Crew:

Crew:
Adam, Taylor, Will,
Jeff, Maggie
Dave, Amber, Jamie
(Sarah took the picture)

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A truly mixed bag day for the final race of Center Sound Series 2008.  With about 10-13 knots from the SSW at the start we had great speed, although we were about 20 seconds late for the start.  We got a good start on the non-favored pin end of the line and had several close crosses with our fleet on the way out to West Point including one where we nearly removed the outboard off an Olson 30.  Our entire fleet hugged the West Point shore and we emerged from West Point within site of the leaders of our class, and with a few in our class behind us.

With the SW wind and our tack back onto starboard, we had pretty much were on the rhumb line for Three Tree Point in fact for much of the sail towards Alki we had the sheets cracked off trying to gain on a few boats like Corum and others ahead of us while holding off the J35's coming up from behind.  We were also fighting to stay under the clouds where the wind was stronger - those favored with sun, also received less wind.

As we approached Alki the wind started to get light and the J35's had caught us.  We fought to get over towards Vashon Island while trying to keep out air clear.  We were somewhat successful and had made some gains just prior to the wind shutting off almost entirely for awhile.

After struggling in light conditions, I scanned the horizon's clouds and saw a rain storm in our near future and warned the crew to start putting gear back on.  A moment later I saw the water beneath the clouds - dark grey with white caps moving quickly towards us.  I called out for the crew to get prepped quickly, had Dave start to bring tension back on the outhaul and halyards, and told everyone to hold on for a wild ride.  We went from 3 knots to 20 knots in the matter of seconds, from flat to the leeward rail buried in water with the traveler all the way down.  The final mile into and around the mark at Three Tree Point was exilerating - we were hitting 8-9 knots regularly and doing our best not to hit boats with 10 yards to our windward and leeward.

We had a great mark rounding - avoiding two boats that had nearly stopped right at the mark for unknown reasons and accelerating back towards Seattle.  Rather than immediately set the spinnaker, we took things a bit conservatively which felt great but ended up kind of screwing us for the later race.  Within 10 minutes the wind started to die and we set the spinnaker though all too soon we were passed by the squall and left with little to now iwind.  Once again we struggled to grasp the whispers of wind which had us sail at times to towards Blake Island well off the course to the finish, but at least still moving with some VMG.

This struggle continued from the North tip of Vashon to Alki as we watched the fleet ahead slip away in the wind they still had.   The crew worked well together on a multitude of gybes, including a great tactical gybe near Alki where we passed 2 boats by finding the first hints of the new wind that steadily grew to about a 15 knot breeze.  It was amazing that up until we made our final gybe our AWS on the instruments had been reading "0" for hours as we constantly sailed as fast as the wind making the most of the wind we were being given - this included times when our speed was a high as 4-5 knots.

The final ride into Shilshole was great - the boat was well over 7 to 8 knots on a regular basis and we fought hard to catch a 40' boat in front of us.  We close a huge gap but they still crossed a minute ahead of us.  This great downwind run was a fitting reward for the hard work of a great crew all day long.

Crew:
Steve, Lisa,
Eugene, Bernie

 

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Today was a very pleasant sail with the Manghi's.  I enjoyed a day on the water with Steve & Lisa, and Steve's parents, Eugene & Bernadette.  We had a great conditions although it was quite cold at times.

We had a nice upwind sail towards Seattle in 12 knots of wind from the South.  After a couple of hours of Bernie and Lisa doing a great job steering we got a great sunny Spring view of the Seattle skyline.  Soon after we set the spinnaker and sailed downwind in breeze that pretty much died by the time we reached Shilshole.

Soon after we doused sail and turned on the engine and headed back to Edmonds under power as the sun began to set.

In all it was a wonderful day on the water with friends.  Not a bad way to spend a Monday.

Crew:

Taylor, Sarah, Jeff, Will, Stewart
Adam, Jerry, Nycole

Prestart

Getting ready for the start

Adam & Sarah

Crew hiking upwind

Jeff & Jerry trimming

Jeff & Will after rounding

Going back upwind

Sarah driving

Stewart, Will & Jamie

Taylor & Nycole snacking

Mordacious heading for finish

Finish mark

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This is what racing should be like... big competitive fleets, challenging but not gear breaking or scary conditions and great crew.

We had a larger crew that what I thought we would and the first time this year, we have more than enough hands for any job during the race which was quite pleasant.  After heading out the start area just South of Meadow Point early, we prepped the boat and crew for the start and practiced a few tacks and gybes to get warmed up.

The start was great!  We were slightly early for my ideal start but we were one of the first to have the spinnaker up and full.  The crew on the rail got to see an exchange between Karma and another boat (I think Wildflower) disputing leeward rights and room to keep clear.  I saw a bit of this exchange, and a protest flag... but was too busy getting our own start to care.  Sarah mentioned later that the best part of this exchange was Karma's skipper keeping his crew focused by saying - "Don't worry about them... focus on what you're doing."  Great advice during close starts.

A few minutes after the start we had our first gybe.  I worked the foredeck with Taylor & Adam, while Will worked the main, and Stewart worked the pit and Jeff and Jerry trimmed the chute, Sarah drove and Nycole assisted at the mast.  We had good speed.  We tailed Wildflower, a J35-C, and were mostly keeping up.  In my first tactical mistake of the day, I split from our division to chase what I thought was more wind rather than having confidence in our boat speed.  When we came back together an hour later we'd definitely lost 200+ yards.  I'm not sure whether this was due to wind, tide or our lack of experience in sailing to the right angles downwind.  My guess is that it was the latter mostly.  Next time, I'm going to stick with my division and work on speed.

We gybed several times going downwind, every time more quickly and smoothly.  By the time we were approaching the mark at Scatchet Head in 12-14 knots winds, Taylor and Adam were handling the foredeck very well and gybing quite smoothly allowing me to steer through the manuever - not bad considering this was the first day they've worked the foredeck.  As we approached the mark, it was clear that the light #1 genoa wouldn't work going back up wind, so Sarah took the helm and we lowered, folded and stowed the light #1 and replaced it with the heavy #1.  Soon after we started to discuss the plan for the rounding and douse.  After walking everyone verbally through a gybe take down twice and having everyone ready, we had to change to a windward takedown since we missed the layline by a 100 yards or so.  That said, the takedown went very well - no hiccups and we maintained great speed throughout.

The upwind sail home was long and relatively challenging.  With winds ranging from 5 to 15 knots, it was a great ride and I think tactically we did fairly well though it was clear that we have some work to do when it comes to boat speed.  We picked off a couple boats and held our own with others, but also got passed by a few that we should've held off.  The crew did splendid.  The first few tacks were a bit slow, but as we approached the finish they'd become quick and smooth.

At the finish the current was strong and actually pushed us off the layline forcing us to sail down quite a bit to avoid the mark and allowing Sunday Ticket to finish a couple seconds ahead of us.

Sarah and I enjoyed the return to Edmonds.  The winds slowly fell to a calm and we chased Kentucky Woman home while watching the back end of the fleet suffer through the final miles of the race in dying breeze.

That night Sarah and I couldn't stop telling each other how relaxed we were - not tired, just relaxed.  I think she put it best - "it's like what it feels like right after a great massage, or a great workout".  I totally agree!  This is what sailing is supposed to be.

Thanks to Will, Jeff, Nycole, Taylor, Adam, Stewart and Jerry for an wonderful day!!

Results: By Division.  Overall.

Crew:
Jeff
Steve
Lisa
Jamie




Prestart Action

These guys got a bit too close to the beach and grounded for a few minutes, here they're just get back up to speed.

We actually had some wind here... at times there was less.

The wind begins to fill...


Heading For Finish


Almost!

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Welcome to Spring sailing in the Northwest!  We joined 96 of the 105 registered boats for this year's Blakely Rock race and enjoyed a mostly sunny day of great sailing.  On the delivery down from Edmonds, I took time to prep the boat, made snacks for the crew and I even took some time to talk to Neptune, God of the Sea.  He, Andiamo and I shared a blessing and a taste of rum.  Thanks for so many great, safe sails on Andiamo thus far, and best wishes for many, many more to come.  Never hurts to ask mercy and blessing of the sea. 

The day started out with a bit of twist when we lost our bow-woman Amber to a migraine.  We were already a bit short on crew for the day with several regulars having conflicting work and other commitments - so this development became a fun challenge to solve.  The good news is that Jeff, Steve and Lisa felt the need and they stepped up in a big way to make the day a success.

After briefing everyone on the day's course, the fleet and the overall game plan, we headed out to the course and prepared for out start marveling at all the boats big and small along the way.  While the big boats and multi-hulls were starting, we snuck off and practiced a few tacks to shake the dust of the winches and ourselves.  After a few good tacks and a bit of tactical talk, we got ready for our start.  We got a conservative start opting for safety rather than speed and ensuring that we didn't have to make any quick tacks to avoid competitors.  While we left the line behind many in our class, we immediately began to make up ground.  By the time we'd reached West Point on the way to Blakely Rock we were in the thick of our fleet with good competitive boat speed.

The upwind leg to Blakely Rock was a great analog of the day - most of the time we had good wind, though there were pockets of real light wind that you had to get through quickly.  Steve did a great job keeping the main in trim and powerful, while Jeff worked the jib and Lisa worked the pit both the helping get every ounce of speed from the jib.  At West Point the field split quickly into 3 groups - one group crossed immediately heading for Bainbridge to avoid any ebbing current that would drag them away, one group went back towards Elliott Bay also trying to avoid any current, and our group stayed in the middle to try to stay with the strong winds and shorter course though dealing with the beginning of a long outgoing tide. 

A couple of miles before Blakely Rock, we were all pretty even - though it was clear by the time we rounded that playing the beach near Wing Point (outside of Eagle Harbor) paid off.  We rounded a few minutes behind most of our fleet and right behind a nice Wauquiez 40.  After talking through the rounding several times on the upwind leg, Steve took over the helm and managed the main, Lisa took control of the pit (halyards, topping lift) and the spinnaker sheets, while Jeff managed the jib and the spinnaker guys, and I headed to the foredeck.  The goal was simple get the spinnaker up and filled without hitting the rocks or another boat... and we met and exceeded that in so many ways.

The downwind leg saw lighter winds but we kept moving well - keeping pace with many of the J105's around us, as well as the Wauq40 we rounded with.  Soon enough, we'd reach West Point again and made our first real big gain of the day.  Rather than sailing back toward Shilshole and the often favorable winds/currents - we choose to sail the rhumb line to the bottom mark where it appeared there was more wind.  This paid big!  By the time we approached the leeward mark we had left the Waug40 behind and now were in touch with the middle of our own division again.  That's when the Southerly died completely.

We ghosted around the mark with Steve steering us around 2 or 3 other boats, Jeff trimming jib and Lisa working the sheets and halyard for the spinnaker so we could douse.  The douse and rounding went well, and we soon were all sitting on the leeward side of the boat trying to keep the sails full and the boat moving.  We worked hard to stay in touch with Corvo and a few other boats around us and were quite successful.  However with 15 minutes of rounding the wind really shut off and we were reading triple zeros on the speedo.  You can see this on the GPS track - the yellow triangle represents the mark - and you can see where the tide carried us behind the mark.

This is the part of the race where the rich got richer, the poor got richer and the middle class got hosed... the fast boats made it around the course before the wind died so they finished with a great times and the slow boats that started last got to ride the tide and the last wisps of Southerly wind to the 'restart' area at the leeward mark effectively making up tons of time on the middle fast boats and making it difficult for us to beat them on handicap.

The restart began with bit of wind from the East, and a quick battle between us and Magic Button, a Cal 39.  They got the wind just before us and started to sail up from behind clearly wishing to 'roll' us (sail over the top taking our wind), however we got the wind just in time to accelerate and defend ourselves by outpointing them.  At times their bow pulpit was only a couple feet away from our stern, and I was heard diplomatically speaking to their skipper saying such things as: "It's quicker to duck us than to do turns" and "It's best for both of us if you just go low, I'm not going to let you roll me".  They still tried and we successfully defended ourselves and even gained in the process on several other boats.

Not long after the wind from the East shutoff completely, the only rain of the day happened, and a Westerly started to fill.  We quickly got the spinnaker up, jib furled and began a great tight reach that started at about 1 knot of boat speed and quickly grew to 6-8 knots.  Jeff drove for most of this tight reach only handing the help over when it started to get a bit puffy.  The last two miles of the race saw the wind rotate to a Northwesterly and ease a bit making us fight to get down to the finish line without gybing.  Within the last mile, we came back together with Corvo, a merely 2 boat lengths away.  We reduced that gap to a single boat length just before the finish, but were unable to make the pass and had to duck Rubicon who came speeding toward the finish on Starboard gybe.

In all it was an incredibly exciting day.  We all had a great time, and Steve, Lisa and Jeff did an absolutely superb job making the boat work today.  Everyone got to drive throughout the day, and everyone got experience the great feeling of a wonderful day on the water.

Results are here.