Archive for August 2019
The RANSA results site is still having problems so here is a heads up on the result from yesterday.
My back of the envelope calculations were correct. We finished fifth behind Allegro on fourth. Two places back on seventh was Rainbow so on the progressive scores we gained an additional two point buffer going into the last three races where we will not compete and so have to include our current discards of 10, 11 and 11.
Rainbow will have to do well in the last three races to overtake us and if they do then more power to them.
With no results yet posted I don’t know whether to be happy of sad but with such a pleasant day in the harbour everyone was a winner. The wind was better than forecast and it hung around enough for a shortened race. Everyone had a chance to do well so the results are eagerly awaited.
We started at the heavily favoured boat end but then so did the rest of the fleet and there was no way through the tangle. Just to leeward there was a lot of noise but we were too focused on trying to accelerate in the dirty air of half of the fleet that we had no time to watch the action.
We had wanted to take the eastern shore out of the tide and did an early dig back following Amante. We tacked back when they did but found ourselves between the breezes. Joli on port was lifting across our bow while Amante on starboard above us was lifting away. More worrying was Rainbow, next on pointscore, on port crossing well ahead.We kept going on starboard hoping for some of the angle that Joli enjoyed but it never came. Never means never as we looked across the course and could see Allegro. Amante, Joli and Hanni away on the eastern shore lifting in breeze while we were stuck on the western shore waiting of that knock that never ever came. At least we were in breeze and lifting on the outside of a great arc. We were at times lifting so high that we might pass to the east of the Sow and Pigs but that did not happen so we committed to pass to the west and take the shortest leg possible across the tide to the top mark. We tacking for the mark and looked famous for a few moments as we pointed across the bows of Allegro and Amante but they lifted and we knocked a little and were forced into another two tacks and to take their sterns.
Aroud the mark we were surprised at the gap back to the fleet and very pleasantly surprised that we had recovered the distance on Allegro and Amante which at one stage was the width of the harbour. The run back to Steele Point was somewhere between a broad reach and a pole out genoa. Amante and Allegro did a bit of both but at Steele point our steady very broad reach had not lost much ground. Another very broad reach on the other tack to Point Piper was similarly conducted with Allegro having to bear away hard from the knocking breeze while Amante went high to be able to pole out more gracefully. At Point Piper we were a little closer and rounded the mark pointing above our two close competitors. At the first knock they both tacked away leaving us clear air and a fully powered up rig going for speed. On the layline we tacked and had Allegro covered but Amante coming in on starboard. As we were pretty well on the line to the mark we planned to take Amante’s stern but they had other ideas and tacked below and in front but having to pinch hard to clear the mark. That left us no gap to bear away to the mark and we were forced to wait until they slowly shot the mark and reached away to the shortened course finish line at the south end of Shark Island.
In this short period we pulled out about half a minute on Allegro but probably not enough to beat them on handicap.
Anxiously we hung around the finish line timing our competitors over the line and second guessing the scorerers on where we might finish. Hanni and Joli were so far ahead they must have first and second wrapped up while the casual Foreign Affairs was way out there with them. Depending on the finish time of the back marker we have a chance at fifth behind Allegro. Larrikin might sneak in there but we had a good eleven minutes on Rainbow which should be enough on the day. We havd been disappointed before but with such a pleasant day on the water with wind and sunshine any place would be a winner.
Caught on the wrong side of the harbour and lucky to get back.
After the race just before sunset with a great reflection of the yacht and background on the water
I often refer to a yacht racing series as an attendance records as the results favour those who turn up week after week in all conditions. Today was one of those days where the conditions were forecast to be marginal and that kept many yachts away from what was a quite enjoyable bash into the breeze. At Fort Denison the wind briefly hit 27 knots on start time but for most of the day was a quite sailable 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to the thirties.
We had planned to carry the full mainsail downwind and reef at the turning mark but a pre race gust over the 25 knot mark made us cautious and we put in the first reef before the start. With the first reef in the fat head main passes inside the running backstays so there is one less task to worry about .
As we watched the division 1s yachts start we could see an abundance of caution with Blue Chip not bothering to hoist the jib and shortly after the start abandoning the race leaving Duende to finish the windward work without a headsail for a first and fastest. Now that is caution for you.
The first run was won by Amante with a full mainsail set. We passed Allegro who had similarly set a No3 jib and reefed main and had a slight lead on them at the turn. Star Ferry was rocketing down the course and giving Allegro a scare while to the north side of the course Leeward was exercising a great deal of caution for which we were very grateful. At the start we were sandwiched between Leeward and Allegro and a less cautions skipper could have put us all in trouble. Thank you Leeward.
Just before the turn we put in the second reef and set off after Amante. At first we were pointing higher which looked good but Amante powered away and had plenty of room to cross well in front. Allegro was powering up from behind and to leeward and judged the line into Steele Point better to be ahead. At Rose Bay we were right on their tail and tacked away for clear air. They were however quicker through the water and rounded Point Piper about a minute ahead. Allegro did look a picture with the black sails as she powered through the gusts so we were pleased to stay close on the day. That was the gap at the finish after a long beat to the finish line we we were pleased to have not slipped further behind. Rainbow and Star Ferry enjoyed the windward work back home less than Passion X so the handicap places were the same as the fastest times places and we were very grateful for our third place.
Amante carried their full main all around the course and apart from one round up seemed to handle the conditions exceptionally well and will probably suffer a bit at the hands of the handicapper.
Windy but not unsailable
The honour role for the finishers
We were on the wrong side of a progressive lift today and lucky to escape with a fourth fastest.
Today we were on the wrong side of a progressive shift and were lucky to find the one shift back for the afternoon that let us get across to the lifting side and save some face.
On the windward work in six knots of sea breeze we were stuck on the northern shore with a huge gap to the fleet on the southern shore. As we were lifting in breeze it would have been a long way back had we tacked so we hung on and hoped. Eventually around Chowder Head we found a knock and tacked immediately to get back to the fleet. Surprisingly we got back across to Amante but Leeward and Hanni were too far away. Leeward was further up the course in clear air and Hanni was well to windward and picking up her own set of lifts. The rest of the fleet was very close behind. Of particular note were Larrikin and Agrovation who had picked the shifts well.
We rounded the mark behind Crosshaven who came in on starboard while we on port had to kill speed and time until they rounded. In the process Amante, Hanni and Leeward escaped further up the course. Allegro also made up ground so that on the reach back to Steele Point we were chasing Crosshaven and trying to stay in front of Allegro.
That game went on all the way to the Point Piper mark where we positioned ourselves to come in on starboard gybe and clear ahead of Allegro and Crosshaven. That mark rounding allowed us to pull away from Crosshaven and Allegro as they were now clear astern in dirty air but still laying the mark with no way to get clear air. On the leg to Point Piper Fidelis put in a charge and crossed our stern but fell a few boat lengths behind on the approach to Point Piper and for Fidelis boat lengths are a long measure.
The reach around Shark Island provided no overtaking lanes and the dead square run to the finish was equally follow the leader.
Leeward took the daily double of first and fastest while Agrovation and Larrikin filled the minor places and we finished back in tenth place, a bit further back than I expected even given the first work issues. Spare a thought for Crackerjack who loves the heavy air and had to put up with the light conditions today for the exact opposite of the Leeward result.
During the 20 minute delay waiting for wind we had a perfect view of the city and harbour bridge bathed in winter sunlight. We are indeed spoiled with this venue where sailing in mid winter is better than some places in mid summer.
Picture perfect harbour views waiting for wind
After the delay we lined up for a start on starboard at a place that seemed appropriate but for the high pointing Hanni a couple of boats to leeward. The leeward yacht sails in the lift from all the fleet and when it is a high pointing yacht that points even higher when to leeward we were squeezed out. The tack to port was short lived as the starboard tackers from the boat end charged through so we were forced back onto starboard but this time in clearer air. Amante, back so soon from the Sydney to Southport race was a bit too eager and broke the start but was quickly back to restart, sailing low until a good knock came through and half way up the leg she was back in front of Passion X. Hanni had made a good start and together with Crosshaven and Allegro were out in front by a good minute or more. We played the shifts as best we could and by the top mark had pulled back the gap to Allegro and hung on to Amante better than expected considering it was a long beat straight into the wind. At the rounding Crosshaven was well in front of our little group with Hanni almost a dot in the distance further ahead. We all poled out the genoas for the long dead square run back and again this is not our favourite angle so we were pleased to make little gains out a bit deeper into the harbour risking the outgoing tide.
Around Steele Point Hanni and Crosshaven kept wide while Amante, Allegro and Foreign Affairs went in close enough to be becalmed. Wider out we stayed in the breeze and sailed away for a very significant break. Along the leg from Rose Bay to Point Piper we were passed by Foreign Affairs who is a casual entry so we let then go and sailed for speed making up a little ground on Crosshaven. Hitchhike was making better use of their genoa poled out and coming up from behind in a disturbingly fast fashion but we held on till the Point Piper mark.
The finish was shortened to to the top of Shark Island which was another beat into the wind and I was pinching to keep Hitchhike from climbing over the top. To our relief they tacked away as we were getting lifted so we held on for the final tack to the finish.
Across the line we were third of the regulars a long way behind Hanni and just over a minute behind Crosshaven and considering the amount of windward word and dead square running we were pretty pleased with our place. On handicap Hanni blitzed the fleet and will no doubt pay dearly at the handicap adjustment. Agrovation, Senta, Star Ferry and Crosshaven all finished in front of Passion X but courtesy of a small relief in handicap following our last place last week we scraped in ahead of Rainbow and Larrikin who are just behind us on progress score.
Star Ferry in the calm before the start
The tracks were pretty good considering it was at the top of the tide and not a lot of assist on the way up the course.
Quite respectable tracks at the top of the tide