[Public-List] Last Wednesday night race of 2013

Thu Sep 26 07:20:02 PDT 2013

I'd like to do it but each year work intervenes.... This past season I had
some professional commitment nearly every single weekend.  I'll do my best
not to let that happen again.

Gord

On 26/09/13 10:17 AM, "Meinhold, Michael J." <MICHAEL.J.MEINHOLD at saic.com>
wrote:

> Gord,
 Make plans to come to Maryland for the NOOD races in early May. We will
> be making boats available to Canadian crews.
Three days of one-design Alberg
> 30 racing - you don't want to miss it!

Mike
Rinn Duin #272 (recently Canda
> II)

-----Original Message-----
From: public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org
> [mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of Gordon Laco
Sent:
> Thursday, September 26, 2013 9:52 AM
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to
> all
Subject: [Public-List] Last Wednesday night race of 2013

Hello
> friends,

Last night SURPRISE sailed her last Wednesday night race of the 2013
> season.
This year was for us the worst on record for free time and cruising,
> but conversely, it was the best we?ve ever had with regard to mid-week
> racing.
With our old boat, and sails in their mid-life, we managed to take
> first
place in our fleet in each of the three summer series.   We race in a
> mixed
fleet under PHRF and I?m pleased to say that at least two of the dozen
> or so boats we faced regularly are very good competitors with whom we had many
> terrific battles.  We?re the only Alberg 30 that races where we sail... Some
> day I really hope I can bring my crew to an A30 event and see what we can do
> in a one-design fleet.

We?re the only full keeled yacht that races in our
> club (with the exception of a sliver of a 5.5 Mtr class yacht but she?s in A
> Fleet so we never really
cross swords with her)    We race against a couple of
> C&C30?s, a C&C27, a
27? Aloha built Cuthbertson designed boat (he was the
> first ?C? of C&C), a CS27, a Schock 23, some Tanzer?s Catalina?s and a Pearson
> 28.  There is a squabbling mob of Shark class yachts in our fleet, but they
> compete with each other so we try not to cross them and they generally try not
> to cross us.

In general performance, we find we cannot point like even the
> flabbiest of our competitors;  but we?ve got boat speed on them so long as the
> wind is over 5kts and under 20.  Outside those parameters we are markedly
> slower.
We?ve found that we?re very competitive in lighter air in flat water;
> once we get SURPRISE moving she tends not to want to stop so long as I don?t
> ask her to do too many wiggles or tacks.  At starts, I try to give her a good
> run up to the line because I can?t count on her accelerating like our foes
> can; and I try to never start with a competitor close under my lee because I
> know that they can lift us past where we can sail full and by if
> they?re
inclined to be aggressive.    We try to start well, then defend our
> position
by covering boats we see are threatening us... Or splitting tacks if
> they get by in hopes rolling the dice,  taking advantage of a shift.

We find
> when beating, SURPRISE is very sensitive to the state of her outhaul tension.
> We generally sail with a bit of lee on the boom, not amidships like I know
> we?re supposed to, and we play the outhaul to flatten the sail and minimize
> lee helm (our main is in very good shape, still in the blush of youth).  We
> find that in light air, hard on the wind, we make excessive leeway if the
> speed goes below 2knots, so I?ve steeled myself to have the discipline not to
> try to jam her up as high as she?ll go, rather to lay off a few degrees to
> foot along and keep speed up.  It?s dismaying to see competitors climb to
> weather, but in the long run keeping up boat speed and
minimizing leeway pays
> off.   (in complete contrast, my old Folkboat used to
outpoint anything on the
> water but a Soling, and didn?t seem to suffer from what SURPRISE deals with
> with regard to leeway...)

Once around the windward mark, our good crew work
> really pays off.  I haven?t had to ?narrate? everybody?s jobs for them for a
> long time so all I say as we?re coming to the mark is ?OK guys, think about
> the hoist?  and
they give me sour looks which mean ?ya, we know?.   As we
> round, the pole is
going up and the spinnaker?s gear is being hooked up.
> Peter at the mast glances at me with his hands on the halyard and I just nod.
> Up goes the spinnaker, in comes the sheet and away goes the genoa about that
> fast.
Outhaul cast off, main eased, spinnaker pulling, we?re fast in all
> conditions reaching or off the wind.  We?ve gotten good at gybing the chute so
> there?s no inhibition to doing it when ?tacking? downwind makes sense to keep
> speed up or for tactical reasons.

Our douses are generally slick ? again not
> much is said.  I start things by saying ?ok start thinking about the douse? as
> we approach the leeward mark.
When everything is ready (generally without
> discussion) I start things by saying ?bombs away!? and not much else.  The guy
> shackle at the end of the pole is popped and the spinnaker streams away behind
> the newly reset genoa held by it?s sheet and halyard.  It?s recovered into the
> companionway, sliding in under the boom.  The mast man and foredeck crewmember
> clear up gear, put the sheets and halyard back up forward then pack the chute.
> Fast, light footed and efficient.

I guess this long piece is a tribute to my
> crew.  They?re good sailors, great company and it?s a pleasure to sail with
> them.  I think we?ve all got a fair deal of affection for SURPRISE and we
> enjoy sailing her well.  Most satisfying of all, we all enjoy the good
> sportsmanship practiced by the boats we do battle with, an which we do our
> best to practice ourselves.

It was a very good year for racing, I?m sorry
> it?s over, but very much
looking forward to next year.   We?ve only got The
> Misery Trip(s) between us
and haul-out at the end of October.

Gord #426
> Surprise

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