Blake Island Race- Tale Of Two Winds

Last Saturday was the Blake Island Race. It was the sixth race of the seven race WSSA(West Sound Sailing Association series. This race starts near Pt Herron, through Rich Passage, around Blake Island(either direction), leave Bainbridge Reef Buoy #4 to port and finish off the Port Orchard marina. This race is sponsored by Bremerton Yacht Club and has a history of at least 40 years. I like this race, it was my first racing win in 1975 with my Tanzer 22, "Rascal Too".

The forecast for the day did not look real favorable. The models I looked at showed light S to Sw winds and the possibility of rain and maybe even thunder showers! While we were lining up for the 1030 first warning, the winds were very light from the SW and we hovered around the left end of the line. But as the time started counting down to our 1045 start, the wind shifted around to very light out of the north. We scurried over to the now favored right end. We approached the line on starboard, squeezed out one barger and had a great start on time.

We sailed about a quarter of a mile on starboard before tacking to port above most of the boats that started in the earlier classes. After tacking to port, we sailed toward the eastern shore to get a boost from the ebbing current. As we approached Rich Passage, the wind increased to about 7-8 knots and with good ebbing current, we quickly passed Pt Glover and tacked toward Blake Island.

We had one long port tack between Orchard Rocks and Bainbridge Island and rode the current towards Blake Island intending to leave it to starboard. As we sailed into the open water, we noticed the rest of the fleet stalling at the east end of Rich Passage. When it did start filling in for them, it was out of the SW. As we aproached the east end of Blake Island, our northerly winds started easing and right on que, the wind shifted to the SW along with black clouds and rain. It quickly built to about 15 knots. We had a good beat against the ebbing current along the east shore of Blake Island. We could see some boats approaching Blake Island behind us, but it was hard to make them out with the distance and the heavy rain.

We set the chute and had a fast reach along the south shore of Blake Island and toward Bainbridge Island to buoy #4. The winds built to a puffy 20 knots. After rounding buoy #4, we close reached into Rich Passage with the #1 genoa. We could see that the wind was still blowing strong around Pt Glover, so we changed to the #3 jib. Sure enough, the wind continued blowing strong. We had a fast beat. We kept to the right side of the course sailing close to shore looking for relief from the still ebbing current. We finished off the Port Orchard Marina at about 1413. The next boat to finish was "Dulcinea" (J105) about 14 minutes behind us. The pesky Thunderbird "Swan" finished close enough to us to correct on us by about 80 seconds. So, we were first in class and second overall with "Swan" first overall and "Dulcinea" second in class and third overall. When the results are finalized, they can be found here: Blake Island Race 2012 Results

Bremerton Yacht Club reserved the party float at the Port Orchard Marina and had a great time of socializing, drinks, brats and awards after the race. Just before we finished, the sun came out making the social event a fun affair.

I am not supossed to name boats that had difficulties(I have been called insensitive and various other things in the past), but several boats seemed to be surprised by the sudden increase of the wind. Some boats finished overcanvassed without reefing or changing to a smaller headsail. One boat reported a ripped #1 jib.

The next race is June 30th at Brownsville. It will be the final race of the series. The top boats are very close in points. "Great White" is one point ahead of "Dulcinea" for the overall championship. But "Swan" is lurking about four points back. A lot can happen!

This was a challenging race for us and it was a suprise that it was mostly beating or close jib reaching, very little spinaker work was involved. Thanks to my crew of :Walter, Kathleen, Dave and Rainer for staying focused and working well together.

No track charts today, nor any pictures. Just this video from the GoPro mounnted on the Redneck Engineering levelling camera mount.

"What Is WSSA"?- The Unauthorized History

WSSA stands for West Sound Sailing Association. Formed in 1978, it joined the yachts clubs of West Puget Sound and Kitsap County into an organization and sponsored a series of races to determine a "Sailor Of The Year". Initially, the clubs that formed WSSA included: Port Orchard, Sinclair Inlet, Bremerton, Brownsville, Poulsbo and Port Madison. Over the years, this list has changed dramatically: Brownsville and Poulsbo dropped their racing programs(Poulsbo reinstated theirs about four years ago), Sinclair Inlet Yacht Club has ceased to exit, and a club named Eagle Harbor Yacht club sponsored races for a few years but, the club may have ceased to exit. West Sound Corinthian was formed in 1981 and added it's own race.

Each club sponsored a race(or two) and for a few years, the WSSA organization sponsored a weekend regatta that moved to different locations each year. In the early years, the WSSA series started with the first race in February at Port Madison, no races during the summer and two races in the fall with the final race being the Poulsbo Race. Some of the races (Brownsville, Sinclair Inlet, Bremerton, Port Orchard and Poulsbo) usually sponsored a post race dinner/social event.

The race format included two or more classes based on handicap and later a cruising class was added. Standard scoring was used with as many as two throw outs used when the series included up to nine races. Most of the clubs had their own races or regattas prior to the formation of WSSA and some were the result of  the formation of WSSA. From the early 1980's, until at least 1999, the WSSA series was a qualifying race for the Seattle Yacht Club Gran Prix event.

The WSSA races are usually quite challenging. The outcome of many of them are determined by who can negotiate the currents of Rich Pass, Agate Pass and the entrance to Liberty Bay. The final results of the series is often not determined until the final race.

Here is a complete list of WSSA "Sailors of The Year" for 1978-2011:

Past West Sound Sailors of the Year, and their Yachts
2011	Matthew Gardener-Brown		DULCINEA	J-105
2010	Matthew Gardener-Brown		DULCINEA	J-105
2009	Steve Trunkey		EGRESS	Hotfoot 27
2008	Dan Wierman		GREAT WHITE	J-35
2007	Dan Wierman		GREAT WHITE	J-35
2006	Matthew Gardner-Brown		DULCINEA	J-105
2005	Arnie Jarlock		TENSION	Tartan Ten
2004	Arnie Jarlock		TENSION	Tartan Ten
2003	Arnie Jarlock		TENSION	Tartan Ten
2002	Bob Lubowicki		CARENE	X-Yacht 119
2001	Jim Snow		YANKEE	Ranger 37
2000	Paul Faget		EGRESS	Hotfoot 27
1999	Dan Wierman		GOOD NEWS	Bystedt 30
1998	John Kerrigan		NEW HAVEN	Baltic 38
1997	Paul Faget		EGRESS	Hotfoot 27
1996	Dan Wierman		GOOD NEWS	Bystedt 30
1995	Jim Snow		YANKEE	Ranger 37
1994	Dan Wierman		GOOD NEWS	Bystedt 30
1993	Jim Snow		YANKEE	Ranger 37
1992	Ted Morneau & Jim Wright		FLITE'	Olson 40
1991	Paul Faget		EGRESS	Hotfoot 27
1990	Ted Morneau & Jim Wright		FLITE'	Olson 40
1989	Jim Snow		ENDEAVOR	Catalina 27
1988	Dan Wierman		GOOD NEWS	Bystedt 30
1987	Bob Verger & Rich Koch		ELAN	Catalina 38
1986	Milt Michaelis		SHADOWS	Erickson 34T
1985	Gary Davis		SWAN	Thunderbird
1984	Jerry Lowrie		FAST BREAK	Ranger 28
1983	Jerry Lowrie	FAST BREAK			Ranger 28
1982	Paul Estep	ELAN			Catalina 38
1981	Jerry Lowrie	FAST BREAK			Ranger 28
1980	Jim Snow	ENDEAVOR			Catalina 27
1979	Dick Ziglar	D2Z			Catalina 27
1978	Steve Nelson	MAAKEN			Custom Miller

The demographics of this list of winners is interesting:
16 Total Winners

6 Are still active racers

3 Have raced the series since the beginning.

1 Has raced in every series

Furthermore, it is interesting to note that many different styles and sizes of boats has won the series. It has not always been the fastest or largest boat.

WSSA has also been involved in sponsoring seminars and presentations. They have hosted talks from designers(Bob Perry), sailmakers (Keith Lawrence) and various sailing movies.

More info on WSSA and the series can be found here: WSSA Homepage

This was a short(unauthorized) history, others may be able to provide more information.

Spam-Hot & Spicy

Recently, I read a post on another blog where the writer linked to an online magazine article: What's In Your Spam. In the article, the author pokes fun at Spam, what is in it and states that it is "the go-to food for Depression-era Okies and would-be subterranean nuclear holocaust survivors." Obviously the writer has some snobby, preconceived notions about what Spam is and who eats it. I would think that he would be surprised at some prominent people that eat Spam. One of the best American mountaineers eats Spam on his climbs and he jokes about it in a movie during a climb of Mt Everest. I don't eat Spam very often, but I do like the long shelf life that it has and that it can be taken places where refrigeration is not available(camping, boating, mountain climbing) and since it is pre cooked, it can be eaten cold. I have carried Spam on my boat during lengthy voyages and particularly like the idea that it can stay fresh long after the ice has melted. In my youth, my mom occasionally fed us Spam, probably for it's ease of cooking(she worked long hours) and it's cheap cost. I would rather eat Spam than the liver from a forced fed goose! I hear that that is considered a delicacy by some people! And probably very expensive!

My choice of Spam is a version called Hot & Spicy Spam.This version of Spam originated from a chain of restaurants in Guam named "Shirley's".

Spam was a treat in the Pacific Islands after it was introduced during World War II. It lasted well without refrigeration. Shirley mixed Tabasco sauce with Spam and used it in her restaurant for rice and other dishes. The Hormel company heard about this, worked with her and actually packaged Hot and Spicy Spam, mainly for sale in Guam and other islands. They also test marketed it in Hawaii and some southern states. It is still available in Hawaii, I bought some during my last vacation there. It is also available in the Navy Commissary at Bangor for those that can shop there.

When I was working in Guam, we usually ate breakfast at the "Shirley's" restaurant next door to our hotel. Unusual dishes were offered for breakfast at "Shirley's" and I found that fried rice really stuck with me and gave me strength through the day when I was working long hours on the ship in the high heat and humidity. Fried rice at Shirleys could contain shrimp, chicken or Spam. Yes Spam! And it could be regular Spam or Hot and Spicy Spam! I preferred the Hot & Spicy Spam version. I have some Hot & Spicy Spam stockpiled and occasionally make the fried rice with it. You do need to like hot food to enjoy it! The recipe for the rice was on the can.

Besides Hot & Spicy Spam fried rice, Spam also is good in scrambled eggs. I have cooked scrambled eggs with Hot & Spicy Spam for friends with rave reviews.

 

 Hot & Spicy Spam a version of Spam that is often the butt of jokes and ridicule.

This is fried rice made today from brown basmati rice, eggs, stir fry veggies and diced Hot & Spicy Spam. I picked up this recipe while I was working in Guam a few years ago. The restaurant next to our hotel was named Shirleys. She had several restaurants around the island.

And don't tell me that I need some sauce to put on this rice dish. I like it naked, the rice that is, without anything on it! And it really hits the spot after a long day of activity like riding the bicycle.

Racing In The NOOD.

If you tell someone that you raced in the NOOD(pronounced "nude"), you would probably see some raised eyebrows or shocked expressions. Actually NOOD stands for National Offshore One Design. This is a multiple day regatta for one design boats or similar boats that rate the same under a handicap system. This regatta had it's start many years ago in other parts of the country and finally made it's appearance in the northwest about four years ago. It's primary sponsor is "Sailing World" magazine.

For the NOOD, I was invited to race on "Swan", a Thunderbird 26 class boat from the Bremerton area. This is a very competitive class of 11 boats.

The committee sets three starting areas for the different classes. The small dinghies raced on the south course in front of Shilshole Marina. The intermediate sized boats(Vipers, J24's, Tbirds, SJ 24's and SJ 21's) raced the middle course just north of Meadow Pt. And the larger/faster boats(Melges 24's, Performance 30's, J105's and 6 Meter's) used the northern course near Pt Wells.

Over the three days from Friday to Sunday, we got off seven races. On Saturday we got off three races in winds to 10 knots before the wind shut off.

Saturday we only got in one race. The winds were from the north and very light and even the lead boats used most of the time available to finish the race.

On Sunday, the wind shifted back to the south and the rain moved in. We got three more races in on Sunday. In the last race, we had some fun with one of the buoys. It had a long anchor line and it caught on the keel. After we cleared it, it bounced back and caught the boat behind. When the next boat finally cleared the buoy, it bounced back and touched the third boat! All three of us had to sail a circle to exonerate ourselves from the infraction.

Each day, the party tent was open for post race activities. We went home each night. The owners son had a small boat and in 40 minutes we were back to Brownsville. In the mornings, we returned to Shilshole on the small boat. Better than driving a car!

Results can be found here:

Seattle NOOD Regatta Results

Pictures by Jan can be seen here:



Seattle NOOD Regatta Pictures Day 2

Seattle NOOD Regatta Pictures Day 1

 Boats at the dock after the racing on Friday.

 Boats at the dock after the racing on Friday.

 Boats at the dock after the racing on Friday.

A J105 towing a couple of 6 meters back into Shilshole Marina.

Compass Repair

Compasses are normally filled with fluid to provide dampening for the card and provide stability of operation. Some compasses use mineral spirits as the fluid and others have talked of alcohol, glycerin and even kerosene. Whatever fluid is used, if it leaks out, then there is a problem!

Last summer my port compass started leaking the fluid out and it did not take very long before all the fluid was gone. I took the back cover off  and discovered the diaphragm that compensates for expansion was ruptured. I searched Ritchie and Sons's website and found an exploded view of my Navigator BN-202 compass as well as a list of parts. I determined what parts I needed and with a call to Ritchie, I had the repair parts ordered along with  a quart of their new filling fluid, Isopar L. Ritchie(who is in Massachusetts) sent me the parts where they arrived only four days after order via US Postal Service and without an expensive shipping charge! Kudos to them!

I disassembled the compass at the shoreside shops of Hermit Hill Rigging and cleaned the inside of the now cloudy dome. Reassembly was easy and the o-rings, diagphram and new LED lights were installed. Filling with Isopar L is messy. The fluid is first placed in the freezer for several hours(I assume to squeeze the air out). I tried a small funnel and spilled a lot of the fluid. I finally found a small tapered hose fitting from my vacuum pump and with a hose and the small funnel, finally accomplished the fill and excluded ALL the air.

The compass is ready for reinstallation on the boat. That only takes a few minutes and four little screws to mount, but a little longer to solder the wires of the new lights.

 The compass disassembled and the parts cleaned.

 Ready for filling. Notice how small the red compass card looks?

 The compass filled with cold Isopar L fluid and the air excluded. Now see how large the compass card appears now?

Filled with fluid.

Port Orchard Invitational Race-It Must Be Summer!

Today was the Port Orchard Invitational Race. It was the fifth race of the seven race West Sound Sailing Association(WSSA) series. This race starts at the Port Orchard Yacht Club, sails north up Port Orchard to a temporary buoy and back for a distance of 16.4NM.

The weather forecast was for very warm weather in the upper 70's. The wind was predicted to be light at 5-6 Knots. At least, the direction was given as from the NW. Maybe this will finally give us a race with a long beat!

Sure enough, the wind at the start was NW, but the velocity was closer to 8-10 knots. But before we could start, a bit of complication started unfolding. A Port Orchard Yacht club member left the yacht club with the temporary buoy to set at Battle Pt and to shorten the course if necessary. He did not get very far before his motor overheated and he went dead in the water. One of his relatives was starting in the cruising division ten minutes before us. He took the buoy with the assumption that he would be the first boat to Battle Point and he would set the buoy. Stay tuned!

We had a good start on time. We started just below "Tantalus"(Express 37), but soon pulled ahead into clear air. We tacked back toward the east and tacked up that shore to to look for current relief from the still flooding current. We had good speed and pulled away from the rest of our class and started passing the previous two classes. We crossed back to the west and started lining up our approach to the area between Pt White and Illahee. This zone has some strange currents to contend with. We took some long tacks up Port Orchard before we started working up the Bainbridge Island shore. There was a narrow band of wind from Fletcher Bay to Battle Point, farther to the west, the wind was very light.

As we approached Battle Point, it soon became apparent that we would pass the lead cruising class boat before he reached Battle Point. So even though short of Battle Pt by about 100 yards, when we were even with him, he threw the buoy into the water. We had to turn ninety degrees to port and sail for about 75 yards to round the mark. Hope we would not need the extra time it took to change course and round the mark. The next boat in our class to round the mark was about 12 minutes behind us.

We set the spinnaker and started reaching back toward the finish. Again, we worked the Bainbridge Island shore to avoid the typical hole around University Point. We had a nice reach down Port Orchard with a good boost from the now ebbing current. I worked at keeping the boat sailing to it's target speeds. I have found recently, that when I go off my Polars, I get cranky and slow. Life is much better when I am on my Polars!

We took the fastest line past the Point White/Illahee line and then worked the west shore to get nice back eddies. Our speed over ground was good and the boats behind fell back more. We were far enough ahead, that the next boats behind us started disappearing behind the outcropping land. We jibed in toward the Bremerton Marina and got a great current boost from Port Washington Narrows, jibed to port and sailed straight to the finish where we finnished first  about 22 minutes ahead of "Tantalus". The rest of the fleet arrived for another hour.

There was a large post race raft up at the Port Orchard Yacht Club breakwater. The "Young Guns" huddled together and congratulated each other on their great performance while it was the grey haired experienced skippers that ruled the day. We were first to finish, first in class and first overall. "Dulcinea" (J105) was second in class and second overall. Class II was soundly won by "Emerald Lady"(Catalina 27). It was fantastic day for a race. The winds were consistent to 10 knots without too many holes to fall into and the warm weather brought out a lot of white skin to be be burned red.

And to make it even better, WE DOMINATED THIS RACE!

Thanks to Jim for crewing with me and helping us get the win.


Results can be found here: http://www.wscyc.net/WSSA/current%20year/Race5POInvite.pdf

 Jim trimming the spinnaker.

 Jim trimming the spinnaker.

 The "Young Guns" huddled together on the dock after the race.

Our course for the day.

A short vodeo recorded early in the race.

Race To The Straits 2012 and Back From The Straits

This weekend was the annual Race To The Straits. This is a two day race from Shilshole Marina north of Seattle to Port Townsend on Saturday and return on Sunday. This race is for doublehanded(two people) and singlehanded(one person). Another unique part of this race is that the handicaps are applied at the start with the slowest boats starting at 0800 and the fastest boats starting nearly three hours later. In a perfect world, all the boats should be finishing at the same time.

All weekend, the winds were predicted to be light, but Saturday morning, the wind was south at about 8 knots. I set the spinnaker right at my started time and was off. I sailed to my target speeds and looked for rivers of current to assist. Near Point No Point, the current started turning to flood. I reached across toward Useless Bay on Whidbey Island. The bay was far from Useless as I found some current relief under Double Bluff. At the Double Bluff buoy(a mark on the course), there was a lot of congestion. I jibed and headed into Mutiny Bay. Many boats headed straight across towards Marrowstone Island, but had to  contend with two knots of flood current setting them left. After sailing into Mutiny Bay, I jibed and had a good line up the bluff south of Bush Point. Sailing in shallow water, I found good back eddies along the shore. "Schock Therapy" (Schock 35) and I sailed next to each other for miles along the shollow areas both trying for good current.

Once around Bush Point, I again followed the shore toward Lagoon Point. The flood current was still strong, but was starting to decrease, so I headed on a reach toward the finish. The winds shifted toward the left in Port Townsend Bay. Some boats jibed right and took a big hit. I managed to close reach into the finish at about 1614.

Saturday night was the traditional dinner, party and first day awards ceremony. I was first in my singlehanded division and won a nice travel mug with the races logo.

Sundays start was on time, but the wind was very light and a lot of boats could not get very far from the start line before later starting boats caught them. I started on time at the committee boat closest to the light wind from the Straits. It was a close reach to Marrowstone Point where the strong ebbing current stopped the boats. Some boats headed across Admiralty Inlet to attempt current relief on the east shore. I was swept north some before the wind filled in and the current abated. It was a nice run south toward the finish at Shilshole, the sun was out and the wind filled in. I started passing boats and by the time I reached the finish, I had a good placing and was first in my division. I finished about 1645.

It was a great weekend: sunny and warm with good winds most of the time. Sloop Tavern Yacht Club again put on a great event with nearly 100 entries!

Results are here: http://www.styc.org/race_info/RaceToTheStraits/2012/race1.htm

 My track north of Point No Point. Red track is Saturday's track from Shilshole to Port Townsend. Purple track is Sunday's track "Back From The Straits" from Port Townsend to Shilshole.

 My track south of Double Bluff. Red track is Saturday's track from Shilshole to Port Townsend. Purple track is Sunday's track "Back From The Straits" from Port Townsend to Shilshole.

 The J22 "22 Caliber" at the start Saturday.

 Chasing the earlier starters Saturday morning.

Lighter conditions along Whidbey Island.

The final reach across Port Townsend Bay toward the finish.

The light air at the start on Sunday.

Schock Therapy (Schock 35)