Passion X

What a fine way to spend an afternoon. Had a very pleasant pursuit race around Goat Island, Spectacle Island, Cockatoo Island etc and just finished a few seconds in front of the Sydney 38 Avalon.

As a bonus a GFS sailing friend snapped some great shots of Passion X on the water.

Infotrack politely came up from leeward and blasted off ahead

Clear skies and a refreshing 12 knot sea breeze promised a great evening sailing but a failing breeze disappointed leaving the back of the fleet limping home with ever lengthening finish times.

Team Beck or Infotrack Inc demonstrated the advantage of superior boat speed with Much Ado V taking the gold and Dump Truck the silver. Jackpot and Utopia held on to the leaders well but then there was a gap to Joli, Passion X and Lisdillon who were having a good battle until the breeze finally ran out of puff off Long Nose and the finishing times expanded to embarrassing levels.

On Passion X we had the right gear up for the night, a clean bottom and no excuses but at best could have finished mid fleet but finally managed only 9th out of 11 starters.

We started well but not as well as Jackpot and Utopia. In fact the breeze died at the start and we were probably too slow to power up. Soon were run over by the fleet taking our wind. Infotrack did the sporting thing and reached up from below before pulling away and scooting clear ahead. Then Much Ado V took our wind then Dump Truck and Joli in turn gave us dirty air. We managed to keep clear air below Joli but to leeward of a fleet that lifted strongly. We stayed with Joli but low on the course and did not recover as the lift was a progressive one which only reached us as we tacked away from the earlier fleet on starboard around Long Nose.

On the beat to Goat Island we crossed tacks with Lisdillon who was enjoying the earlier fresher breeze and kept chasing Joli who was half a minute ahead at the navigation mark off of Goat Island.

Around the island we held out our larger genoa and picked up Lisdillon while negotiating a gap between the ferry and the fleet. The reach back to Cockatoo seemed promising as Utopia was just a minute 20 seconds ahead at the concrete dolphin in Snails Bay but the breeze now started to play tricks. Lisdillon ran up along the Balmain shore to our stern but then fell into a hole so that we could reestablish the prior gap. Joli drifted into the wind shadow of the earlier fleet heading for Snapper Island which allowed us to run down to their stern but no further. At this stage it appears that Utopia and jackpot had a better run as they were by now nowhere in sight.

We did the long work back to Goat Island keeping pace with Joli and keeping an eye on Lisdillon and were pleased to be just 35 seconds behind Jolia at the Goat island mark the second time however this is where the wheels fell off. By the concrete dolphin in Snails Bay, Joli had extended her lead to a minute 20 seconds before finally pulling away to a four minute lead at the finish and eclipsing our corrected time by four seconds.

The wheels really fell of our wagon on the way from Long Nose to Humbug where we languished with no breeze. A shift northward in the wind left us pointing at the Woolwich wharf on starboard while ahead already on port Joli was sailing straight up Humbug.

Once in Humbug the mood improved as we had a very safe passage with the Blue Fleet being particularly careful with port and starboard crossings and we had some breeze to keep moving. Our mood got darker again off of Onion Point where we needed to tack away from the rocks but were prevented from doing so by a port handed yacht motoring past after the finish. We were forced to stall off the point until the yacht passed and then had to tack into the path of Salty Sea Dog. The tack to port and back to starboard took 35 seconds during which we made almost no progress other than to slip down the handicap place rankings behind Joli, Lisdillon and Fireball. Sweet Chariot and Ausreo could not overcome the effects of the dying breeze on the elapsed times and drew up the rear.

The dying breeze is a characteristic of sailing in Sydney and gets worse further inland and it is tough when the difference between promise and disappointment is 43 seconds.

Much Ado V goes over the top

This is getting boring. Dump Truck and Joli go over the top

The lift finally arrives and Joli lifts ahead

Lisdillon opts to give us their dirty air. Thanks Andrew.

Overtaking Lisdillon around the back of Goat Island

Very careful Blue fleet yachts through Humbug. Thank you.

Last tack to the finish line in almost no breeze.

After last Friday’s chaos it was a return to a steadier conditions and an uneventful chase around the islands. A later forecast change to windier conditions caught me with the big genoa hanked on and after feeling the full brunt of the breeze out mid stream we motored post haste to the mooring for a change down to the No 3 headsail. There was a big drop in wind strength the further inland you were so we were nicely powered up for the work to Goat Island but underpowered for the two runs around Cockatoo Spectacle and Snapper Islands.

By the second circuit Guwara with a larger headsail was holding us out and Avalon gaining quickly but we held on for second place in the diminished fleet. Perhaps last weeks blow out kept them at home or perhaps the warmer weather did it but for sure it was a better breeze than they will have enjoyed for the twilight race.

The wind direction for the afternoon was very consistent and out chart plotter tracks for the two laps of the islands show an identical path leaving little room for Avalon to show their wind picking and fast tacking skills.

Having farewelled John last week we welcomed back Mal to the team for the Wednesday Twilight at Greenwich Flying Squadron. Expecting 12 knots I hanked on the No 1 heavy genoa and was surprised when the breeze blew in at 18 knots.

Not surprisingly we did well downwind with the sail area set and as the breeze backed off a little we opted to continue the windward leg with a full main. We watched as Utopia, Jackpot and Joli sailed past to windward and watched as Much Ado V powered away to leeward and tacked to cross us by a good margin. Working along the Hunters Hill shore we settled into a routine and were well ahead of Sweet Chariot, Caliban and Fireball. A knock as we approached the ferry wharf at the end of Cockatoo forced us to tack away and that is where the knot brought us undone. The genoa sheet tangled into a tight bunch preventing us from continuing on starboard tack. Now we were forced to tack away from the lift so we could work on undoing the knot which took considerable time and manpower. By the time the knot was sorted we were ready to tack away from the next lift as we were approaching the Balmain shore.

Our chart plotter tracks show what awful angles we sailed while undoing the knot and on the water we were passed by Sweet Chariot and Caliban or should I say Ausreo as she is shown on our results sheets. Fireball having shaken out the reef from the mainsail was also making up ground on Passion X.

For the rest of the work to Goat we recovered our lead on Sweet Chariot and Caliban but could see the rest of the fleet way ahead on the distance. The next time we got a good look at Joli and Meridian was on the work back into Humbug. They were clearly having a tight match race some four minutes ahead of Passion X and in no danger of being overtaken.

Now we were drawing away from Ausreo and Sweet Chariot and Fireball but not by enough for the handicap result. Despite a good set of shifts and some ideal windward working wind speeds on the way through Humbug we were relegated to 10 on handicap in front of only the late starting Dump Truck. That becomes our drop and we hang onto 3rd place on the progress scores now well adrift of Utopia who scored a second and Joli who scored a fifth. Also the rest of the fleet is closing in on our points.

Joli Crosses along the Cockatoo shore

Oops that’s what knot to do

The late starting Dump Truck powers by

Ausreo crosses

We catch Ausreo again

We catch Sweet Chariot

Some of our best windworking of the night sailing towards Humbug

Nice shot of Much Ado V powering past to leeward around the end of Cockatoo Island the first time

After drifting around Goat Island in the Balmain Friday afternoon series we had a minute of chaos when a 40 knot gust came out of the storm clouds and flattened us. The one saving grace was that Avalon had already passed us and was directly ahead so I could see them lay flat with the breeze and prepare by having the novice sheet hand dump the main ahead of the gust. Dumping the main was not enough to stop us laying on our side so we had to dump the genoa. That got us back on our feet but heading for the rocks on the Balmain shore. Prudence called for a start of the motor to have steerage to get away from the shore which we did all within a minute of the gust hitting.
From 3:30 pm to 4 10 pm the breeze at Sydney Airport was above 19 knots peaking at 43 knots at 3:40 pm but it hit us much faster with no time to prepare by dropping the genoa. I had to do this once we cleared the Balmain shore under motor and while the wind was still blowing 30 knots.
Fortunately all was captured on the Gopro camera and so the minute of chaos is accurate. From the time the 40 knots hit to motoring into the wind safe from the Balmain shore was just one minute and the only damage was a single eyelet on one of the genoa piston hanks.

There was some damage to my pride as I had thought Avalon had taken down their genoa and retired also but alas they just soldiered on around the course under main and completed a shortened course while the rest of us retired. I am quietly hoping they get no wind for their twilight tonight but don’t blame me if that happens that is what is forecast.

There were quite a few firsts this afternoon. Our Grandson had his first yacht race and first as mainsheet trimmer at which he did a great job including handling the storm well. The second first is to be laid the flattest on record since Passion X was launched. Also a first was to start the motor in a race for safety reasons and the last first was to retire from a race for other than lack of wind.

Short and furious storm

In the thick of the storm

More of the one minute of the storm

Calm before the storm

About to hit

More water over the Gopro

Passion X from the deck of Tartan showing the light air at the finish

we got what was promised which was 17 knots of wind for the Wednesday Twilight at GFS. Using an excess of caution we set the No 3 jib and applied plenty of backstay to flatten the main. In this mode we had a quite pleasant sail around the course if you exclude the heavy work of the mainsheet hand managing the gusty conditions.
The fleet made a very good start spread out along the line with perhaps the exception being Sweet Chariot who was a bit high on the line and possibly in the wind shadow of the hill behind the start line. The rest got away well with the ones lower down the line doing comparatively better again due to the wind shadow combined with a bit of a lull at the gun.
Through Humbug there was also a good line across the river with Jackpot directly to leeward and Utopia a bit forward.
Our run to Cockatoo was in fresh conditions and we particularly enjoyed surfing down Meridian’s stern wave but they were not about to let us pass.
Along the back of Cockatoo Island we did better wide out until the three J boats picked up this huge gust right against the shore and jumped ahead. Fortunately that ran out before the corner and we caught them again at the point but could not sail around Jackpot. Meridian having nosed ahead of the group of three J boats did best around the end of Cockatoo and emerged with a substantial lead.
We setted in for the long leg to Goat Island following Joli as best we could making ground in the lifts and losing in the knocks such that by Goat Island they had pulled out at least a minute and did another minute around the back of Goat and down the Snails Bay shore.
From Long Nose it was our turn to pick up a bit of fresher breeze and do some catching so that by the time Utopia entered the wind shadow of the end of Cockatoo we had gained on her and the three J boats. Then it was our turn to fall into the wind shadow and it took quite a time to emerge due in part to us being in too close and in part due the the small size of the No3 jib which does not like anything under 15 knots..
Back into the breeze we stabilised our position to finish eight over the line and sixth on handicap.
We were happy to be around 3 minutes behind Utopia, 2 minutes 20 seconds behind Jackpot, 2 minutes behind Joli and a minute and a half behind Meridian. That was enough to beat the three J boats on handicap but not the Sydney 38 who now must be heading for the top of the leader board and with a good drop to go. And while we did gain one point on Joli they have a bigger drop so realistically we are third.

Much Ado V and Infotrack in first and second place today must come under the influence of the handicap algorithm. Sweet Chariot obviously got going as they finished ahead of Passion X on handicap and Fireball suffered from a reefed main as the breeze faded and finished last fastest and last on handicap. A bit more courage from the fire fighters is on the cards for future races.

Perhaps it was not as windy as I indicated in the opening paragraph as the big Ausreo finished three minutes behind Passion X but did improve on their result in the light air races with a third on handicap and we would have had to sail a minute faster to match them on handicap.

Dump Truck just ahead off the first corner of Cockatoo Island

Passion X tacks away from Joli on the work along the Hunters Hill shore

Joli tacks for the Goat Island navigation mark having pulled away a minute from Passion X

Close encounter with jackpot off of Cockatoo Island

There have been plenty of light nights for our Wednesday Twilight but this would go down as one of the most flukey light breezes with so many changes of direction. As for the promised breeze for which I set the No 1 heavy genoa well it was not delivered as promised but the genoa still did a good job on the evening.
From the start we were run over by Jackpot and Utopia and left wallowing in the left over breeze from which we never recovered. From first into Humbug last week we went to last and it only got worse on the way to Cockatoo Island. As much as we felt hard done by we still felt sorry for Fireball who went a few metres to windward into their own black hole from which no yachts ever emerg and they did not.
Next on the menu was Sweet Chariot who made it all the way around Cockatoo alongside Meridian only to go fifty metres to far. We flipped to the right while they flipped to the left and that was the end of Sweet Chariot. No skill required in this lottery.

Meridian went for the Balmain shore and was rewarded with a nice set of lifts to round Long Nose well ahead of Passion X but trailing Joli by a very long way. The flags on the bridge were blowing from the North East while Meridian was sailing on a South West around Goat Island. Here we were lucky to pick up a bit of a gust and run up to Meridian. We took their stern and went well wide of Goat Island which proved beneficial as we could now see Jackpot not far ahead.  For the runs we set our shortest whisker pole so that we could sail with it out to leeward when required and to windward when the breeze was over the stern. In this mode we caught Jackpot at the ferry wharf off of Long Nose.

Meridian retired and motored past then Jackpot started the engine while we turned to the final leg around Cockatoo. Far in the distance there might have been yachts but the only ones from our fleet we could see were Infotrack and Dump Truck who were working their way along the Hunters Hill shore making for Clarke Point and hopefully Humbug and home. Over the VHF we could hear Sweet Chariot announcing their retirement so at this stage we were last on the course.

Along Cockatoo and back along the Hunters Hill shore we had some of the most consistent breeze of the night and hit speeds of four knots but at 10 minutes past eight and still half a nautical mile out from the finish we conceded defeat and started the engine.

Motoring through Humbug we passed Joli also putting away sails and we have it on good authority via facebook posts of the race that Utopia was 200 metres from the line at the cut off time and by my estimate 700 metres in front of Passion X. Infotrack and Dump Truck finished within the time limit so the only one unaccounted for was Much Ado V which we assume was some where in the mix up front.

For all that hard work everyone except Dump Truck and Infotrack scored a 3 points for the night and as it was a pleasant evening on the water no harm was done.

Jackpot comes to the line with speed and takes the wind out of Passion X sails

Last into Humbug and looking ahead at the fleet

The moment we tacked away from the fleet into the direction of Fireball and the black hole of no wind.

Flip flopping from port to starboard and vice versa while the fleet is heading off around Cockatoo