For anybody who’s been wondering what the Globe 40 was all about, and get a taste for these impressive boats, Take a look at this video. Seattle’s Craig Horsfield, who was on the Amhas team that finished second overall, is featured several times in the video.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Correction: A previous version of this post said that the yacht Aquavit lost crew overboard. It did not. It abandoned the race and helped in the recovery of the persons overboard.My apologies to the skipper and crew of Aquavit. This story is still evolving and I hope to get the facts straight soon. KH
If there is a race that signifies the best of Seattle Sailing, this is probably it. By the best, it doesn’t mean the most important or competitive. It does mean fun, inclusiveness, sportsmanship and dose of PNW weather, which can be benign or sporty. Saturday’s Blakely Rock Benefit Race was sporty. So sporty, in fact, a serious rescue was required. Fellow racers, of course, were up for it. More on that later. Results, if you must.
First, we get the photos from our hero Jan Anderson. See the rest of a large album here.
Now, let’s look at inclusiveness. BRBR is a “fun” enough race kids are welcomed. Since this found its way to Youtube from Grady Morgan’s boat, I figure it’s OK to show here. And how did they finish? Better question, who cares?
And now for the sportsmanship and safety issues. This speaks to our great community. During one of the puffs on the return leg from the Rock, the Folkboat Aquavit and other vessels dropped out of the race to help crew overboard situations. Note that the details are still coming together. It’s known that the Seattle Sailing Club boat Avalanche was able to cover the crew overboard. I also heard a firsthand account that one of the overboard crew was in seriously rough shape before rescue. 50-degree water will do that. I’ll let Sloop Tavern Yacht Club Commodore Mike Scribner’s letter to STYC members explain what is known so far.
Hello Sloopers,
Writing to let you know the status of our fellow sailors who were part of the Crew Overboard (CoB) incident during this weekend’s Carol Pearl Blakely Rock Benefit Race. All individuals who were in the water were recovered successfully and transported to on-shore emergency medical services as necessary. All have recovered fully.
A brief recap of what occurred: (This is based on our best current understanding, and is subject to adjustment as we learn more.)
There were three CoB calls within several minutes of each other from three separate vessels participating in the event.
1 of the CoB Calls was withdrawn almost immediately by the vessel as a crew member was found below in the cabin after a crew count occurred.
1 vessel was able to self-recover their crew member who was overboard.
1 vessel had 3 crew members in the water
CoB calls were made by the involved vessel.
The Coast Guard and Seattle Fire responded immediately.
Several event participants immediately retired and/or lowered their sails in order to provide search and recovery assistance.
1 event participant began coordinating the response via radio with the Coast Guard and Seattle Fire & Rescue.
Several event participants attempted to recover individuals in the water, but due to mechanical limitations and higher free-boards, only one vessel was able to recover all three persons in the water.
The recovering vessel was towed into Shilshole Bay by Seattle Fire & Rescue with the crew and recovered COBs on board.
All three individuals were transported to a medical facility and eventually released.
All have recovered fully as of this communication.
I want to take a moment to commend the actions of several vessels that were in the race who immediately responded in an attempt to render assistance.
S/V Avalanche – Skipper: Jean-Piere Boespflug – This was the vessel that was ultimately able to recover all of the individuals who were in the water.
S/V Irie – Skipper: George Dowding – This was the vessel that conducted a substantial amount of on-scene coordination with the Coast Guard and Seattle Fire & Rescue.
This CoB incident could have ended very differently, but did not because of the heroic actions of the vessels, skippers, and crews above. If you see any of these individuals out in our community; please thank them for their quick response in an emergency situation. If you see them at the Sloop; buy them a beer. They deserve that and more.
A number of other vessels also ceased racing and attempted to render assistance to the individuals in the water. Their actions are also commendable and should be recognized for their efforts. These vessels are:
S/V Those Guys – Skipper: Tim Huse
S/V 20 Degrees – Skipper: Duncan Chalmers
S/V Gusto – Skipper: Beth Miller
S/V Perfectly Strange – Skipper: Paul Kalina
S/V Aquavit – Skipper: Dave Sinson
S/V Impulsive – Skipper: Ulf Georg Gwildis
There may have been other vessels involved; our understanding of the incident and all boats on scene is developing. If you have more information; please reach out to Commodore@styc.org.
Additionally; we as a club and the broader community must acknowledge and thank the professional & volunteer first responders who were on scene within minutes. This included response teams from the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, Seattle Harbor Patrol Fire & Rescue, and the Seattle Fire Department. Their response in these situations is critical to saving lives.
Moving Forward:
At this time we are working with all individuals known to be involved in the CoB incidents to fully understand the timeline and circumstances that lead up to these events. As we work with those individuals more information may be released; we ask for your patience as we work through our response. There have already been a number of posts on social media and email threads being passed back and forth on the incident. Information sharing is always encouraged, but I ask that we respect the process and the privacy of the individuals involved.
STYC is committed to putting on safe events and part of that commitment is taking the time to learn everything we can from accidents when they happen. Once we fully understand what transpired, a report will be presented to the STYC Executive Board for review and eventually released to general membership and CPBRBR Participants. The objective of this process is to identify any specific actions that STYC can take as a club to improve safety as well as identifying opportunities to educate our members, and other sailors in the community, on safety best practices, risk identification, management, and mitigation. Sailing is an inherently dangerous sport, even on the calmest days. A 100% mitigation of risk would likely mean never going out at all…In lieu of that; we can prepare ourselves with the right tools, the right training, and the right mindset.
If you have any additional information regarding the incident this weekend, have any questions, or are interested in being part of the safety review process. Please let me know. Commodore@styc.org
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
The longstanding stranglehold PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) holds over PNW handicapping may be waning as ORC (the acronym goes back to Offshore Rating Congress) rises. I’ve thought this, and been wrong, before. This time there appears to be a groundswell of support from owners of smaller boats.
There are a couple of elements at work, the difficulties and frustration with PHRF and the growing international acceptance of ORC as the common measurement rule and handicapping system.
Earlier this year, three custom boats hulls were scanned – a prerequisite for custom boats or those not in the ORC database. It’s part of a big new push to give ORC handicapping a foothold in the smaller boat classes. For years the “big boats” have been racing under ORC while the smaller and slower boats have held fast with PHRF. More boats will be measured in April.
It may help that the Head Measurer for US Sailing is none other than the rigger Chris Tutmark, who has rigged (and measured) many PNW racing boats over the last few decades.
I asked Alex Simanis of Ballard Sails, Nigel Barron of CSR Marine and Chris Tutmark (all instrumental in promoting ORC) to share some thoughts.
Alex Simanis
I think many current PHRF members are seeking a new rating alternative. While I am not an expert in the ORC world, I am becoming more and more educated in the process of obtaining a cert, and the processes for different boats to get them.
Pell Mell being measured in the cold and dark.
My 26-footer Pell Mell has been fully inclined, measured, weighed, and now has been scanned in anticipation of applying for an ORCi (fully measured cert). Most big races on the west coast require a fully measured ORR or ORC cert, and with our level of participation in events outside of Puget sound coming up in the next few years it is a no- brainer.
The fact of the matter is that PHRF is a blunt instrument, and the ratings in the PNW have become very skewed compared to other parts of the country. The current leadership does not seem very interested in looking at actual deltas between boats, or even observed performance.
There are also a number of loopholes in the PHRF NW rule book that they seem reluctant to close.
An ORC rating is actually based in science. The ORC organization spends a lot of money annually getting their VPP programs updated, and they continually revise rules and guidelines for ratings.
One thing that I have felt for years is that there is no way to rate boats on a single number system. Some boats perform very linearly, some do not. I do believe that when boats have been fully measured, and race committees do a good job of administering the system, it should be a more fair system for a wide range of boats, across a wide range of conditions.
It seems like each rating band has an owner or a few owners rara-ing the ORC movement.
The big boats have been racing under ORC club for a few years now. Now, the +/- 18 raters are getting massive interest.
We had Moonshine, Pell Mell, and Scheme (Pyramid 30) hull scanned These super custom boats needed the hull files for ORC to work with.
In the United States, US Sailing is the authority in making ORC Certs, and in charge of administering the rule. After a great chat with Chris Tutmark last week, who is now the US sailing head measurer, he informed me that applying through US sailing is super simple and a one stop shop for ORC/ ORR ratings. You will have to apply, and input data that you have. US Sailing may require more data, depending on the level of rating required.
It is my understanding that most well known production boats already have hull files. So that part will be easy. The weight, inclines and other measurements need to be done by an approved measurer. Chris Tutmark is working with a few local people to get them up to speed on measuring. There will be a big round of measuring/training coming up in April.
For each boat there are multiple ratings, for buoy racing, random leg, and off wind. These are driven by average wind strength chosen by the race committee. There are different ways of coming to this.
As for worldwide acceptance, it seems like ORC is especially taking hold in Europe.
On the east coast, there are a growing number of certificates, and many more events are using this rule, right down to evening beer can races. On the West Coast, St. Francis YC has agreed to adopt the rule for their major events including the Rolex Big Boat series. Van Isle 360 requires ORC. Overall, it seems like this is here to stay.
PHRF will likely always be around. it is good for local beer cans, etc. The reality is that PHRF does not have tools that measurement based rules do.
Nigel Barron
The issue I see with PHRF is that it was a rule designed long before boats could get up on a plane. As Alex says, it’s a single number system so can’t account for how those boats react in different conditions. ORC is gaining momentum. Really the last major races on the West Coast that use anything other than ORC are Transpac, Pacific Cup and Cabo San Lucas. All are California races, hanging on with their last death grip to their rule (ORR – Offshore Racing Rule). Royal Victoria’s Vic-Maui Race uses ORC.
Additionally, PHRF has a habit of adjusting ratings and considering that rating change in vacuum without consideration of what it does to the boats around or in the same relative range.
The Pyramid 30 Scheme gets scanned as well.
One of the biggest things holding back ORC implementation in Seattle is the aversion of certain yacht clubs to do anything to help it or to score it correctly. For many years, Corinthian Yacht Club used the GPH number on the certificate in spite of the fact that it clearly states, do not use this number – it’s only for class breaks. CYC still, even now with the Center Sound Series insists on using only the ToT All-Purpose Medium number. SYC will use the triple number system and uses the appropriate wind range. CYC, by doing this, negates all the advantages of having a multi-number rating system.
Getting a certificate is relatively simple. It gets a little more complicated for a one-off design or boat that has had a lot of modifications. Truly the best part for me is the idea that you can’t have an argument with an inanimate object. You put data in, and a rating comes out. That’s it. No politics, no consideration as to how it fits in a fleet, just a number.
Chris Tutmark
I had been working as a local measurer since 2017 for the measurement rules, both ORC and ORR. In the PNW ORR is not used but races in CA do use ORR. The prior Head Measurer reached out to me when he decided to retire a little over a year ago. I interviewed for the position in Mid-April and my first day was May 1. I split time working in the office and remotely until I could relocate to RI in August.
There are three of us in the Offshore office; Jim Teeters who is head of the office, Sydney Hough and me. We support all handicap systems in use by US boats; ORC, ORR, IRC and PHRF. In regard to numbers, in 2022, we issued close to 1000 ORC certificates, just over 300 ORR certificate and a smaller number of IRC certificates for US boats racing in Europe, the Caribbean and Australia. As 2022 was a Newport-Bermuda year we expect a slight downturn in ORR certificates for 2023 with ORC continuing to expand in North America. Some areas have or are expanding ORC for weeknight and more casual racing. Annapolis added ORC for weeknight racing in 2022, Detroit is planning to do this in 2023 and clubs in San Diego are also looking into this.
A part of my job is to give the local measurers the tools/skills to get boats measured in their areas. In the PNW, my departure created a gap in the coverage so my trip there in April will be to work with some people who have expressed interest in becoming measurers as well as getting boats measured which need to be measured. Most of these are custom or semi-custom boats where sistership data is not available or the boat is different from sisterships. For production boats the process is very quick to get a rating, should a boat want to be directly measured, this can be arranged, and that data will be applied for that boat’s rating.
For those boats who need an ORC certificate, the first step is on the US Sailing ORC page https://www.ussailing.org/competition/offshore/orc/ On the page is large red button to “Start your 2023 ORC Application” https://www.ussailing.org/competition/offshore/orc/#application which takes the sailor to a list of items to have handy for the application. If someone has questions or runs into difficulties with the application, they can always reach out to us in the office offshore@USsailing.org or me directly christutmark@ussailing.org. This offer also applies to YCs/OAs which may have questions on scoring or how to use the variety of ratings that are produced on an ORC certificate. As part of my trip to the PNW we are also looking at doing a presentation- Q&A session in Seattle, details are still being finalized. (Ed. Note: We’ll share those details when they’re available)
With a full staff in the offshore office and our new application form, we are looking forward to 2023 and helping sailors get their certificates.
My Thoughts
The problem with PHRF coincides with its strength, flexibility. PHRF evolved as an inexpensive handicapping system that could rate disparate boats for the predominant conditions in a given area. With enough data, interpreted by experienced handicappers, this would be perfect. And it served its purpose, to a degree, for decades.
The TP52s Smoke and Glory, plus all other big boats, have been using ORC successfully for several years. Jan Anderson photo.
Problems with PHRF are well known, but in my opinion, they come down to one simple element – the human factor. Handicappers are human, and humans (whether they know it or not) are susceptible to preconceptions, prejudices and mis-information.
Competitive sailors are also human. When they fail to compete effectively, they seek a reason. In one-design, it all basically comes down to the sailors themselves, how they prepared themselves and the boat and how they sailed. In handicapped racing, it’s much the same – the sailors are responsible for boat preparation and decisions on the race course.
But then there’s the additional element of handicapping. The key here is perception of fairness. Usually a “wrong” handicap doesn’t affect results too much – an unfair rating might mean a place or two. However, the competitive sailor goes directly to the reason why they didn’t win. If the non-winners feel they’ve been unfairly penalized, or that the competition has been given a “gift” rating, it’s hard for them to feel good about the racing. If a winner senses their competitors feel he/she has a gift rating, winning doesn’t feel so good. These feelings abound after racing, especially close racing, and if there’s even a hint of human error in the rating (which in PHRF is all the time) the discussion focuses on that.
Then there’s the chance to protest one’s own or one’s competitor’s rating by presenting to a roomful of handicappers. This “opportunity” has caused untold stress for anyone involved and left countless friendly competitor relationships in tatters.
For some, this whole fairness thing doesn’t matter much to their enjoyment. They’re happy to be on the water in the company of other boats, and if there’s a victory involved it’s a bonus. But for the more competitive sailor, the sense of fairness means a lot.
Measurement rules are not panaceas. Problems always arise and ratings often seem unfair. But at least the system gets blamed and not Joe Handicapper or that skipper who wrote a 200-page legal brief to get their rating changed. A measurement system makes it much easier to toast one’s competitors back at the club.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Ed.Note: Once again we lean on Peter Salusbury, skipper and owner of ORC-winning Longboard, for an RTC report. Congratulations to Peter and to all who managed to get away for a wonderful weekend.
The annual running of Round the Country sponsored by Orcas Island Yacht Club is in the books and it was a beauty. Very pleasant conditions for the long deliveries from Seattle and Vancouver in both directions and it had to be the driest RTC weekend ever!
The downwind start of Lydia Shoals on Saturday morning was picturesque as 120+ boats powered downwind in a nice northerly with the course this year going clockwise around San Juan County. It was a fast run for us all down to Davidson Rock where we turned west into a faltering breeze. For the most part on Saturday, investing in the south shore of Lopez Island paid off big and if you ventured too far offshore, it made for a challenging day. The wind got very light as we crawled across the short course line of Iceberg Point and then the wind started to build just a little out of the NW to get us moving along the south shore of San Juan Island.
Photo gallery below by Jan Anderson. See the rest of them here.
A new to town Hobie 33 legging out after the start The inimitable MarthaAndrew Nelson’s ScountrelCowbell, one of the two Santa Cryuz 27s fighting at the top of corrected resultsMike Powell’s KeetHold everything, is that a symmetrical chute?!Manifest, fourth in the ORC classAnnapurna, winner of PHRF 0
The passing lanes were frequent and decisive for those of us in the lead pack of ORC, Div 0 and 1 boats – one minute you were a ‘hero’ and the next a ‘zero’ as we played snakes and ladders up the coast line. Eventually a steady 10 knot NW filled in and we all beat up the coast to the finish line off Mosquito Pass in pretty idyllic November afternoon conditions – nice and sunny, not too cold.
Dawn on Sunday morning featured a steady northerly and after the first two starts got away clean, the ORC, Div M and 0 boats had to live through a general recall before finally getting underway for the day. As always, the currents off Turn Point were tricky and the kelp beds were plentiful requiring more than a few of us to do complete back-downs to clear our rudders and keels.
Photos below by Sean Trew
Longboard by Sean TrewLongboard by Sean Trew
From Turn Point to Patos Island was a long light upwind beat with lots of lead changes, tidal currents, and wind shifts and eventually Bruce’s forecasted NW lifted us all up to Alden Point. You had to be careful not to hoist the kite too quickly as the south flowing current was running hard. From Patos to Peapod Rocks, we all enjoyed a beautiful and fast NW downwind ride with the sun shining and Mount Baker as a scenic backdrop. There’s something about seeing 120 boats with spinnakers all lined up down the shores of Patos, Sucia and Matia islands which really makes this race special.
The finish line off Lydia Shoals was as tricky as it always is with one last opportunity for lots of lead changes! The wind died off to nothing for the last 200 yards to the finish line and the boats that stayed further to the east on the great circle route faired better than the boats inshore. The other key was to figure out the set of the favorable flowing current so you got swept across the finish line, not around the ends (which happened to a few boats!).
The overall results can be found here but the division winners were:
Division M – Aliikai (who was the only full course finisher on Saturday)
Division ORC – Longboard (after two days of battling the well sailed Hamachi)
Division 0 – Annapurna (by four minutes over Tachyon and 10 minutes over Zulu Warrior)
Division 1 – Hooligan (J/111’s took top 3 finishes with 65 Red Roses in 2nd and Raku in 3rd)
Division 2 – Legacy (Canadian J/109 beating the US J/109 Spyhop)
Division 4 – Free Bowl of Soup (taking the J/105 division)
Division 5 – Kodiak (with Pangaea in 2nd place)
Division 6 – Wilder (beating out Cowbell by just 2 minutes)
Photos below by Frederick Savoye.
Huge shout-out to Betsy Wareham, Race Director and the Orcas Island YC volunteers who once again organized a great event – it’s always a lot of fun in the Roche Harbor party tent to get caught up with old friends on both sides of the border. This event is definitely the one ‘must attend’ race event for all of us who race in the Pacific NW and it was great to see so many great race boats with the NW’s top sailing talent battling it out on such a scenic and challenging race course.
Ed. Note: As one of many who scours Craigslist for those hidden gems, I saw Co-Motion and was confused and unimpressed. Now that I know the story, I’m intrigued to the max and would love to see her. I would HIGHLY recommend getting and reading this book. Combined with Bill Buchan’s “Star Fever,” it should make us all proud of the sailing culture of the PNW and the do-it-yourself-with-the-help-of-friends attitude. KH
By Dean Peoples
There is an exhilarating feeling in a sailing vessel when it starts to surf…
Reaching down a wave, the boat seems to rock back, spray shoots out from midship, and the knotmeter says 16+…
Carl Sutter, one of the founders of PNW racing and owner of Fisheries Supply, did a presentation on the history of sailing in the PNW a couple years ago for the Renton Sailing Center. He mentioned that one of the first ultra-lights sailed in Puget Sound, Co-Motion, was built by my father Phil Peoples. He also mentioned that he had seen it listed on Craigslist in Tacoma.
Having helped build and race the boat, I was interested in seeing it, so I contacted the owner, Ian Gegg, who had bought it from my brother, Will Peoples, in 1990. When Phil built the 42-foot sloop Zephyr, he sold Co-Motion to Will in 1980. Will rigged it, re-powered it, and cruised the San Juans.
Ian installed a J-35 mast and sails, added some structural improvements, and named it Who-Ah, as in ‘wild ride’. I was amazed to find the boat in good sailing condition and still winning races!
Phil, with the help of his wife, Robbie, wrote a booklet about the boat covering the concept, construction, testing, and the 1972 Vic-Maui Race.
Below is an excerpt from the booklet The Sailboat “Co-Motion” (One of the First Ultra-Lights) by Philip L. Peoples.
INTRODUCTION
I started handicap-racing sailboats in 1959 when my brother Sam and I bought an “R” Class boat named Lady Van. It had been converted to “cruising accommodations” by the installation of bunks, head, sink, and inboard engine. According to Hans Otto Giese, one of Seattle’s sailing “gurus”, Lady Van was a “cruising racing-boat” while all the other competitors were “racing cruising-boats”. Hans Otto respected Lady Van because she was faster than his 6-Meter, Oslo, despite the speed inhibiting conversion features.
Lady Van was not a typical cruising-boat
—–she was a “lead-mine” with half her 12,000 pound gross weight in her lead keel. She was 39 feet long with 18 inches of freeboard. She was “pinched” at bow and stern to minimize wetter surface. Many cruising boat skippers disliked her because she had a low handicap rating and was very fast in light wind conditions (which prevailed in the Seattle area). I loved her.
Ten years later (1969), I started construction of an ultra-light sailboat that was the exact opposite of Lady Van. Co-Motion was 37 feet long, very light at 8,000 pounds, and with a deep fin keel and 2700 pounds of lead. She was slow in light wind conditions and had a high rating (the opposite of Lady Van. Nevertheless, many cruising boat skippers disliked her at any race because she was “fast in moderate to fresh winds and ugly”. I loved her.
CHAPTER 1—–THE CONCEPT
In the middle of the 20th century, around 1950, ocean-going sailboats were designed with a lot of ballast and strength to endure difficult up-wind passages in the open sea. Despite this design approach, most long distance ocean races were mainly “off the wind” (down wind) because sailboats move faster, are more comfortable, and there is generally an “off the wind” course” that will get you to the finish line soonest. The longest, biggest, and most expensive boats were first to finish the races principally because of their long waterlines (and higher hull speeds). Accordingly, sailboat handicap rules were developed in an attempt to equalize the competition and give the smaller boats a chance. Then the designers tried to find “loopholes” in the handicap rule to give a new design an advantage over existing designs.
Co-Motion under construction, in a basement!
Some fairly odd boats were designed in this process and sailboat racing tended to degenerate into design competitions to “beat the rule” rather than produce fast sea-worthy sailboats. A few exceptions to this trend included the 72-foot Windward Passage that revolutionized large boat design and the Cal 40 and Buchan 37 that revolutionized the medium size design. These boats had three factors in common: relatively light weight, “easy” lines, and stability through beam and draft.
My personal experiences started out with light weight inland scows in 1930, then keel boats in Puget Sound in 1955 such as the 24-foot Blanchard Knockabout, a 39-foot R-Boat, and a 37 foot Buchan in 1965. I noticed a trend with the Buchan 37 that lighter “cruising” boats with good stability were faster in almost all conditions. This connected with my experiences with very light inland lake scows which were extremely fast but had the disadvantage of capsizing unexpectedly.
I began to think about a new boat somewhere between a 38-foot “A” class scow and the Buchan 37 that would be very fast and would not capsize.
A backyard project!
The “A” scow won the Inland Lake Yachting Association championship race on August 21, 1924 (with gaff-rigged mainsail) and was sailed by a family friend, Leonard Carpenter of Lake Minnetonka. In those days, the “A” scow was one of the fastest sailing vessels in the world, running and reaching in excess of 20 knots. What I had in mind was a sea-worthy 37-foot boat that was much lighter and flatter than the Buchan. Stability would be achieved with a deep fin keel, very low lead, and “hard” bilges. My objective was to design and build a fast safe sailboat without regard to the handicap rules.I was encouraged after reading “Fast Boats” by Teale (1961) and predicted that the new boat would achieve 18 knots under the same conditions that the Buchan would achieve 12 knots, Fig. 3. Fig. 4 compares sailboat performance parameters indicating that the new boat would be similar to the International 14 parameters in several respects but not quite meeting “planing requirements”. However, I felt that the new boat would surf downwind at about 20 knots for extended periods on the face of typical ocean waves (which advance at 20 to 40 knots).
As a consequence, I settled on a hull design concept outlined in Fig. 5 that should provide great boat speed under most conditions and light enough to be essentially unsinkable (gross weight slightly less than the displacement of hull and equipment).
To get an eBook or the printed booklet on the Co-Motion or the Zephyr email Dean Peoples at dpeopl@q.com.
The big winner for the second-ever Race Week Anacortes was without a doubt Ben Braden’s Moore 24 More Uffda. After throwing out one second place finish, More Uffda had straight firsts. John Hoag’s Shrek was also dominant in PHRF 1. The J/111s Recon and 65 Red Roses traded firsts and seconds all week with Recon coming out on top. Spyhop and JamJam finished one point apart in PHRF 4. The four boats in the cruising class ended up with totals of 10,11, 12 and 13 points, with the Catalina 30 Papillon on top. The breeze took one and a half days off, but the regatta had excellent conditions the rest of the week. .
The other winners were the Anacortes economy (hungry and thirsty crews from 61 boats) and Schelleen Rathkopf, whose efforts keep this event going along.
We don’t have a hands-on report, but to catch up on the week check out the results here. If folks have something to add to this report, please send it my way. Following is Jan Anderson’s thoughts on the race plus some of her photos. Check out the rest of the photos here.
Jan Anderson’s Observations from the Photo Boat
Well, this year’s event sure provided clarity regarding the wide range of application for the weather term “LIGHT AND VARIABLE”! One never knew what each day would present, sometimes even after the day was done! We all got schooled on lighthearted laughter, variable outcomes on the race course, rapid mood shifts when grazing a mark (or a competitor!), a variety of interpretations of which course / which flag / for which class(es) / when, in light of the complexified combination(s) of variable designs assigned to each, current events which kept sailors guessing the optimal side of the course to sail, sail choices for the light, air and tactical decisions trans-windshift! It was terrific all around to see old friends (still getting older), familiar and well loved boats getting ‘er done, and for yet another Race Week to march into history! Enjoy these photos!
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
When West Coast Sailing introduced the RS Aero to the Pacific Northwest, it was pretty clear there was a sea change brewing. That sea change will be official when the RS Aero Worlds takes place on the Columbia River Gorge June 25-July 1.
At the time, I and many other Laser stalwarts were fed up with the acrimony between Laser Performance and the International Laser Class Association. The Laser, while still an Olympic class, had been technically lagging as any 40-something year old design would. Along came the RS Aero, boasting a hull weight of a little over half that of the Laser, carbon spars and a more ergonomic and efficient layout. At the time, I wondered aloud if it would replace the Laser. It hasn’t. They now co-exist. The ILCA won the war with Laser Performance, retained its Olympic status and ILCA regattas are in full swing around the world. But the moment did allow the RS Aero to also establish itself worldwide. Which brings us to this point.
RS Aero fleets have been growing around the world, with plenty of regattas throughout Europe despite the Covid times. The rise of the class hasn’t been as dramatic in the United States. One place it has been dramatic is here in Seattle, where the bulk of the older Laser sailors moved to the Aero early on. West Coast Sailing was eager to help the new class, and managed to get boats into the Northwest quickly while also supplying the necessary support as the fleet established itself.
As one of the founding Aero fleets in North America, and with one of the world’s great sailing venues a three hour drive away, it would make sense that the first World Championship in North America would be on the Columbia River Gorge. This is the 4th Worlds, the other three occurring in France, the U.K. and Australia. Fifty seven boats are entered in the 5, 7 and 9 (sail size categories) representing USA, Australia, China, Ireland, Canada, Great Britain, and Uruguay.
One question remains to be answered. Northwest singlehanded stalwarts Carl Buchan, Dalton Bergan, Dan Falk, Andy Mack, Jay and John Renehan and Stasi Burzycki are all entered, with many other excellent local sailors also strapping in for what promises to be some fast sailing. Will they be fast enough for to take on the Brits, et. al.?
Ed note. As a strong Laser proponent (and still an owner), it took me a while, but I’m also now an RS Aero owner. My boat has the provisional name Dark Side, because I’m now there as well. I can safely say the RS Aero is challenging and not for the feint of heart.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Nothing like a good hard run on the Straits to blow away some of the Covid “stuff” we’ve been suffering through. We have reports from two courses from Bruce and Peter, plus Jan’s photos (not really indicative of the race, but still….) A video and newspaper clip bring Longboard’s race to the front. Results here. -KH
The Hein Bank Perspective
By Peter Salusbury, skipper, Longboard
The first “post pandemic” Swiftsure race hosted by Royal Victoria Yacht Club was held this past weekend and it was great fun to see old friends pre-race on the docks and race against our U.S. and Vancouver Island friends. Bruce’s pre-race weather forecast wasn’t far off and it made for some very fast elapsed times on the Hein Bank, Cape Flattery, and Juan de Fuca courses after the late afternoon westerly filled in.
Peter Salusbury won the start in his 48th Swiftsure
The Swiftsure Classic and Hein Bank race boats started first in a drizzly rain and 6-knot easterly and by Race Rocks, those favoring the more northerly route faired much better than those of us who didn’t with Blue and Smoke setting the pace. After Race Rocks, the flood tide started to become the challenge and those of us who led across to the U.S. side of Juan de Fuca faired much better than those who chose the Canadian side of the Strait. As predicted, the southeasterly died off in the early afternoon and came in from the south earlier for those of us in the middle of the strait and we had a pretty nice rhumb line course out of the Strait. Watching the AIS tracker was critical as it was clear Smoke and Blue were doing better a few miles off the US shoreline relative to Glory and Shadow who favored the US beach.
The westerly finally filled in solidly at Clallam Bay and we changed from the J1 to J2, eventually putting in one reef as the westerly built to over 25 knots at times. We had a classic Swiftsure beat up the US shoreline to Neah Bay and rounded just before a beautiful sunset at 9:00 in the evening. Unfortunately, Mark Vangolen’s beautifully refurbished ILC40 Occams Razor had mast problems and had to retire before rounding Neah Bay – very unfortunate as they had been sailing a real strong race to that point.
The run back was fast and fun but nerve racking at times dodging freighters, cruise ships, and those sneaky Clallam Bay boats with no AIS transponders! Planing downwind in the pitch black at 15 knots was a blast though and while we extended our lead on the boats behind us, Zvi, Smoke, Blue, The Shadow, and Westerly did a nice job legging out on us.
We rounded the Hein Bank buoy at 3:30am Sunday morning and had a bone jarring one tack beat to the finish line with a J4 and two reefs in main – wave pattern was steep and square and on one notable slam off a wave, our radar reflector surrendered and decided to part the boat! We finished at 5:10 Sunday morning so taking into consideration the light air conditions we had to Pillar Point and adverse current, this turned out to be a relatively fast race for us all.
Alan Lubner’s RP/55 Zvi took elapsed time honors finishing at just after 1:00am Sunday morning with Steve Travis’ Smoke finishing less than half an hour later. The overall winner on the Hein Bank course was Michael Schoendorf’s Riptide 41 Blue with Smoke taking second place and our own Riptide 35 Longboard in third place. Both Blue and Smoke sailed very smart races, made good decisions, and clearly were pushing their boats downwind on the way home – huge congratulations to them both for sailing great races.
And as always, a huge thank-you to Race Chairman, Randy Diamond, PRO John Abel, and the massive list of volunteers at RVicYC that, once again, made Swiftsure such a fun event to attend.
Longboard flying back to Victoria. Video courtesy of the good folk on Westerly.
The Cape Flattery Course Perspective
By Bruce Hedrick, chief weather guesser, J/35 Tahlequah (“The oldest boat in the Cape Flattery fleet with clearly the oldest crew, scary.”)
It was great to finally get back to Victoria for Swiftsure and see all those folks we couldn’t see for the last two years. It wasn’t perfect with rain on Friday afternoon that put a bit of a damper on the usual dock parties. The cooler than normal temps we’ve had this spring extended into the weekend with marine weather on the VHF warning that Hurricane Ridge in the Olympics and right above the racecourse would get two more inches of snow on Saturday night.
As usual, the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and its army of volunteers did a superb job of managing the event. Events came off on time, the start sequence was nicely spelled out in the SI’s and then repeated on VHF. The big boats got started first with a combined Long Course and Hein Bank fleet, followed by multihulls, the Cape Flattery fleet, and finally the Clallam Bay group.
A low-pressure system coming ashore in Oregon and a lobe of high-pressure to the north of the Straits, combined to give us an easterly wind and more importantly a downwind start. Great for spectators on the beach at Clover Point. It was only about six knots so it was critical to find a lane of clear air so you could try to get to Race Passage before the ebb changed to the big flood of the day. Navigators were tasked with watching speed over ground as well as the handbearing compass or AIS screen to keep track of the groups that were on the other gybe.
By the time the Cape Flattery fleet got going, it quickly became apparent that we would not get through the Race before the flood started. The boats that held starboard off the line seemed to do better than the boats that gybed early and went to the SSE. As the fleet got closer to Race Passage most boats decided it was better to sail outside Race Passage and avoid the building flood which always starts first on the Vancouver Island side.
The easterly held until about Pillar Point with the fleet that went to the south of the VTS lanes doing better than those who stayed to the north. The weather models were consistent that a westerly would eventually fill down the Straits and consistent with the typical pattern of the strongest breeze occurring the first day after frontal passage. It did seem that it took longer than the models suggested for the pressure gradient to shift to higher pressure offshore. The transition zone can be tough however this year the breeze went to the north first allowing the fleet to the south to close reach aimed directly at Neah Bay.
By the time the fleet got to Clallam Bay, the westerly had filled in and most boats went directly from the J1 to the J3 and some tucked in reefs. The other problem was that the flood had ended and the ebb began to build and with winds in the 20-25 knot range the seas got steep and very close together. The boats that had stayed to the south and closer to the US shore then followed a pretty typical pattern of beating along that shore to try and get into smoother water. Starboard tack was smoother but shorter so the longer port tack into the seas was bone-jarring and tough on boats and crews.
As boats got to the mark at Cape Flattery, some decided to set the kite immediately in the breezy and lumpy conditions while others decided to just do the gybe, get around the mark, stay with jib and main only, and get pointed back towards the Vancouver Island side. All of the leaders also rounded in what was a spectacular sunset giving the boats still beating up to the mark a beautiful vista. Some boats, like the Farr 36 OD Annapurna, once they got the kite up took off in the 20-25+ knots of westerly and flew back down the Straits, finishing almost an hour ahead of the next boat and easily correcting out on the fleet.
The rest of the fleet finally got their kites up at various points and then followed the traditional route back to Race Passage, the next problem was to get back through Race Passage before the big ebb of the day started. Luckily this year there was not the usual doubling of the wind speed from Sheringham to Passage. This allowed boats to ride the last of the flood down the Vancouver Island shore and do the gybe from starboard to port right in Race Passage. The wind was down to 15-20 knots so the gybe wasn’t too scary. The biggest problem was that it was very cold on deck and hands had a tough time holding on to sheets.
Once clear of Race Passage you could still keep the kite up by not being too greedy and aiming immediately for the finish. Plus you could see the puffs coming off the Island which allowed drivers and trimmers to work together and keep the boat upright and aimed roughly for the barn. The best part of this leg was that while the wind built into the low 20s for the first part, it didn’t die as you got closer to the finish and you were still flying along.
The post-race inspection at Ship Point in Victoria Harbour was not only friendly and efficient, but they were also serving a greatly appreciated and very tasty bowl of hot potato soup. NICE!
Again, kudos to RVYC and the Swiftsure Committee, this was a great event.
ManifestZviRoad Kill on the Inshore CourseDominatrix and companyLongboard
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
This actually looks somewhat promising for those sailing out of Victoria this weekend. The problem is that conditions are still somewhat unstable and there will be a transition zone that will make things interesting. Temperatures will be cooler than normal and there will be some rain around. The known factor will be the tides in Race Passage and if the wind is lighter than currently forecast, it will mean fighting the big flood of the day after about 1130.
The surface analysis shows that we have a very weak Pacific High well south of where it normally should be. We also have two weak low-pressure systems, one to the north of us and another fast-moving one in the Pacific which will come ashore near the Columbia River Saturday. This is what will cause an easterly to persist in the Straits giving us a downwind start. The models show this holding until late afternoon with the faster boats getting out to the westerly around Clallam Bay and getting out to Neah Bay by early evening. Then a westerly will build to 15-20 knots for a spinnaker run all the way back to the finish. More importantly, getting back through Race Passage before the big ebb of the day really gets rolling.
All of this is predicated on getting away from the starting area and past Race Passage before the flood gets rolling. If the big boats get out and away, there could be course records set. Navigators will be busy with a two-way run keeping the boat on the shortest possible course. Zvi could finish the long course by 0100hrs Sunday morning. The TP-52’s could be in by midnight on the Hein Bank Race.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Have a great race and be safe.
Bruce has raced and cruised the Pacific Northwest his entire life. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Washington in Biological Oceanography and learned meteorology “to keep from getting kicked around on the race course.” Bruce spent nearly two decades as Associate Publisher for Northwest Yachting Magazine, retiring in mid-2015, and was the chairman of the board of trustees for the Northwest Marine Trade Association in 2014. (photo of Bruce driving Playstation is a bit dated, but cool)
It’s great to see Schelleen Rathkopf and the team at Race Week Anacortes responding directly to last year’s tragedy by emphasizing safety for this year’s Race Week – Anacortes.
Last year, in an otherwise stellar debut for Race Week – Anacortes, Greg Miller died after falling overboard during a race. While the lessons are still being parsed out, basic safety practices are being emphasized in Race Week’s most recent email. There are links to videos on man overboard procedures, and of course Sailish readers know to turn to The Sailing Foundation for more information. And while it is the skippers’ responsibility to brief his or her crew on safety protocols, don’t hesitate as crew to ask for (expect, demand) a safety review before the series that includes practicing man overboard maneuvers. We are blessed with a safe sport. Vigilance is how we keep it that way.
The email mentioned above includes information on the cruising class, reservations of Cap Sante’s entire C-dock and a campground reserved solely for Race Week participants. Sounds like a well organized good time, and if the conditions hold up as they did last year, there’s going to be good racing.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
