Richmond Summer Series: Race 11: Getting dark.

Racing in the Louis Vuitton 2010 was threatening to disrupt our racing so a few new courses were added to the racing. In the end we didn't use the new ones anyway. And the start time seemed to be different too. Its starting to get dark at night now - in two weeks time it will be very dark at the finish.

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, Tim and Emma.

Tim and Emma were going out after the race, so we had the pleasure of Emma's company. In fact she had to work - no free rides ;-) Sailing really takes it out of you - my bet is she goes to sleep in the car on the way home. Sitting in the clubhouse I felt like curling up then and there.

Course 3

No new course this week, but one that keeps the boats in close contact, with a loop from North Head to Bastion to Torpedo to North Head again, to Bastion, Resolution and home.

The Start

We noticed that the start seemed to be a little different in timing... and we had ourselves in a good posi and noticed the class flag still up. We circled around and the gun went - we were quite a way back, and then the wind died a bit and left us - getting a hurry up from the 930's who were next to start.

Progress

Once underway it was a reasonably straightforward race down the harbour with a little tide coming in. We had started at the tower end and so headed straight to Torpedo, while most of the others stayed up by Stanley Point out of the tide. Considering it was a wind warning in force on the harbour, we could have done with a bit more wind, and we tried to catch hold of the patchy wind drifting down the harbour with us.

The Result

We were beaten to the line by Blackstar who we have managed to beat home up to now. Good on them, considering they did do a bit of extra sailing up towards Rough Rock that they didn't need to - kind of sportsman-like in a way.



No joy at the clubhouse later either - besides a cold beer and a burger. I must say though - sailing is great... any day!!! Even if you sail slowly ;-)

Richmond Summer Series: Race 10: They took our wind

Somehow seems that this week has been sooo long coming... I was watching the clock all afternoon. It was a lovely evening again, and a nice breeze that was coming from the SW most of the time.

The Crew

John (Captain), Ian, and Tim.

I rumbled up on the Ducati and we hit the harbour, albeit a little later than usual, and in time to barely avoid the start of a race. We did stay out of the box, but of course, boats can still be in start-mode and be just around the area. We will head out further away from the start area next time..

Course 7

A big tide, with a club notice going out to boats that they could move to X-pier ensure they had water to get out of the marina. We were OK of course only needing 1.5M. Course 7 took us around Torpedo and up to Rough Rock, Resolution , Bayswater and home.

The Start

We had set ourselves the goal of being better on the start this week, and we were in the fray when the gun went. I felt good actually - we can improve still further from there.

Progress

Well we were in the fray as I said. So that meant we could have our wind stolen. It was good to mix it up a bit in the fleet, although the Ross 930's were just flying downwind under spinnaker - with the first bouy of consequence being Rough Rock there were no close calls. We did get called 'Starboard' by a boat coming up - we were going downwind on starboard - and it didn't occur to me that they were the on starboard at all - but we of course were windward, so needed to keep clear. I shouted 'Starboard' back, by reflex action and then 'windward boat' and then realised it was us.

We measured up a new pole length, so I will need to do some engineering in the weekend.

The Result

We had a fleet of 13 boats tonight, very good showing, with some regulars not out. We managed to scrape in last on the line, and 12th on handicap. Our progress was very good, with bursts to 9 knots coming home.



Ian and I went up to the clubhouse for something to eat and to pick up a prize. At least we didn't go hungry...

Need to replace the furling line - the cover os coming off the old one, and I have taken it out of service.

Can't wait till next week.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 9: Long Awaited Return

What a beautiful evening on the harbour - and this time we were out there and doing it! We had a good turnout again with 11 boats in our division. Richmond have started having multi's and we saw G3 out at the start of their race... wow, can that thing move!!


Bigger

The Crew

John (Captain), Nicola, and Ian.

All work was done and the life-lines are in life-saving order. I will be putting SS plates under each stanchion in due course.

Course 5

Down to Devonport, across to Resolution, then North Head to port, Western wall, Bayswater and finish. Quite a tide running in, and the water was flat.

The Start

We were there, but not really close enough. Starts are definitely something to work on. Once underway we headed for Devonport, arriving with the Ross 930's at the mark. No dramas.

Progress

Everything felt good. Following discussion about setting up the main with Peter from their previous week, we dropped the traveller down and sheeted in tight. It felt good, with good speed (for us). Ian was a bit sad that the pole wasn't available and he was all ready to fashion a new one right there on the water.

Ian decided that we should have cheese and crackers on the way around, and wash that down with a fine ale. He was right

The Result

We were surprised to find a boat behind us, which was catching up quite fast (a Townson). We couldn't hold them off but sailed well to the next mark and crossed just 2 mins later to claim a points victory.



Back in port, tidied up, ship-shape etc, we headed up to the clubrooms at Richmond Yacht Club in Westhaven for a beer and some dinner. And victory again! We were smiled upon by the Spot-prize Gods and walked out with 2 of the spot prizes. Nicola left me with the Edge ;-)

Richmond Summer Series: Race 8: DNC

Did not contest.



A beautiful evening on the harbour, we were sitting in the marina with repairs not completed.

The Crew: John (Driller), Nicola, Tim and Dave and Ian.

I did not get the plates sorted until yesterday, and I fitted them last night. All that had to be done was to mount the stanchion back on the plate and away we would go.

Never over-estimate the amount of charge in a battery drill...

We couldn't get the holes for the life line stanchion done, so we elected to drink beer instead - so all was not lost!

We cleared off and I went home and got the power drill - back and the job was done in 10 minutes and then mucking around trying to hold my nuts while I screwed from above. That didn't come out right, did it... the screws go through from the top of the deck and the nuts go on inside the ... oh never mind...

Sorry to the crew for the disappointment of missing a lovely evening on the harbour, the fun of the race and missing the possible crew or spot prize opportunity. To quote Dave's famous saying... "Thanks for coming".

Anyway, we did not contest, but we are ship-shape once again.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 7: Quite windy

It was windy, it was rough, and it rained. Perfect sailing weather. I was very slow in reminding everyone, or organising other crew - this year has started with extra chaos for some reason...

Course 3

North Head - Bastion, Torpedo, around again, Resolution and home. Not a bad course but very blustery and a bit lumpy out at North Head. We were caught at the North Head Buoy first time, with a big tide ripping in, we had to abort the rounding to avoid touching the buoy. We weren't the only ones either. A nor-easter so we flew home, and with the tide coming in the water had flattened off too.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Nicola, Tim and Oscar.

The Start

So windy that the gun wasn't used. I thought the division flag drop was the 1 minute signal. Duh. We were at the wrong end to start, as I thought we had a minute to go. Not a great start then.

Progress

Off we went fighting up from the wrong end, and soon passed by the Y88's charging through. We seemed to be catching up a little, but with the aborted North Head Buoy we were definitely behind the others. Then on our next rounding of the Torpedo Buoy we were not good enough to make the tack and ended up having to tack again to get inside the mark, and again. The rest of the race was a bit lonely. We did crack 10 knots up the harbour, so going home was a bit of a buzz.

The Result

Last in, but not too late for burgers at the clubrooms.

When we got back to the dock we noticed water inside the boat. Because we had been right over we had aggravated an old injury to one of the stantions and it has punched a hole in the deck - letting in water when on a port tack. I hope I have sealed it enough to stop more water coming inside while I arrange a proper repair. I think if I just get a large wad of $20 bills and stuff them in there, the leak will stop...

Richmond Summer Series: Race 6: All about the twist

Another beautiful evening in the Auckland: City of Sails - or as it is better known at this time of year, the City of Sales! Not much of a breeze but enough to get 10 miles up and down the Waitemata Harbour and have a beer or two along the way.

Course 7

No wind warning tonight, with an 8 knot southerly - some of the time - a very strange wind indeed which appeared and disappeared as quickly. Course 7, same as last week was shortened with a finish between Jan Maree and Resolution. That was two flags on the committee boat - one being the S and the other Blue, meaning finish between here and the mark.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Dave, Nicola, and Tim.

The Start

We were still a bit slow to the line, I think about 1 minute back, but the fleet was a strong 12 boats and I didn't want to get too close and screw up. So we were catching up again... although, yes we did catch up, as the wind hole was between Princes Wharf and Devonport.

Progress

Our No.1 pole man was not available tonight so it was up to me to organise the pole-out of the genoa - having been going into the wind we now had it directly behind us. I'm sure at one stage we could have dropped the sails and gone faster - drifting out with the tide.

One thing we did play around with was sail twist, and it was to good effect coming down to the fleet before joining them in the hole. By bringing the traveller across and adjusting the boom vang we were able to manage the twist so that at least some of the sail was flying well. Nice trimming by Dave.

On the way back from Rough Rock we did get some breeze, probably in the 12 knots area, which dropped again to 8 to 5 knots by the time we were at Resolution. We had also been playing with the outhaul, giving a bit of shape to the mainsail once the wind had gone past the 5 knot stage. With no real advantage to flatten the sail again the draft was too far back. I tried rigging up a cunningham downhaul - trying to remember how I rigged it on the Laser. With some crazy ropework I got a 4-to-1 advantage - but still couldn't get the draft forward enough to point well with power.

The Result

Well 6th on handicap - our best result yet - and we know we can do better. That may mean me accelerating the addition of more sail controls - actually I'm looking forward to the 'inventive' engineering challenge.

No prize at the club-house this week.

This is the last Wednesday Night race for the year - back on the 20th or January, 2010.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
cheers
johnhs.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 5: Tried a few things

A beautiful evening on the harbour, with a good breeze from the s-south-west, and a clear blue sky.

Course 7

Every week so far has been windy, with another wind warning in force - giving us 20-25 knots across the course. This course took us down to Rough Rock and back via Resolution and Bayswater.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Ian, Nicola, and Tim.

The Start

We got away from the marina just after 5:30, with Ian having to make a run for it :-) We really didn't doubt that he would be there on time. Tim managed to find us, and this week Dave decided that an RFP was more important than sailing - go figure. So we headed up the harbour and practiced a few tacks with the new crew arrangement. The wind was strong, but with the amount of southerly in it, going under the Auckland Harbour Bridge we were almost becalmed behind the bridge piers. That made us a bit slow to start - so playing catchup.

Progress

This was the night to try a few things, and the first thing was out-board sheeting of the genoa. That seemed to work quite well with us doing early 8's and catching the group a little. After Torpedo buoy was Rough Rock, and straight downwind, so time for the pole and the goose-winged sails. After a little altercation with the stays the pole was up and we were trucking down the channel towards the mark. The second idea was to partly furl the headsail at the mark, and thereby have a better arrangement for upwind to Resolution. That did not go well, and the sail ended up with a loose balloon of sail in the middle. We couldn't hold a decent course so opted to tack. That in itself wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as there was still a little tide running, and while the others were being taken sideways with leeway and tide, we were progressing against the tide (high+4.5hrs) and when we crossed the channel the tide effect would be minimal. That was the theory. That course had us lose touch with the others, and when we came back we had slipped a little, still rounding before the last boat, but losing out to the rest of the fleet.

Don't furl the headsail - it has no shape and causes even more problems than being 'No.1' size.

The Result

Yeah a bit disappointing, but a beautiful evening none-the-less. The skipper needed a beer on the last leg - purely for medicinal purposes you understand, and we were back in the light. All the tacking calls were good with marks hit (i.e. no extra tacks required).

And when we got back to the marina and tidied up, we were treated to pickled onions and cheese on crackers, with a cold beverage to accompany it - thank you Nicola! It was nice to have something to eat afterwards.

Final Word

UNDEFEATED! Nicola got a 4-pack of beer for the spot prize!

Richmond Summer Series: Race 4: Consolidating Position

After the threat of rain the evening turned out to be really nice, with a good wind direction, if not a little gusty at times. The boat and crew performed well and we improved in terms of across the line position, coming in 8 out of 10.

Course 1

Another wind warning in force... hang on, that was what I said last week! It was a bit gusty for some, but the Lotus 9.2 took it well, with only a couple of times getting heavy on the helm.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Ian, Dave and Nicola.

The Start

Once we had sorted out the time and sync'ed up with the race control (and GPS) we were in the box in good time and across the line nicely in the mid-pack, and with good air.

Progress

We tried to stay out in the out-going tide for as long as we could down to the first mark - if we have an advantage anywhere in the division it might be 'most boat under the water'. We arrived at the first mark - Devonport Naval - with Blackstar (Atkinson 31) just in front, Takahoa (Townson 32) on the outside, and a Young 88 (I think Raging Hormones) charging down between us all under spinnaker. Across to Resolution it was a bit of a drag race, but we were very happy with our performance - keeping the Y88 honest most of the way over, and picking up a place. Takahoa pointed nicely and was able to go around us all. The run under gull-wing to Rough Rock had its moments with a spinnaker blow-out just behind us, but we lost a bit of ground with being a bit tardy getting up to speed.

We have to polish up getting the pole on quickly.

The Result

While the result is like last week with an 8/10 we improved on line to come in ahead of Crazy Legs (Farr 1020) which we were very happy about. There is still room for improvement and we know it - and our teamwork and coordination is improving.

Now that we can see where we are going, we should start tweaking a few more controls. We did play with the outhaul, and I think that worked well, and I am keen to get the traveller sorted and adjustable, even if it is by leg and not gust.

Final Word

Our prowess in the Clubhouse is UNDEFEATED! with a spot prize of 4 beers to Capt. JHS. Mind you, being given Steinlager Edge is probably the only way I would have tried it...

Richmond Summer Series: Race 3: Not Last

It was the noisy new green flag that did it! Yes, a full crew and wind, and a 10 boat fleet as well, very good, and well up on last week. We were all at the boat in good time, and we were out on the course practicing tacks and staying out of other people's way.

Course 1

Another wind warning in force... and this time there was wind all over the course [Bean Rock peak 32, average 25, from 218]. Down to Devonport, across to Resolution, straight downwind to Rough Rock, Orakei and home before nightfall - 9.7 NM.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Ian, Dave and Nicola.

The Start

We started from up the harbour, approaching the line from upwind and not too much speed on. We did misjudge the time to the line and were a minute late, but not last over. By the first mark we were right up with Nevenka, Pot Black and Crazy Legs. So we were very happy to be mixing it up with them.

We moved the genoa cars around, starting with them quite far back, and then moving them forward a bit. Homework for Ian - if the bottom tell-tales are rising, is it forward or back for the cars?.

Progress

We stayed with the fleet all the way round, not pointing as well but not going too slowly. We could have been a little better on the line if we had got our 'second-to-last' tack right - then it would have been our last tack, and we would have made up 30 seconds - which would have changed the result. The helmsman was a bit optimistic when comparing lines with the Farr 1020.

Ian called 'Starboard" on a Y88 near the Bastion buoy - very deliberate and forceful... nice work - they got the message.

The Result

We set out not to be last, and to be home before 9:00 - we certainly did that and more. Good work guys! Based on this effort, and the experience we are gaining in crewing and boat setup, next week we will do even better.

And our record back at the clubrooms is intact with Nicola taking out the spot prize.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 2: DNF [Arrival 9:04PM]

Everyone has been looking forward to week 2, and a chance to cause some havoc in the middle of the fleet.

Course 9

There was a wind warning in force... unfortunately no-one told the weather gods. The wind was north west and going north, but didn't get over 10 kots. Pity, as the course was long and the tide was 3.0M meaning lots of outgoing when we were incoming. At North Head the wind gave up completely and I wasn't sure if we were doing 1.5 knots into or out-of the harbour.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Ian. Two handed.

Don't forget to give us notice if you can't make it.

The Start

We started in the middle of the fleet, and trundled down the harbour using the Ian-pole-out technique. Later on we used the whisker-pole which was a much better idea, as while he was doing that we could not hold the main against the shrouds.

Ian had a fancy watch that did the countdown - very good - we will not be caught out again!

Progress

Down and back - how hard can it be? Well it seemed pretty good except for the bit with no wind... we felt like we performed quite well, and our picking of the course to the mark was exceptional given the tide. We were just slow.

We will use the whisker-pole for downwind from now on... it made a big difference.

The Result

We arrived at the line at 9:04PM which is outside the time allowed, and therefore we received nothing for the race - except the experience. The yacht in front of us must have missed by less than a minute. Oh the joys of sailing.

However, back at the clubrooms I managed to pick up a spot prize and collected 4x beers - so one part of our record remains untarnished.

Richmond Summer Series: Race 1: First Night Out

After years of crewing I decided it was time to get more out of my boat, and that would be to go out in the Richmond Summer Series with a few friends.

Kerkira, a Lotus 9.2 Alan Wright designed cruiser has not to my knowledge been raced before - and is not really set up for fine tweaking of the rig. Having said that, it will take us a while before we come anywhere near having that hold us back. Sailing in the No Extras (Divn F). All credit to the crew on day one...

Course 2

The wind was from the south west at 15-20 knots, and quite a big tide was charging out of the harbour. Course 2 heads straight down to Northern Leading Bouy, which was with wind and tide, and then back via Rough Rock, Resolution and Stanley Point. That meant a slog home, in the rain, with an outgoing tide.

The Crew

John (Skipper), Dave, Nicola and Ian.

The Start

I didn't have my timing in order, and when we came to start, I was planning to stay behind and just follow - however, I was sure that the gun had gone, and we headed for the first mark. Then another gun and then 2 more...ooops - first start a complete shambles! I must take full responsibility for the cockup. We were, as planned, behind the fleet... only quite a bit further behind than expected!

Next week: Assign a crew member to be the official timer.

Progress

We managed to maintain our position throughout the race, although we did catch up a bit by the end. The race officially ended at 9:00PM and we had just over a minute up our sleeves - easy really... Should I mention that I was going to go to Orakei? Oh Resolution!! It took us some time to get passed the dockyards as we took 2 steps forward and 1 back all the way up the harbour - however, we got in some good tacking practice (in the dark) until the crew work was working well - to be put to the test in the next outing.

Dave dropping the sheet, Nicola tailing and Ian grinding - John getting quickly through and then coming up to wind in sync with the sail trim.

The Result

The result on the water not 'enviable' although you could say we were working on the handicap... but the result in the clubrooms afterwards was astounding! Ian picked up the crew prize of a bag of goodies, and I got the sail prize which was a hull clean from Salt Services. Not too bad a start to the season.

We just have to improve on the water now! I am really looking forward to the next one. Looks like the wind will be tending northerly at 15 knots, with the possibility of a shower, all crew have indicated they are coming back!!! [Obviously I didn't shout enough].