7-4-2015 Racing

                                                                                                                                by Cathy and Gary

It looked like a gorgeous day to sail.  Bruce and Cameron were race committee and said there were about 8 boats on the line for the first 2 races, dwindling to about 5 for the last race.  Winds were mostly 10-15 mph and Gary E. had the winning strategy so I asked him how he did it:

The trick was to sail while in lighter air to the strong wind with shifts and tack and accelerate quickly in them. This required good guesses as to whether a significant lift or drop.

With strong Southern winds and the wind puffs from the West I tend to sail far right on the start or leeward mark roundings. The point keeps the large wave action down on starboard tack and you can accelerate in those westerly puffs and get a good lift without the smoother waves slowing you down.  

In the first race I did poorly going right, as the first two upwind legs the left was highly favored because the East shoreline compressed and bent the wind to provide a big lift (Frank's usual choice), but you had to sail all the way up the shore past CSC to then tack on port to get the compressed and bent wind coming from the other way from Bath house. Risky getting the long way back to the windward mark.