NOOD Regatta
The first race of the IRC season series took place in conjunction with Sailing World’s NOOD regatta. WE had missed the beginning of the IRC racing season because of Timothy’s travels and our decision not to do any IRC Ocean races. So it was the first time all of us will be sailing together as a team even though most of us have sailed with each other at some point or the other, but in different roles and circumstances. The crew consists of Chris at the bow, with Bret at the mast, Pete in pit, David Smith at mainsheet, Edda, Miha, and Joe are in the cockpit with Ted as the pit...
Read MoreBananas will no longer be allowed onboard…
We recruited five unsuspecting crew for this epic down wind race from Richmond to Stockton. The full crew list for this epic down wind race consists of Aaron, Calvin, Eugene, Janelle, Keith, Mark and Robert. The Delta Ditch race starts in Richmond then run through the northern part of San Francisco bay, passing the Brother’s Island to San Pablo Bay, through the narrow, twisting channels of Carquinez Straits to Suisun Bay, passed the mothball fleet then snake through the meandering San Jauquin River to Stockton. We had conceived this race as a fun (and fast) way to tour the...
Read MoreBBS 2009 – Day 3, Race 6
Day 3, Race 6 Race six is a critical race. If Tupelo wins this, it would be mathmatically impossible to knock them off first place as going into the sixth race, Tupelo had 5 points, we had 10 points, and the third place boat had 17 points. Our division started at 14:20 just a little after slack water (13:42 PDT) with possibility of early flood starting to fill into the South Bay. Usually the flood starts by a small counter current close to shore building up wider and stronger from the shoreline out. Had this been clear in my mind, my tactical choice would have been to sail towards...
Read MoreBBS 2009 – Day 3, race 5
Day 3, Race 5 Sailing Weather Forecast • Rolex Big Boat Series • San Francisco Bay, CA • Issued 0700 LT 12 September 2009 WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES: A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY is in effect from 1200 today through 2300 tonight. The National Weather Service expects winds of 15-25 kts with gusts of 25-30 kts in the bay, primarily north of the Bay Bridge and especially close to Angel Island. Please continue to monitor NOAA All Hazards Radio on your VHF for the latest warnings and advisories. Tides: 2009-09-12 10:51 PDT -1.39 knots Max Ebb 2009-09-12 13:42 PDT 0.00 knots Slack,...
Read MoreBBS 2009 – Day 2, Race 4
Day 2, Race 4 Race 4 start was at 15:00 North Course Starting area. At this time we are in a flood current with max flood at 15:44 PM. The weather mark is a temporary buoy near Harding Rock, so there’s not much relief anywhere. The only relief I can think of is to sail into the current relief behind Alcatraz. We started on the committee boat side about mid line with Kuai just to leeward. Tupelo was somewhat late to the line close to the pin end. We tried to climb up on Kuai but it was slowing us down, we decided to tack to port to get clear air. After sailing for a few...
Read MoreBBS 2009 – Day2, Race 3
Day 2, Race 3: Current at the IRC D start is suppose to be a waning ebb going into slack water around 12:21 PDT with max flood at 15:44 PDT @ 1.88 knots. Weather forecast: The forecast speeds in the wind table are again near the model consensus for conditions in the vicinity of Alcatraz. The model consensus is generally for maximum winds in the racing area between 15-20 kts from 1400-1700. There remain some divergent models with max wind speeds in the low 20s and others only in the mid teens but these have not performed well the past few days. Today we start first at the City Front...
Read MoreSFYC IRC Invitational Regatta 8/15-16 2009
After nearly 3 months in the yard from injuries suffered from a T-bone hit and run accident, a newly painted and repaired Inspired Environments emerged from the yard and ready for racing again. The mast had been re-rigged with a new foil and a new turnbuckle has been added to the head stay to allow adjustment to rake. This race will be a first test of the rig tune, sail assessment and crew practice to get her dialed in for the 2009 BBS and the IRC Nationals at St. Francis YC. We arrived at Corinthian YC early and gathered on the balcony of the club watched for the arrival of IE from...
Read MoreStone Cup, St. Francis Yacht Club, May 16, 2009
The forecast called for a heat wave and that usually means light winds unless “Sacramento sucks” – a local sailor’s insider joke that perfectly describes the wind behavior for the Bay as hot air in the Sacramento Valley rises and create the vacuum that draws the cool ocean air through the Golden Gate into the Bay. The crew is supposed to picked up at 08:45 at St. Francis Yacht Club and then out for some practice before the race. As I drove up the club parking lot a bit early, I walked to the water’s edge and watched the Single Handed Farallon’s racers...
Read MoreAn Accomplished New Years Resolution!
Happy New Year! As tradition, we went out on New Years Day for a sail. In looking at the weather forecast during the days preceding the sail, I had anticipated a cold and partly cloudy day and indeed, at 1000 hour on New Years day, it did not inspire any urgency on my part to go out on the cold and foggy bay to go sailing. But tradition demanded certain sacrifice and besides, I had invited a few folks from work to come sailing as well and didn’t want to disappoint them in any case. So Keith and I met up at Max’s Opera Cafe for a hearty lunch at 1100 hour and fortified ourselves...
Read More2008 St Francis Yacht Club BBS
On August 23, I was invited to crew on a Beneteau 40.7 called Inspired Environments as tactician for the 2008 Big Boat Series (BBS). The StFYC Big Boat Series attracts some of the top sailors from all over the San Francisco Bay Area and around the world to compete in a four day regatta in the central part of San Francisco Bay. I decided that I would accept the invite for the opportunity to sail against some of the top sailors in the central San Francisco Bay – in part as a measure of where I stand with my own sailing skills and knowledge. Having raced mostly in the South Bay, I am...
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