Foulweather Bluff Race-Oct 2nd

Saturday was the Foulweather Bluff Race. This race is sponsored by Edmonds Corinthian Yacht Club. It starts north of the Edmonds Ferry Dock, rounds the government buoy at Foulweather Bluff , rounds the buoy at Schatchet Head and returns to the start/finish area. Normal length for the long course is 26 miles. There is a short course that goes to a temporary buoy at Pilot Point instead of Foulweather Bluff. This is used for the smaller boats and a short course for the larger boats if there is not much wind at the start. More on this later.

I took "Great White" to Edmonds on Friday. I arrived at the public moorage at about 1200. I was the first to arrive, but by evening the moorage was full and I had two boats rafted to me. It was a great day for a delivery and I took some time and walked up town and to the antique mall.

Saturday was suppose to have light winds and the weather forecasters were right on. We motored to the starting area and waited while a postponement was called for lack of wind. We drifted around for about a half hour before enough wind drifted in to begin starting boats. The committee also decided to send us on the shorter course to Pilot Point..

We finally got to our starting time. I had a terrible start. One boat that started five minutes after us got up to the line and got in our way. I had to slide down the line and start to leeward of the class. We opted to stay low and try to work out from underneath the other boats and their bad air, but I also wanted to get across Puget Sound first to get relief from the adverse current along the Kitsap shore. We worked forward of the windward boats, got clear air, but also got a header that helped move us ahead of some of the boats in our class. We also started getting better wind. By the time we reached the Kitsap shore, we seemed to be in the lead, but one boat("Marayui", Benetau 36.7) crossed just ahead of us. The wind increased to about 11 knots and we short tacked along the beach and made distance against other boats that went farther offshore into the adverse current.

We rounded the mark ahead of "Marayui" in the lead. The course to the next mark at Schachet Head was a close reach. Many boats went high on the course. I resisted the urge to go high especially since the current at the next mark was flowing from right to left. If we would have stayed high, we would have had to take a slower route against the current to the mark.

Again, we rounded the second mark in the lead. We set the spinnaker and headed for the finish. I concentrated on sailing hotter angles and we jibed several times. We put distance on "Marayui" and held our own on "Elusive"(C&C115) and "Uno" (Sierra 26). "Elusive" is fast downwind and "Uno" is a real downwind flyer. Fortunately they rate the same as us and all we had to do was stay between them and the finish. We owed "Marayui" a little less than two minutes.

We finished first, "Uno" was second and "Elusive" third. "Marayui" finishe far enough back that the first three finishers corrected on them. One disappointment was that the committee did not give us a gunshot for finishing first in our class. They fired the gun for "Uno". They made a mistake.

This was probably the most exciting race for me this year. Our class consisted of closely rated boats and the closeness of the rating showed that. Once the sun came up, the weather was spectacular. We had great teamwork. Thanks to the crew of Jim, Kathleen, Michael and Dave.

I left at about 1700, righ after the awards ceremony and had a nice motor home in very calm conditions. Arrived back to my moorage at about 1900.

Total distance for the weekend: 50.7 NM.

Edit: The results are posted at
http://cycedmonds.org/ and it appears that "Marayui" actually placed 2nd and "Uno" was 3rd. We corrected ahead of "Marayui" by about 30 seconds.

The harbor filled with boats Saturday morning.
Some last minute work up the mast on "Dulcinea".

Some last minute work up the mast on "Dulcinea".

Light winds before the start.

Still light winds, but a couple classes started.

Our course for the day. We went clockwise.

As we crossed Puget Sound, we had a header right after the start and then a constant lift as we approached the Kitsap Shore. We then short tacked close to the beach on the Kitasp Shore(left side) to escape the flooding current. And tacked downwind to the finish on the right to keep our speed up.

Inclining the Schooner "Lavengro"

The Schooner "Lavengro" is a classic gaff-rigged Biloxi Schooner. The Biloxi Schooner fleet once sailed the Gulf of Mexico harvesting oysters and shrimp. "Lavengro" was built in 1927 and is operated by the Northwest Schooner Society (http://www.nwschooner.org/) which uses historic ships to teach people about the history and operation of a classic sailing ship. It has been designated as the official Kitsap County "Tall Ship". Info on "Lavengro" can be found here: http://www.schoonerlavengro.com/

Since "Lavengro" carries passengers, it has to be certified by the Coast Guard. One of the requirements is to prove the stability of the vessel. This is accomplished by performing a test called a Inclining Test. This is simply placing weight near the rail of the vessel and see how far it heels (or leans) over. Calculations are prepared in advance and the amount of weight used and the maximum amount of heel is known in advance. The test is to verify the validity of the calculations.

"Lavengro" moors at the Brownsville Marina(where I moor my boat) and the port personnel used their work boat to move the weights on and off the deck of "Lavengro". A large group of "Lavengro's" crew and volunteer were on hand to help. The Coast Guard was on hand to witness the test and the local newspaper had a reporter and photographer to document the proceedings( http://www.kitsapsun.com/ ). I was there to watch and get in the way!

Nearly 7000 pounds of iron ingots were first loaded on deck evenly split between port and starboard sides. This was to simulate the weight of a full load of crew, passengers and provisions. This was to establish a "load line" that would indicate a full load. The weight was then removed from the port side and placed on the starboard side. With the full weight on the starboard side, the criteria was that the deck/hull intersection could not be underwater. This was to represent the load of the wind with the full complement of sails set.

When it was all done, "Lavengro" passed all tests satisfactorily.

Schooner "Lavengro" 63 feet overall length, 48 feet long on deck, 44000 pounds, 1370 square feet of sail area.

Loading the first bags of iron ingots onto the starboard side.
With half of the weight on the starboard side, "Lavengro" being moved to the other side of the slip to load the other half of the weight on the port side.

Loading weight on the port side.

Back to the starboard side, the total weight of nearly 7000 pounds loaded on deck.

The maximum heel with all the weight (and two men) on the starboard side.

Maximum heel.

Maximum heel.

Unloading the weight.

With most of the weight removed, "Lavengro" sitting more upright.

The Fourth and Final September Six Pack Series Race. I Am Glad This One Is Done!

Tonight was the last race of the four race September Six-Pack series.

About an hour before I was ready to leave the house, a package arrived. My autopilot computer was finally back from the repair facility in New Hampshire. It had been acting up for several months. I performed diagnostic tests and determined that the fault was not in the compass. The tech at Raymarine confirmed that the problem was probably in the computer. So, in mid August I sent the unit to the repair facility. They repaired several circuits and installed the latest software.

I hurried down to the boat and reinstalled the computer and got underway to perform the calibration procedure. Once that was done, I headed to Port Orchard. The autopilot worked great, probably better than it ever has. It was nice to have it again during the delivery. It is illegal to race with it.

The race got underway in about 6 knots of wind out of the SE. I had a OK start just behind Tantrum II. I was able to go through there lee and pulled ahead. Rounded the first and set the spinnaker for the run north. About half way to the next mark the wind lightened and came ahead. Up went the jib and down came the spinnaker.

I worked through the two classes of boats that had started ahead of me. I got to the mark first and rounded it to port. I sailed about 50 yards toward the finish when the boat behind me informed me that I HAD ROUNDED THE MARK THE WRONG WAY! How stupid! I jibed around to reround the mark . Tantrum II, Falcon and Tantalus got past me before I rerounded. Those three boats stayed ahead of me and set spinnakers. I did not set a spinnaker, but reached up toward the left shore. I got some new wind and closed a lot on Tantalus, but could not pass them. Tantrum II won my class, Tantalus was second, I was third. Falcon was a division II boat and won their class and won overall. For the series, I won Division 1 and probably overall.

And with the race tonight, the summer evening series are over and we go back to weekend racing. The June and September Series were a lot of fun and a good chance to get out on the water. And now the rest of the story: I sailed all eight races alone. There should have been no way I could have won almost every race.

Oh, and the delivery home in the dark was great. Calm , warm and a huge full moon lighting the way!

Approaching the first mark.

Picture credits: Robert Hennessy

Rounding the first mark.

Photo Credits: Robert Hennessy

Six Pack Series-Race #3

Tonight was the third race of the Six Pack series in Port Orchard. Tonight I decided to eliminate confusion among my competitors by leaving my luck at home. I did not want luck confusing anyone.

The wind was light at around 5 knots at the start and it started raining hard. I had a good start on time about three boat lengths down the line from the boat end. We were being sent north to a radar target north of Retsil. I took a long starboard tack toward Bremerton. "Tantalus" and "Tantrum II" were to weather and pointing high and seemed to be getting a lift toward the right. I kept my speed up and pulled ahead some. My plan was to get far enough to the north to pick up the ebb flowing out of Port Washington Narrows. Sure enough, before I could tack and lay the mark, I detected on the GPS that the current was setting me right toward the mark. I soon was set to weather of "Tantalus" and "Tantrum II". As we neared the mark, the smell of the Retsil sewer plant became noticeable indicating a new breeze coming from that direction. I tacked twice to stay to the right side of the mark and in a lightening wind rounded the mark first where the committee boat shortened the race. Several boats went north of the mark and had quite a struggle to get up current to the mark.

I was first in class and first overall for the night. "Falcon" finished close behind me for first in class 2 and 2nd overall. Another fine evening although it rained hard the entire night. I collected my six packs of sodas(I don't drink beer) for the three races so far and headed home. The dark, rain and fog made it fun getting home. I was back to the dock at 2134 and home by 2206.

Since I left my "luck" home tonight, how do I explain my success? Maybe it was the symbiotic relationship between me and the boat where we are on the same path of going fast through the water...... Nah!!!

Light winds after the start. Left to right: Tantrum II, Tantalus and Swan.
Falcon off Annapolis. Retsil is toward the left.

Walk Around Downtown Bremerton

Today was kind of a rainy lazy day, so I put on a light raincoat and took a walk through downtown Bremerton. I started in Manette and walked over the Manette Bridge stopping to watch the construction on the new Manette Bridge. Then I walked around the boardwalk, parks and through the "artsy" district of downtown. When I worked, my lunch time walk was often around the same downtown route and I saw the progress of the parks and fountains while they were being built. Construction on the new Manette Bridge alongside the old bridge.

This is one of the foundations for the towers that will support the bridge. The bridge was closed to vehicle traffic so concrete could be poured in these pipes.

The "jumping fish" fountain. This seems to represent fish jumping upstream. It is usually pulsed and not continuous flow like in this picture.

The Boardwalk and Marina.
The fountains next to the Ferry Terminal. The designer made this fountain look like sails of a submarine lined up going to sea. It is hard to see, but the water shoots in the air every couple of minutes.

The Navy Museum. This is Building 50 from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and was the original administration building.

The sail from the USS Parche in front of the Navy Museum. And oops, the building where I used to work in the background.

The new water works/historical park between Pacific Ave and the shipyard fence. It includes the bow from the USS South Carolina. This was completed after I retired.

This sculpture was put up by the city in the in the "artsy" district. Seems that there was some leftover grant money from the construction of the tunnel and parks. This fish has a fishing rod and reel.

And this sculpture is on the opposite corner from the fish. And the fisherman has a lure in his mouth. Go figure!

Is it better to be good or lucky?

Tonight was the second sailboat race of the 4 race Six Pack series in Port Orchard. Like last week, we did not have a race committee. Again one boat sounded the starting signals. I had a great start on the left side, but did not hug the marina like I usually do. Because the wind was so skewed to the left, I thought I could work up on the boats to weather without overstanding the mark.

No sooner did the start happen when the wind shifted about 70 degrees to the right making starboard tack favored to the first mark. I tacked to starboard and found I could lay the mark. I got up to speed and was soon leading the fleet. The wind lifted more and soon I was close reaching to the first mark.

Now I had a dilemma. The spinnaker and pole was set up for a starboard set and the wind was now a direction which meant the pole needed to be on port. No problem, I tacked around the mark and set the spinnaker on the weather side of the jib and pulled it around the jib to the leeward side, set the pole and off we went!

The wind was quite far forward and puffy making control interesting. I did round up a few times. So, before I got too close to the leeward mark I headed down wind some to blanket the spinnaker and then we took down the spinnaker with a perfect letterbox takedown. Did not even get the sail wet.

The rest of the race was a close reach to the finish because of the unusual wind direction. I won my class, but one or more boats in the second class could have corrected on us. It is hard to save your time over smaller boats when the course is all reaching.

After the race I was talking to a friend. His normal ride did not show, so he got a ride on another boat in my class. He was telling me that the owner/skipper of the boat he sailed on was always making comments that my success in this race was all luck? LUCK?

So lets review the important parts:
1. The start-I stayed close to the line and was up to speed at the start. Luck or skill?

2. Picking up the wind shift at the start- everyone got the shift at the same time. Luck or skill?

3. Setting the spinnaker and getting it around the jib. Luck or skill?

4. Executing a great letterbox spinnaker takedown without getting the sail wet. Luck or skill?

Maybe the wind shift was the closest thing to being luck. Everything else was a well thought out maneuver.

So I guess if my success tonight was luck, then the following quote may be applicable:

"Luck is where opportunity meets preparation. "

I can accept that!

Green Mountain Mountain Bike Ride

I used to ride a lot on Green Mountain. Almost 40 years ago I rode motorcycles there and then more recently I rode mountain bikes up and down the mountain. But it has been several years since I have ridden there. After I moved to East Bremerton, there is just something about hauling the bicycle somewhere to go riding. Most of my off road riding has been in Illahee Preserve which has a lot of fun trails, but not much climbing and is only a mile and a half away.

So today, I found my Camelback hydration pack, cleaned and filled it and loaded the bicycle on the roof rack of the Bronco and headed to the Wildcat Trailhead. The Wildcat Trail seems to be my favorite. It is about 9.5 mile round trip to the summit and about 1100 ft of climbing. The day was great for a ride like this. The weather was cool and overcast and the ground wet, NO DUST! There was some water on the trail, but nothing you could drown in.

I started up the trail and realized how rusty I am. The rocky sections were probably no harder than they ever were, but it took me a while to get comfortable attacking the ridges and overhangs. One thing I noticed was how wide most of the trail was. When I started riding motorcycles there, all there was was motorcycles. Now Quads have become popular and they need a wider trail. Also, there has been a lot of trail maintenance and a lot of logs placed across the trail for erosion control. These gave me fits on some climbs when I could not get enough momentum to clear them.

I made it to the summit without a lot of walking. After a short rest, I started down. By now, I felt more comfortable and rolled attacked the downhill sections. I also felt better on some of the uphill sections and was able to clean some technical parts.

It was fun and I really need to get out and visit some other areas like Newberry Park, Banner Forrest and Port Gamble. The Kitsap Mountain Biking Club ( http://www.kitsapmtb.com/ ) has been working on a lot of new trail systems.

I feel like a kid again!

The Wildcat Trailhead.
The summit of Green Mountain.

Looking toward Bremerton.