Queenstown Race Weekend, or "Why you need cash even for a weekend anchored out"

As Tim Williams noted in an earlier post, we had good winds of 15 knots or better for this year's PSA Race to Queenstown.  I learned a lesson the previous week when I did not reef the mainsail during the Oxford Race in similarly strong winds.  This time we put the reef in on Skybird before turning upwind at the Chester River nun buoy, only to have a jib car fail during our second tack.  While trimming in the genoa we heard a loud bang and I saw the jib sheet running directly from the clew to the winch.  Not good.  Examining the pieces later it looked like the delrin sheave cracked and broke.  This loaded up the bolt attaching the jib block to the car, promptly snapping the bolt.  Luckily nobody was hurt, and after tacking back and putting a snatch block on the rail we were able to complete the race.  Whew!  After getting through something like that what else could go wrong....

Sunday morning came with winds from the north, not quite as strong as the day before but still good racing weather.  On the way out to the start I got careless, trying to do a bunch of little things to prepare for the race while driving, and I ran Skybird aground.  Hard.  We revved the engine, tried heeling the boat and using the sails, all to no avail.  Tim brought LinGin as close as he dared, took a line and tried to pull our bow around with all his engine's might.  After numerous attempts that only succeeded in ripping apart one of my bow chocks (oh yeah, that was the chock with the crack in it - really should have used the other one - sorry Tim, not your fault), LinGin had depart in order to reach the starting area in time for the race.

Eventually one of the workboats from the previous night's party, Dipping Time, came by and offered their assistance.  While they helped us we heard a call for us on the radio.  Apparently after leaving us LinGin went to assist another Alberg that had grounded (due to engine trouble I think), and since we were the last start the PSA race committee decided to hold the start until the Albergs were ready.  I had not seen a race committee hold a start in a multi-class regatta for a couple of late boats, but I am most grateful, as is the rest of the Alberg 30 class. 

To get Skybird off the mud the two-man crew on Dipping Time went above and beyond the call of duty.  Between when LinGin left and Dipping Time came upon us we had tried just about everything, including tossing an anchor off to the side to try and pull the bow around.  Nothing worked.  As our anchor rode was our longest line, Dipping Time pulled up our anchor (a difficult task in itself) and  used the anchor rode to try and pull us off.  After about a half hour they finally got Skybird's bow to turn and pulled us back into the channel.  Free at last!  I just had to give the Dipping Time crew something in appreciation.  Unfortunately I had very little cash in my wallet.  After all, we had just spent the night anchored out. Why would I need cash?  After taking up a quick collection I handed the Dipping Time crew what we came up with as they returned our anchor.  Given all they did for us it wasn't nearly enough.

Finally all the Albergs reached the starting area and the race was started.  LinGin had to recover from being over the line early but had rejoined the leaders by the first mark.  After rounding, Argo worked far up to north side of the river while LinGin stayed on a more westerly tack.  By the time the fleet  approached Love Point Argo's move had paid off.  They held a huge lead and just loosely covered LinGin and the rest of us while cruising to an easy win.  On Skybird we shook out the reef and tried playing shifts and avoiding foul current to get back in the game and somehow managed to reach the Chester River nun buoy "2" in third.  We closed on LinGin while crossing the bay but couldn't catch them.  Argo had such a lead that I never saw them finish.

Congratulations to Argo for a commanding win and thanks to the PSA Race Committee for holding the start for us.  Most of all, thank you Dipping Time.  If not for you Skybird might still be at Queenstown.

Great Finish to Annapolis WNR Season

Holy cow!  Has it really been a whole month since AYC Wednesday Night Races have wrapped up?  I really need to write these sooner....

The wind was very light as Skybird loitered near the starting area for the final Wednesday Night Race.  LinGin, Second-2-Nun, and most of the others Albergs looked to be trying for a pin-end start so I came down the line from the boat end, hoping just to have clean air with which I could build speed (OK, momentum - these are Albergs after all).  One smaller boat seemed to be heading right for me on port.  I called "starboard" but this J/22 still came on and tacked directly in front of us as the gun sounded.  I had to luff up sharply, then as we slowed I turned down to keep moving in the light winds, all the while thinking "Really?!?  What are you doing here?  Wasn't your start 10 minutes ago?!?"  I'm still shocked I didn't hit their stern.  Finally they tacked away.  Asylum looked like she had a clean start at speed between us and the pin while the other Albergs were in a crowd at the pin end. 

After tacking we worked up the right side of the course.  Asylum tacked but looked to be short of the mark so we stuck it out a bit longer.  Extra tacks seemed like a bad idea in these light winds.  As the wind faded further I feared being left behind in a hole, and when we also hit a header it was time to tack back. 

Heading back to the mark we encountered a huge wind shift that eventually lifted us all the way up to the mark and left Asylum over-stood.  I had long since lost track of the other Albergs, but somehow it looked like we would be first to the windward mark.  Just to make things more fun, on our final approach a PHRF boat tacked below us then pointed up to make the mark.  We were ahead but just couldn't break the overlap in time.  Having already prepared for a gybe set, the mark rounding seemed to last forever as we waited for the PHRF boat inside us to turn downwind before gybing.  When we finally gybed there was Asylum, sailing right past our stern at speed and about to hoist her spinnaker.  As I looked back I saw at least two other Albergs beyond Asylum hoisting, so  it was still anyone's race.

The downwind leg was a drag race to the nun buoy, with Skybird and Asylum a couple of lengths apart.  As the little puffs came and went we would pull away a bit, only to get reeled back in by Asylum.  My sheet trimmer Laura and guy trimmer Jim did a great job getting the most our of our chute and we managed to hold them off, the RC finishing us at the nun just four seconds ahead of Asylum.  Second-2-Nun and Laughing Gull both finished less than a minute later, followed by LinGin and Argo.

During the run Tim Adelman was able to take some great pictures as Asylum fought us all the way to the finish line.

Well done to all those who participated in the Annapolis Yacht Club Wednesday Night Races.  Here are the final series results.

2012 AYC Wednesday Night Race Results
Place	Series I			Series II			Series III
	Boat	Skipper	Pts	Boat	Skipper	Pts	Boat	Skipper	Pts
1	LinGin (244)	Tim Williams	4	LinGin (244)	Tim Williams	4	Skybird (550)	Mike Nikolich	7
2	Argo (247)	TC Williams	9	Argo (247)	TC Williams	8	LinGin (244)	Tim Williams	9
3	Skybird (550)	Mike Nikolich	9	Skybird (550)	Mike Nikolich	10	Asylum (308)	Allan Adelman	13
4	Second-2-Nun (484)	Harry Gamber	13	Second-2-Nun (484)	Harry Gamber	15	Laughing Gull (197)	Jonathan Adams	14
5	Laughing Gull (197)	Jonathan Adams	14	Laughing Gull (197)	Jonathan Adams	18	Second-2-Nun (484)	Harry Gamber	14
6	Asylum (308)	Allan Adelman	17	Asylum (308)	Allan Adelman	19	Argo (247)	TC Williams	16

At their awards ceremony AYC graciously awarded trophies down to fourth place, so I have a few glasses I need to pass along to their rightful owners....

Queenstown Races

We had a great race this weekend with 7 Albergs participating in the race to Queenstown and back.  I did a short write up on my blog for those interested.

http://lingin244.blogspot.com/2012/09/south-winds-and-fair-skies-race-to.html

http://lingin244.blogspot.com/2012/09/queenstown-race-back.html

--Tim
LinGin#244

A youngster's view of a Wednesday Night Race

Here's a interesting insight into the July 25th Wednesday Night Race aboard Laughing Gull from a youngster's perspective:

LinGin Recaps 73rd Annual PSA Overnight Regatta

For those interested, we had a great race this past weekend.  Five Albergs participated in a beautiful night of sailing.  I did a write up on my blog for those interested.

http://lingin244.blogspot.com/2012/06/lingin-takes-1st-in-73rd-annual-psa.html

Happy sailing!

--Tim

2012 WNR Series 1 Race 3 [LinGin]

It was grey, high chance of rain, with likely thunderstorms. Light winds were promised for the evening, except "wind and waves higher in thunderstorms".

With Tim on work travel, crew was TimP, Garrett, and Brian. We made it to the start with enough time but not a lot of time. (We don't know how to act when we have a lot of time.) We got the new D1 course with four other Albergs: Argo, Asylum, Second-to-Nun, and Skybird.

We started comfortably on starboard at the boat end, which I fervently hoped was favored, with Asylum to leeward. Skybird got a good start, closer to the line, on port but tacked over close in front of us just after the gun. I think Argo started toward the pin. Winds were South at about 5kts.

The wind was light but steady for the beat to drop mark A. We got lifted slightly nearing the mark and did well on the fleet, including a close pass with Argo on port which forced them to duck right at the mark. I think they might have crossed cleanly but with light wind and short crew, TC opted for the safe option. We rounded in first and rolled into a bearaway set followed by a quick gybe. On the rhumbline to G5 we had clear air with Argo setting up shop slightly higher and 6-8 lengths back. After rounding G5 we found a boat slower than the Albergs. Unfortunately they were too far away, and the leg too short, to get above them but close enough to spoil our air and hold us back. Argo closed the gap a bit.

Rounding the red nun and dousing the spinnaker I did a poor job getting on course and we were slow. Argo rounded cleanly with good momentum and rolled over us while we trundled back up to speed. By this time the breeze had gone all shifty and I played catch-up trying to find a groove. Argo moved into a 3-4 length lead on our tack while Skybird split with us after rounding the nun. The breeze got shiftier and puffier and we gained some on Argo's double-handed crew. Halfway to the Academy seawall Argo tacked and we ducked them to continue on port. Further out Skybird was looking good, having crossed Argo and I think leading the race at that point. Getting closer to the wall we started to see big puffs swirling around, mostly coming out of the harbor, and generally increasing breeze. (This worked in our favor. Though we didn't know it then, the wind was busily changing its colors from S at 5kts to NW at 18kts.)

We tacked to starboard at the wall and soon converged with Skybird on port. They were slightly ahead before tacking back to starboard a length below us. We had just gotten back up to speed when the really big gusts came with gusto and the right shift showed itself in earnest. Within sixty seconds it shifted so far right that we were now reaching straight at the finish. With Garrett on the main and Brian, who happened to be on the jib at the moment, working hard to follow the 30 degree shifts and 15kt gusts we blasted through the harbor dodging a bit of moored traffic with Skybird close astern and Argo close to them.

We took the gun nine seconds ahead of Skybird, after only 50 minutes racing!

That's the quickest WNR I can remember. And we all finished within minutes of each other; thirty seconds separated 1st and 3rd.
Full results here.

We quickly dropped the jib and motored out of the fray. A few minutes later we also dropped the main and motored home in light rain, increasing wind and 23kt gusts.

Fun times!