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Thursday, May 31, 2007 - Dinner Sail With Friends | ||
| Start: Elliott Bay | Finish: Elliott Bay | ||
| Route: | |||
| Distance: NM | Time: hours | ||
| Average Speed: | Max Speed: | ||
| GPS Odometer: | |||
| Conditions: | |||
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More battery troubles... had trouble getting the engine started.
Seems that wet cell batteries need water and ours we pretty dry!
I refreshed them with water and they seemed to recover after a bit.
We enjoyed a nice evening sail with Chet and Luzia and dined on a various take out food from Central Market. Lucklily, the engine started easily at the end of the night and we were able to return home without incident. Hooray!
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Monday, May 28, 2007 - Daysail With Friends | ||
| Start: Elliott Bay | Finish: Elliott Bay | ||
| Route: Sail within Puget Sound | |||
| Distance: NM | Time: hours | ||
| Average Speed: | Max Speed: | ||
| GPS Odometer: | |||
| Conditions: | |||
| Notes: | |||
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Had a great sail on Memorial Day with friends. The weather was
great and we enjoy a long leisurely upwind sail in Puget Sound with
Steve and Lisa, then turned around a flew the spinnaker all the way
home. It was a wonderfully relaxing day almost.
At the end of the day, we had troubles starting the engine after drawing down the batteries way too far on our cruise over the weekend and not recharging them well. After trying to wait for them to recover, we ended up sailing into the guest dock - almost as smoothly as we dock with an engine - then connected to shore power recharged, started the engine and headed to our slip.
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Monday, May 21, 2007 - Ballard Cup Series 1, Race 5 | ||
| Start: Elliott Bay | Finish: Elliott Bay | ||
| Route: Race in Shilshole Bay | |||
| Distance: NM | Time: hours | ||
| Average Speed: | Max Speed: | ||
| GPS Odometer: | |||
| Conditions: | |||
| Notes: | |||
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Last race of the first of the Ballard Cup series...
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Monday, May 14, 2007 - Ballard Cup Series 1, Race 4 |
Today's Track: Coming Soon.
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| Start: Elliott Bay | Finish: Elliott Bay | ||
| Route: Race in Shilshole Bay | |||
| Distance: 24.1 NM | Time: 4 hours | ||
| Average Speed: 5.8 | Max Speed: 8.1 Knots | ||
| GPS Odometer: 680.5 NM | |||
| Conditions: Nice breeze on a mostly sunny night. Not cool, not warm. | |||
| Notes: | |||
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What a great night!!! This boat and crew just keeps getting
better and better. Tonight we put it together for most of the
race and had our best finish so far.
The night started off with Sarah aboard for her first race of this series and us heading out from Elliott with Will, Jesse and Mark aboard. We were right on time for our arrival at Shilshole at about 10 to 6pm. We picked up Chet, Luzia, Ashley, Ryan and Gillian for a total crew of 10 tonight - lots of bodies on the boat. I'm glad we switched down to our smaller headsail before we headed out as it made for a great setup early in the race. We got the boat setup and practiced a couple tacks prior to the start to get everyone familiar with what they'd need to do during the race. Will, Jesse and Mark learned quickly from our last two races and our tacks were great. The new crew were doing a good job of getting to the new side, though some of their methods looked rather interesting. We got a good start though we were about 20 seconds early and had to reach down the line with the 105's. Dacha, the C&C 115 won the start with great speed at the boat end of the line. Upwind we had great speed and pointing - keeping up with the 105's and the 115. Woo hoo!! We executed a great lee bow tack on a 105 and rounded Meadow Point mid-pack. The rounding was rather interesting as Gillian got mixed up during the tack and ended up on the leeward side holding on to the lifelines with her head nearly hanging overboard. Chet was there to help keep her secure and luckily were were a couple boat lengths from the mark and were able to bear off and get straightened up and get Gillian secure quickly. It took me a couple minutes to rig the chute and get it flying using the snuffer. Once we got it set, I worked with bow while Sarah steered, Will trimmed the chute, Jesse handled the guy and Mark was a grinder and worked the pit. Sarah did a great job at the helm during the downwind legs tonight, as did the guys on the trim of the sails. Great team work - woo hoo!!! We had great downwind speed on our way to West Point and round the mark in the thick of the hunt - within a minute or two of the leading 105's. After our rounding, we made a tactical error and covered the 115 who headed out into the sound while the 105's went toward Shilshole. We won the cover though lost the 105's as the pressure in the Sound was less than it was at the marina. When the pressure eased, the 115 started making gains as our smaller headsail left us somewhat underpowered. Though we made up for this once we got the pressure near the marina, we gained and were able to round the Meadow Point mark ahead of the 115 and one 105. Our set went pretty well and once again Sarah did a great job on the helm especially during a tricky section of going dead downwind to avoid boats coming back at us and a tug that just barged through the race (pun intended). Our douse was less than ideal and we lost a bunch of time and distance - though many lessons were learned and I now know how to make the next douse go more smoothly. The time we lost was pretty important as it allowed the 115 to pass us and gain just enough time to beat us by 64 seconds corrected. In all it was a great race! The regular crew rocked! The newbies rocked - it was great to have so many enthusiastic folks aboard. Everyone seemed to have a great time and are looking forward to the next race. It just keeps getting better - I can't wait to see how we'll be doing in August!! **** Results are in - we finished fourth behind Dacha by 64 seconds. Still have some work to catch up and beat the leading J-105's but we'll get there. (We're in class 5E of the results)**** |
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Today's crew:
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Friday, May 11, 2007 - Dinner Dash In Elliott Bay | ||
| Start: Elliott Bay | Finish: Elliott Bay | ||
| Route: Short sail in Elliott Bay | |||
| Distance: 4.5 NM | Time: 0.75 Hours | ||
| Average Speed: 4.4 Knots | Max Speed: 6.5 Knots | ||
| GPS Odometer: 656.4 | |||
| Conditions: Windy. Cold. | |||
| Notes: | |||
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Tonight we had our second dinner cruise of the season. The
planned weather was better than reality - but the food was great!
Will, Steve, Lisa and Amber brought BBQ sandwiches from Jones BBQ in
Columbia City and we devoured them in the newly reconfigured salon
of the boat sans table. Actually it worked quite well when we
moved the cooler into the center over the bilge for a make shift
coffee table.
Even though it was cold and windy, we did go out for a quick sail following out a C&C110 from C dock. Soon after getting out the breakwater we hoisted the main in about 15 knots of wind with gusts to 20. Amber took the helm and steered us around a tanker before turning us back toward the city with a surprise gybe. We bailed after about 30 minutes as the conditions stayed the same - windy & cold. We headed for the marina and wrapped up the night at the Leschi Bluewater Bistro with a desert of smores and a cast iron baked tollhouse cookie. Was a great night - will only get better as the season gets warmer and the sun stays out later. |
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Today's crew:
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Monday, May 7, 2007 - Ballard Cup - Series 1, Race 3 |
**Photos courtesy of Jesse Longman - headsail trimmer and home inspector extraordinaire!
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| Start: Elliott Bay | Finish: Elliott Bay | ||
| Route: Race around Shilshole Bay | |||
| Distance: 23.3 NM | Time: 4.5 hours | ||
| Average Speed: 5.4 knots | Max Speed: 7.5 Knots | ||
| GPS Odometer: 651.9 | |||
| Conditions: Mostly sunny. | |||
| Notes: | |||
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A superb evening for a race - sunny and warm when Will,
Jesse, Mark and I left Elliott Bay Marina on way to pickup the rest of our
crew at Shilshole Marina. As we turned the corner at West Point, we
saw our first signs of what would become a nice evening breeze. We
stopped at Shilshole on time and picked up Lisa for her first sail since our
trip to the Caribbean, Lee for his first sail aboard Andiamo and Gillian for
her second sail aboard. We also picked up Keith, Gillian's husband,
who was left behind by his boat when he was running late. We ended up
taking him out to his boat, a C&C35 and dropping him off so he could sail. After getting to Shilshole just on time and the detour to drop Keith off, we were running well behind and had to rush to get the sails ready for the start. Being new to SBYC's racing I haven't memorize the buoy letter and was surprised when it turned out to be a downwind start. Luckily, we had a few minutes before our start and Lee, the all star of the day, got the chute rigged quickly and ready for our start. We were a bit late for the line but the got the chute set and took off. We had great speed downwind and were well in the leading crowd of our fleet by the first mark. To be prudent we gave the other boats some room in order to have more room for our take down and rounding. This went reasonably smooth and we headed back upwind. Once again we had great speed and kept up with our fleet - both in boat speed and pointing - great news! At the top mark round we had a couple boats in front and couple behind. We had other good set and great speed downwind, actually passing a J105 downwind. The second rounding was a bit more rough as the jib came out of the luff groove and had to be taken down and raised again. This cost us a couple of minutes and a position. However we recovered and still kept a competitor behind us. Not DFL!!! Woo hoo! As the wind built, we finished out the night by setting the spinnaker again and running down to West Point working on our spinnaker trim and even taking the opportunity to do a close reach with the chute that really loaded the boat up and made for a very fun ride. This was a great night. With Lee running the foredeck things went much more smoothly and we got a bunch more performance from the boat. Jesse did a great job working on with the jib trim and spinnaker guy, Mark did wonderful working the pit - perhaps the toughest job for a newbie (bet he got tried of hearing "no the other one"), Will was rock steady on the main and spinny trim, and the ladies did a great job hauling the chutes working with Lee to make the foredeck work well. Everyone's really starting to get the hang of things. The next few weeks should be an interesting transformation! **** Late breaking development - we've be DSQ'd. I'm checking into why. But after thinking hard about it, I think I already know - I believe we rounded the second windward mark to Port rather than to Starboard! Damn it! A mental mistake that erases a great effort by everyone aboard. Sorry guys. **** **** Okay, after research and clarification - here's what happened. We were DSQ'd for not completing the course properly. We didn't cross the start/finish line on our way from the Meadow Point buoy to the Mooring buoy - which was the course as set by the committee. Damn! We'll get them next time. **** |
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Today's crew:
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Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Sloop Tavern Race To The Straits (Day 2) |
Complete Track For Day
The loop caused by the jet stream of current off of
Marrowstone Point To avoid the adverse current I had to 'short tack' up the
beach - basically sailing in the shallow water which carries less current.
You can see how I sailed up to the light blue line (shallow), then tacked
into deeper water, then came back again.
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| Start: Port Townsend | Finish: Elliott Bay | ||
| Route: Race from Port Townsend to Shilshole Bay | |||
| Distance: 43.3 NM | Time: 10 hours | ||
| Average Speed: 4.3 | Max Speed: 8.9 Knots | ||
| GPS Odometer: 628.6 | |||
| Conditions: Mostly sunny, somewhat warm, but cool. | |||
| Notes: | |||
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Day Two! This morning was cool and a bit damp but no rain just
occasional drizzle. I got the start area early to watch the
first starters strategy in dealing with the flood current and see if
I could pick up any good ideas. The breeze was light but
filled in nicely right before my 10:22 start with the J105 fleet and
others. I was just behind the line and in the thick of the
fleet where I wanted to be - close but safe in case of a close tack.
Soon we all tacked onto port and headed for the current relief of
Marrowstone Island. We all stayed within a couple hundred
yards all the way up to the day's first big test Marrowstone Point.
The flood tide was creating a jet stream of current probably 4+
knots that we streaming off the point - you had to get by this to
get to the favorable current of the east side of Marrowstone Island.
The basic strategy to do this was - sail on port tack (south) to the
north side of the beach as close as you dare then tack onto
starboard (going west) and sail fast into the jet stream and tack
back onto port before it drags you too far by hitting the broadside
of your keel. One major complication - when you tack onto port
you're fighting a 4 knot current meaning you are moving 0-1 knot
over ground and you now have other starboard tack boats wanting to
make the same move you just did. This made things a bit ugly
and despite having nearly conquered the day's first challenge, I was
forced to tack by a J boat that turned several of us around and then
without explanation continued on for another couple minutes
oblivious to the fact that we were all being carried away from the
island at 3-4 knots. After freeing myself, I stormed the beach
again and this time made it without incident.
The next stage - a short tacking workout - the ideal full body
workout. For the next couple hours, I traded positions with a
Moore 24, Santa Cruz 27, J35, J37, a trimaran and a Cal 33 while
short tacking the eastern shore of Marrowstone. Synge, Kilo,
Tachyon and other fast fleet boats slowly gained and past us using
their performance to make the most of the light 4-5 knot breeze.
By the time I reached the south end of Marrowstone the winds had
pretty much died out and I started to drift only to have the wind
fill in from the north. I'm so glad I left my spinnaker gear
out and rigged!
A couple minutes later I had the spinnaker flying and was holding
off the boats behind that were gaining and catching up the boats
ahead that either started earlier or past me going up Marrowstone.
The current was starting to abate at this point so much of the fleet
sailed the rhumb line to Double Bluff - some favoring the approach
from the West and others the East. I chose the East approach
primarily because it would put me on starboard tack when rounding
what was sure to be a very, very busy mark. However, it
appears that the West approach was slightly favored and those boats
who took it were in the lead of the crowded mark.
I rounded just behind a J37, J35 and made a course for Point No
Point just behind Green Card. The wind was now a light, but
reasonably steady 4-5 knots and I was able to keep up but not really
pass Green Card or the other boats around. After a couple
gybes, I passed PNP sailing as close I dared to competitors while
still leaving some extra room for my slower single handed maneuvers.
Soon after PNP the wind started to die and get spotty. I hung
in there giving a J29, a Hotfoot 31 and a few others a run for their
money. I even managed to pass a few boats through well timed
gybes and decent boat speed.
But the wind didn't hold out and at 600pm I called I retired with
7.5 miles left to the finish and zero wind. I'm not sure if
anyone finished by the 700pm cutoff, but I did see Gray Wolf get
close - he was maybe 1/2 off Meadow Point just after 700pm when I
was passing Shilshole under power.
It was a great day of racing - single-handing in races is a workout
but tons of fun. Can't wait to do it again next year - this
time with Sarah. That way I won't have to stop in Edmonds to
get someone to haul my ass up the mast!!!
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Today's crew:
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Saturday, May 5, 2007 - Sloop Tavern Race To The Straits (Day 1) |
Complete Track
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| Start: Elliott Bay | Finish: Port Townsend | ||
| Route: Race from Shilshole Bay to Port Townsend | |||
| Distance: 42.1 NM | Time: 10 hours | ||
| Average Speed: 5.0 | Max Speed: 8.9 Knots | ||
| GPS Odometer: 585.4 | |||
| Conditions: Mostly sunny, somewhat warm, but cool. | |||
| Notes: | |||
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This race rocks. I forget how much I like this race - what a cool
experience... get up early on a Saturday morning and either sail alone or
with a friend from Seattle to Port Townsend raft up for the evening head off
to a great dinner and first day awards ceremony complete with plenty of
wine, beer and other beverages, head to a bar then back to the boat so that
you can wake up on Sunday and race home. Another cool thing about this
race - it's a pursuit race. Basically slow boats start first and get a
head start and the fast boats get to chase them down. This is somewhat
different than the norm where all boats start together - in this race you
get a specific schedule start time - mine was 1022 am. The earliest
boats started at 800am. I sailed this one alone. Originally planned for Sarah to be along, but schedules didn't work out so I went solo - something that I actually like and have looked forward to with the new boat. To add to the challenge, I registered for 'flying sails' single-handed meaning I would need to use spinnakers to be competitive. Despite my best efforts I wasn't able to complete prep for the race Friday afternoon, so I ended up staying on the boat Friday night so I could work into the night and finish the final nagging projects and be well prepared for the race. After drifting off to sleep with images of single-handed spinnaker sets and gybes in my head at 2am, I woke at 630 to prep the boat and head out for my 1022am start. On the way to the start, I worked on soloing the spinnaker and had reasonable success. My start was crowded with more than 15 boats starting between 1020 and 1025. I made a mental mistake with my spinnaker prep that caused the following cascade of events. It all started with not having the spinnaker setup on the proper side of the boat, which I fixed soon after the start, but in doing so I didn't secure the snuffer lines so when I hoisted the spinnaker and started to pull the pole back (the guy) and pretension the sheet, the spinnaker opened on its own and the snuffer and the control lines rose too high to grab. This was a problem since, the snuffer would go all the way to the top and would only allow the spinnaker to open partially. So I decided to drop the spinnaker until I could get a handle on the snuffer lines, however this caused the spinnaker to fall into the water which soon lead to the boat running over it and causing it to 'shrimp' - think Bubba Gump and you'll have the right idea. So this is bad - but I get even that fixed in a couple minutes and soon the tied off spinnaker and snuffer are getting hoisted and I'm ready to unleash the spinnaker and catch up with all those who've passed me, as well as all those slow boats. Oh we're not done yet... nope... about 2/3 through raising the snuffer and launching the chute the halyard shackle releases. Yep it releases! But even better the snuffer falls into the mast lodging itself into the rigging of the second spreader of the mast about 35' off the deck! See the picture. So now I have a spinnaker partially open that I can't get down, and even if I could I still don't have a halyard to raise it with. What's worse is that if I return to the closest marina (Shilshole) I'll gave to sail or power for 20+ minutes upwind which would likely damage the sail. So I was forced to retire and head for Edmonds Marina which was downwind and allowed me to protect the spinnaker and greatly shorten the flogging in the wind. There I was met by my absolutely wonderful wife who helped me dock and then worked to grind my chubby butt up the mast so I could free the sail, and then to the top of the mast so I could retrieve the halyard. After about 30 minutes of work and 10 minute rest, I set off determined to make it Port Townsend with the fleet even though I was no longer able to be scored for this leg. After leaving Edmonds with my confidence shaken a bit, I reverted to setting the spinnaker with like a gennaker which worked well for the reach across Puget Sound to Point No Point where the wind shifted and lightened a bit, I started to see the back markers of the fleet. This inspired me to rig the spinnaker correctly and within a few minutes I rigged the pole and had the spinnaker flying on the pole and was making great progress nearly downwind. By the time I reached, Double Bluff I was within 1/4 of a trimaran that was last in the fleet and within a 1/2 mile of another boat. Soon after Double Bluff I gybed and headed for the West Side of Admiralty Inlet seeking more favorable currents - this process like my other gybes went pretty well. I think I kind of got the hang of it in these reasonably mild conditions. By the time I reached the middle of Marrowstone Island I was reaching more boats and actually passed a J80. This is when I started to see the 'parking lot' of boats at the north tip Marrowstone. Apparently light wind and strong current stopped most of the fleet for quite awhile - which was great for me, as I caught up and passed a bunch of boats. In fact, I never really got stalled - just after the Southerly wind died and I unfurled the jib and doused the spinnaker, the northerly wind filled in and I was able sail windward to the finish. The currents around Port Townsend are tricky. I made some huge gains on boats around me soon after Marrowstone only to see them disappear when I was stuck in heavy current and other boats who sailed into the bay got into favorable current and took off. In all, despite the pit stop the day was wonderful. I'm really curious as to how I would've done without the pit stop. The boat was great and I hope someday soon I can do it justice. Finished they day off with rafting up to a J109 and the J105 fleet, eating dinner at the Straits dinner and meeting a bunch of sailors from Edmonds, catching up with Jay & Catherine (new friends from C dock in Elliott Bay) as well as Mike and his friends (Paul, Sarah, Chris and many others). When stopped off a 'Sirens' a local bar that seemed to be the place to be if you are local in your twenties looking to dance to house music, find yourself or find someone else for a moment or two. Looking forward to tomorrow! |
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2006
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