a bit of catching up. Of course that meant a big gap to third place and possibly a nasty handicap for Passion X and Avalon next week.
Firstly I extend my deepest sympathies to the victims of the massive blast in Lebanon today. This nation has suffered enough and hopefully this tragic accident will unite them on a path to recovery. I used to work at a factory that made explosive grade Ammonium nitrate and did the field testing on the product to verify that it exploded properly. That produce was destined to the mining industry and we handled the product with utmost care under strict regulations.
Putting aside the sad news the day in Sydney started with clear skies and fresh westerly breezes as is typical for August. Before the start I said to the crew our result would be determined by the selection of the correct genoa and so it was.
I opted for the No 1 heavy which is a light skin carbon sports cut a little flatter than the No 1 light. The selection was perfect for the breeze with our better windward performance particularly pleasing.
The first leg was a broad reach on port tack and we started on time in the middle of the fleet. Unfortunately we could not reach out from under the windward yachts nor run away far enough for clear air. Sandwiched between i Super and Allegro we were letting Fidelis, Amanti, Agrovation and Crosshaven reach away ahead. At one stage Allegro did a little round up which was our cue to break cover and then pull ahead of i Super. Hitchhiker was just in front too and we had to judge the mark rounding carefully to give the yachts in front room to round.
The biggest surprise of the day was our windward working speed. Admittedly we were a few degrees of hard to windward and ten degrees is worth a knot of boat speed but seeing over eight knots occasionally was a delight. It must have been a good angle for us as we held Allegro and I Super and Whistling Kite for that leg and for the bear away into Rose Bay. We tried hard to run over Hitchhike with her reefed main but no no avail and again we had to negotiate a lot of traffic at the Rose Bay mark. Amanti got a bit of a break here but we held on to Hitchhike. Around the top of Shark Island we went wide and avoided the wind shadow that trapped Crosshaven and Hitchhike but could not break through their lee. Ahead we could see Agrovation unwinding herself to pass the mark and that cost her quite some time but she did not wait for us. All that was left was the work hard on the nose to the finish and her we managed to lift inside Hitchhike but had Hanni lift inside us so we gained one and lost one.
Across the finish line we were delighted to have finished ahead of Whistling Kite, Leeward, Allegro and Joli given the fresh conditions.
Our fourth place on handicap was enough to climb up the leader board to second but only one place ahead of Amanti who gained two points on us for the day.
Tracks for today’s race showing the angle to Steele Point compared to the hard beat home
To my surprise we did get in a lap of the Balmain Friday Afternoon series but not everyone was able to finish in the time limit of 16:30 hours. From our start at 14:10 hours to at least 15:30 we drifted around Snapper and Spectacle Islands and along the Hunters Hill shore in less than three knots of breeze. We drifted better than a lot and with the exception of Avalon we were happy to be picking off the fleet one by one. Off of Cockatoo Island ferry wharf Odyssey retired so that she could head off to Yamba and we wish her well in her cruise off the coast.
About the same time we caught Irukandji and for the rest of the afternoon had a see saw contest with them. When the wind did kick in it was a work to windward where Irukandji was much slicker due in no small part to an injury to a crew just before he stepped aboard for the afternoon. As the day progressed he stiffened up so we were back to the David and Elaine duo doing everything. Avalon tacked on the shifts nicely and soon drew a long way ahead while we left the last tack into Goat Island too short and had to pinch to avoid a big red mark down the side. Avoid it we did but in the process Irukandji drew further ahead.
The leg back to Long Nose was also a good one for Irukandji where they went for the freshening breeze and got it together with a faster angle. We had no choice but to chase the same breeze and leave Krakatini behind in light air close in the Snails Bay.
The last throw of the dice was to go wide of Long Nose and come back at the finish line on a tighter reach. Out wide there was better wind and we soon passed another two and drew alongside Irukandji. Now we were right up the backside of Hasta La Vista and rather than be taken high we chose the leeward side which was not a good choice as the freshening breeze arrived at Irukandji and Hasta La Vista before it arrived at Passion X. So Irukandji got us by two seconds which is a good result for a long day on the water. Four points for the day was our best result since we won the first race and a pleasing result given the condition of the crew.
After a few rough wet days with an east coast low hammering the coast we woke this morning to brilliant sunshine and forecasts for around 10 knots. We were not disappointed with the consistent 10 to 15 knots which propelled us around the full course in just over seventy minutes.
The first leg was a broad reach where we went low to avoid the jostling of the fleet. Perhaps we pushing against more tide out in the middle but the free air and faster approach to the mark had us near the front of the fleet alongside the eventual first and second fastest times yachts, Hanni and Agrovation. Fidelis was doing her reaching best and had streaked out on the first leg and it was easy to predict her win on handicap from that position. Hitchhike and Whistling Kite were also out front on the reach. Whistling Kite hung on for third on handicap but Hitchhike did not fare as well on the hard tacks home.
The work back to Steele Point and into Rose Bay was always going to be a challenge. Hanni did well by going all the way to the rocks before tacking for Steele Point and had clear air. We were back in traffic and dirty air and had to tack away from the second division starboard tackers who had just rounded their turning mark. We tacked inshore for clear air and did well until the wind shadow off of Steele Point where the yachts out wider moved forward and then tacked back off the Shark Island obstacle. Amanti tacked below us on the way into Rose Bay and gave us a healthy dose of disturbed air to break away and eventually beat us by a couple of minutes. Along the reach to Point Piper we held our position and again on the run to round the Island we held our position against the chasing pack but gave away some time to the yachts with genoas poled out. On the work back around Shark Island we were fortunate to clear the heavy air specialist Leeward who loves a stiff beat to windward but clear her we did and held her out to the finish. Ahead was Hitchhike and Meridian but as hard as we chased on the tight reach home we could not catch them.
At the finish it was a close contest with eight yachts in front with margins from 2 minutes 48 seconds down to 20 seconds. On handicap it was even closer with Larrikin, Britannia and Leeward leapfrogging us into fifth, sixth and seventh place.
We were pretty satisfied with our performance in the conditions particularly finishing in front of Allegro for the second week in a row and finishing just 2 minutes 23 seconds behind Agrovation in solid windward beating conditions.
It was certainly a wet day for the last race of the Covid 19 curtailed West Harbour Winter Series. Many decided that with no chance of winning they would stay home but for those who ventured out it was not an upleasant race. After the first lap of the course the breeze died so we practices setting and gybing the asymmetric spinnaker. The first windward work was a good test of boat speed and but for tacking too soon in a knock we were sailing above our handicap. The first downwind leg we two sailed the course while Matagi, Ophir and Avalon were slick with their spinnaker work and drew well away. The second windward work was a bit unkind as we were knocked along the Hunters Hill shore well below the line of the yachts ahead. Still we managed to hang onto Odyssey and Omnishambles until the reach home. Despite setting our asymmetric spinnaker, Odyssey with a masthead code zero drew away. I would like one of those in my Christmas stocking please Santa.
From there it was a lonely sail to windward back to the finish line and a pleasant surprise to find that we had beaten Omnishambles on handicap.
Today added a bit more confidence in our windward working speed post the rig changes and the spinnaker practice was useful. We did pull the sock down before raising the genoa for the windward work and found we could do that very quickly with very little time spend bare headed. It was certainly good practice ahead of going offshore in two weeks time.
Five knots of breeze arrived just five minutes late and with some very well judged starting by the committee we were away into the sea breeze just five minutes behind the scheduled start time. We were aiming for the pin with Krakatoa reaching over the top and with either Foreign Affairs or Hitchhike below. Joli tried to climb over the top but even in the dirty air of the two pin enders in front we managed to climb out from a safe leeward position. When Joli tacked for clear air we promptly followed but found the boat end starters all lifting above us. Taking a few sterns was very costly as with each stern we dropped below Joli’s line even though we had tacked above. As a result we found ourselves deep into the fleet but with clear air and freedom to tack. We used both to good effect settling into a fast mode and tacking on the shifts. We also covered the fleet when we made a gain and at the top mark found ourselves up with Foreign Affairs and Hitchhike.
Freedom to tack and covering the fleet paid off
Around the top mark we poled out the genoa and drifted back to Steele Point. With the wind behind the apparent wind was down to a couple of knots but the close competition kept us on our toes. I Super also had a good windward work and was on out tail. Into Rose Bay we were looking for a finish boat but none came. Foreign Affairs ran away and Hitchhike pulled out a safe distance leaving us to be hassled by I Super all the way home. I Super did pull ahead down the side of Shark Island but on the broader reach home we found a wisp of wind and drew ahead again and hung on for a third fastest place. Hitchhike managed to pull ahead just enough to beat us on handicap by 10 seconds but they in turn were beaten by Coco and Britannia so we were pushed back to fourth on handicap just ahead of I Super. With the close racing we were able to talk to our ex crew now racing on I Super so that added a bit of good competitive tension to the day. Today was the best result since we trimmed down the fat head main to a conventional pin head with a bit of roach. In the light airs we have to drop the main halyard to get the roach under the backstay. A mast head flicker would be nice but just for sub 5 knot breezes it seems a luxury. I have been using the quiet sunny days of this week to so some maintenance and upgrades on Passion X. Some are just the routine tasks like tightening the water impeller v belt and changing the seal on the head toilet pump in preparation for a week away at Port Stephens but another is a more permanent change. When Passion X was designed it complied with the offshore racing standards of the day but that standard is no longer accepted for yachts built after 2010. I am working through the current codes which were updated in 2019 and have reviewed all the structural scantlings for the hull. All of the sheeting exceeds the 2019 code requirement and almost all of the stringers do too. Of all the stringers only eight need a small section of timber glued to the existing stringers to comply. The largest addition is two stringers which need to be increased from 22 by 44 to 28 by 50 mm. One stringer needs as little as a 22 mm wide strip 6 mm thick added to comply. In two days I am half way through completing all the stringers and I plan to have them all finished and epoxy painted in the next week.
An example of the stringers in the quarter berth with one completed with strips on the side and top and the other with the side strip glued and clamped.
Since our last RANSA Winter Wednesday race a lot has transpired. On the Friday when Elaine and I normally do the Balmain Afternoon series we were driving to Ballina to celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary. We greatly enjoyed the weekend celebration with our Ballina family orchestrating events and Zooming in with the interstate ones.
More of the Pacific Highway has been upgraded and much more is almost complete. The 80km construction zones on the newly completed lanes contributed to a low fuel consumption below 7.5 litres per 100km and I believe we could have arrived home back in Sydney on a single tank of petrol.
Our next scheduled RANSA race was a drift out. Very wisely the committee called it early so we could enjoy a quiet motor home chatting with crew. For the rest of the week there was no breeze so that the Friday Balmain race was a drift out with no one completing the course. it seemed that the only motion available was courtesy of the tide which resulted in us all moving at more or less the same drift speed. We surrendered around 4pm when to even the most optimist among the fleet there was no longer hope of the promised breeze springing up.
The next week started pretty well as the last had finished with very little breeze for the West Harbour Winter Series. A promising light breeze at the start soon faded to leave the water mirror smooth with just the occasional errant wisp of wind teasing the fleet to gybe from one side to the other. Another wise committee decision was to shorten the race to a single circuit of the Spectacle and Snapper Islands and while it seemed too short a distance to rank as a race it was long enough and any longer would have been impossible.
With three races either abandoned or curtailed what would happen to the next but to be abandoned for too much wind. It was the right 10am call at RANSA as at the scheduled 2pm start time it was blowing 26 to 35 knots.
Now I had crew very keen to sail and we have in the past just gone for a harbour blast but the forecast rain was a bit of a dampener so we called the day off.
In our old Passion we did do a 35 knot sail out through the heads with triple reefed main and storm jib and found it a bit tame. In the new Passion X our first trip back from Port Stephens was in 35 knots with a No 3 jib and triple reef. We did find the jib too big for the journey and should have put up the storm jib. Now we also have a No4 jib which is probably the right rig for 35 knots. I mention this because I feel we are not practicing heavy air seamanship quite enough and several windy afternoons on the harbour would be good experience for the fleets before they head offshore.
Now am looking forward to Friday when we are promised good breeze ahead of a Saturday return to drifting conditions.
With the wet weather forecast for Monday through to Wednesday this week I had to find something to do so I upgraded a couple of computers. It does seem pretty insane to have three laptops and three desktops computers in the one house for just the two of us but having replaced two recently I took to upgrading the ones that were replaced. It is amazing what a new SSD drive can do to a ten year old i3 laptop which has gone from an absolute useless dog to quite a usable device. The other upgrade was to a three year old Ryzen 7 1700x where for some reason I had overlooked the M.2 NVMe 3.0 x4 slot and installed a Sata SSD. After much searching for the M.2 slot specifications I found it on the original motherboard box and dashed off the the computer shop for a 500GB Samsung SSD. Migrating the system to the M.2 slot from the Sata SSD took just 4 minutes compared to hours overnight from a mechanical drive to a Sata SSD and the performance comparison are spectacular.
My newer motherboard with a Ryzen 5 3600 chip has the latest M.2 NVMe 4.0 x4 slot which is modestly faster again in sequential read and write but almost twice as fast in random writes as the previous PCI Express 3.0 specification.
For now I have exhausted the possible upgrades to the computers and the green bin is filled a week ahead of schedule so I am hoping for some finer weather to get back to Passion X for a bit of maintenance.
Crew warming up before the start
I was keenly looking forward to the forecast nor west breeze where we could reach up down the long leg to the heads but there was no breeze. Waiting for the delayed start we enjoyed brilliant sunshine and were soon taking off jackets to enjoy the warmth and to soak in a dose of vitamin D. That same warmth sucked in a light sea breeze which allow a start on a long beat to the heads.
At the boat end it was quite crowded with Allegro, Hanni, Krakatoa and I think Foreign Affair. We followed close behind this group and were able to shave the start boat for good start. To leeward the yachts approaching on a tight beat were in quiet air and never challenged at the start line. A good start was just the beginning of a close tussle with Hanni since Krakatoa went off like the volcano she is named after, Allegro charged confidently ahead trying to keep up with Foreign Affairs.
At times we were faster on the beat than Hanni and at times the table was turned. Agrovation picked up a nice lift on the left of the fleet and with superior speed romped up the fleet. Joli steamed through close into the shore and out of the tide and we thought we had lost them but for the last throw of the dice going into the top mark where we saved a tack and rounded with Hanni , joli, Amanti. Crosshaven and Whistling Kite.
On the long square back to Steele Point we poled out our largest genoa with our longest pole and parked most of the crew on the bow to get the fat stern out of the water. The whole group made up ground on Allegro on this leg but not enough. The last leg was a reach into Rose Bay for a much shortened course. For this last leg Joli went wide and reached up inside Passion X for a narrow beat on time. Thanks to a reasonable handicap we finished fifth and were pretty pleased considering most of the race was a windward work. Krakatoa was a clear winner on handicap by over two and a half minutes while we were just a minute and four seconds out of second place.
Getting the asymmetric flying on the first reach
The second race of the curtailed West Harbour Winter series was a quiet event with the fleet broken up by the variable breeze leaving some competitors to abandon the race for a DNF result.
For our part we managed to stay mid fleet on both time and handicap but it could have been different but for a few lucky breaks.
Encouraged by the light air we set our asymmetric spinnaker on the leg from Spectacle Island to Clarke Point and drifted down the leg with our fellow competitors. A lucky few including Avalon, Matagi and the two Tigers made a break up the first leg and by the rounding of Spectacle Island they were already specs in the distance.
We enjoyed good company on the leg with Omnishambles, Odyssey, Sweet Chariot and Another Planet all having good moments followed by bad ones. We did not have the amazing reaching speed of Odyssey but did manage to run more directly to the mark and not lose too much ground. After the work to Goat Island we managed to pull ahead of Sweet Chariot and stay alongside Odyssey. The battle with Odyssey was to continue for the next lap and only a lucky break off Long Nose let us nose into fresh wind while they and a bunch of other division yachts dropped out of contention for the day.
At the finish we were mid fleet on time and mid fleet on handicap, a result which I am very pleased with considering we are possibly the oldest and lightest crew in the fleet.
It is hard to imagine a better winter afternoon sailing than that which we experienced today. Perhaps the picky would have asked for a bit more wind as the few very light patches were frustrating but in general the wind hung in around five to seven knots. The southerly breeze gave a mainly single beat legs with some tighter than others. The leg along the Drummoyne shore where the sailing water is restricted by an excess of mooring was as near a dead run as one could wish so no short tacking for us today. On the tight beat to Goat Island we cleared Balls Head without tacking while Irikandji had to do a short tack away from the rocks in the process losing quite a few metres. Around Goat Island we caught a group including Odyssey and the X- Yachts 4.3 Min River by going a little wider from the Snails Bay shore. Unfortunately for us the much heavier Min River carried momentum past the wind shadow off Long Nose while we came to a stop. It was not all bad as Odyssey also languished in the wind shadow losing the beat part of five minutes in the process. We were looking over our shoulders at the fast charging Avalon and were happy to pick up the breeze before she reached us.
The last leg down the Drummoyne shore is the one where we pick up the early starters and Elaine counted seven overtakes for the day. The final tight reach to round Cockatoo Island found us menacing Piston Dawn who fought hard to protect her clear air. We went wider and almost slipped through but for a big lift from behind that came too late for us.
Our one disappointment for the day, if we are allowed one in such perfect sailing conditions, was to see Avalon lift close in to the ferry wharf on the tip of Cockatoo Island and carry an enormous lift past us, Tana, Hasta La Vista and Pistol Dawn. We went from having a handy lead over Avalon to finishing a minute twenty seconds behind in the space of fifty metres.
There were more surprises for the day as Bear Necessity completed the journey a minute faster than Passion X and in the space of a week went from rear of the fleet to a podium finish. The same can be said for Aetos who went from dead last a week ago to first today and certainly need to have a sample taken. In the opposite way Irikandji went from front of the fleet last week to the rearguard this week and Odyssey kept them company. Both results were unusual but that was the nature of the day.
One success for the day was to get my Samsung Tab working to mirror the chart plotter screen so that I could have an instrument display on both bulkheads. The charge in the Tab should last a race of about three hours and it seems a pretty inexpensive way to have the display visible from both sides of the cockpit.
Samsung Tab mirroring one of our chart plotters.