Mar 29 2008
All Hail the San Juan 21 Racers
Saturday ended up being a pretty good day of racing considering it started with the fleet arriving at a closed launch ramp. The day had a little piece of everything. From an emergency trailer repair on the side of 405, to a race finish during a hail storm. By the time I got home we were even getting some wet snowflakes falling.
Our race was supposed to take place at Magnuson Park on Lake Washington. However, when I arrived at the ramp (a little late as usual) I saw all the fleet captains standing around, but there were no masts up. The launch ramp is closed for renovations, so Stephen our race chairman made an executive decision to relocate to Coulon Park in Renton.
On our way down to the new location we noticed Fausto and Gene pulled over on the very narrow shoulder of 405 just south of Factoria. Gene’s newly repaired trailer axle had managed to shift about 6 inches off of center. This caused his right tire to rub against its fender, leaving a billowing cloud of black tire smoke as he rolled down the freeway. After a few harrowing minutes trying to push the axle back into place while 18 wheelers with “WIDE LOAD” signs whizzed by a few feet from where we were standing, we gave up and settled on removing the fender. We took the next exit and followed surface streets down to the park. Needless to say we didn’t get racing until about 1:30.
When we did get out, a major cumulonimbus cell was rolling by to the east of us generating gusty 15+ knot winds. We quickly had white caps, and spray breaking over the boat as we prepared for our first start. The wind had shifted about 120 degrees off of what the course had been set up for, so it was going to mean a reach, reach race with a port tack start heading for the northerly pin as the windward mark. Unfortunately, Stephen was having some trouble with our new auto horn, and we had to abort the start twice before we got things nailed down.
By the third try the wind had swung around to the South again making for a downwind port tack start. Dave and I noticed that the wind was dying by the second and turned for our final approach to the line a full minute before we had originally planned. It was a good move and would have put us on the line perfectly if Stephen hadn’t tacked below us and promptly started pushing us above the port pin. Realizing I was stuck with no rights and no way to make the line I did a 360 to escape. Thinking back now, I would probably have been better off to just dump some speed and duck his transom, foot off for some speed and then take him up so he couldn’t make the pin. I seriously need to think through the strategy of a reaching start. You definitely don’t want to be a windward boat when those below you can force you out of their way (and off the start line) without coming up much higher than a beam reach. I wonder if it is legal to sail in from the wrong side of the line on Starboard forcing everyone out of your way, and then tack back just after your boat is over the line? I will have to prepare some revenge for Stephen when next we have a reach start.
Needless to say, my 360 put me in a bad situation, but not as bad as Scout and Habagat who had not noticed the dropping winds and were caught far from the line at the starting horn. From my poor start I managed to pass PGS Juan on the upwind leg and take a respectable 3rd place (second in class) behind Charmed Juan and Jesse who battled back and forth the whole race.
In the second race, we flipped the course around so that we actually started heading to windward. Although the course was now heading in the right direction the wind had swung far enough around to the south that it was very difficult to cross the line on a Starboard tack. Even with the difficulty I decided better to be on Starboard with some rights than get forced off the start line a second time. We timed things well and were lined up to run down the line in the final seconds before the horn sounded and cross with speed and clean air. Once again Stephen came around and tacked in front of us.
Luckily he couldn’t force us off the line and we both got good starts. Just after crossing the line Stephen tacked over to Port which was the favored tack on the way to the windward mark. I shouted starboard, and he shouted “hold your course.” I held for a long ten seconds as I watched him approach on what to me seemed to be a clear collision course. At the last second I pulled the helm hard over and swung around his motor by inches. I am pretty sure I would have smashed into Charmed Juan about 12 inches forward of his transom. I called out to Stephen that I had to turn to avoid collision, and he did a 360 penalty turn. Despite this, Stephen still managed to round the windward mark just after PGS Juan who was in the lead. I was trying to play the shifts on the left side of the course, and lost ground to everyone who picked the right side. By the time we got to the windward mark I had to tuck myself in between Jesse and Habagat. After rounding the leeward mark I was once again playing the wind shifts, and this time I was making up ground. Stephen crossed first, and PGS Juan edged me out for second by a few feet. Jim had lost track of the fact we were finishing and was steering a course to the windward mark so he took fourth.
It was almost 3:00 but most of the fleet was up for another race. So everyone but PGS Juan ran another start. This time I was in a great place at the start and felt like I won the start. Unfortunately I just could not point as well as Stephen and he made it to the windward mark just ahead of me. On the downwind run the wind died, and the rain began. The few puffs which did come down the lake were sucked up by the boats in the back of the pack, and by the leeward mark everyone was bunched together. Scout was attempting to run up and steal what little wind I had. I called that I was coming up and sailed as high as I could without stalling my jib which was wing on wing. Scout lost track of where I was and allowed their boom to get tangled up in my jib. While Scout was doing turns I broke for the mark and rounded behind Charmed Juan, Jesse, and Habagat.
On the run back to the finish the skies opened up and a major hail storm started. I was playing the shifts and making ground once again passing Habagat, and pulling even with Jesse. Then attempting to play the shifts I inadvertently tack back towards Jesse without room to clear him. I should have just ducked his transom, but instead I threw in a second tack back onto starboard. I had no speed and he rolled me. Realizing my mistake I attempted to tack again and clear my air. At the same time Jim has Jesse luffing and losing speed. I didn’t have the room to make a clear tack, and My bow pulpit clanged against Jim’s outboard. It is the responsibility of a tacking boat to ensure they have room, so I know I am in for some penalty turns. Jesse runs to the finish about 2 boat lengths ahead of me, and I do my 360 just before crossing the line in third.
Overall I was much more pleased with my 2nd, 1st, 2nd in class finish record for the day than my first race of the year. I also realize that because no boats flew spinnakers we were all evenly matched and I had 3 strait races finishing 3rd in a fleet of 6. I need to continue to improve this so that I am posting some 1st and 2nd place finishes.