Port Orchard Invitational-WSSA No. 5

Saturdays race was the Port Orchard Yacht Club's Invitational race. It is the 5th race of the West Sound Sailing Association (WSSA) series of 7 races. This race started at Port Orchard Yacht Club and sailed north to a temporary turning mark at Battle Point and return to POYC. The distance is 16.4 NM.

The winds were forecast to be light from the SW, switching to the NW later in the afternoon with a possibility of rain during the day. At the start, the winds were very light SE and it was raining. Even though it was raining, the temperature was warm.

I got a good start near the boat end end reached up toward the docks north of the yacht club. Dulcinea(J105) followed me and we both soon found ourselves in trouble with the wind shifting ahead. So, down with the spinnaker, up with the jib and fend off from the dock I was drifting into! The boats farther to the left got the new NW winds sooner and I found myself in last. BUT, wait, there was a few puffs off to the right near the Port Orchard marins. So I headed that way with a Div II boat "Aldebaran"(Cat 30). Sure enough, with a couple of knots of wind I got up to speed and when I met with Dulcinea again, I was ahead after they had been ahead in the new wind.

The wind increased to about five knots. I worked the right side of the course near Annapolis and gained on "Tantalus"(Express 37) and started sailing through the Division II boats that started five minutes ahead. I beat up the South Kitsap shore looking for the strongest ebb current. Near Waterman, the wind came farther east and I found I could crack off a little onto a close reach, then a beam reach and then up with the spinnaker. After sailing past Illahee, the wind came well aft toward the south. And sure enough, the wind ahead started dying. I had been well ahead of the entire fleet, and they started catching up.

At one point, the wind started coming ahead and I put the jib up again and took down the spinnaker. I thought "this is it, the convergence zone has found me and the wind will shift to the NW". But no, the wind stayed very light and some of the boats behind caught up and "Tantalus" passed me. After another boat caught up and insulted my crew("hey, get your lazy foredeck to set the spinnaker, you are getting passed by Tantalus"), I got the spinnaker set once more.

The wind was spotty, and I sailed the boat at very steep angles to keep moving. The wind rarely got past two knots. By the time I got past University Point, I had moved ahead of the fleet once again. But since I am the fastest rated boat, I have to place well ahead of the slower boats behind to correct on them.

I continued working downwind along the Bainbridge Island shore and as I closed with the Battle Point mark, I could see that the Race Committee was going to shorten the course, finish the race and put us out of our misery!

I finished far enough ahead of "Dulcinea" to correct on them. But "Jerry Rig"(Buchan 37), a division II boat probably corrected on me by a minute securing the overall win.

Even though the winds were agonizingly light all day, it was really a fun day for a race. I stayed really focused on my boat speed all day and was happy with the overall performance of the boat.

Results(when they are completed) can be found here: http://www.wscyc.net/WSSA/2011/Race5POInvite.pdf


Very light winds near the finish. Photo Credit: Steve N.

At the finish, taking down the spinnaker. Photo Credit: Steve N.
The track for the day. Lots of tack near Port Orchard, lots of jibes near the Battle Point finish.