Racing

Winter Vashon – A Bright, Slow Sail on Colvos Passage

Kurt Hoehne Racing , 0 Comment
Winter Vashon – A Bright, Slow Sail on Colvos Passage

Sometimes, Winter Vashon is a fast glorious circuit of the island back to warm drinks in Tacoma. Sometimes, it’s an excruciatingly slow process in dreary, cuttingly cold conditions. And sometimes, like last Saturday, it’s not so much a race as it is a great way to spend a day enjoying the bright sun while we still have it.

As Bruce Hedrick predicted last Friday, the early indications that this year’s Winter Vashon would be a fast race evaporated, leaving clear signs that it would be a slow Vashon. The Tacoma Yacht Club race committee made the obvious decision to shorten the course. The fleet sailed on a kind of southerly all day in blazing sunshine, connecting zephyrs wherever possible. Even the mighty Crossfire with her massive rig couldn’t find much air up high. They did find enough to win the race overall.

Photos by Jan Anderson. Click here to see the rest of her gallery.  Click any photo to enlarge.

Throughout the fleet, light air skills bubbled up to take home the trophies. Second overall was the speedy little Antrim 27 Redline with third going to Mark Brink on the Peterson OD 34 Tonic. Results at https://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=17719. We’ll be getting weather and tactical outlooks out the day before racing for the remaining South Sound Series races.

Bruce’s Briefs: Wx for 30 Nov, 1,2,and 3 December and Winter Vashon

Bruce Hedrick Bruce's Briefs, Racing , , 0 Comment
Bruce’s Briefs: Wx for 30 Nov, 1,2,and 3 December and Winter Vashon

While tomorrow’s race won’t be quite as cold as some of the past Winter Vashon races, it will still be fairly cool out there so dress accordingly and don’t skimp on the warm beverages. The good news is that when the breeze does come up you should be on the downwind leg to the finish.

The surface chart for today shows a low-pressure system off our coast heading off to the southeast. This will make the coast sometime this evening after which an offshore flow will develop over the central and western Strait of JdF. Over the eastern end of the Strait and the rest of the Salish Sea, this will become a northerly flow with the area in the central part of Admiralty Inlet seeing the strongest northerly maybe in the 15-20 knot range. It will take a while for this to fill down the Sound and into the race area.

Click any image to enlarge.

Typically this pattern will result in a light (4-8 knot) northerly in Colvos. Following the nice southerly we’ve got today, this will keep the ebb going in Colvos for tomorrow which will help get you up to the top mark. There will be rivers of stronger current in Colvos and those will tend to be in the center of Colvos Passage. You will really want to watch your COG and SOG as well as the other boats in order to find the axis of the current. Since it is a reverse start there will also be rewards for those who can keep their air clear and not fall into any of the dead zones on either shore.

Hopefully the northerly will fill to the north end of Vashon by around noon. This should be in the 10-12 knot range and I do mean northerly, not northwesterly so you’ll probably set up to sail the port gybe to Pt Robinson. This will also coincide with the start of the ebb so if you run into anti-water gybe back to the west, just don’t sail too close to Vashon and gybe back when you can make Pt Robinson.

From Robinson south to the finish you will want to stay off the Vashon shore because it will be light in there so even if you have to sail in some ebb, it’s better to stay out in the breeze. Unlike the spring and summer Vashon races, the wind you have at Pt Robinson will probably hold all the way to the finish.

Keep your fingers crossed and have a great race.

Gig Harbor Yacht Club LeMans Race – Standing Start to Reefing Finish

Kurt Hoehne Racing 0 Comment
Gig Harbor Yacht Club LeMans Race – Standing Start to Reefing Finish

By Tom Gray, GHYC Sail Chair

Wow! It was a fantastic day for fall sailing in the Sound as Gig Harbor Yacht Club hosted its annual LeMans Race on November 17th. Boats started at anchor in Gig Harbor with sails down and the crew below decks. When the start gun went off, crews’ raced on deck to pull up anchor and set sails. The 14-mile race course this year started in the harbor and ran up Colvos passage to Olalla and back to a finish line in the Harbor. Often run in light air or cold and rain, this year’s race enjoyed a trifecta of relatively warm air, cloudless skies and a strong steady northerly breeze. Winds in the Harbor were 8-10 kts. and in Colvos Passage the breeze was steady from the north at 12-16+ kts.

Twenty three boats raced in two classes in a reverse order start 10 minutes apart. With a good breeze the smaller boats were quickly off their anchorages in the north end of the harbor, many just on a spinnaker. They were well down the harbor by the time the class one boats pulled anchor. Just outside the entrance on the harbor in a wind shadow, velocity dropped to 4-5 knots and the fleet bunched up momentarily. Leaders took a port tack away from Gig Harbor to towards Vashon Island to catch the strong breeze coming down Colvos Passage. Others quickly followed. In fresh air, it was now a beat north to Ollala in strengthening wind and chop. Many boats elected to reef or change headsails to handle the wind conditions.

Full results not yet available. Top finshers here.

Photos by Jan Anderson. Click to enlarge. Gallery here.

In Class 1, zero rated J-160, Jam skippered by Bill Fox, took an early lead. Jam was first around the turn mark at Olalla. Less than two minutes behind them was a J-133, Constellation skippered by Ron Holbrook. In close pursuit was the John Leitzinger’s Aerodyne 38, Kahuna and Jon Knudson’s J/N 42, Korina Korina. Beating neck and neck towards the mark was a J120, Felicita and a J-35, Grace-E. Four minutes behind them a Choate 37, Asylum and IMX 38, Gardyloo played dance partners around the mark.

Jammin, a J-80, skippered by Tom Mitchell, was the first class 2 boat around the turn mark. He was closely followed by Jamie Storkman’s newly refurbished Thunderbird Fandango. Rounding the turn mark boats eased sails, pushed sprits out and popped their chutes for a sleigh ride back to Gig Harbor in a 15 kt. breeze.

Back through the harbor entrance boats headed to the finish line requiring a short beat up Gig Harbor. The first boats to cross the line were Jam in Class 1 and Jammin in Class 2. On corrected time placement honors for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place go respectively in Class 1 to Korina, Kahuna and Constellation and in Class 2 to Fandango, Jammin and Chuck Queen’s Tartan 30 Gypsy Queen. –Tom Gray

 

 

Sparkling Turkey Bowl and Laser Districts

Kurt Hoehne 505 Dinghy, Dinghy Racing, Laser Sailing, Racing 0 Comment
Sparkling Turkey Bowl and Laser Districts

The sailing gods must have had a meeting and decided that this year’s CYC-Seattle Turkey Bowl, sailed this past weekend, was going to be spectacular. I can hear them having a chuckle: “Let’s see if we can send everyone home really sore and tired. And while we’re at it, let’s see if they wore warm enough clothes.”

Those gods succeeded. With winds in the high teens on Saturday and into the low teens on Sunday, the race committee could run race after race. And they did. Seven class raced, and eleven races were sailed, except in the Tasar class which only participated on Saturday. The physical nature of each of these boats, and the hiking demands of boats like the Laser and Aero, meant some very sore bodies. The temperatures weren’t all that bad, reaching into the 50s, and the sun was spectacular, but the wind chill tested everyone’s gear and more that a few of us came back to the dock not even in the neighborhood of toasty.

It’s easy to forget what we can have here in the Pacific Northwest. The weekend’s snowcapped mountains, sparkly blue waters, fresh northerly and a contingent of organizers, volunteers and parents made this an event to remember for a long time to come, and a poster-event for future Seattle dinghy events. It’s not always like this, but it can be!

The event also served as the Laser 22 Districts. Thanks to a coordinated effort between kids, coaches and parents the Laser Radial fleet saw 24 entries and the Laser 4.7 class saw three boats. The 4.7 is following the European lead and becoming a popular alternative in the U.S. for kids transitioning out of Optis. There was also a healthy and competitive fleet of a dozen Standard rigs. In the Standard fleet Matthew Stranaghan of Canada overcame the early lead of Brian Ledbetter to win comfortably. Amongst the Radials, Kit Stoll and Owen Timms picked up their rivalry with Stoll coming out on top this time. In the 4.7s, the brothers Cruz and Chase Custodinho were one and two with Delfino Li coming in third.

For me, the quote of the day came from one youngster to another – “Bye – See you at Frigid Digit!” referring to the Seattle Laser Fleet’s big January regatta to be held on the same waters.

In the very competitive RS Aero class, Dan Falk won a hard fought battle over Dalton Bergan and Carl Buchan, ahead of Bergan by a single point. Finishes were very close and the fleet often very tightly packed.

Matts Elf and Brent Campbell won the 505 class, Jacob Posner dominated the Opti class with straight bullets and Jonathon and Libby McKee won Saturday in the Tasars. Jonathan came out on Sunday and sailed in the RS Aero fleet.

Results here. 

These photos courtesy of Brad Greene. Thanks Brad! Click to enlarge.

RTC Drone Style

Kurt Hoehne Racing , 0 Comment
RTC Drone Style

Many of you pick up on Sean Trew’s great still photo and video work via his Facebook feed. But those of you who don’t “do” Facebook shouldn’t be deprived of the great pleasure it is to see that work. And besides, who doesn’t want to see drone footage of a racecourse? With his permission, here are some of Sean’s videos from RTC:

 

 

Round the County, All in a Northerly

Kurt Hoehne Racing 0 Comment
Round the County, All in a Northerly

For many of us, Round the County (RTC) race in the San Juans is the best of times and the worst of times, with one day having breeze and the next, none. Or, doing well one day and not the next. This year, the wind gods (Bruce Hedrick among them) decided on a relatively light two-day northerly for the race this past weekend.

The finish at Lydia Shoal, photo by Bob Brunius.

It was a clockwise year, and the fleet had good breeze heading south after the start. After Davidson Rock things became challenging, with the boats that headed inshore seemingly doing the best. Of course short-tacking the shore to the finish kept crews busy. On day two, the boats that kept close to shore after Turn Point found some good breeze and were able to escape quicker than those who kept off shore. A freighter forced that decision on a few, and in fact keeping clear of commercial traffic this year was one of the points of emphasis from the organizers.

The finish turned out to a parkup off Lydia Shoal, where much of the race was won or lost. The results show Hamachi winning the ORC division just ahead of Dark Star with the TP 52s, for once, back in the pack. Class winners in PHRF included Recon, 65 Red Roses, Vitesse, Sir Isaac, Here and Now and Saltheart Foamfollower.

Sir Isaac

One of the great things about Round the County is the variety of boats that compete – and win! Remember the schooner Martha? This year there’s another schooner to talk about, Sir Isaac, John and Ann Bailey’s Chuck Burns designed 49-footer which won Division 3.

The first thing to know about Sir Isaac is that she spent 10 years in a major rebuild. John and Ann sailed the boat for a few years before deciding to do the extensive work that would be needed to make her the cruising machine they wanted. From 2006-2016 Sir Isaac lived in one end of a building and the Bailey’s in another. They wanted to be close, after all they were doing all the work themselves! It would be no small job on the 1984 cold-molded boat.

The work including cutting the deck off (with a Sawzall, no less), replacing the deck, cabin and cockpit, glassing the cockpit, gutting and rebuilding the interior and re-glassing the hull. There was extensive vacuum bagging involved, and John Bailey credits “mentor” Russell Brown with advising throughout the process. The Baileys have plans to do some serious sailing in the years to come, including considering a race to Hawaii in 2020. So they built in additional tankage.

The second thing to know about the Baileys and Sir Isaac is that they “LOVE” their boat and the Salish sailing scene. “Everybody treats us nicely,” John reports. If the name John Bailey, associated with PNW sailing, sounds familiar, it is. John’s mother, Jo Bailey, co-authored the wonderful Gunkholing in the San Juans book that goes cruising with me every time I head north. Sadly, Jo Bailey died about a year ago. 

While a schooner rig is fairly daunting for a racing crew, the way it breaks up sail area makes a good choice for shorthanded cruising. The Baileys find it an easy rig to handle. The boat certainly has strong and weak points. This year’s light air reaching was very good for Sir Isaac, thought the beat up the west side of San Juan Island was not. The crew kept all those sails (including that marvelous “fisherman” hanging between the masts) going up and down and the the boat pointed away from the holes while John Bailey focused on boat speed. At the finish line parking lot, Bailey picked what was probably the best route – outside the Peapods, but not getting too wide before riding a wind line to the finish.

Photos by Jan Anderson, except where noted. Click any to enlarge.

Bruce’s Weather Brief for November 9-11 and the Round The County!

Bruce Hedrick Bruce's Briefs, Racing 0 Comment
Bruce’s Weather Brief for November 9-11 and the Round The County!

Absolutely one of our most favorite races with challenging conditions, challenging tidal currents, incredible scenery, and best of all, great competition with great parties before, during, and after the racing.

Click to enlarge

This year will be no different except that, as always, no two races are ever the same. The good news is that at least for Saturday, the currents will be relatively favorable. Sunday a slightly different story with the tides being against us until Patos, at least they won’t be very strong. The really good news is that while there won’t be a lot of wind either day, there should be enough to get around the course and there shouldn’t be any rain. I have Crossfire taking about five hours to complete the course, both days.

 

Tidal Currents

Rosario Straits                                                                          Turn Point, Haro Straits

Nov 10th                                                                                         Nov 10th

0848      Slack                                                                1248      Slack

1148      Max Ebb                 1.43 knts                            1512      Max Flood            1.56 knts

1530      Slack                                                                 1742      Slack

1636      Max Flood            .29 knts

Nov 11th                                                                           Nov 11th

0936      Slack                                                                 0948      Slack

1242      Max Ebb                 1.23 knts                             1112      Max Ebb                 .72 knts

2318      Max Ebb                 3.16 knts*                           1330      Slack

*Not an error see the chart                                             1548      Max Flood            1.39 knts

 

We have a weak frontal system passing over us today after which high pressure will build over the area bringing a northerly flow over the area. For the race course, this will mean 5-10 knots of north-northwesterly in the starting area making for a colorful, downwind start and with the ebb tide you should make pretty good time down to the bottom end of Lopez. The problem will be that with the northerly flow over the Islands it will be light and shifty across the bottom of the course until you get past Eagle Point and False Bay where you’ll back into a more solid northerly for the beat up to the finish.

Click any map to enlarge.

As you can see from the surface chart for Sunday, it doesn’t change much, except for that whopping big low out in the middle of the Pacific. The high over our interior is building in strength that will act as a blocker until the end of next week. For the race course, this will mean a nice breeze of 8-12 knots from the north in the starting area and this will drop slightly after you get around Turn Point, with slightly more breeze just to the north of the rhumb line to Alden Pt. After Alden, it should be a pleasant run south to the finish with the northerly building slightly after early to mid-afternoon. The real challenge will be from Lawrence Point to the finish because the closer you get to the finish the less wind there will be in the lee of Orcas so watch the boats ahead of you as they fall into the holes and sail around them, just don’t get swept past the finish line in the ebb tide.

For the delivery home, it doesn’t matter if you’re going north or south, it’s going to be light.

Have a great race, be safe and have fun.

Grand Prix Grand Finale for 2018

Kurt Hoehne Racing 0 Comment
Grand Prix Grand Finale for 2018

Seattle YC’s Grand Prix marks the unofficial end to the year’s Puget Sound racing, and this year did it with a big blow. (We’re counting Winter Vashon as part of 2019…) And while this event has lost some of its luster as the numbers participating has declined – 35 boats this year–, it’s still a great opportunity for boats that qualified to lock horns. For some, locking horns with with the breezy conditions was the biggest challenge. There was one race in big winds on Friday, sailed to various courses for the different classes. On Saturday, between the big blows, there wasn’t enough wind to even get a race off. On Sunday two races were sailed, again in big breeze.

SYC Sailing Director Brian Ledbetter called the racing “epic,” citing battles between Wicked Wahine and Absolutely in Class 2, and Different Drummer and Poke & Destroy in Class 3. Then there’s the three-way amongst the J/105s, ultimately won by Jaded. In the ORC class, John Buchan’s Glory once again proved that she’s in charge around the buoys. There were a number of DNFs and DNSs dotted around the fleet.

ORC Results. PHRF Results.

We have  a gallery of photos by Catie Plourde (her B&W gallery is here).

 

We also have a story by Ed Snyders, who with his wife Julie Renick race Overtime. Snyders also manages the  crew list for SYC race committee.

The 42nd Annual SYC Grand Prix lived up to it’s reputation as as the finest test of seamanship, sailing and race management in the northwest.  The three day format allowed for two great days of sailing with Saturday being flat calm and frankly a better day for fishing.

Friday afternoon gave us blustery conditions and for the crew of Overtime a test on how to react to breakdowns under pressure, the gear in question being the boom vang.  As we settled in for the pre-start for the race the lashing for one of the blocks parted making the mainsail almost uncontrollable while reaching.  A brief period of mayhem ensued as the problem was diagnosed and a solution found. Fortunately, we had a small piece of line near at hand and were able to lash the block back onto the boom and resume our pre-start maneuvers.  I’d love to blame our poor start on this disruption but the sad fact is that I missed an easterly shift at the start and ended up late to the western end of the start line, mistake #1.  Mistake #2, came as we approached Eagle Harbor and decided to tack back in the middle where it was windier rather than shake our reef and continue to the western shore of the sound with the rest of our fleet.  This choice send us to the back of the pack in short order but we did get great views of the fleet rounding Blakely Rock ahead of us.  In the failing breeze the rich would get richer in this race but it was a lovely day for the run back to Meadow Point.  In the waves and breeze the temporary lashing failed on the vang sending the boat into another brief period of mayhem. Somehow we didn’t broach and once order was somewhat restored we took advantage of a very open main to sail low and stay clear of a freighter turning into Elliot bay.  With some stronger line found we pieced the vang back together and enjoyed a much more controlled run north.  In a fleet that includes the finest sailors in the northwest this sort of drama keeps you well off the podium.

Sunday and another breezy day.  Race 2 of the regatta found us in the middle of the fleet at the first leeward mark but headed up wind into rapidly freshening conditions with far too much sail up.  After putting in a reef and continuing under our largest jib we managed to beat back to the weather mark and stay within striking distance of the fleet.  With very fresh conditions we elected to play it safe and not hoist a spinnaker but rather change jibs to something smaller and more appropriate for the conditions.  Sadly this choice led to another breakdown and a lesson on the cost of deferred maintenance.  The jib halyard in use was tied to the deck with a pad-eye I have been meaning to replace for about a year. It parted, costing us any sort of a reasonable finish as going bare headed upwind is very slow.

Race 3 found the crew feeling gun shy but after a quick safely meeting we decided to continue but to play it safe.  again with the quality of competition this sent us to the back of the pack but we finished the race and regatta without any further breakdowns.  I’m happy with that result and with the weekend.

The awards dinner Sunday night in the SYC Fireside Room was a beautiful event. The historic perpetual trophies, the beautiful flowers, enthusiastic skippers and crews made for a full room of energy. The SYC staff was outstanding,  delivering great service, the dinner was delicious and we were honored to have Commodore Van Duzor present to help congratulate each winning team.

Hat’s off to the race committee who braved winds into the 30’s while at anchor in a nasty wave state in order to provide us with a great weekend for sailing.  Thank you so very munch on behalf of the Overtime crew and the fleet as a whole.  We have no sport without you.  You are the very best!

–Ed Snyders, SYC Race Committee Chair and skipper of Overtime

 

Rick Donohue of Crossfire kindly sent along Crossfire’s track, and I found a couple of photos on Facebook you might not have seen.

Finally, here’s a video taken from Glory of Crossfire desperately seeking a passing lane on Friday, courtesy of Patrick Doran.

 

Giving Chase in Grand Prix

Kurt Hoehne Racing 0 Comment
Giving Chase in Grand Prix

There was breeze yesterday for the Seattle Yacht Club Grand Prix regatta. Here’s a video from Patrick Doran taken from Glory as Crossfire looked for a passing lane. Eventually they found one and took the ORC class on corrected time. Borrowed from Patrick’s Facebook page. Racing continues tomorrow.

The Racing Season is Just Starting for Frostbiters

Kurt Hoehne Laser Sailing, Racing , , 0 Comment
The Racing Season is Just Starting for Frostbiters

For some Northwest sailors, it’s time to get the skis and boards in for a tuneup and make sure last year’s skiing gear still fits. For Laser and RS Aero sailors in Seattle, it’s just beginning.

Well, not exactly, since we’ve been sailing all year. But it IS the start of the fall and winter frostbiting season. Last Sunday was the first event of the year, with 17 Aeros, 5 Lasers and even three intrepid Optimist sailors. The conditions weren’t great, with a dying northerly. However, it wasn’t cold and with the fleet tucked in close to Meadow Point, approximately 6 races were sailed. Afterward, most of the racers gathered in the Corithian YC clubhouse and enjoyed a simple, but ample feast.

The Seattle Laser Fleet follows a successful formula of short races in quick succession, with a race committee of fellow Laser and Aero sailors and borrowing small powerboat from one of its members for race committee work and safety. Racing is always followed by a social and eating time, with the food provided by one of the fleet volunteers. It’s low key, and results are not recorded. National and Olympic champions dot the fleet and the wide ranging conversations afterward circle back often to what makes these little boats sail their best.

The RS Aero fleet continues to grow dramatically and the Laser fleet is planning for it’s District Champs, which should draw a number of sailors from all over the Northwest to the CYC Turkey Bowl.

Sunday’s was the first of six events. Loaner boats are available on a first come, first served basis.  Visit the SLF website for details.. To register for frostbiting, follow this link.

If your fleet has frostbiting planned, share the info here (email me). There’s room for sailing and snow sports around here!

To provide a little flavor, here’s the post race reports provided by the Seattle Laser Fleet captain Mark Ross and the race committee Mike Johnson.

Mark Ross:

A very good start to the 2018-2019 Frostbite season as 17 RS Aeros, 5 Lasers and a 3 Optis hit the water for a noon-time start.
     Races began in a light fog, slowly turning to sunny skies and light but very sailable wind. To many of us the tricky current and a big flood was challenging and frustrating but by and large the boats stayed fairly close together, keeping the sailing competitive from start to finish. A perfect starting line made for great practice as boats were gunnel to gunnel with no space to spare, then splitting to opposite sides of the course and vying for room at the marks. Thanks to Race Committee volunteers Jacques Garrigues, Mike Johnson and Naomi Medley for setting a great course, and in-keeping with frostbite style we completed five or six solid races, each about 20 minutes long before the wind died off, finishing the day a little early but still rewarding. Thanks Mike for the pictures. Keep an eye out for the sailish.com blog with a more detailed review of the sailing.
     Almost everyone hung out after racing for an excellent meal put together by food & beverage volunteer Glen Wisegarver. Choice of chili or vegetarian soup, salad and pumpkin pie were plentiful and of course well received. And good conversation ensued as we got to know a bunch of participants new to the program this year and catch up with those we hadn’t seen much of since last season.
 
Frostbite #2 is on November 11, 2018: 
Volunteers for RC and for Food & Beverage are needed.
     The RC Driver will be Doug Stumberger. We need a second volunteer to be RC Assist with Doug.
     We need someone to volunteer for Food & Beverage. 
Volunteer here. Or directly contact Jacques Garrigues (RC Coordinator) and Glenn Wisegarver (F&B Coordinator) if you’re unsure of what to do as they know how to make it simple.
      If you cannot volunteer for Frostbite #2 please go to this link and sign-up for a subsequent frostbite event.

To participate in a Frostbite Event register on-line here.  If you are unable to register on-line bring cash or check.

Fee options: 

(1)  All 6 race days for one low price of $70
(2)  Single race day fees are $20 
(3)  Students thru college fees $5 per race day.
Note: Seattle Laser Fleet membership is NOT required in order to participate. Drop-ins are welcome

Mike Johnson:

     Starting lines were all very close with absolutely no sag in the middle and no second row.  It was almost as through we were starting in an ebb. Boats were evenly distributed down the line, so we did not see a need to adjust the angle.  We did lengthen the line after R2 due to a perception that things were a little too tight. The massive flood was tricky with the weather mark set in 40 ft of water just off Meadow Point requiring sailing around the shifting back eddy.
     I did not get to watch the upwind legs much due to starting the Opti’s in sequence. We watched downwind and did not see one side pay predictably.  There always seemed to be a big East-West split. Downwind it seemed conventional wisdom was to head West to ride the flood, but several times more wind made East pay. Feedback from the fleet was welcomed and most feedback was to keep racing till about 3. We were planning on running two more races to finish up the day, however the wind altered that decision for us and we shortened the last race.
     Our target was 15 to 20 minute races and for the most part that is what we got.  In most races the first boat was to the weather mark in 6 to 8 minutes. For the benefit of future RC teams, it would be good to get a consensus from the fleets if this is ok.