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200 miles - 2 ocean races - 4 days + photos!

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/07/2008 : 14:08:05

Hi, Joe (Sloopsmitten) and I are back from our sailing marathon.

Bottom line results - we finished all races and were not the last boat in:

San Diego - Ensenada PHRF Class 5 - 8th place out of 8
San Diego - Ensenada Double Handed Division 3rd out of 3
Regatta de los Todos Santos - 11th out of 16

Completing a 17 hour day yesterday: 75 miles to weather, Ensenada to San Diego, clearing customs, and then San Diego to Mission Bay on the inside route at night during lobster season - PRICELESS.

Story (photos will be posted later)

After weeks of work, planning, and preparation Indiscipline left for San Diego at 8 AM Friday with Joe and I on board. Weather forecast was NW 10 to 15 going SW after midnight. Basically a PERFECT forecast. We never saw any of that.

The 11:20 AM start was very light wind, upwind. We close reached outside towards the Coronado islands. Our game plan was to run offshore about 10 miles, then head for Islas de los Todos Santos. Hold that course until Ensenada was abeam, then turn in. Light or no wind was expected within 5 miles of shore in the wee morning hours.

We were running well with all the Class 5 boats rated PHRF 150 and above. We were the smallest and slowest entry. We sheeted the 155 in on my inner jib tracks, sheeting the genny inside the lifelines, and discovered a significant increase in pointing.

The morning SW winds started to go W and we cracked off and soon were rolling in the lee of South Coronado Island. Perhaps we ran out too far. About this time we lost sight of almost all boats. Only a few slower boats in the cruising class were in sight. About 3 PM we went up with the spinnaker.

Speeds were good once we were out of the lee of the island. We were averaging over 5 knots. As sunset came on we were about 6 miles offshore (we planned to be 10) and the winds were very strong with seas about 5 or 6 feet. Steep, lumpy, whitecaps, and rounding up under spin in the big gusts. We had a wrap on the forestay. There was too much wind and it was getting dark. I went on the bow to get it unwound, and it eventually blew the wrap out. We decided to get it down and go up with the 135 jib. I can pole out the 135 with the spin pole but I don't have a whisker pole for the 155. Besides, winds were W or NW at 15 to 20 knots. While I was bagging the spinnaker, bagging the 155 and going up with the 135 during twilight, the vast majority of the 155 went overboard and I dragged it up and stuffed it in the bag sopping wet.

By the time this was done, it was dark. I had on my light foulies, sweathirt, lifejacket/harness with strobe. Joe was helming and was also fully equipped. It was cold and very damp and I was drenched with sweat. The winds went lighter and lighter. We did pole out the jib, but the winds went forward in the gusts, and aft in the lulls. Eventually we had light N to NE winds about 2 to 3 knots. We soon got the pole back down.

In these conditions we endlessly debated putting up the 155, putting up the reaching spinnaker, or having another beer. Eventually we did nothing. It was also too challenging to eat the dinner my wife had prepared. I took a nap from about midnight to 2 AM and Joe worked us to within 5 miles of the finish. At times we were in a puff running 5 knots. Then it would be down to 1. We worked every shift the best we could and searched and searched the lights of Ensenada for the flashing yellow strob marking the committee boat.

Eventually we drifted across at 3:48 AM pretty sure we were the last boat in.

More to come after lunch ....

Indiscipline 1978 FK SR #398

Edited by - JimB517 on 10/11/2008 13:24:19

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/07/2008 : 15:37:26

Saturday was a day of much sleeping, going to the after-race party, not winning anything at the raffle, no prizes, eating great Mexican food, and then sitting up in the cockpit of Indiscipline drinking rum until it started to rain.

Sunday was the Regatta de los Todos Santos. This is put on by the local Mexican yacht club. 16 boats were entered, about 1/2 were local boats. Some of these were quite well equipped and everything afloat was entered from a Hobie cat, an Etchells, a Westsail 28, and large wood "ancient mariners". We also had keen competition on a local Cat 27 with old but servicable laminate sails and a large spinnaker.

These islands are offshore in the Bahia de los Todos Santos (the bay of Ensenada) and the course is about 16 miles. You have to leave the islands to port, the northern island first.

There was only 1 start so for the first time ever Indiscipline was directly starting and going head-to-head with some of the finest San Diego race boats. Needless to say I settled for a clean start in good air at the favored end in the 2nd row of boats - about 2 minutes late.

We tacked out on starboard for 3 miles in winds about 12 knots. It was blowing medium and I had decided to be conservative so we were flying the 135 and planning to use my new #2 reaching spinnaker. After 3 miles we tacked and headed north, waiting until North Island was well past our beam. Eventually we tacked back for the island, now nearly rounding up in strong winds, no waves, and perfect conditions.

As we neared the island winds went light and lifted. We cracked off some. We were passed by 2 or 3 local boats at this time. I wished we had the 155 up but there is no way to do a peel without costing a lot of time. The spinnaker leg was just ahead.

We got spin up on the back side of the island with some excitement. We had the sail wrapped wrong way through the pulpit, thankfully the winds were light and I was able to hold on to the clew with one hand while untangling. Soon we were bobbling along and passed one of the boats again. The C27 was still well out ahead.

After passing south island we gybed the chute and hardened up for the finish about 6 miles away. We were soon on a close reach and I hardened up the spin for a reach (pole down, twinger on). The new spin is very small - about 3/4 size. But it lets me get it real tight for a reach plus can stand up to a lot more wind.

Joe helmed, I trimmed and we were able to lay the finish line - beating about 5 boats scratch and correcting out to 7th. The Cat 27 was well behind us.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/07/2008 : 15:44:39

Link to results.

http://www.ssop.org/RaceCommittee/Results2008/Ensenada-2008.HTM

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/07/2008 : 23:54:35

Jim & Joe: What an experience! You did yourselves proud! I'll bet no crew worked harder or got more out of their boat. As I said before, the smallest boat has the least sail up high in very light air, and the least momentum and stability in heavy stuff, so PHRF is dubious for you in open ocean racing. But you were out there with DC and the rest. Congratulations and thanks for the narrative!

Also, I see you beat Hakuna Matada, a C-30, to the finish, missing the "last in" trophy by a wide margin! A chance for recognition passed up!

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 10/08/2008 00:03:51

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/08/2008 : 12:59:22

I didn't really enter to win. Yes I tried my best to be first. And I hoped I'd do well in the double handed division. I did talk to the yacht club leaders about a single handed division some time.

Someone asked me at the party why I did it, what I got out of it. Good question (obviously they are thinking why enter - you can't possibly win).

(1) I enjoy the preparation and planning. I get the boat in tip top shape.
(2) I have a great deal of excitement leading up to the event
(3) I get a great sense of adventure
(4) Putting myself in situations I would not normally be in makes me a better sailor (ie. getting spinnaker down and changing headsails at night in big winds and seas)
(5) I think I am learning alot about night time light air sailing

I found myself lacking in several areas. Its very hard to gybe out to sea at night 60 miles downwind from home. I had a hard time talking myself into going forward in the light wind and changing headsails again around midnight.

Its very important to earn the respect of local sailors/racers. And not just earn their respect because I can write a big check for a mylar headsail on a 40 foot boat - I can't. I want them to say - Jim, he's a good sailor. I need to get just a little more speed out of Indiscipline for that!

My life is not all about chasing $$$ and my racing is not all about winning. I told the person asking the question "I'd rather be last on my own boat than grinding winches on the first place boat for some A Hole."

Edited by - JimB517 on 10/08/2008 13:02:48

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/11/2008 : 13:25:22

Photos added

Click here to see more:

http://www.indiscipline.org/cat25/lens08.html

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 10/12/2008 : 10:16:46

Great photos Jim... you live in a nearly perfect sailing venue. You have a couple thousand square miles of beautiful ocean and coastline to choose from.

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Keith D.
Navigator

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USA
233 Posts

Response Posted - 10/13/2008 : 11:29:17

Jim Good meeting you at both the Ensenada awards ceremony and the Todos Santos party. Our paths have crossed several times but we had never met. We only picked up a 6th in the Ensenada race on the Catalina 36 this year our worst showing in many years. We decided to enter the race with the original dacron furling jib that came with the boat under the assumption that we would not use it. It gives us a better PHRF than the non-furling mylar jib. The race is usually a run the entire way but not this year. So we were stuck with that old jib, tassels hanging off of all edges, for the first three hours. We finally got the spinnaker up but after about an hour it blew out. First just a small rip which got big fast. We had to get it down fast and were back to the old jib. We had an asymmetrical which we then went to which got us in the bay. At 9:45 right on cue the wind died. The last five miles took us forever. At times we had no steerage and were even going backwards. Frustrating! The Todos Santos race we did better. We managed to pick up a third, so we did bring home some hardware. There were a couple of very fast boats that we didnâ€™t have a chance against even though they had a minus 51 PHRF. With the good wind we had for the race that day that is the best we could ever hope for against the big sleds. We did use the mylar jib for that race but still only had the asymmetrical. Over all a good couple of days sailing.

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