Sailfish Club - Munroe Race Ft Lauderdale to Palm Beach

The forecast had been for the wind to start at east northeast going to southeast in the afternoon. It was a partly cloudy day in the low eighties with a heavy chop. This race was set to have the first start at 10 am with Carinthia to be th the e second start. We got our main up at 9:30 when we heard on the radio that committee boat was having problems with their anchor and there was going to be a delay. For some reason they started on time anyway and we did not hear that. The first group got off and we put up our headsail and nearly had a perfect start at the windward pin side. To our leeward side was Act One, a Swan 45. We managed to pace with her which we were encouraged about since she rates a PHRF -12 to our Florida 42(ouch). We sailed with our heavy #1 early to get away from shore to get the gulf stream. At the appropriate time we put up the 1.5 oz chute and actually started to pull up to the Swan. When the wind went further back we put op the .75 oz. It took a little longer than appropriate where Lynn Kotwicki blasted at Erik Ryan “why is it taking so damn long.” Erik replied, “ it is because I have not done bow in f******g ten years ” With the .75 we pulled up again on the Swan 45. As the wind went back further we changed to the .6 oz chute. With the wind now at 135 degrees apparent the other Swan 45, Barbara Ann, also pulled ahead. But with the finish after 40 miles, they were only 4 ½ minutes ahead. As we docked we heard the other boats on the radio calling in we knew we won PHRF class B. We only placed 6th overall but it was fantastic race. It was wonderful reception with the waitress bringing our rum drinks out to the boat and of course the seafood buffet was again one of the best in Florida. Of course my brother Bob Judge ate too much and spent half of the night going to the bathroom but he said it was worth it.

Result: 1st in class B and 6th overall
Link: http://www.sailfishclub.com , http://www.sailfishclub.com/Final2006Sco

re.pdf

Crew: Lynn Kotwicki, Nathan Caspers, Ted Neesley, Colleen Flanagan, Bob Judge, Charles Bayer, Bob Declercq, Ken Morrison, Erik Ryan, Karl Kuspa


Go ahead--- make my day!

Windsor Wednesday Race - You got fins to the left, fins to the right

This race was only one leg out and back to finish. Thunderstorms to the north and thunderstorms to the south. 5 minutes before the gun we were reading 60 degrees apparent on port but at the gun we were getting 40 degrees at 8 knots, too little for a code 0.  This seemed to be the day Jayhawker would seem to follow me around the start. I could not just shake them and therefore could not get up to the pin end of the line. Night Moves was to the far left and then Merlin. We started up even with them and managed to scoot up enough to round with NM to the outside and Merlin behind after they got gassed by Night Moves. Jayhawker just did not start with her nose out enough in order get traction on us to the right. Hot Ticket had managed to get ahead of us at mark A by reaching up from below. They rounded in 15 knots of air and immediately shrimped the spinnaker, stopping the boat. I dove inside just missing them and NM got to the windward side of us. Fortunately the spinnaker raise was nearly perfect so we managed to get our nose in front of them. At that point it was a drag race with our .75 to the river. I boats to the left and boats to the right and we were the only bait in town to paraphrase Jimmy Buffett. We managed to hold of NM through the river nearly going aground. When they went up on us we went with them so they would not roll us but stayed on the left side this time. With nearly perfect trimming by the crew we finished 35 seconds ahead. The lesson I learned last week was that the wind lasts a little longer on that side and it turned out to be the right move.

Result: 1st out of 6 J120s
Link: http://www.windsoryachtclub.com/regatta2006/WYC 2006 Fall Race 5.pdf

COURSE 5 - 4.6 nautical miles
Start to A (110o) leaving it to starboard
-then to DP7 (275o) leaving it to starboard
-then to DP5 leaving it to starboard
-then to finish line.

Detroit Yacht Club Sweepstakes Regatta - Yes it is St. Stupid

This was to be a 2 race windward leeward series. The first race was set in about 6 knots of air with the committee boat favored. I knew that there would be a crowd at that end so I decided to come in on port and find a slot and tack in the starboard boats. Unfortunately Ihnsanity snuck in on my port side with a little more speed. It was obvious we had to bailed and tacked. Because I believed that the wind would continue to shift right I continued to work us to the right side of the course when possible. I was very successful at that so the wind filled in and shifted to the left and left us in 5th place at the top mark. We did a near perfect race to the finish but we could just no catch up enough. Night Moves and Merlin had bad last downwind leg and we nearly caught them but still finished a boat and a half behind. We were supposed sail a second race but it was canceled due to the black storm clouds forming to the north and west. So we never had a chance to redeem ourselves in spite a near perfect crew performance. Just another typical day on Lake St. Stupid.



Result: 5th out of 5 J120s
Link: http://www.drya.org/race2006/Results/dycsweep.htm

Windsor Wednesday Race - Who me barge?

This race was only one leg out and back to finish. 5 minutes before the gun we were reading 60 degrees apparent on port but at the gun we were getting 50 degrees. I did a dipsy doodle on starboard and then turned port at 30 seconds before the start. Unfortunately Night Moves was to our left and came down fast. I though I could catch them barging but when I started making that point they retorted that if I could hit them then they were barging. As much as I tried they were just too far out in front. We followed them at the gun and put up the code 0. Farther down the leg as we got headed we went back to the genoa. After rounding A we put up the .6 oz and tried to roll NM. We barely made the mark and at DP7 I had to give room to 2 J105s on port. It was certainly a protestable offense for them but being a beer can race I did not throw the flag. In any case they messed up the jibe and we passed them anyway. Because I was still trying to over take NM I stayed too far right and we eventually hit a hole that Hot Ticket did not get. They beat us by 4 seconds. ONe lesson learned that if you look at the chart you can see that the wind will last longer on the left side of the river.

Result: 3rd out of 6 J120s
Link: http://www.windsoryachtclub.com/regatta2006/WYC%202006%20Fall%20Race%204.pdf

COURSE 5 - 4.6 nautical miles
Start to A (110o) leaving it to starboard
-then to DP7 (275o) leaving it to starboard
-then to DP5 leaving it to starboard
-then to finish line.

Windsor Wednesday Race - That was a lot of wind!

This was another goofy race. The wind was consistently blowing out of 30 degrees at 20 to 21 knots. The committee boat was anchor challenged. They delayed a series of starts because they drifted downstream. I think they gave up because by the J120 start they had drifted nearly 3/4 a mile near DP7 (entrance to the Windsor Channel). Since the 3/4 mile line was parallel to the wind I chose to simply aim for the pin from a little up wind. Fortunately Merlin left me a big space to sneak in on starboard. Since eventually Merlin was going to wax us underneath I decided to go port for the long part of the leg. We just came in right of the mark but that was ok since Merlin would have to go behind us before tacking. The next leg to D was just a close reach so we held our lead there. Going down to DP8 Hot Ticket got their 1.5 spinnaker up before we did and got a little lead. Merling start catching us with their 3/4 when they had a catastrophic spinnaker failure.
We rounded DP8 behind HT and went to the #3 genoa again. No changes there. It was when we passed D that I decided to go to the 3/4 since it was run. We were not hurt until we hit DP7 when the fact that the port sheet was led over the lifeline. Because we were not able to get in our spinnaker we lost distance to Merlin who then passed us. It still was a close race considering we were only 11 seconds behind Hot Ticket. In any case it was a lot of wind and I think we were all exhausted by the end.

Result: 3rd out of 6 J120s
Link: http://www.windsoryachtclub.com/regatta2006/WYC%202006%20Fall%20Race%203.pdf

COURSE B - 7.5 nautical miles
Start to B (065o) leaving it to port
-then to D (261o) leaving it to port
-then to DP8 (208o) leaving it to port
-then to CC (063o) leaving it to port
-then to D (309o) leaving it to port
-then to DP7 (212o) leaving it to starboard
-then to finish leaving DP5 to starboard.

Crescent Sail Yacht Club Regatta - 2nd tier start, 2nd tier finish

This was a starboard reaching start with the first leg at 29 degrees to mark D. The wind was coming out to maybe 100 degrees at 11 to 12 knots. It was needed that we start at the right side of the line. Unfortunately I turned a little too late to get up on the line although there was space 50 yards wide that I could of sneaked through. Merlin stood right on the line and went right when the gun went off so he got a great start with Night Moves following close behind. We only had 5 people for this race so we took our time putting out the code 0. I waited for Merlin and NM to put theirs up since we were in the lane above them. Jayhawker had problems with their spinnaker and the guest appearance of Ihnsanity started low and then took Hot Ticket up and then passed her with her 1.5 oz. chute. As we approached the first mark the wind started going behind us. Ihnsanity almost caught us but had to round behind us. The next leg was a weather leg with the favored being starboard. We simply went to weather of Ihnsanity. At this point we were unable to gain on the boats in front but did not lose any places even though we were extremely light on rail weight. Jayhawker must of had 8 people on the rail. The following leg was another weather leg and we still rounded 3rd. The next leg was a downwind leg where we had Jayhawker trailing us about 5 boat lengths back. We went a little higher than I wanted but Jayhawker eventually gave up and jybed. Before the last leg we put up our .75 under our genoa because the wind was going to be much closer. It was the right move since we had no rail weight. Again we finished 3rd. We did race consistently with a shortage of people so I guess 3rd is not so bad as kissing my sister.

Result: 3rd out of 6 J120s
Link: http://www.drya.org/race2006/Results/csyc.htm
Course: Start, D, C, B, A, Finish

Windsor Wednesday Race - Spinnakers, Schlimakers

This start was a fetch to starboard with the committee boat being favored. After watching many of the starts I knew it was going to be a fight to get a good start at that end because everyone would want the pole position. Instead I decided to come in on port and tack to starboard when I met the first boat. That seemed to work as we hit the line right when the gun went off. We had Jayhawker on our right hip and it was a struggle to get enough of lane and distance gain to shake them off. With this we rounded the mark first and went to a .6oz. chute about 2 boat lengeths ahead of Hot Ticket. We managed to lose enough on this leg where Hot Ticket passed us and then messed up the jybe by not releasing the lazy guy. However we still rounded in 2nd place and jybed. This is where I made my first tactical mistake. I should of done a mexican takedown and then we could of put up any chute we wanted. Instead we went slow with the .6 oz and then had to take replace it with a genoa as we got headed. Night Moves had put up their headsail up early and were higher than us when he put up his code 0. The rest of the way down we put up our code 0 trailing NM and HT to the mouth of the river. As we got in the mouth the J105 Windshadow took HT up and I took the opportunity to go low as I saw there was more wind ripples in the middle of the river. We managed to stretch out a 100 yard lead to HT to finish second. Thank you Al Fick!

Result: 2nd out of 6 J120s
Link: http://www.windsoryachtclub.com/regatta2006/WYC%202006%20Fall%20Race%202.pdf

COURSE 1 - 6.0 nautical miles
Start to A (110o) leaving it to port
-then to B (007o) leaving it to port
-then to DP7 (247o) leaving it to starboard
-then to finish leaving DP5 to starboard.

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club - At least the party was good

This was a windward leeward race only 6 knots of wind with only 3 J120s participating. My desire for this start was to go to the pin side on starboard and then tack to port. What I found was Ticket got on my left side and I had to get to the left of them for the gun. Unfortunately this was not the side I wanted to start on. I had to wait for HT to tack and we were already behind because we got into pressure later. Merlin started at the boat end so they were closer to shore and more pressure almost immediately. In any case we were a long 3rd getting the first mark and the rest of the race was like that. We finished a long way out.

The second race was almost the same conditions. I thought the pin side was favored and we managed to sneak in the left to Merlin. HT came barreling down the line on starboard and we had to tack to avoid fouling them. This put Merlin in a hole behind both of us and tacked away a slow third. Some how we got to the top mark in third again (not calling the shifts correctly). We seem fast on the downwind legs and on the last downwind leg I gybe to port to get to the left of the other 2 j120s and more pressure by the Canadian shore. We came in on starboard to the finish line just behind Ticket and ahead of Merlin. Merlin got caught in with some Na40s and got in traffic. Needless to say at least we pulled a 2nd out of our rear ends.

As you can see we celebrated Rodney's 60th birthday at the club. He is the one with the hat. We had a little too much to drink and took out the U20s out for a spin. Not a good idea. It took a life time to get them back when the wind dyed. Thanks Sandy for the encouragement.

Result: First race - 3rd out of 3 J120s Second race - 2nd out of 3 J120s
Total for day - 3rd Merlin won the tie breaker
Link: http://www.drya.org/race2006/Results/gpyc.htm

Chicago Mackinaw - Has anybody seen the wind?

This start was with the wind out of the northeast at about 5 knots with a heavy chop. We went down the line on port ducking other boats (there were close to 20 boats in our time slot) to start in the second row on starboard. When the last boat passed we tacked to port barely missing the anchor line of the committee boat on the right side. Bob had me stay on port and sailed the boat a little low to push through the slop. 2 hours later when I handed over the wheel we were ahead of everyone including Night Moves who started just to our right. Apparently the wind had died on the left side of the course letting us get the lead. Even though the NOAA report said there would be wind all over the lake Bob and I agreed to go right when possible and moving up the ladder. The weather reports we saw and the grib files showed more pressure towards Michigan but because there was not a temperature gradient, going in close would not be helpful.

In the morning the only boats we saw in our class was Hot Ticket and Night Moves with NM trailing behind. The entire day was spent trying to beat Hot Ticket. It was found that there was always a little more pressure closer to shore (1/2 to 1 mile out) We made the mistake of staying a little farther out because of the fear of the air dying closer in when the thermals stopped. As the sun went down we gybed from starboard to port and cut a little distance on Hot Ticket by being on the inside. As darkness came the wind picked up to 15 to 20 knots so we essentially rode it straight past Point Betsy and the 45th parallel to 3 minutes behind Hot Ticket. The radio announcement confirmed that we were in a solid 2nd place with a possibility of 1st. The wind continued to increase and as we got to 20 knots I could no longer sleep in the bunk because I was worried about our .6 oz. spinnaker. As we passed 27 knots I made the decision to take it down and go to the 1.5 oz. I could see HT ahead of us going right and probably broaching. I thought that port gybe was closer to the course. At this point I thought that the 1.5 oz was the correct chute. I commented to Dave Coffey that I had used it up to 30 knots at Key West so we should be alright. Early in the morning just as dawn came we got hit with a squall. Ultimately the wind went up to 36 knots and we blew out the chute. After 15 minutes of getting it back in the boat we partially unrolled the head sail and went wing and wing. When the wind speed finally dropped to 22 knots I made the decision to go to the .75 oz chute. Roughly 20 minutes later we saw the distinctive red dot Hot Ticket spinnaker go up about directly a mile behind us. At his point we knew we had a good chance to win this race. After we went through the Graves Reef passage we went to a head sail. Behind us Hot Ticket started going high on the course so I knew that they were planning to launch a chute. Because we went into the conservative cover mode we were set up to raise our spinnaker at a moments notice. When the wind backed we put up the code 0 and eventually to the 3/4 and then the .6 runner to finish a minute ahead of Hot Ticket.

What lessons did we learn from this race? We learned to come up with an intelligent strategy and to not sway from it even though we saw other boats do different things. Sometimes it takes discipline to stick to a plan. We also made sure we were always on the favored board to get up the ladder faster. Secondly you have to push the boat hard if you want to win. The crew was down below in the lighter air but when it came time to push hard in heavy air they were all up making sail changes and in the back of the boat to keep it going fast. It was a tough but rewarding race considering we went from 3 knots upwind to 35 downwind with all the sail changes. Hot Ticket was competitive to the end. Their sportsmanship was also 1st rate. They bought me all my drinks in the Pink Pony.

One final note - This is the first Mackinaw Race I have won since I was 15 years old where I was the junior crewman on a 1936 45 foot wooden New York 32. It is the first race I have won on my own boat so this one was very special for me. My father when he was alive sent me off on every Mackinaw race in Port Huron. I just know he is pleased.

Crew: Colleen Flanagan, Dave Coffey, Rod Weston, Mike Badendieck, Nathan Caspers, Dan Lorenz, Nancy Caldwell, Bob Declercq, Dave "Baker" Keeler

Result: 1st out of 11 J120's, 2nd Hot Ticket, 3rd Night Moves

Link:http://chicagoyachtclub.org/racetomackinac/ , tp://www.chicagoyachtclub.org/racetomackinac/results.cfm?Class=J120 http://mywebpages.comcast.net/fkern

For a great story about Bounder's near win: http://www.sailinganarchy.com/fringe/2006/4%20seconds.htm

Kirkman kids showing their pleasure in placing 2nd.

Bayview Mackinaw Race - Who's on First?

This race started with moderate wind out of the northeast. Although it made sense to go on the port end of line because of getting the freshest breeze the boats previously had started at he starboard end seemed to have better starts. Unfortunately in previous classes the starboard end was not crowded most of the J120's had the same idea. After starting the race with the 1.5 oz. spinnaker, about 45 minutes up the course we got hit with a abrupt header causing us to dump the spinnaker and go to a head sail. In this entire melee Merlin,who started on the left side of the line, managed to get about a half mile lead on us. We managed to follow them into night time. We could only recognize them by their bright masthead light with no stern light. As we got close to the Southhampton turning mark dawn approached. Hot Ticket andIrristable popped out from the right side and Merlin stayed on the left. In any case the Canadians rounded 1st 10 minutes ahead, with Merlin and Hot Ticket 3 to 4 minutes ahead.

After rounding the wind was a close reach and eventually went to a fetch. During this time we did manage to pull ahead of the 3 other J120's with them being slightly north. This is the point I probably threw away the lead. When the wind went to a 15 to 20 knot reach I should of consolidated our lead ahead of Merlin and Ticket (we were already a mile directly ahead of Irristable). Instead I say a replay of last year where Capers was pulling up south of us and thought they would pass us. Unfortunately the smart money was on Merlin and Ticket. We did meet up with Ticket later in the day in practically no wind were we did a little circle dance (30 feet apart) with us and they managed to get the air faster and left us in front. As hard as we tried we could not catch up to Merlin and Ticket to the finish.

Result: 3rd out of 9 J120's, Merlin 1st, Hot Ticket 2nd
Link: http://www.byc.com/mack06 , http://www.byc.com/mack06/results-south.cfm?Class=J120
Crew: Colleen Flanagan, Henrik Hedegaard, Rod Weston, Mike Badendieck, Nathan Caspers, Brian Hawkins, Nancy Caldwell, Brian Ginnebaugh, Dave "Baker" Keeler

Windsor Wednesday Race - Who Me?

This was another start in about 10 knots of air out of the west. The right pin was extremely favored so I wanted to come in on starboard without barging. I went away from the pin at 4 minutes to the start and tacked back at about 2:30 to go. I pretty much made it right on time but Jayhawker was just to the left of us. I say he had lost his steering so he had to go a little left so I saw that we had room to sneak in. I am positive we did not go over early because we were at the pin but were called over early. We did not hear the announcement until 45 seconds into the leg so we tacked rerounded and started again on starboard. I saw no future following the other J120s so I continued on starboard until we were left of all the boats. We then tacked on port and the pressure was better in that lane and I saw there was a lift farther up the leg. We did manage to round in 3rd behind Flyin Irish and Hot Ticket. Again I saw that it was going to be a reach so we put up the .75 oz. We did manage to catch up to HT and Irish at the next mark but I saw that the next leg was a run so we did one of our patented spinnaker change gybe. On the next leg we stayed to the left and took the boat all the way to the layline. Fortunately Flyin Irish gybed back so when we drove up to the mark so they had to stay on the outside. Merlin had gone right so coming in to the mark they were going fast. We did a Mexican takedown but because it was a 180 degree turn we came out a little slower than Merlin with FI behind. At this point it came down is if we could foot ahead we had Merlin. If Merlin footed ahead they had us. Unfortunately we eventually got backwinded by Merlin and had to tack. At this point it was game of chess and we crossed back and forth with Merlin. Merlin barely made DP5 but Dirty Harry tacked across and just enough ahead to interfere with us so Merlin managed to finish out a little ahead.

We did manage to accomplish what we wanted. If we just finished behind Merlin we would win the spring series which we did.

Result: 3rd out of 6 J120s
Link: http://www.windsoryachtclub.com/regatta2006/WYC%202006%20Spring%20Race%207.pdf

COURSE C - 7.6 nautical miles
Start to DP8 (243o) leaving it to port
-then to A (091o) leaving it to port
-then to B (007o) leaving it to port
-then to DP7 (247o) leaving it to starboard
-then to finish leaving DP5 to starboard.

DBC/GPC Regatta - Oh Canada!

This was a triangle course starting in front of the Grosse Pointe Club with marks to starboard with the first mark Z. We were the 18th start so we started behind a bunch of other sailboats. The wind was pretty much on the nose at 7.5 knots for the first leg with starboard being favored. I had watched the earlier starts and the boats closer to shore seemed to get a little lift and were coming out ahead in their groups. In our start were the farthest left on the line but a little late. We managed to just keep clear air from Hot Ticket to our right. Merlin bailed early when they got bad air. When it got a little shallow we tacked and HT covered. We tacked back on starboard and HT fortunately did not cover. From that point on as we went up the leg we managed to put the other J120s behind us. After rounding Z I decided to stay on starboard a half mile to cover HT to our left and tacked when Merlin tacked at the mark. At his point the air got fluky and Merlin managed to squirt out ahead of us with a little more pressure to our right. Further up the leg the wind almost died. Merlin got the new air first and with a lift to the right HT and Merlin rounded at Mark C before us. I noticed that Merlin was having problems with their .6 oz runner with the light air (3-4 knots) at maybe a 60 degree angle. I had the crew change out the spinnaker to the .75 oz all purpose before putting it up which is better on a reach. Both Merlin and HT ahead of were going a little slower and higher. About 2 miles into the leg HT started going real high on the course. In fact they went so high they were nearly on the Canadian shore. They said later they got on the wrong side of the dumping grounds. In the light air we kept moving where a few times Merlin lost their spinnaker for lack of pressure. In any case we gybed down to the finish and finished a couple of minutes ahead of the next boat.

This race was highlighted by good boat trim by Mike, Colleen, Lynn, and Nathan. Lynn was especially helpful in finding pressure on the course. After the race most of the crew went to the BYC summer party and managed to serenade a chorus of Oh Canada to Mike Kirkman who tooked the ribbing good natured.

Result: 1st out of 4 J120s
Link: http://www.drya.org/race2006/Results/gpcdbc.htm

Windsor Wednesday Race

This was a start in 10 knots of air to weather to mark B. I carefully watched the earlier starts and took wind readings and thaought the right end of the line was favored. Night Moves got on the line before me and because he did not move down quick enough I had to go underneath him to hopefull pry him over early. Unfortunately it was not enough so we had to tack early to get out of the hole. It was evident that the boats that started on the left side of the line where going to get lifted. I tried to get over there as best I could in a series of tacks. The last tack I let Flyin Irish cross in front of us on starboard but when we tack back on lay line we had them at the mark. The next leg was a run with the .6 oz and when NM had problems raising his we simply ducked him and got ahead. The next boat up was Jayhawker. This is where it got complicated . We were mixed in with a J105 so it got difficult to pass him. At the next mark Merlin had moved up on both of us because of clear air. Fortunately Jayhawker gybed way too early and he was moving slow and low to get to the mark. Merlin gybed in front of us but we magaged to gas him so we kept him to the outside. Because we now had boat speed and clear air we managed to cross in front of Jayhawker to get back over to the left and clear air. Fortunately we kept the boat speed going to DP7 and finished ahead going fast in the river. We did have one moron on a 27 footer who because he did not know how to keep his boat speed going decided to go up all of sudden behind our spinnaker. He started yelling at us and we did not even know where he was. We could of t-boned him. Then he started going on about 40 footers do not have any rights on 27 footers. He is lucky he did not get a sprit up his behind. In any case the Hot Ticket had stayed ahead the whole race so we were never able to catch him.


Result: 2nd out of 6 J/120's
Link: http://www.windsoryachtclub.com/regatta2006/WYC%202006%20Spring%20Race%205.pdf
Course: COURSE B - 7.5 nautical miles
Start to B (065o) leaving it to port
-then to D (261o) leaving it to port
-then to DP8 (208o) leaving it to port
-then to CC (063o) leaving it to port
-then to D (309o) leaving it to port
-then to DP7 (212o) leaving it to starboard
-then to finish leaving DP5 to starboard.

Toledo Yacht Club Mills Regatta - Our Mills Cup Runneth Over

It took me a long time to come back here but what a comeback. All I could remember were the little green bugs that swarmed all over the boat when I was on Lake Erie 20 years ago. It took an awful long time to get the stains out of everything.

What we saw at the start was a 80 degree wind of about 6 knots where the pin side was favored alot. I knew that both the 50-foot Crazy Horse and Stripes, a 70-footer, wanted that side of the line too. They could run over us and smother us - a little 40-footer. We saw more air on the right side so we took our lumps by starting on port behind four other boats a little farther down the line. It paid off by keeping us close to Stripes and Crazy Horse but out of their wind shadow. We hit the pressure and because there were 15 degree shifts we tacked back and forth to get on the favored leg. As the leg continued, the wind got up to 12 knots as well as going more north. By the time we got around the Niagra Reef buoy we were 3rd in the entire fleet with only the bigger boats ahead of us. By the time we rounded the Sandusky lighted buoy by Cedar Point, the wind had switched to the north and was blowing 21 knots. We knew we had to switch to a smaller headsail but as with all J120s we had to do it bareheaded and of course it just took too long. At that point Perodactyl had caught up behind us.

We beat 22 miles on the northeast leg, in typically miserable, square, deep Lake Erie waves. I think every fifth wave would slam into the boat and slowing it down by 1 and a half knots. We developed a system where the crew on the rail would yell "big wave" so we could roll over it. According to crew member Tom Schulte, "The waves just kept coming. The rail crew was yelling 'weird wave' all night." In fact it was ijust tough to keep my balance steering. Slamming into the waves would sometimes just throw me over the wheel. The best I could do was to just wedge myself in. Tom would ease the main so I could turn down at the right time. He would also announce the wind speed and ease the main in the puffs and trim in the lulls. We kept track of wind shifts tacking when the wind would change. Of course Baker, our wave barometer, puked more than 5 times and being in the front he injured his siatic back nerve, which can be very painful.

The fun part was putting up a .75 oz. spinnaker when the apparent wind went to 80 degrees after rounding at the top mark by Point Pelee. After passing the next mark we put up the .6 oz. We did 9 to 10 knots in the puffs to the finish and gybed when we got knocked.

How the forecast, even though the direction and velocity was off, what the wind did with respect to oscillations was spot on. Basically meaning that the front was just in a different spot when it came through. So even though some of the shifts were only 10 and 20 degrees, knowing they were coming helped us determine when to tack / jybe -- especially on such long legs. For example, the last kite leg, we knew the wind was going to make a 10-15 degree shift --- allowing us to potentially not have to jybe --- so we waited and waited, and it did shift where we made it all but the last 100 yards. So keeping track of that type of stuff throughout the race allowed us to put the boat in the right spot.

Also the crew did what they needed to by mostly staying awake the entire time and on the rail. Heather nearly got hyperthermia by getting wet and not going inside.

Crew: Frank, Heather Papp, Tony Lawrence, Lynn Kotwicki, Nathan Caspers, Tom Schulte, Colleen Flanagan, Dave 'Baker' Keeler

Result: 1st in PHRF, 1st in PHRF Overall, 2nd in IRC - Winner of Mills Trophy, Commodore Harry Wood Trophy, and the Commodore Holton Navigator Trophy to Colleen Flanagan
Link: http://www.toledoyachtclub.com/millsrace/PDF/2006_Finishes_R1.pdf

Course: From the starting line in an eastsoutheasterly direction to Niagara Reef lighted buoy (G “5” Fl G 4s) leaving it to starboard, then in a southeasterly direction to the flashing Red Buoy No. 2 (R “2” Fl R 4s) at the Sandusky Harbor (Moseley) Channel, leaving it to port, then in a northeasterly direction to the Mid-Channel buoy (RW “X” Mo (A)) approximately 1 mile south of Southeast Shoal Light, leaving it to port, then in a northwesterly direction to Pelee Passage Light (Fl 4s), leaving it to port, then in a west-southwesterly direction to the Bell Buoy (G “1” Fl G 4s) off the easterly tip of Middle Bass Island, leaving it to starboard, then to the finishing line leaving Ballast Island to port. Total length of course 75.15 nm

Windsor Wednesday Race

The first leg was a beat to mark Dp8 in moderate winds 10 mph. I was a little late getting to the pin side of the starting line but on starboard we seemed to have speed. Merlin and Jwalker hit the pin side but were going slow. After the gun we tacked on port which was a heavily favored board. We got good pressure further down the leg with a slight lift. We managed to roll Flyin' Irish to our right and crossed in front of Jwalker on our starboard tack to the mark. After J. passed behind us I put the boat in point mode to hopefully gas J. We rounded in first and we put up the .6 oz because I thought it would pay off on the following leg. We got headed and started going really slow. Merlin out of last place charged by us with a code 0 and rounded a ahead of us. At that point we caught some distance on the following leg but it just was not enough. The leg up to dp7 I tried raising the 1.5 spinnaker because we no longer had anything to lose to catch up to Merlin. We barely made it past dp7 when we got headed again. The major mistake I made in this race was not recognizing the changing conditions when we got lifted on the first mark. That means on the opposite board we would be headed and I should of used a different chute. We then could of gone to the .6 oz. Merlin did it with our famous chute change gybe. Oh well.

Result 2nd out of 4 J120's
Link: http://www.wyc.info/regatta2006/WYC%202006%20Spring%20Race%202.pdf


COURSE C - 7.6 nautical miles
Start to DP8 (243o) leaving it to port
-then to A (091o) leaving it to port
-then to B (007o) leaving it to port
-then to DP7 (247o) leaving it to starboard
-then to finish leaving DP5 to starboard.

Great Lakes Regatta, - Love, set, and match

This was a windward leeward course with two 4 leg races. We had only 4 people show up so we enlisted the help of Sara who sails on Jayhawker so we had 5. This must not be a popular race because only Merlin showed up with 9 people aboard so we got a match race. At the start it blew about 12 knots but because of it being shifty by the time we got to our start it had shifted left. With this piece of information I was determined to start at the pin end. I actively tried to stay of the right of Merlin and gibed and went on starboard before the start to barely make the pin. We started slow but gassed Merlin clear ahead so she was force to tack. We tacked once in front of her but was unable to keep going upwind with her when the wind speed picked up to 14 knots. She just had too many more bodies. We managed to stay with her the rest of the race and if we would of had another 100 yards we may have passed her when she blew a gybe.

The 2nd race Merlin started a little closer to the line and we were caught leeward and a little behind. I stayed on starboard for a little way to get the boat speed going. I had Rod set up the cockpit for a tack and then had the crew move to their positions when it was time to go. We completely took Merlin by surprise and when she tried to tack to cover it was done badly. With the speed and coming off a good tack we managed to nose a little ahead and then slowly worked our way into their lane. Since this was the leg to the mark they had to take our gas and rounded maybe a 100 yards behind us. At the top mark they gybe set and went left. I did a rough cover but Merlin managed to get more pressure in their lane. At the bottom of the leg they came in hot, got an inside, rounded in front of us. Caprice was rounding at that point so when Merlin he started yelling starboard. He must of scared the tar off of Irv Yackness because he immediately made a 90° turn away. We had not got our headsail out in time and with that and the spinnaker coming down at the same time it go wrapped around the headsail. It took nearly half a leg to clear everything but because we kept our cool Merlin tacked only 75 yards in front of us. For some odd reason he kept going and I stayed on port because I saw a giant header coming with some pressure. When the wind hit I tacked and we rounded right behind Merlin. With our spinnaker up I decided to gybe away in order to get the wind I thought was on the left side of course. Immediately after the heavier air hit Merlin and drove him to the leeward mark. After that it was meerly follow the leader.

All in all we were not expecting to win because of a shortage of bodies, but we needed to show up so that we could qualifiy for the year. We could of done a lot worse but we made Merlin earn her win by sticking with them. I think the crew came through for what we had. If we had more people we could of done better in the heavier air gust and would have done much better on the upwind legs. In any case we got to do some match racing and that is different mindset needed for that type of competition. It was a lot of fun

Result: 2 out of 2 for both races.
Link: http://www.drya.org/race2006/Results/glyc.htm

Windsor Wednesday Race

This was our first race of the northern season.

The first leg was a beat to mark D in moderate winds 5-10 mph. I wanted to start on the committee boat side but got caught barging by Merlin and did a circle to round behind them. We could see there was more pressure on the right side of the course so we immediately tacked on port and went on the right side of the course. Fortunately when we crossed Merlin again we were slightly ahead on starboard so we controlled them from then on. I even overstood the mark a little bit to keep speed on the rounding. The next leg was a run with the .6 spinnaker and we managed to stretch our lead to mark a. The next leg was a close reach so we dropped the spinnaker and went to the next mark. We tacked to port about 1000 ft past the mark but I could see that there was air closer to the Canadian shore so we again tacked on starboard. At this point we just kept stretching the lead. We beat the next J120 by 11 minutes and just ended up with a nearly perfect race. The crew work was near perfect so they deserve kudos.

Result 1st out of 4 J120's
Link: http://www.windsoryachtclub.com/regatta2006/WYC%202006%20Spring%20Race%201.pdf

COURSE D - 7.2 nautical miles
Start to D (309o) leaving it to starboard
-then to B (081o) leaving it to starboard
-then to A (187o) leaving it to starboard
-then to D (296o) leaving it to port
-then to DP7 (212o) leaving it to starboard
-then to finish leaving DP5 to starboard.

Genoa Trim

General trim:

Wind ranges:
Be sure to follow the recommended wind range for your genoa. Using the sail in too strong a wind will not only slow the boat, but also could damage or stretch.

Sheet tension:
The most important variable is sheet tension. You should develop a relationship between spreader tip and the sail. Choppier water and/or lighter air need more leech twist, so the sheet should be eased slightly. In flatter water, less twist will help pointing ability provided the boat has enough power. A careful eye on the knotmeter or other boats around you will help you determine how tight to sheet. You may also put a telltale on the upper leech to check for stalling. If it doesn't flow, ease the sheet. After tacking, the sheet should be trimmed short of full tension until the boat is up to full speed. In puffy wind, a trimmer should stand by the sheet to adjust it as the wind changes. Also, some communication between the helmsman and the trimmer will help them get the most out of the boat.

Genoa lead:
The genoa lead controls fullness in the bottom third of the sail. It can be thought of as an outhaul for the genoa. The more power needed for choppy water or lighter air, the further forward the lead should be. To set the furthest forward lead, head the boat up and watch to see where the luff backwinds first. It should backwind evenly. The foot should be full and lay almost on the lifeline. This is your powered up setting. As the wind increases, the lead should be moved aft to flatten the foot and depower the top of the sail by allowing it to backwind first. The fore and aft movement can be as much as a foot on a #1 genoa. At the top of its range, the genoa should be trimmed with the foot flat against the shrouds. In choppier water, the lead should be further forward for a given wind strength.

In and out placement of the lead is adjusted less often. Track placement determines the innermost lead. Most modern racing boats sheet the #1 genoas at 10 degrees off center in light-moderate air. To extend the upper range of your heavy #1, you can sheet further outboard by using a short sheet run to a second track or the toe rail. #2 genoas are limited by the shrouds and their shorter LP to about 13 degrees off center. But a #3 genoa that can trim in front of the spreaders can be lead as close as 9 degrees in flat water to allow very high pointing. Fore and aft lead movement is more critical and the range is smaller - 3 to 4 inches. Any time you are reaching, the lead should go outboard. When the apparent wind moves aft of about 35 degrees, the lead should go to the rail and further forward. Again, the rule of thumb is to keep the luff backwinding evenly.

Headstay sag:
While the lead controls the fullness in the bottom of the genoa, headstay sag controls fullness in the middle and top. More sag adds fullness, moves the draft forward slightly, and makes the entry rounder. Whenever your boat needs more power, some headstay sag can be beneficial. This occurs typically with the light #1 up. But if you get caught with a sail in wind below its range, sag will help power it up. Be careful not to use so much sag that the headstay bounces in choppy water. As the wind increases, nearing the upper range of your genoa, you should remove as much sag as possible to flatten the sail. How you do this depends on your type of rig. If you have a masthead rig, backstay tension controls sag. But remember that overbending the mast can contribute to sag. This may happen if you have a flexible mast and don't use enough running backstay. In general, the backstay should be well eased in light air (as low as 500 lbs.) and tensioned as wind increases. The maximum backstay tension varies from boat to boat. On a typical 40 footer, it can be as high as 5000 lbs. A typical 30 footer would use about 3000 lbs. On a fractional rig, running backstay controls sag and this adjustment becomes critical, especially in puffy wind. Small changes in runner tension greatly affect headstay sag, so you should have a crew member assigned to this job. As wind drops, the runner should be eased and taken up as wind increases.

Halyard tension:
Halyard tension controls fore and aft position of the maximum fullness of the draft. The draft should be about 40% aft of the luff. In underpowered conditions (usually with the light or all purpose #1), a good rule of thumb is to leave some small horizontal wrinkles at the luff. As the boat gets powered up (10-12 mph apparent wind) you should barely remove the wrinkles. In stronger breeze with the heavy #1, #2, or #3, key on the draft position. More halyard tension holds the draft forward and makes the head slightly fuller. Choppy water requires the draft to be further forward and the entry rounder. This makes the boat easier to steer. In flatter water, the entry can be finer and the draft allowed to slide aft to improve pointing. Always be careful of using too much halyard, especially in puffy wind. Too much luff tension is slower in light air than vice versa.

In flat water:
The first adjustment to consider is rig tension. When in doubt of the proper rig tension setting, err on the tight side. This allows for consistently faster, flat-water genoa shape, i.e. flat, draft forward shape with a straight exit. Flatter sails are fast in flat water because the boat does not have to go through the constant acceleration and deceleration that is normally experienced in lumpy conditions. Therefore, a saggy headstay and deep genoa are not necessary. Also, with a tighter rig the mainsheet tension does not have such a dramatic effect on the headstay, and the backstay can be left alone longer (fewer adjustments). When the boat is tuned properly you should not have to start to use the backstay until everyone is hiking hard.

The second adjustment is the genoa halyard tension. The halyard needs to be set before the genoa lead position because the halyard changes the sheeting angle regardless of lead position. For example: When the genoa halyard is pulled up it moves the whole sail higher and the sheeting angle changes as if the lead was moved forward. If the halyard is lowered the sheeting angle will change as if the lead was moved aft. Now, because we have adjustable genoa leads to control the sheeting angle on a J24, what we are adjusting with the genoa halyard is luff tension. A slightly tighter-than-normal luff will help create the desired draft -forward, straight-exit genoa shape.

Finally, the genoa lead is ready to be set. Two fixed points from which to measure genoa trim are the spreader tip and the shroud chainplates. In flat water, set the lead to a position where the genoa foot is touching the chainplate and the mid/upper leech is 1" off at the spreader tip. This lead position will allow you to sheet harder without stalling the upper leach and it will create an overall flatter genoa shape. This lead position should not be a big move back from your median genoa position (less than 1" back). The median genoa lead position should be placed where the genoa trims to "even, even", which means that when the genoa is sheeted in it is an "even" distance from the spreader tip and the shroud chainplates. The range of adjustment on your genoa leads for all conditions should only be about 2-3" from the most forward position to the most aft position.

Key West Race Week 2006

Here are some photos and a video from Key West

2006 Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race

 (report by Dave Coffey) After a good clean start the crew of the sailing yacht Carinthia skipper Frank Kern, Jay Schmit, Dave Coffey, Tim Profit, Ken Morrison, Ray Adams, Jeff Henderson, and Dave Brace are about 2 miles from the Miami Sea Bouy. We have 12 knots of air doing 8.2 knots with a code zero up. In the evening the sky had become overcast with temps in the upper 70's. Jay was cranky. Evening dinner of fried chicken and pasta salad was served abeam to Rooster Reff around 7:00 pm. The skipper proved to be an excellent cook. We divided the crew in to a watch schedule for the evening. First watch was Kern, Coffey, Henderson and Profit.

Second watch was Schmit, Adams, Morrison and Brace. We did manage to get Ray off the helm sometime during the evening. Late night was a evening with light winds around midnight, then building around 4:00 am to a condition with a beam reach. In morning we had a sunny sky with temps in the mid 70's wind from the North at 12 - 14 knots. Sailing along at 8.5 to 9 knots with the .6 spin up at 15 nm from the Key West Sea Bouy. We had a 5 nm weather leg to the finish.

Result: 3 out of 7
Link to results: http://www.keywestrace.org/pdf/2006results-phrf.pdf