[Public-List] Fall Regatta on Georgian Bay

Gordon Laco mainstay at csolve.net
Tue Sep 18 09:16:58 PDT 2012


Thanks Bob - and it got better since I wrote the message you're responding
to.

Because there is a large Shark fleet where we sail, I volunteered to race
with the PHRF A fleet boats so as to leave the B start a clean one-design
start for the Sharks. A fleet starts 5 min after B.

We finished each of the four races having caught up with the trailing Sharks
and among the theoretically faster A fleet boats.  We felt like we did well,
but of course couldn't really know till the PHRF formula was crunched.

Guess what.... We won the regatta.  We didn't race the Sunday race; but the
five race series (four course races Saturday, distance race Sunday) allows
one race to be thrown out by each competitor.  So Sunday became our throw
out and we weren't hurt by not participating.  We won.

Good old SURPRISE. 

It took us years to get her going.  Folks who've been on this list a long
time may remember me complaining about her performance - I was really
disappointed in her when we first bought her.  I actually put her up for
sale after the second year (that's how I met Bob Crinion, who came to look
at her)  

After I came back from Master&Commander I decided to keep her but embark on
a campaign of refit.  We did a bit each year...

- self tailing winches with foot blocks setting up sheets to them (the foot
blocks and larger sheet blocks made tacking much more efficient)
- conversion of mainsheet to 3:1 from 4:1 and addition of traveler
- installation of 6:1 outhaul on the main
- installation of 6:1 triangulated outhaul
- overhaul of spinnaker gear (inc triangulated downhaul for pole)
- periodic emptying of stern lazarette (weight tends to gather there)
- tuning of standing rigging
And last but foremost with regard to effectiveness, new sails.  I had Triton
make me a 140% genoa because I was shocked at how tender she was with the
old blown out 170...and have often thought I should have bought a 150, but
so often the 140 seems just right.

We've noticed that in our mixed fleet, we can compete if the wind is over
8knots, but under that threshold our speed drops dramatically in comparison
to our fin keeled foes.  Maybe a 150 would lower that threshold. Anybody
have comments on that?

Gord #426 Surprise


On 18/09/12 11:52 AM, "Bob Crinion" <bob at crinion.ca> wrote:

> Good yarn,
Keep em coming,
-bob

-----Original Message-----
From:
> public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org
> [mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of Gordon Laco
Sent:
> September-17-12 9:48 AM
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
Subject:
> [Public-List] Fall Regatta on Georgian Bay

Hello gang,

Had a great racing
> weekend, Saturday was the annual Fall Regatta at our sailing club.  Four races
> in a row and the air built all day till the last race was a real slog in heavy
> conditions.  My regular crew were all unable to participate so I was breaking
> in three new members... Two had never sailed before let alone raced a heavy
> yacht in a tight fleet and hard
weather.   We did well.  Nobody got hurt and
> we didn?t break anything.

The start of the last race had to be the best I?ve
> ever made.   We?d had a
wild spinnaker take down at the end of the third race,
> and were still clearing up the disorder when the start sequence for the fourth
> race began.
To make a long story short, we missed the first gun and lost track
> of the count down.  I had to fall back on the old dodge of trying to time my
> start by the movements of a rival who I reckoned had a stopwatch in the hands
> of somebody who was paying attention.

At one point the mob was all away to
> starboard of the committee boat on port
tack, and we were charging along
> reaching after them.   Suddenly the whole
fleet ahead of us gybed onto
> starboard tack out past the committee boat and started stampeding toward the
> committee boat and us (we were on port about
midway along the line heading
> toward them)   My son Peter said ?holy crap,
it looks like they?re starting!?.
> We ducked under one stern after another
desperately trying to get by them
> while waiting for a chance to join the
herd.    Suddenly an opening appeared,
> and there was nobody between us and
the committee boat.  I said to my crew ?
> if the start is within ten seconds we?re going for it!?  and called for sheets
> in and we jammed up into the wind to go above the committee instead of below.
> Just as I hardened up, heart in my throat because I had no idea when the start
> was, the gun went and we crossed the line first, in clear air, just skinning
> over the committee boat?s anchor cable and doing nearly seven knots on port
> tack with the whole fleet going the other way all squabbling and messing each
> other up.  One of the guys on the committee boat was jumping up and down
> yelling ?Go SURPRISE go!? as we slashed past, no doubt looking mighty
> heroic.
That?s when I said to my crew ?nobody, none of us, must ever ever let
> anyone know this was just a lucky accident!?

Gord #426 SURPRISE

PS had a
> great sail Sunday aboard WINDWARD;  we?re looking forward to a rendezvous in a
> 2012 Misery Trip.
_______________________________________________
These
> businesses support your
> Association:
http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
Please support
> them.
_______________________________________________
Public-List mailing
> list
Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/pub
> lic-list-alberg30.org
_______________________________________________
These
> businesses support your
> Association:
http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
Please support
> them.
_______________________________________________
Public-List mailing
> list
Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/pub
> lic-list-alberg30.org




 1347985018.0


More information about the Public-List mailing list