Blake Island Race

Tri Island Series Goes Down to the Wire

Kurt Hoehne Racing , 0 Comment
Tri Island Series Goes Down to the Wire
This picture of Glory and Smoke courtesy of Patrick Doran’s Facebook page. Nigel Barron, who was aboard Crossfire, took the shot. According to Barron, Crossfire was “first to the wind hole” and had to watch as the TP 42s put several miles on her. The decision was made to drop out and get the boat ready for the Downtown Sailing Series (racing sails to remove etc) Watch for the big white boat there!

 

It’s clear from the Blake Island Race, Seattle Yacht Club’s Tri-Island finale, that summer sailing conditions are definitely upon us.  As light air and moderate breezes trade places, first from one direction and then another, and the currents complicate matters, crews are kept guessing. Bruce Hedrick explained what would happen before it happened here. The results (click here) tell much of the story. Take particular note of how many classes had three-way ties for the series, including ORC 1, Class 2, Class 5 and J/105s. 

We have two reports from last Saturday’s race, first from Andy Mack, skipper of the J/122 Grace. Mack and team played the shifts as well as they could be, finishing first overall in the PHRF for the race and the series despite a DNS in the Vashon Island Race. Mack does a great job of explaining the winning moves.  

Then we have a report from Jim Marta, skipper of the Farr 395 Eye Candy, which won all three Tri-Island races overall in the ORC division. As he’s raced under every handicapping system, I also asked him to share his thoughts on ORC handicapping.

 

Andy Mack, Grace

Our fleet started on time in ta 6-10 knot southerly, and onboard was our “light air” crew of Dan Falk, Wendy Robards, my wife Jaimie Mack, Kent Sisk and me.

After tacking up under West Point for relief from the ebb tide and we neared the tip of West Point it became very clear the ORC fleet that had started 5 minutes before us were headed straight across, running out of wind and drifting north. A few boats ahead of us had tacked at the point to sail what was left of a SW breeze dropping to 2 – 3 knots. The goal was to keep the boat moving and hope a new breeze filled in. As we progressed south, the breeze progressively swung to the north and continued to drop. We went from a cracked off jib reach to a kite, keeping the foot out of the water as it sagged in the lulls.

A few of us had managed to escape the middle of the Sound: Ace, Ocelot, Grace and Hamachi. The early boats attempting to sail across the Sound, the TP52’s and smaller boats suffered longer in less breeze. As we approached the Bainbridge shore the wind started to fill from the northwest and built, allowing the rich to get richer, especially those closest to the shore who could gain current relief and a bit more thermal velocity effect.

We gybed, heading us straight at Blakley Rock, eventually having to drop the kite and beat to clear Restoration Point and reset for the run to the south end of Blake Island. We were overhauled by the two TP52s, Absolutely, and Hamachi with Ace and Ocelot battling for position into the first gybe to round the island. Eye Candy and a Flying Tiger were in close pursuit with the rest of the fleet well behind. As we hit the halfway point, we were halfway into the time limit hoping the breeze would fill as forecasted. There was some positioning and tight fleet action around the bottom of the island, with Ocelot, Ace, Absolutely, Hamachi and Grace close behind entering into the filling NE breeze. There wasn’t much action from here other than a little positioning for clean lanes, avoiding adverse tidelines and light air holes.

Looking back on the rest of the fleet, it wasn’t pretty. The wind must have dropped off stranding the majority of the fleets behind the island. On the long tack across to Magnolia, we gained ground on Ace. After a few tacks and a tight cover, Ace split tacks with us into Magnolia, following Hamachi into the bluff while we continued offshore for what looked like better 6 – 7 knot breeze. When we tacked back to consolidate it was clear we had made a large gain by staying in more breeze, crossing Ace by a quarter mile and cutting into Hamachi and Absolutely’s lead. The final approach into the temporary West Point buoy was straightforward, with a starboard rounding in the filling northerly and straight run into the finish

We couldn’t have been happier with our result, feeling like we did the best we could have with what we were dealt. It looked much more difficult not far behind us. At least the rest of the fleet got the building breeze to get them to the finish with no worries of not making the time limit.

 

Jim Marta, Eye Candy

We sailed three good races. My crew is a very experienced bunch and add to the effectiveness of my boat. We did just as well in the series two years ago using the IRC system of handicapping…another system much like the ORC.

Of interest is the fact that we race in the ORC division against other ORC boats. We go with our division where their course tactics take us, not with PHRF boats and that makes the comparisons with the two fleets difficult to understand if one compares just how one fleet does with the other.

You asked about impressions ORC system. Thus far, it seems to be a decent, and currently, a much better system of rating boat speed in each type of condition or course. The system doesn’t produce boats that have unfair advantages. On Eye Candy when we sail well, we seem to do well, and if we falter too many times over the race we don’t do well. We can’t appeal the rating of a boat as all ratings come from the international body, based in London, England. Again predicted speeds based on hull, equipment and sail configurations are used.

I recommend boats that are not pleased with the PHRF system go with the ORC rating system. It has a fairness that can’t be lobbied for a “fair” advantage.

Since I’m probably close to completing my racing career and am now 82 years old I have seen a lot of changes in how we determine just how fast boats are and how we rate them. And, it looks like the future of yachting is still uncertain due to water ballast, foils, and the construction of a “freak boat” in some new types that are probably not as safe as most mono-hulls have been in the past. I’ve raced over 55 plus years using ratings as: CCA, an IOR, an IMS, an IRC, and ORC ratings of my many boats, plus I have been member of PHRF since 1966. PHRF maybe its own worst enemy in that ratings are arbitrary and can be lobbied to improve one’s favored speed potential/rating. In my experience it would seem that many/maybe most of the handicappers are not really long term racers. I’ve seen boats that were once rated in the 30+ seconds per mile using PHRF and now are rated in the 60+ seconds per mile…a half a minute per mile is a significant factor and in a Smith Island Race this can mean over 40 minutes in the race results. Have the boats gotten slower? Not that I have seen for well-skippered, crewed, maintained, and equipped boats.

A national system of PHRF would be a real step forward as boats could be rated the same if the boats are the same, nationwide. We say that our conditions are not typical of other areas. Barry Carroll, of Carroll Marine and U.S. Sailing, indicated when in Seattle, at CYC, that within a radius of 50 miles a Boston area boat might have three ratings. We all have wind, water, and often tides. What is really different from area to area?

 

Bruce’s Brief’s: 1, 2, 3 June, SYC Blake Island Race Happy First Day of Hurricane Season

Bruce Hedrick Bruce's Briefs, Racing, Weather , 0 Comment
Bruce’s Brief’s: 1, 2, 3 June, SYC Blake Island Race Happy First Day of Hurricane Season

After Swiftsure, this week certainly went by fast and now we’re racing again tomorrow. One thing is clear, we won’t have the onshore flow we had last weekend and into this week. I don’t think I’ve seen so many days of 30+ knots of westerly at Race Rocks for so many days in a row. It did make for some great racing unless of course, you were on Mist. We had a great time on Tahlequah but now it’s time to catch up on all the deferred gardening. One day you’re the king of the Straits having a great time sailing with your buddies and the next, you’re on your hands and knees pulling weeds.

June 1 Doppler

This weekend in the Straits will be much different as we’ll have a weak frontal system reach the coast tonight and then dissipate as it moves over land tonight. The onshore flow will return Saturday afternoon and continue into next week. You can just see the leading edge of this system starting to show up on the coast on the coastal Doppler.

For the last of the Tri-Island Series Race don’t expect much wind until mid to late afternoon on Saturday. Just don’t forget the sunblock before you leave the house! The other minor difficulty will be the tides, not exactly helpful.

 

Tidal Currents at West Point

0724    Slack

0912    Max Ebb         .32 knots

1106    Slack

1648    Max Flood     .94 knots

2024    Slack

 

The first gun is supposed to be around 0900 hours however if you look at the surface charts you’ll notice the remains of a trough moving to the east and unfortunately that will leave a large gap in the pressure gradient. This will result in a light downslope, drainage breeze from the east in the morning. With some clearing and no gradient, this could be the perfect set-up for the Swihart Effect which says the northerly will start down the Sound once the flood tide gets rolling which will mid to late afternoon. When this will build will largely depend upon when we get enough clearing over the Pugetopilus to start some heating and draw the breeze down the Sound. If the clearing continues, look for the northerly to continue to build through the late afternoon.

As is typical for the Blake Island Race, you can pick your poison deciding which way you are going to go around the Island. In almost all cases it’s best to leave the Island to starboard. This is because of the ebb that continues to roll up Colvos and the back side of the Island. The flood may not get all the way to the bottom of the Island, however, there will be more wind on the east side of the Island.

The star marks the distance you need to be off the Island.

If the breeze is northerly in the starting area, you’ll probably do a starboard set just don’t go west too long. Before the start, watch the flag at the West Point lighthouse and if it’s showing any easterly at all plan a gybe to port to be at the West Point Buoy. If on port, you’re aiming at Alki, hold that gybe until you get lifted to Spuds Fish and Chips, then gybe and aim at the Island. Just don’t get too close to the Island especially at the south end. See the picture. If you swing wide enough at the south end you’ll carry the northerly into the light zone. Just be ready to smoothly transition into what little breeze there will be on the backside of the Island. Headsail up, in the starboard groove, spinnaker down, all without changing course and hopefully without slowing much.

Since you’ll be swept along with the ebb up the backside of the Island, sail the favored tack, usually starboard and don’t get too close to the Island. By the same token don’t too far over to the Manchester shore as it will get light in there as well. Work your way up to Bainbridge Island since the current tends to set from west to east along that south shore. Once you get to Restoration hold on to port tack. If you are aimed at Four Mile Rock, just keep going right up to Magnolia Bluff. If you end up being headed below(east of) Four Mile, take a short hitch until you can once again be above Four Mile. Really watch your depth sounder coming into there as it gets very shallow, very quickly. If the breeze has built as you’ve come across you’ll want to do your tack change here going from the light #1 to the heavy #1going from port to starboard tack. You should be right under the Bluff and it will be puffy so the mainsheet/ traveler person is going to be working very hard to keep the boat on its feet.

Once you clear West Point hold on to starboard tack until you can lay the entrance to the Ship Canal. Of course, this also depends on where the finish line is located. You’d like to get close to the entrance so it will be easier to call the tack to the finish, finishing on starboard and probably in more breeze than the boats on the outside. There will also be a nice push from the current coming out of the Ship Canal.

Be safe, use lots of sunblock, and have a great time.