Passion X

Tracks for the evening. The strong tide going back into Humbug make the tacking angles look much better that they were particularly as we had some big bear aways to clear sterns.

The wind strength at Sydney airport, Fort Denison and Sydney harbour was fifteen to twenty knots which was pretty well what was forecast. We certainly had some lighter patches particularly around Woolwich but generally it was a good forecast for sail selection. We set our No 1 heavy genoa which is 40 sq metres but is a little shorter on the foot and not so full as the No 1 light and it proved perfect for the evening. To cope with the heavier winds we flattened the foot of the main and wound on the backstay tighter than usual which bladed out the head nicely. If anything we possibly kept the backstay wound on too tight during the lulls and could have benefited from continued trimming through the gusts and lulls. We did time the start well with only Much Ado V below and we did reach Humbug on their tail. We both went low down the Onion Point shore but the wind was possibly far enough north that the middle of the stream was favoured as this would explain why almost the whole fleet went through to windward of both Much Ado V and Passion X. We both came up to get into the wind stream but stayed low enough to avoid the wind shadow of Greenwich Point and recover a few places. Utopia, Dump Truck, Jackpot a Fireball were among the yachts that benefited from the mid stream wind through Humbug and were still on front down the back of Cockatoo Island with Lisdillon alongside but to leeward. At the gybe around Cockatoo we failed to release the leeward backstay and had the head of the main push through the gap leaving the back stay on the wrong side. This was not a problem until our first tack away from the Hunters Hill shore when the head would not go back under the backstay and was left hooked to windward in a huge mast head sack. As ugly as this was we managed to pass Fireball. Short tacking the gap between Clark Point and Cockatoo Island left no time to sort our the backstay and we were right on the Clarke Point corner when we had to tack onto port with the ugly mainsail head holding us back. We were in no mans land, too far from Lisdillon to call for room to tack but not far enough away to be able to pass to windward nor able to pull away behind. We were then foreced to tack back to starboard almost onto the rocks and wait for Lisdillon to pass before slowly tacking back to port. Once in clear air we lowered the main until the mainsail head cleared the backstay and re hoisted it. All the while we sailed on the headsail and were fortunate that we were on the favoured tack for the exercise. The whole adventure including avoiding Lisdillon and lowering and raising the the main a couple of metres cost us at least a minute but perhaps not two and at worst on the night cost us only one handicap place and no fastest times places. The rest of the race was a battle to catch Lisdillon which we did a couple of times only for her to get away again. It was not until the last tack to the finish that we were able to get a safe leeward position lining up for the finish line and squeak home fifth fastest behind Utopia, Much Ado V, Dump Truck and Jackpot. Mind you there was a good gap back to Passion X, a half boat back to Lisdillon and Sweet Chariot and Fireball were not far behind. I guessed Lisdillon, Sweet Chariot and Fireball would do well on handicap and was a little surprised to find that Utopia had taken the daily double. I was happy to come away with the fifth on handicap and particularly pleased with how we handled the conditions.

Close rounding of the Onion Point clearance mark

We were sent out on what proved to be a very good course around Goat Island, Snapper island and Spectacle Island before a long work to Humbug and home. The breeze hung in on the strong side of the forecast at around ten knots providing a very good work up the course and with the occasional soft patches in the lee of the headlands.
We started higher than the fleet and were able to foot to Onion Point where we met the pin end yachts pinching up to the mark. Meridian showed a clean pair of heels but Much Ado V, Dump Truck and Lisdillon rounded in a line inside Passion X.
We went a bit wide of Greenwich Point looking for clear air only to have a very large and long lasting lift carry the inside and behind yachts well up the course. Utopia had the best of the lift and also the next shift back to clear out a couple of minutes in a very short space of time. Lidsillon was ahead but suffering from being on the wrong side of the shift but they did tack back earlier and were rewarded with the next lift on port tack to regain their lost ground on Passion X.
Sweet Chariot also picked the shifts well and only our starboard tack rights prevented them crossing our bow. By the time we rounded Goat Island there were two fleets with the front runners being Much Ado V, Dump Truck, Utopia and Meridian with the back group being Passion X, Lisdillon, Joli, Sweet Chariot and Fireball. This last group had a close running race with Fireball carrying wind down from behind and joining the group. We went wide mid stream leaving the rest to blanket each other in the shadow of the Balmain shore and by doing so were able to break away just enough to have clear wind for the square run down to Snapper Island.
On rounding Snapper we were surprised to see Dump Truck stuck hard and fast on the rocks with Much Ado V returning to render assistance.
This bit of intrigue put us up to third fastest behind Utopia and Meridian with Joli chasing us hard. We were fortunate with the work back as I pinched hard to have some room above Clarke Point and as we approached it we were headed and needed all the spare height we had accumulated. Joli behind was more affected as they had the header for longer. We then had a good run of the shifts through Humbug to break away more and secure a second place on handicap behind Utopia but only seven seconds clear of Fireball who stayed close after their catch up move down Snails Bay. Meridian with a second fastest had too big a handicap to overcome and finished fifth on handicap.

Taking Starboard rights on Sweet Chariot

Taking the transom of Lisdillon

Dump Truck on the rocks

We were stuck between two weather systems today with the winds forecast to lighten and veer north which is just what it did. For the start however we had a good 13 knots on a beam reach before squaring away to run down Humbug. We started mid line with Jackpot just below and right up on the line. By Onion Point however the pin end yachts has inside overlaps on the clearance mark so we the windward of four yachts including Jackpot, Joli and Much Ado V. As we squared away for the run down Humbug, Fireball and Sweet Chariot came up with following wind so that little distance separated the fleet until we reached the open water around Clarke Point.
Having been caught in the wind shadow of Cockatoo Island for the last two weeks we went a little wider only to see Lisdillon go in close and cut the corner by a large margin.
Sweet Chariot, Fireball and Passion X now seemed to fall off the back of the fleet and were left tacking up the Balmain shore well back from the leaders. Dump Truck with her green hull was the most obvious of the fleet ahead and we were pleased that she was not already off into the distance.
Around Goat Island we could make out Lisdillon ahead and in front of her Joli but the rest of the leaders were gone off into the distance. We had made a good break on Fireball and Sweet Chariot and so settled down the chase Lisdillon.
Along the reach and run back to Cockatoo Island we crept up on Lisdillon so that at the rounding she was just ahead. Now it was our turn for a bit of luck because as we rounded the end of the island the breeze swung to the north giving us a very large lift above Lisdillon and Joli further ahead. So big was the lift that we sailed past Lisdillon and pulled back significant ground on Joli. On the long tight reach back into Humbug we were sitting just above Joli and making tiny inroads into the gap until the Woolwich wharf we were headed which put us clear astern for the next tack up Humbug. Now we were in interesting times with multiple fleets all converging on the narrow channel. We lost a bit of ground taking the stern of the starboard tackers but were lucky enough with the phases to just sneak ahead of Joli and claim starboard tack rights. The last tack onto port took us to the finish line lay line but with the shifty conditions how far should we go? Joli tacked early and at first seemed to be making the line easily from below but as the fleets converged and the wind was more disturbed she slowed while we were able to bear away with the next knock and still make the line with a few seconds to spare.

While we were pleased to have pulled away from Lisdillon and to have squeaked in ahead of Joli it was humbling to see Meridian six minutes ahead with Much Ado V eight minutes in front, Dump Truck ten minutes in front and Jackpot a massive twelve minutes ahead.

Not surprisingly Jackpot scored the daily double of first and fastest with Dump Truck second and second fastest. Passion X and Meridian were equal third on handicap with Much Ado V just twelve seconds behind.

The extra bit of breeze tonight kept us occupied and on the ball and it was a good feeling to hit eight knots on the way home past Long Nose. Hopefully this is the start of more consistent breeze and the longer races like we had tonight.

We made a very good start to this week’s twilight race at Greenwich Flying Squadron only to be run over by the following fleet from above and skirted by the other half of the fleet below. It was incredibly frustrating to go from first to last in such a short time and more so that both sided of the fleet did better.
The wind was flukey so we took off after the fleet hoping for some redemption. By the corner of Cockatoo Island we had recovered a little to be alongside Sweet Chariot, Firebll and Lisdillon. Ahead we could see the fleet fighting for the inside run around the island but they were drawn in so close that surely they would be caught in the wind shadow. Lisdillon went inside us hard up against the island while Sweet Chariot and Fireball went wider and again the two sides did better than Passion X . Dump Truck just a few metres in front put her nose into the breeze first and got away with going in close while Sweet Chariot and Fireball did very well going wider so around the end of Cockatoo we were looking pretty dismal sitting beclamed and blanketed from any approaching wind by Lisdillon inside.
Eventually we put our nose into the wind and took off after the fleet. Dump Truck, Much Ado V, Jackpot, Meridian and Joli were already so far up the course as to be invisible to us with the gap possibly already four or five minutes.
By Goat Island we had passed Fireball and Lisdillon by a small margin and were chasing Sweet Chariot. Along Snails Bay the wind direction was dead from behind which is not our favourite angle but we held out the genoa to windward and hung onto our small gap over Fireball and Lisdillon while catching Sweet Chariot. Around Greenwich Point Lisdillon went in close followed by Fireball and that was their undoing as both Sweet Chariot and Passion X went as wide as practical and kept some wind going into Humbug against an outgoing tide. Sweet Chariot manouvered well to keep clear ahead of Passion X all the way to the finish line and take handicap honours. For our part we managed to escape far enough from Fireball to beat them by just one second.

Back on the deck enjoying the post race BBQ we were surprised to find that we were just 10 seconds behind Dump Truck and Much Ado V with the sister ships tied on handicap. Jackpot was just another 10 seconds in front so for the sake of 20 seconds we could have moved up three places. At the front of the handicap results Sweet Chariot won by just one second from Joli so this has to be one of the closest set of handicap results for a long time.

The breeze did die out as the evening progressed so that the elapsed time from the leaders in the early starting Gold fleet was in the range of the Black fleet times but the last starting Blue fleet was five to 25 minutes behind the Black fleet times. Although we did different courses they were all around the two islands and a similar distance but the dying breeze left the last of the fleets struggling through Humbug against a strong tide.