The reason we set the No 2 genoa last night was because we did not want to put in the three long battens in the leech of the No 3 Genoa. We figured No 2 and a reef would do if the breeze stayed up at the 25 knots we saw across the deck up in the Lane Cove River. As it turned out the No 2 was the perfect choice for the evening. We were sent out on a short course around Cockatoo and Goat Island in anticipation of the breeze dying. Well it did abate but not by much. We made a well timed start and Izzi, Avanti, Saoirse and Passion rounded Onion Point line abreast. We had Izzi to windward and Saoirse to leeward and were delighted to keep clear air and climb over Saoirse. When we had to tack we took Izzi’s stern and came back in front on the next tack. We rounded Cockatoo first but with the big sails on Saoirse blanketing us we did not get far away. Saoirse, the leeward yacht took us up into the wind shadow of Cockatoo allowing Izzi to fly down the Balmain shore and into a never to be headed lead. We managed the doldrums around Goat quite well and emerged with a good lead over Saoirse but with Worlds Apart charging through. Fortunately for us Worlds Apart was kept on starboard tack by the Green division Rex well past the time to tack for Humbug and while she made up a lot of ground by bearing away a few degrees we did manage to keep our nose in front courtesy of a final whirlwind around Onion Point. First honours of the season went to Izzi with their new mainsail I spotted on Ben Gemmel’s facebook page.

Passion had a very successful Winter Wednesday series. We won the series with three weeks to go and finished with a handicap about four and a half minutes more than at the start of the series. The only change we made from last year was to take out the 200 kg of lead from under the floor and remove about 100 kg of surplus equipment. Apart from this there were no changes. We did reef down earlier due to the lighter weight and we did get to use the black carbon genoa on more occasions due to the conditions we had. Our final race was a bit of an anticlimax. We did beat Viva. Rainbow and L’Eau Co over the line but the light conditions on the reach home suited the early finishers and the freshening breeze from behind rescued the tail enders. In the circumstances an 11th place was ok and off a handicap much harsher than at the start of the season when we had our last 11th place.
After ten years of sailing Passion there will be mixed feelings entering the new yacht in next years series. I am hoping we can have a year in the same division so that we can see how the new Passion X will fare against the likes of Allegro and Amante.
In the meantime there is much to do to get Passion X launched and gain experience but I am confident enough to book a marina berth at Port Stephens for the regatta next April.
Finally a very big thanks to the loyal crew who fronted up in all the wet conditions. In some respect the good result is a good attendance record because on the miserable days even a place in the second half of the fleet can be a keeper.

Tacking angles look superb due to the outgoing tide. Others did even better.

The handicapper did his best to send us to the back of the handicap results with a .9333 multiple but we did particularly well in the conditions to score seventh fastest and seventh on handicap. The seventh place now becomes our second drop as we still have a sixth place drop in reserve.
The wind on the Harbour was almost due North but with plenty of big shifts. It stayed around the 10 to 13 knots with gusts to 17 knots which suited Passion fully powered up with the carbon headsail and a loose backstay.
We opted for a pin start which was the windward side of the course. At start time the breeze freshened so we had clear air and first use of the breeze on a tight reach to the Heads. At least we had clear air after the first light patch which allowed us to sail over the top of the big heavy Viva. After that it was a matter of keeping powered up as the breeze changed from reaching to beating conditions.
By the time we turned at the Heads we had a handy lead over the usual company we keep. Rainbow and Larrikin were threatening and with Larrikin we had a great tussle all the way to the line.
We square ran into Rose Bay with the pole fully extended and then reached to Point Piper.
The beat from Point Piper could have been better executed as we tacked below one of the big first fleet yachts and suffered both a header and disturbed wind. The header probably explains how the leading yachts were able to dominate the handicap results as they has a straight beat to the mark and also a nice patch of breeze for the reach back to the finish line.
The header was a lift for Larrikin and this is where she made up most ground on us. We did however manage to round in front and protect the inside position on the next mark. That kept Larrikin in our dirty air for the tight reach to the last mark. The final broad run to the finish line was Larrikin’s chance to blanket us but the breeze went square enough in time for us to cross with our bow in front.
I don’t know how we got away from our usual company. Perhaps the lead we built up on the first reach was enough to put us in more favourable wind but it is not as if the breeze died. It kept up for the rest of the afternoon and even seemed fresher for the late finishers.
It has been a happy season for us and we wish two of the crew safe travel on their overseas trips next week. The rest of us will front up and see if we can prove worthy of our handicap.

Tidy tracks to windward but our big move was off the breeze and at Steele Point

Sunshine and a light Nor’easter made for a stunning day on Sydney Harbour. We wanted to be at the boat end at the start but a late knock meant we were below the boat and did not have the speed to make it to the crowded line. Larrikin held back so that they could take the windward edge of the fleet and at first that looked like a good move. Allegro tacked back to the windward side early and she too looked to be in a winning position. Aggrovation was also above us and with the lifts moving further ahead. When the breeze knocked we tacked back to the line of Larrikin and managed to tack back ahead of her . She was now in our dirty air and having trouble breaking through. Izzi a little further back was in clear air and managed to climb above us on the next series of lifts. We tacked back to the shore side of the course on a header that lasted too briefly and rounded well astern of Aggrovation with Izzi in the middle and Larrikin astern.
On the broad reach back to Steele Point we did not fare well. Rainbow came up from astern and Aggrovation and Izzi cleared out. Still Larrikin was close by and Ellipse who normally clears out was not getting away.
At Steele Point it is our normal practice to go wide to avoid the wind shadow. We have gone wide in about 200 races at RANSA and done well. Today the breeze was dropping over the hill quite close into the shore and there were random dead patches to leeward. Coming up with wind and speed we headed high and almost straight into the dead patch next to Aggrovation. We then carried on with momentum until we reached the new wind. This time it was our turn to hold the windward position and stay high until we reached the Rose Bay rounding mark ahead of Aggrovation. We got away with it this time but will probably not try it again for another 200 races. Now we were square running to Point Piper and in the process running down on Izzi and keeping up with Larrikin.
I had forgotten that windward and return legs had been our strong point after several weeks off reaching up and down the course and doing quite well. At the mark we had an inside overlap on Izzi and Larrikin was just clear ahead. Now that Larrikin was in clear air she started to move away on the leg around the island. The last long leg was almost square to the naval buoys and we did relatively well keeping clear air from Izzi. On the windward side of the course we could not make the mark without gybing and rather than try to gyby the big black genoa over we kept on until the line to the mark was tight enough for us to leave the genoa poled out to leeward and then gybed back at the mark with the genoa already poled out. This move gained quite a few seconds on the fleet to the extent that we caught Ellipse and pulled away from Izzi and Aggrovation.
We were happy to beat Izzi and Aggrovation over the line and were content that we had beaten Larrikin on corrected time. The sixth place was a surprise as we just edged out Rainbow by three seconds and Izzi by eight. Allegro finished fifth and took one point back from us but we could not be beaten before todays race and after it we cannot be beaten by a wider margin.
It would have been a stunning day even without the sixth place. No one who has the good fortune to be able to sail on the Harbour on such a day can be unhappy with any result in the race.

Our windward work on Wednesday at the RANSA Winter series was about as good as it gets. We won the start at the pin which was the windward end and carried on as yacht tacked behind us. We were hoping to benefit from a right hand shift and were not the only ones thinking of that. The first movement favoured those who had tacked behind us and we gave up about three boat lengths on Aggrovation when we crossed again. Allegro looked good coming across from the northern shore but on the next move they carried on to the extreme south side of the course while we took their place on the north. This was a big win for us with a ten boat lengths gain on Aggrovation and a much larger catch up on Allegro. Our three nearest rivals on pointscore were close at hand with the biggest danger, Larrikin tucked away behind. The run back from the heads was a bit nerve racking as Aggrovation was right on our tail. They were still there around the turn mark in Rose Bay but on the run to Point Piper we all lost the breeze and the gaps widened out. Trim passed us here and on the beat to the finish line cleared out as they should. The lighter airs at the finish of the race spread the fleet out with the faster early finishers benefiting from the slow beat home of the rest. We were lucky to hold onto third place and even luckier that Aggrovation and Larrikin took longer to finish that they deserved. We finished well in front of the three Northshore 38s which are our benchmarks. We are currently giving them time and I suspect we will be giving them much more in the next race.

The RANSA fleet still finishing in the dying breeze.

We had a very good race on Wednesday, possibly as good as it gets with a reach up to the heads and back and only a short work to the finish. Even that was not too tight so it suited Passion very well. Only Fidelis enjoyed the reaching conditions more than Passion and she zipped around the course for a 12 second handicap win. Aggrovation gave us plenty to think about on the course and we were never more than a couple of boat lengths apart so they had a well deserved third. I thought Larrikin had blow it with a mark infringement however we were all so far up the fleet that they still finished seventh.
By my calculations we pulled a further five point away from Larrikin and seven from Allegro. That gives us a 16.5 point buffer with two sixth place drops in hand.
Now I was waiting for the official point scores to be posted on the RANSA web site but they are still unavailable.
What was surprising about the race was our performance compared to the Northshore 38’s. I would have expected them to revel in the reaching conditions but we had one of our best wins against them. We did give it all with the carbon No 1 genoa and a full main and we did work the backstay aggressively through the wind range. We did get a very good start and did keep clear air all day. Now we need to do it one more time to seal the series.

After a first and second place the previous weeks coming in sixth seemed like a bit of a let down. Two seconds faster and it would have been a fifth place in a depleted fleet of just eight yachts. Yes the forecast was so miserable that it kept all but the most hardy of sailors ashore. Aggrovation returned to the fleet and had a handy win. They chose their sails for the day well and deserved their first place. Rainbow set a large genoa and a reefed main and did well to come second after a first the previous week. Hopefully the handicapper is noticing.
Allegro set the most sail area in the fleet and went well on the run to the heads but must have suffered on the return to record a fourth place.
Both Izzi and Passion were caught on the outside of a big left shift that gave the inshore boats a big gain. Fortunately for us the wind was light close into the headland so we made up some of the ground. The reef we put in on the work back reduced our sail area too much for the variable conditions. Against the forecast the afternoon was the lightest period in the 24 hours and our rig was perfect for the wind at 7 pm. when we were home in the comfort of the air conditioning.
I think the sixth place was a good result considering we were under canvassed for a good part of the race and the big left hand shift that helped everyone except Izzi and us. It was appropriate that it was Izzi that beat us by the one second as we sailed the same course and they had the better rig for the conditions.

Our sixth place is a drop. We have two sixth places as drops and an 11.5 points lead in the pointscore. We can use the two drops and still be in front 1.5 points even if the next yacht has two wins. Wet miserable days suit us when the fleet is depleted. Our worst scenario is lovely weather from here to the end of the series that brings the whole fleet out to play.

Tracks for 27th July. Going as close to the Bethwaites as we dared.

A first last week did not do too much damage to the handicap as the result was close. The second place today will do more damage as we were well in front of the fleet on handicap with the exception of Rainbow. Rainbow had a few bad races and her handicap quickly improved but her big win today will see her come back to the pack.
The No 3 tacked to the deck and a single reef in the main worked a treat today. On the run to South Head we stayed close to the fleet and even rounded in front of Krakatoa in what must be a first for Passion. The work back to Rose Bay was not too tight so we could keep speed up and hit 7.7 knots. The whole fleet was moving similarly but relative to our usual speed we were doing better. We powered over Izzi and took time out of Rainbow. On the work from Rose Bay to Shark Island we almost called on the the Bethwaites for afternoon tea but eventually the covering yacht tacked and we were able to go over on to port tack well ahead of the yacht that had tacked to port earlier. Here we passed Rainbow and drew further in front of Izzi. We went wide of the lee of the island on the way around and made up a bit of ground on Larrikin and Brittania. It was enough ground for us to catch Britannia on the work to the finish despite their very best endeavours to pinch up into our path.
In the end the handicap Rainbow had was too much for us and we had to settle for second place but an increased lead in the progressive total.

Passion and Izzi on the first run

Another view of Passion on the wet Wednesday race at RANSA

Daybreak on Wednesday was a miserable wet one. Rain was blowing in under the awning so it was best to leave the tarpaulins on the Didi 40 CR and do some shopping pre the Winter Wednesday race at RANSA. In the miserable conditions I can understand crews opting for the comfort of a fireplace and a good book but nine hardy regular crews took to the water in Division 1.

The leg out to South Head was a tricky run sometimes square and sometimes on the beam. I chased the wind directions around the course trying to keep the poled out genoa setting. One of our crew had the day off and took some photos of us battling it out with club mate Izzi on the run. Our tactics must have worked because we arrived at the mark mid fleet and looking good on handicap. On the work back to Rose Bay I could not find the groove with the No 1 headsail. The entry was too flat for the telltales to stream on both sides of the sail so I asked Kevin to helm while I fiddled with settings. A bit more luff tension and moving the genoa cars forward a notch helped to get Passion moving. At the bow looking up at the flow in the big black No 1 heavy genoa it is obvious that the sail needs some forestay sag to get the shape in the luff. The main however needs some mast bend to free the leech so the combination works better with a bit of breeze. Now that we had settled into a groove we were holding Aggrovation and Izzi to windward. We swapped tacks a couple of times with Aggrovation and managed to be above them on starboard approaching what was to be the last turning mark on a shortened course. The last run to the finish was a poled out affair and we were lucky to get a clear run to the finish while Aggrovation was blanketed from behind. That let Izzi charge through to the finish. It was good to be so close to our club mates and even better to just pip them at the finish. With our more benevolent handicap we won the day and increased our lead on the progressive pointscore. This was our reward for braving the rain.

On Wednesday we enjoyed a fresh and gusty breeze with regular readings on the mast head of over 20 knots. In the conditions we set the No 3 genoa which is a 105% sail and the full main. Our competitors set a wide range of sail combinations. Allegro had the same arrangement as we did, Rainbow had a larger genoa and a reefed main while L’eau Co had a small no 4 and a full main. Only ten starters braved the weather so you could say the rest set no sail and pre start even under bare poles we had quite a lean in the gusts.
We were blown out to South Head at a fast clip with most yachts up to hull speed so the fleet was closely bunched at the turn mark. We were last around the mark but that is to be expected as the larger yachts had higher hull speeds and all the small ones stayed home for the day. Upwind we were managing but not very comfortably. The contrast in the Northshore 38’s was interesting as Izzi was handling a larger genoa well while Rainbow was being blown over even with the reefed main.
At the Rose Bay turn mark we tacked away while those yachts that carried on into the bay were rewarded with a very nice lift on the way out. We were not very happy to miss the shift and there was no way to carry on waiting for the wind to shift back so we took a losing tack back into the bay. We were still last on the run and reach around Shark Island and lamenting our position. There seemed no hope of redemption on the work back to the finish off Rushcutters Bay but the breeze lightened a little and we could crank the mainsheet in for more height and still maintain good speed. We timed the last tack back to the finish to perfection and were able to lift up from below L’eau Co and just beat them over the line. Looking around it seemed we had made up time on the fleet so when the results came out I was pleased but not surprised that we scored 6th place on handicap. On the progressive point score we maintained our first place with a lead of nine points and did no damage to our handicap.
The question is how could we have done better? We were not overpowered by much and we could have tacked the No 3 down to the deck. This would have improved the end plate effect and opened the slot between the genoa and main. As an alternative we could have reefed the main at the top mark and possibly taken the reef out for the trip around the island. I like to keep the full mainsail up for the times the genoa is in the wind shadow of the main so next time I will try the genoa hard down on the deck.

Wednesday was one of those days when you felt sure that the race would be abandoned and many of the fleet probably wish it was. The race officers in their wisdom shortened the course at the top mark for the Divison 2 fleet which meant we in Div 1 had a short leg back from the heads to the finish.
We started in more breeze than forecast and finished in almost unmeasurable wind. From the start we had Aggrovation below and the rest of the fleet above but arriving on the line with speed and with little to spare. For a while the good start kept us up with the fleet and looking good on handicap until the wind faded. Aggrovation had climbed above us and was well ahead but now becalmed. Larrikin took the shore route out of the tide and sailed away underneath. Eventually we adopted the light air tactic of avoiding the middle and headed for the shore where a little local gradient was at play and the tide was less. As we rock hopped along the shore we passed one yacht after the other until we arrived at the mark in no breeze. We had to run away from the mark to build speed to get steerage and while it felt painful to us it was diabolical for others including Trim and Viva. Aggrovation gave up her lead on us doing the same tactic of running away from the mark to get steerage only they were out in more tide and it took longer. The tracks from the chart plotter were not as diabolical as expected against the incoming tide and with just 2 knots of breeze.
After rounding the mark I was surprised to see Allegro and Fidelis not far ahead so if we could make the shortened course finish line before the cut off we would be in a good position.
Fortune smiled on us again with a late zephyr of three knots bringing us home on a beam reach ahead of all the Northshore 38 and other fancied competitors. A third place was a very good result on the day and it increased our lead on the progressive points.

For the second week we found a fellow competitor to assist with a tow back to the club and this was a long tow almost from the Heads to Rushcutters Bay. At seven knots the little Britannia was almost up on the plane.

It was a long slow day and a big thank you to the crew.

Tracks rock hopping against the tide in 2 knots of breeze.

We seem to be performing better since we put Passion on a diet. I estimate we have removed 300 kilo of ballast and surplus equipment. We have compensated by being a bit more conservative with the sail area and that paid off well today.With the No 2 genoa with a LP of 135% we held our own on the reach to the heads and sailed well on the work back to Rose Bay. It helped that we made a good start on the boat end and kept low out of the wind shadow of Bradleys and it helped when on the beat to windward Malcolm pulled the adjustable back stay tighter than ever. The reward for all this was a second place today to the heavy air specialist Viva. Our all winds performance has however rewarded us with a first place on progressive points.
While the points are nice due to our handicap what was nicer was the fastest time position ahead of all the Northshore 38 and Aggrovation. We did chase Izzi all the way around the course and were rewarded on the last throw of the dice when we took their transom and held on to the middle of the harbour and came back on a lift. It was our one bit of luck for the day and a bit of icing on the cake.