Passion X looking very comfortable on the marina at Port Stephens
It has been a big two weeks since the last post. What was going to be a leisurely trip to Newcastle via Refuge Bay turned into a one day dash. The next day was the first ocean race for Passion X, a friendly dash from Newcastle to Port Stephens.
With fresh crew joining us for the dash we made a good start and hung in for the first hour. The course was a tight reach and with winds occasionally gusting to 25 knots we put in a reef and were still overpowered. On reflection we might have sailed faster or at least as fast with a second reef and the No 3 jib. We did break one shackle on the mainsheet system which was not of much consequence but it afterwards the one First 40.7 in the fleet did climb over the top and stay in front. We had been catching Mortgage Choice Rumba slowly until the shackle broke but they managed to hang on to beat us even though we hit 15 knots down a wave after the bear away to the shortened course finish which was placed well above the course route and hard to see.
We did not learn a lot from the beam reach dash other than that we were not sailing to the ORCi rating for the yacht and had room for improvement.
There was no rest for the crew as the following day was the first of the three Commodore Cup races.
The Commodores Cup was conducted inshore in strong tidal conditions and relatively narrow waters between the sandbanks. In the first race we had a few spinnaker issues but still managed to be just 4 minutes behind a Sydney 39 Cr, 2 minutes behind an X43 and one minute behind a Dehler 46. We finished half a minute in front of the First 40.7 and felt we had a lot of room for improvement in our spinnaker skills.
Race 2 showed we needed more spinnaker practice and we were 8 minutes behind the First 40.7
Wednesday was Race 3. When a strong header came in we were caught with spinnaker up to leeward of the fleet and up against the sand bank so no where to sail away square. We lost the spinnaker up in the air and by the time we had it under control we were at the back of the fleet that started 5 minutes after us as they came down with the fresh breeze.
We did much better for the rest of the race catching almost all the second fleet and some of our own. Much happier to windward even with the No 1 and full main in 15 knots. Face saver with the second last tack to the finish where we did beat the 40.7. I wonder what woes they had to be back with us?
I enjoyed the lay day during which we had plenty of visitors who inspected Passion X and complimented us on our achievements. I had it finished enough inside to be presentable and very livable and perhaps only I can see what more had to be done. Elaine and I lived aboard for the regatta and found it every bit a livable as our beloved Jeanneau So37,Passion, which is now up for sale. in some areas the extra length makes it more livable as the extra metre of length is spread out over all the cabins. We did not miss the extra doors on Passion and the only improvements Elaine has ordered are a wall mirror in the V berth and a couple of towel hooks in the head. I for my part have a little behind the scenes finishing such as rounding the under edges of floor panels and several more coats of epoxy on the rounded edges. I am considering re routing the cold water lines so that all the ‘T’ joints are in very accessible locations and I will look for ‘T’ fittings that have enough length for two hose clamps per join. That said what I do have lasted a good pounding in rough seas and 35 knots.
The first race of the Port Stephens Cup was off shore. We started in a light northerly breeze and our Gosford club mate John Sprague in a modified Mont Gay 30 blitzed the fleet away from the line only to be first into the calm between the breeze and last out. We were a lot slower off the line but in the drifting conditions caught the leaders and were among the first into the new breeze. We hung on with the 45 footers for a lap but they drew away and on the run home built up a good lead. Rocksalt a Dehler 38 competition with mast head spinnakers took six minutes out of our time on the last run home but our early lead and with only ten finishers and a third on handicap our prospects looked good for a podium finish.
Race 2 again showed our good upwind speeds against the Dehler 38 but their faster downwind performance as they took 4 minutes out of us on the last run home.
Race 3 was inside and we gave up two minutes on the first of three windward works by being on the wrong side of the fleet. In the reduced fleet we looked lonely at the back except for the even more lonely J35, J Force, who were the shortest yacht in the division except for Devils Lair. The downwind legs were painful as the fleet inched away. The course was too confined for reaching across the downwind legs and despite our very credible hoists and drops we lost ground even to the best of the Division 2 yachts. Upwind for the next two legs we held our own and must have made up ground based on the finishing times. Our tenth place left us sixth overall but only four minutes in the last race out of the podium position for the series.
Some race photos from the last race showed how small our fractional spinnakers are compared to the fleet. No one is racing on rating so they all go for the biggest kites that will fit on the boat. Our spinnaker was small on Passion and on Passion X it could be 25% bigger and not be extreme. We did put crew on the bow to lift the stern but we still needed crew in the cockpit to work the sheets.
We did learn that beating with the strong tide can be confusing as the boat feels different. We did learn to be very careful to have the boat going flat our when feathering the prop as at zero knot it was possibly just sitting there unfeathered. We did learn that we cannot outpoint a good fleet. it might be ok back at the club but practice and the polar targets for the respective yacht shows our best angle is a couple of degrees lower. In the ocean we could see Passion X drawing ahead if lower than the Dehler 46. This is good if we are sailing into headers but not much help if the breeze is lifting.
We do need to get moving on the bowsprit for Passion X. In several of the off shore races we held in well with the 145% genoa against asymmetric spinnakers but they had occasional bursts when the breeze freed that gained them a lot of time. I think the fractional asymmetric we have will be OK but we do need a mast head symmetric spinnaker to mix it with the Regatta fleet.
The trip home was a desperate dash to beat the week of southerly winds forecast and the high winds forecast for today. We left at first light with two other yachts taking advantage of the westerly winds. We started out with three reefs in the main and the No 3 jib but when the breeze built to 30 knots we took the jib down and lashed it to the deck sailing on with just the triple reefed main at 8 knots. One of our group headed for Newcastle but we were so far out that it would have taken us three hours to get to Newcastle and at our sailing angle towards Sydney we would be twice as far down the coast so down the coast we went. Closer to Sydney the seas were less lumpy and the breeze lighter so we rehoisted the No 3 and made 8 knots again. For the last two hours we were almost on the nose heading towards the heads. The breeze lightened enough for us to take out the third reef and sail on two reefs for the rest of the trip.
Passion X handled the pounding well. The auto pilot did a remarkable job of steering for a good part of the trip and it was only in the tight angles going into the heads that we reverted to hand steering. Nothing broke in the 35 knots conditions and everything went up and down as needed.
We did learn more lessons in the long slog home. We need a smaller jib for 25 knot conditions. A No 4 and two reefs would have been faster. Perhaps we could have hoisted the storm jib for the passage but it won’t cut it in club racing and we don’t club race in much more than 25 knots.
Elaine and I are very happy with our Passion X and I will have a lot of fun optimizing what we have and learning the right sails for all conditions.
Passion X with No 3 jib cruising into Newcastle Harbour
Pre race sail setting at Port Stephens
Our small spinnaker could not match it with the regatta competition
Crossing the finish line in the last race four minutes off a regatta podium place.
Our Didi 40 Cr WS working up the channel at Port Stephens