For the last race of the West Harbour Winter Series a full complement of crew turned up to try to win the series. With a competent race we finished sixth on handicap and maintained our position one point behind X-Ray. Our place was equal to our previous worst place and X-Ray dropped their eleventh place but we were both beaten by Luna Sea who had an average place awarded for the previous race and with that came to the fore.
At the finish of shortened course race there was just 60 seconds between third and our sixth on handicap so where did we lose a minute.
Perhaps the first place was the spinnaker reach back along the Hunters Hill shore was worth 30 seconds where I was reluctant to set the big spinnaker until the reach broadened. Those who struggled with the kites early were able to sneak away as soon as the wind freed up while we still had to set the spinnaker.
The next place where we lost a little was the beat back up the Hunters Hill shore when we did not pinch above Gwhizz but went below looking for a knock. A knock was not to be found and instead Macscap lifted above us from behind while GWhizz skipped away.
So the result was more about choices rather than performance. The tracks show how the outgoing tide influenced the tacking angles especially in the gap between Cockatoo Island and the Hunters Hill shore where the wind is light and the tide strong.
Tough going against the tide
I have enjoyed the Winter Series but it is now time to get our the Laser and start to build some small boat condition ahead of the Summer season.
We had a very pleasant afternoon on the harbour with sunny skies, a cool breeze and plenty of action to keep us occupied for the race. Our day was probably saved when Ian suggested that we get back to the start line. This keen observation of the dying breeze meant we got back to the line with seconds to spare while many in the fleet were late to start and had a painful day at the back of the fleet.
The afterguard in concentration mode
Up at the pin end of the line it was not much fun compared to the lower boat end where Allegro, Luce Change and Silky started. We were sitting on the line with little breeze and what little breeze we had was all over the shop while below Allegro was steaming away close hauled. Eventually the north east breeze filled in and we commenced tacking towards South Head. Courtesy of our more timely start we had the company of Trim and Krakatoa for a while. Krakatoa the all carbon flyer in the fleet picked on shift on the shore better than we did and passed by a long way off. Trim kept us company for much longer being on the same side of the course and not picking any great shifts.
Our real problem for the day was how to do a fast 720 degree turn to exonerate ourselves from an unlucky port and starboard. We were going to cross The Biz by a good boat length when we were headed and they pinched up rather aggressively rather than holding their course. Now I think this was their undoing for the day because it caused them to tack away from the lifting breeze onto the rather nasty header we were experiencing. For our part we should have tacked early and then would also have been on the lifting tack and probably a couple of places higher up the finish order.
Nasty knock resulting in a port and starboard and 720 degree turns
From here we made up a lot of ground to pick up Izzi and close the gap on The Biz. The beat around Shark Island was a good one as we tacked right on the lay line and made good ground on The Biz again.
Generally good angles against an incoming tide
In the lee of Shark Island The Biz made another poor decision and match raced a fellow Etchell right up into the wind shadow where they parked allowing us to reach away lowed down and pick up two places. Izzi sailed well on the reaching legs to be right behind us at the finish and Enigma also made up ground.
Meanwhile back in the fleet the unlucky sailors who did not have Ian’s advice to get back to the start line were struggling home. Rainbow, Crackerjack, GWhizz and Star Ferry all had very ordinary days and finished at the back of the handicap list. For our part the eight place was a fair reflection of the good start, the 720 penalty and the good finish and in the big fleet in light conditions an eighth is a good result.
Graham and Ian are kept busy
It was the day for Rainbow to turn the tables and she did it in style recording a second on handicap. The look alike sister ship Izzi keeps getting better every week and notched up first place.
The broad reach to the heads and the just off the beat leg back to Steel Point favour the Northshore 38s with their long narrow hulls and light displacement so it was no surprise that they did well.
For our part we looked to have third place sewn up until the last two tacks to the finish. Not only were we caught in heavy traffic but we were also on the wrong side of the last shift so we slid down to eighth place in an ever so tightly bunched finish.
The rest of the day was pretty classy. A good start and a good first beat around Shark Island had us just on Rainbow’s tail and as well up in the fleet as I remember. Starr Ferry reached up to us in the lee of Shark Island but on the beat back we were soon a minute ahead only to lose it all on that last shift of the breeze.
Mostly good angles deserved a better result
Bunched handicap results
Now I mentioned winter is for boat building so here is the progress report on the next Passion.
The building jig for the next Passion with eight of the fourteen legs already set in concrete.
It was one of those perfect winter days that reminded me why winter is for boat building and summer is for sailing. It did not help that we were a minute late for the start nor that we had a crew supplemented by two young men who had been pressed into service for the afternoon not having sailed before. These were small handicaps compared to the fickle fluctuating breeze. Now you cannot be upset with fluky conditions as everyone gets a turn of the roulette wheel out on the course and the warm, sunny conditions were most pleasant but as far as memories of the sailing are concerned I will show the tracks and then call in the “Men in Black” Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith to erase it from your memory. First the tracks where the short section between Cockatoo Island and Hunters Hill are as near as I can recall the worst set on record.
Tacking into an outgoing tide with light shifting wind
And now Tommy and Will to erase the memory.
Look at the light please
Despite the late start and that short spell of poor tacking angles that you can no longer remember we managed to finish sixth on handicap and are now in second place in the series so some of the other yachts must have had a bad day. Talking of bad days, Elaine heard Out of Africa call up on the VHF asking where the finish line was only to be told the time had elapsed and there was no finish line. Perhaps we should send the Men in Black around to them. Now I mentioned winter is for boat building so here is the progress report on the next Passion.
The building jig for the next Passion with eight of the fourteen legs already set in concrete.
A nice day on the Harbour except GWhizz is in front
Well the crew has finally done it. After eight years of racing on Passion they have got me to break the start line. Fortunately the two minute penalty that is applied cost us only two places so we dropped from eleventh to thirteenth which hopefully will be a discard at the end of the season. It was a good day to be on the water. While the temperature was down to 16 degrees there was no chilling wind which resulted in a pleasant afternoon. The wind angle meant there was a tight work for part of the first leg until it freed up towards the heads and a broad reach back to Steel Point followed by a square run the the shortened course finish line off Point Piper. The dying breeze at the finish strung the fleet our time wise which is why we lost only two places.
Geoff as Wild Oats XI ducks our stern
The luckless Rainbow sailed into a hole on the first beat and Kevin was able to sail around her on our own private lift. That left Rainbow well behind and gave us our fourth time win over her. The lucky Gwhizz was only yards in front of us in Rose Bay when they found their own private lift which took them higher and faster to the Rose Bay mark while we were slow and low and had to tack to the mark. While we almost caught them the record will show the additional two minutes premature start penalty. In the absence of any tacking to windward except for a one to clear Bradley’s Head and the one mentioned above to make the Rose Bay mark there is not much point showing tracks up and down the Harbour. Off the water I have been enjoying a little wood work preparing bulkheads for Passion’s big sister. The photo shows a typical bulkhead with fiddly little doublers around the slots for the hull stringers and some triangular cleats to which will be attached shelves. There are over 200 of these fiddly little doublers to make and fit to the bulkheads as they go on both faces and on most stringers This bulkhead is the last one before the transom. On the right are the cleats for lockers that go alongside the huge quarter berth which is larger than a queen size. To the left is an opening for access to the space behind the bulkhead where the rudder post and auto steering links will be fitted.
A bulkhead for Passion’s big sister
I know we might be cocky today and eating crow next week but we had a great windward work to finish off the day and snatch a fourth place. This also lifts us to fourth on the leader board after eleven races.
It was a soldiers course for much of the race starting with a broad reach to the heads. On this leg we could not match the speed of the fleet and dropped back to be second last around the first mark. The next leg was a tight work back to clear Steel Point but as the fleet approached the point it was headed and only the leaders were able to clear it without tacking. On the headers we kept falling into the dirty air of Izze and in turn GWhizz fell into our dirty air but generally we had height and speed to start winding in the mid fleet yachts.
By the time Rainbow tacked to clear Steel Point we had made up a lot of ground. The run into Rose Bay continued the soldiers course theme but once onto the breeze for the beat to Point Piper we restarted our advance up the fleet. On the run around Shark Island we could see Rainbow and Enigma being given a bit of a nudge to windward by the Etchell “The Biz” which suited us fine as we ran up to all three. Rainbow seemed to come out the most affected by The Biz’s moves and she was now within catching distance.
On the beat from Shark Island to the finish I gave the crew a heart attack by tacking after the mark right towards the shallow water post. It was I thought the best option since we had three yachts dead ahead and no way of progressing forward in their dirty air. Having gained the two boat lengths to windward and clear air I prayed for a progressive shift to lift us above the fleet. We did not get much of a lift but the breeze hung on until we reached the line of moored yachts and then right on cue headed us so we could tack now with a line well above the early tackers. It was the lift that kept on giving and it gave long enough for us to pass Rainbow. Kevin called for us to tack back on the first header towards approaching breeze out of Double Bay and the tack on the next header lifted us to the Naval buoy and right onto Enigma’s stern. The tracks for the day show just how fortunate we were with the wind shifts.
Great tacking angles against the tide
It was another great day on the Harbour and thanks to all the crew for the great result. After rowing ashore after Passion was safely back on the mooring the sun was just above the horizon and shining on the city. The light was not a golden as in a previous post but still worth the time to pause and take it in.
Sydney at sunset from Woolwich
Sunny skies, a fresh breeze and a keen crew are all the ingredients for a fine Sunday West Harbour Winter Series race.
The afternoon started with a surprise cake courtesy of Frank which was washed down with tea or coffee. In fact so good was the cake and company that we were still hoisting the mainsail on the mooring when the five minute gun sounded for our start. Fortunately the start line was only metres from our mooing in Woolwich and at a pinch a tight work directly from the mooring would have taken us just below the start boat.
Having missed the sound signal I had to wait for the one minute gun to set the timer and we were not the first off the line for the short work to the Cockatoo Island rounding mark. There were some competitors we were keen to beat today. Fist there was GWhizz a fellow GFS sailor who also races against us at RANSA and then there was Macscap the Jeanneau Sun Fast 37 which is a hull sister ship to Passion but started life with all the manufacturers go fast gear that Passion has tried to acquire over the past five years. Both these yachts lead us up the course having made more precise starts.
By Manns Point we were close on GWhizz stern and on the tight leg to Goat Island we went higher than the fleet which left us more room for the big knock up near the mark so we rounded mid fleet pretty pleased with our progress. The broad reach back to the start area was less impressive. Macscap reached out from under us and Gwhizz reached over the top with fresh air from behind so that we were last onto the section of the course which is three laps around Cockatoo, Spectacle and Snapper islands. To windward we seemed to sail a little higher than most and for the main picked the shifts better. We tacked on the headers with Kath and Elaine ensuring that the low footed No 2 genoa came back over the rails. I think the smaller headsail which allowed us to tack more quickly was a big part of the better track to windward.
Mostly good tracks for the three laps of the West Harbour Islands
We found better angles close to Cockatoo Island and passed GWhizz. On the first circuit Macscap did as well and was ahead but on the first beat of the second circuit we found a big inside shift which brought us ahead and we tacked underneath her for a clear leeward position from which we were able to pinch up and giver her the full dirty air treatment.
On the last broad reach down the Hunters Hill shore it seemed like Macscap was going to run us down but at the Clarkes Point corner we had wind a bit by the lee which meant we had clear air and with the genoa hand held to windward we broke any overlap well before the mark. On the last work to the finish we kept a close eye on Macscap but as on every other windward leg we seemed to have their measure and crossed for a minute lead. On handicap we finished a credible fourth with Macscap fifth but importantly we still hold a series lead by two points.
It was a great afternoon on all counts and God willing we will do it again in two weeks time.
Today’s results was almost a Greenwich Flying Squadron trifecta with Izzi, Ghwizz and Passion finishing second third and fourth respectively. Starr Ferry sailed by a fellow MHASC member kept the top places in the circle of close associates.
We compromised on the rig and set the No 2 genoa and full main in anticipation of the forecast winds of over twenty five knots that never arrived.
The first mark looked like a tight beat but the incoming tide and a bit of easterly shift meant the whole fleet would have to tack onto starboard at some stage to make the mark. With that in mind we started near the pin on port and pulled away behind the stern of the one brave starboard tacker who caused a bit of havoc for the boats higher up who did not have the room to bear away. The problems the starboard tacker gave to the rest of the fleet meant we had only Luce Change in front of us and we soon pinched to windward for clear air.
Winner on the Day Star Ferry
Allegro down low was as always going faster and when the wind knocked she was able to tack and cross the fleet. We tacked on the same knock and forced Gwhizz to tack onto starboard. When we tacked back to port Gwhizz opted to hang on longer and that was her undoing. Izzi had made a good start and was well up in the fleet on the beat. Starr Ferry had tacked away early and made good use or the first lift to run over the top of us but at the top mark she tacked too low and had to tack again for the rounding.
Mostly a port tack course to the heads
A Respectable Portion of the Fleet Behind
The run back to Steel Point was frustrating as the big Benetau First 45s wanted to push us wide. Eventually I did a hard deviation to take their stern and we matched them to Steel Point only to lose them in Rose Bay when they just achieved the inside overlap on the rounding mark.
We did better into the Rose Bay mark than Star Ferry and Larrikin who sailed into the lee of the hill but by Point Piper Larrikin had caught us .
It was a bit of a procession from here to home and I was delighted to finish in top half of the fleet on time. Our benchmark both old and new were well behind on the day .
The equal forth place with Enigma lifted our series ranking from eighth to equal fifth but the 1, 7, 4 places in the last three weeks will probably get the handicappers attention.
Martin – The Forward Hand’s Work is Never Done
The Afterguard
It was a wonderful sunny day on Sydney Harbour and the perfect setting for a winter race. In contrast to the five yachts that fronted last week in gale conditions the temperate afternoon brought out nineteen starters.
We started at the pin end working up to the start line on a very tight angle with only Krakatoa below us when we were headed and could just make the pin with no place for Krakatoa. She tried gamely to get up to the pin but went past head to wind with the genoa blowing back towards Passion. We did our best to avoid them and went past head to wind too and were disappointed when they failed to do penalty turns after the start. With that delay we were late onto the reach to the heads and low on the course. To windward the fleet was reaching away in fresher conditions leading me to think our goose was cooked for the afternoon.
It was a slow procession to the heads so I handed the helm to Frank and went below to plan some routine maintenance on Passion by finding the appropriate part number for our shower and bilge pump repair kit. When I emerged the breeze had freshened on our side of the course and Frank had Passion right back in the running for a good result.
We had good company from Silky who politely stayed to leeward until she could clear our stern and then gave us a bit of clear air by going high. We rounded the mark on Silky’s stern and set about working back to Steel Point. The outgoing tide was meant to be working against good windward angles but so large were the wind shifts that you had to take them when they came and the resulting tracks look quite impressive.
Nice windward angles against an outgoing tide thanks to big wind shifts
Silky looked like she was history out deep into the mid harbour but she picked a miracle shift to come out well ahead of us by Steel Point. Meanwhile we had been picking the shifts in closer to Vaucluse and doing quite well against our nearby competitors. One of our benchmark yachts L’eau Co was close at hand giving us a good guide to our speed and I was delighted that we were able to hold her out for the day in conditions that usually favour her. Poor Viva our substitute benchmark for the light air days we do not so well was very far behind. Rainbow was uncharacteristically far behind with possibly her worst performance relative to Passion in many years.
In Rose Bay I sensed a progressive right hand shift was developing so we went early and almost caught Silky but she crossed and managed to keep ahead for the rest of the day.
For several anxious moments we endured quiet conditions around Point Piper watching Gwhizz and L’eau Co catch us but once around we pulled away and rebuilt a handy lead.
Kevin took Passion home and across the line for a good fleet position considering the light airs. On handicap we managed a seventh place. The big black genoa sheeted one hole forward for the light airs and the backstay eased gave us plenty of power whenever the breeze kicked above the six knots that seemed to prevail for the afternoon and it was one of our best light air performances to date.
When the West Harbour WInter Series scheduled race was abandoned due to forecast strong winds we went dolphin watching. Our intention was to have a relaxed cup of tea on board Passion and then go for a sail around the islands with our heavy wind rig which was still set up from the windy Wednesday race. We did just that and had a most enjoyable afternoon taking turns to take Passion to windward up the Hunters Hill shore as well as venturing as far as Gladesville Bridge. The No 3 genoa and a double reefed mainsail was the ideal rig for a leisurely afternoon. Just enough sail area to be challenging but not so much as to be dangerous.
I do not recall a gust over 25 knots all afternoon but we did see plenty of dolphins.
The pod may have been as many as a dozen and that means there were more dolphins around Cockatoo Island than there were yachts.
While we missed the opportunity to get a good result in conditions that really suit Passion we did have a great afternoon and back on the mooring I was able to attended to some maintenance.
Today’s fresh conditions frightened off all but the hardiest sailors and only five yachts contested the Division 1 race at RANSA. With forecast winds over twenty five knots and spot readings coming in over that level I was surprised that the race was conducted but if racing is on we are there for the party and party we did. In the pre race test run with one reef in the main and the No 3 genoa still furled Passion proved a handful so we took the safe option and put in the second reef. Kevin called the start to perfection so we lead the fleet for a short time until Silky decided that she wanted us to sail up into the lee of Bradley’s Head while Allegro charged down the course to leeward. It seemed a strange tactic as we could not pull away behind their stern and Silky was only driving both of up into the wind shadow of Izzi. Graham and Kath were aboard the start boat doing the duty crew work and Graham took this photo of Silky below us. Compare the sail area and see just how conservative our rig was for the day.
Passion with two reefs keeping up with Silky with a full mainsail
Eventually SIlky pulled away so we could clear Bradley’s Head and in the process we both squared away to the breeze and attempted to pole the genoa out to windward. Rainbow kept the genoa out to leeward and pulled away so eventually we conceded defeat and lowered the pole. In the process we lost a little ground on Silky and Izzi and rounded in last place for the beat back to Steel Point. On the wind we passed Silky and Izzi and took a little time out of Rainbow’s almost two minute gap she had on us at the turn. By this time Allegro had powered over Rainbow and was reaching away to the Rose Bay mark and we held a slim lead over Silky and Izzi but the best was yet to come. Beating out of Rose Bay the wind was approaching thirty knots and our more conservative rig was proving superior to Rainbow’s single reefed mainsail so that by Point Piper we were ahead by a good margin. Graham’s and Kath’s photos from the start boat shows how much Passion was heeling and how much the double reefed mainsail was just flogging in the gusts.
Passion’s double reefed main flogging in the gusts
Kath’s photo of Passion beating to windward
Ron on the mainsheet was pleased we had two reefs in the sail and he got good assistance from the crew all day to drop the main and wind it back in whenever the breeze allowed. In the reach around Shark Island Rainbow with the larger main made good gains from behind and was right on our transom as we rounded for the last beat home. Once back working to windward we showed the wisdom of our sail selection with better height and just a touch more speed so that by the finish we were almost two minutes in front of Rainbow. Even the broken starboard genoa sheet could not stop our progress as we flopped over onto starboard tack and Kevin tied off the shortened sheet just in time to tack away from the yachts moored near Point Piper. For the last beat to the finish line I asked Kevin to tie on a spare sheet to the genoa as a precaution but it was not needed and we crossed with our best ever fastest times place. Congratulations to all the crew for a solid days work and a special thanks to Kath and Graham for doing our duty turn and allowing us to enjoy a memorable day on the harbour.
Today was one of those glorious winter’s day where you could sit in the sun, read the newspaper and have a nap but we went sailing instead. Our pre start preparation was marred by the genoa halyard turning around the forestay which necessitated a quick trip to the top of the mast to undo the wrap.
That sorted and the big black genoa raised we motored at maximum revs to make the start line on time. After feathering the prop we hovered around the start boat in windless conditions waiting for the last five minuted to count down. Just to the south east there was ripples on the water from the approaching breeze but we sat in windless conditions unable to prevent Passion touching the start boat. What could have been the start of the season turned into a 360 degree turn to exonerate ourselves from this rule infringement.
With the turns behind us we broad reached to south head and tight reached back to Steel point. What little tacking was required for the day happened in Rose Bay when first one side of the course was favoured and then the next. I think we won one and lost two as the tracks will show.
Giving the picture of the tracks the title “Bad tracks..” is a bit ungenerous as we did well lifting into Shark Island and bouncing off the shore but the memory of the approach to the mark still lingers on .
Bad tracks! Bad tracks!
On the second short windward leg we almost made up ground by tacking short of the lay line and lifting to the mark but a late header put paid to the gains we had made and we reached home without much hope of a good result. Our 11th place on handicap out of a field of 19 was a bit of a surprise. As much as we were affected by the light breeze at least eight others fared worse but still I felt cheated as the 15 knots promised never eventuated. You see we want it all, sunshine and robust sailing breeze, not this glorious sunbaking weather.
We scored a fourth place today in a windy West Harbour Winter Series. Only nine yellow division yacht braved the forecast of 30 knots and were rewarded with a rain free gusty sail around the inner harbour.
The aim was to start low and pinch up to the start boat on starboard but we were too late and too low and just made the pin but the breeze was flicking around so much it was just a case of hanging on for the knock. Upwind we were clearly overpowered with the No1 A on the furler. We have three No 1s, the black one is No 1 B, the pentax base with carbon and Kevlar tapes is the Big No 1 and the North tri radial is the No 1 A. The thinking was that we needed a genoa that was easy to skirt and not too small for the downwind legs.
Our strategy worked out well for the varying breeze and at the peak of the wind strength we reefed the main and made good progress at catching the fleet. Even during the reefing process we seemed to pull away from the adjacent yacht and not loose ground on the fleet.
For most of the competitors it was too windy for spinnakers so our big genoa kept us in the game downwind and wound the boat speed up to 9 knots at the peak of the breeze.
The anxious moment was when Elaine copped a flick in the face from a wildly flapping genoa clew. Thankfully apart from the shock the trauma was mild and she quickly was back in good spirits.
The final drama for the day was the position of the finish boat on the leeward end of the line just next to the turning mark of the previous leg. It would have been obvious where the finish line was if the boat had been on the windward end or if the flag on the pin mark end of the finish line had been the colour specified in the sailing instructions and not the faced bit of rag that it was. This little misunderstanding cost us a minute which would have given us third place but we are happy with the fourth place and retaining the lead in the series.
The results for the race and the series are here.
The tracks for the day are below
Windward works in 15 to 22 knots
After the rain front there is usually a good sky and tonight the city of Sydney looked like an array of golden temples.
Sydney on sunset looking over Woolwich ferry wharf
Now if you don’t like that you are not human.
The forecast warm sunny day was true to forecast and alas so was the breeze. Luckily for us there was enough breeze to finish the race in Rose Bay before it dropped away to nothing.
Little breeze on Sea Breeze
The start was a classic starboard reaching one with all the pin end boats reaching up to the start boat where there was not enough room for all the yachts who went in below close hauled. We were one of those reaching in late due to a small yacht in a later fleet occupying our starting area. By the time she motored away there were just enough seconds left to broad reach for the line and hope the fleet would bear away on the gun. We were lucky to find a spot up near the start boat that was wide enough for Passion so we could start on time.
It was five knots for most of the run and reach to the top mark with occasional holes of no breeze to negotiate. The genoa poled out to leeward worked well for the broad reach and the long extendable pole worked well for the square runs so we arrived at the top mark ahead of Loco and Rainbow. We renamed L’Eau Co as Loco for the afternoon and that name might stick for the rest of the season.
The tracks for the work back are impressive even allowing for the incoming tide carrying us into the fading breeze. The tracks show the big header we took off Steel Point before tacking into the progressive shift into Rose Bay. At this stage we were the meat in the Northshore 38 sandwich of Rainbow and L’Eau Co with the progression of the breeze helping Rainbow to windward and helping us over the leeward L’Eau Co. On this lift we overtook Star Ferry who deserved better having been well ahead of us on the run and for most of the work back.
Incoming tide and big shifts make impressive tracks
In Rose Bay we finished eleventh in a fleet of nineteen. We were fifteen minutes behind the equal fastest times Luce Change and Allegro and fifteen minutes ahead of our mark boat Viva so in every respect we were mid fleet. After the race I commented to Kevin that I was happy with mid fleet as the old Passion would have struggled to complete the course in such light conditions. So the race was a shorter distance than usual and a longer time than normal but a most enjoyable contest all the same.
After the race we towed The Biz back to RSYS in very calm conditions. The Biz is an etchell who sails off a similar handicap to Passion but on the day finished six minutes in front but only two places on handicap.