[Public-List] Snake Island Race...

Thu Aug 8 13:10:11 PDT 2019

Hi Gordon,
I always enjoy reading about your races. So descriptive it comes alive!
However, I am curious about your outhaul setup. How do you obtain enough purchase to flatten that main on the go.
Marcelo
#441

> On Aug 7, 2019, at 9:51 PM, Gordon Laco via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Jonathan…
> 
> Hauling the outhaul flattens the main… de-powers it and eases helm… boat goes faster.
> 
> Gordon Laco
> www.gordonlaco.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Aug 7, 2019, at 7:30 PM, Jonathan Bresler <262alberg30 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Wonderful report Gord.
>> 7.2 is moving!
>> Well done!
>> 
>> "trimming the outhaul to minimize helm" have not heard that before!
>> 
>> Jonathan
>> 
>> On Wed, Aug 7, 2019 at 4:23 PM Gordon Laco via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org <mailto:public-list at lists.alberg30.org>> wrote:
>> So there we were…
>> 
>> Last Wednesday was the annual Snake Island Race… part of the Wednesday evening series but a (sort of) distance race rather than round the buoys.
>> 
>> Clint couldn’t come due to injuring his back.. so it was Steve and I setting out shorthanded.  At the last moment Ken, who normally crews aboard another boat was wandering by because his skipper was out cruising for the week.  We scooped him up and brought him aboard as a third.
>> 
>> Out we motored enjoying the brisk NW wind… the start was as usual a short leg to leeward of Midland Bay Shoal marker.   We joined in the mob swinging to and fro as the minutes counted down toward the start.
>> 
>> With two minutes to go, Ken announced that his cut finger, injured earlier in the day, was bleeding again.  Bleeding?  Gushing!  Steve hopped below to get the first aid kit while I tried to keep up the wiggling with our foes… suddenly I realized we were right on the start with only seconds to go and there we were, starting on port at the pin end as we planned, but barging like mad on our arch rival, MAID MARION.   Robin, my friend, was quite within his rights to hold his course and bump us off the end of the line.
>> 
>> Round we went while Ken finished bandaging his finger… we looped in a very tight circle and got across the line on port tack in MM’s wake.   The line was, luckily for us, badly laid so we could lay the course to the Midland Shoal pin on one tack (port), stampeding at high speed.   The bulk of the herd started on starboard and by the time they did their tack onto port up on the lay line we were in the midst of them.
>> 
>> Round the pin we all charged and away on a wild reach toward Snake Island, about five miles east.   It was a drag race.  We settled down going like a bat outta hell with the boom way out trimming the outhaul to minimize helm.   SURPRISE settled down between her roaring bow and stern waves and making use of her overhangs to elongate her waterline, the speed crept up to 6.7, then 7.2.    We had a rooster tail coming off the leeward quarter aft of the spinnaker winch, the hissing of the water going by was loud, and there was so much force on the helm for the water rushing past I could feel the mad energy of it at every moment of the wheel (we have the rare factory-mounted wheel steering setup)
>> 
>> We passed one competitor after another each a battle, but MAID MARION was still ahead.  We crept up till we were about two boat lengths behind, then I started coming up a few degrees to try to drive over them far enough up to avoid the lee bow effect…  Robin heard me and edged up to defend.  We shot down hoping to dive far enough below to drive through his lee… Robin resumed his course and I saw I’d have to go too far down and so would loose speed and apparent wind energy.  So I sat on his leeward quarter again for a bit, relishing the thought of the effect having our snarling bow wave over his shoulder might be having on him.  
>> 
>> Then… I feigned going down again… Robin bore off slightly and at the first move we shot back up 10 degrees and crossed his wake.  Up we went for a blessed but short period before he saw what we were doing so when he climbed to defend himself, we were abeam but three boat lengths to weather.  I let SURPRISE sag down on him till he shouted ‘UP!’ and as we should up we went.  
>> 
>> But the damage was done and we’d gained about half a boat length.   Soon we were clear ahead and to windward enough that MAID MARION was getting into our wind shadow….  Robin, my friend, was cooked.   I indulged in a bit of bravado and called to my crew ‘and this is what they call slamming the door!’    We slid down a little further and locked him behind our wind shadow.   Humph, now we’re even for being bumped off the line…(although that was my own fault of course...)
>> 
>> So up we came rushing at Snake Island, an small feature about 200 meters long and maybe a third that wide… shaped like a grain of rice end on to us.  The turning mark was the club’s buoy off the far end of the island.   The pack was right on our heels… I was worried about tacking too soon as I usually do… so tacked too late, badly overstanding.  
>> 
>> Crack the sheets out and away we went skiddadling for the turning taking a couple of scalps of the leaders of the pack coming up on port… Round at last and away down the windward side of the island trying not to listen to the bow waves behind us.  
>> 
>> This leg was again too tight for the chute so we concentrated on keeping up maximum speed close reaching for the finish, five miles away.   The leading A fleet boat, who started five minutes behind us with their fleet, barely caught us a few hundred yards from the finish… 
>> 
>> The results came out today… we took first in B Fleet, tied for first overall.  Oh yes, it was a good night.  Reaching out, close reaching back… a rollicking romp.  
>> 
>> Getting organized to do tonight’s race, back to round the buoys…
>> 
>> Gord
>> 426 Surprise
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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>> 
>> -- 
>> Jonathan M Bresler
>> S/V Constance Alberg 30 #262
>> Annapolis/Eastport MD
> 
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