Association Forum - New Years Day Race! + Photos!

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

New Years Day Race! + Photos!

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

Page: of 2

JimB517
Past Commodore

Member Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/30/2008 : 11:40:13

Hi, after 7 inches of rain in 2 weeks I'm happy to say winter is over here in San Diego. We are looking at 70 degrees, light winds, and calm seas tomorrow for my delivery over to San Diego Bay. I'll be anchored out, then picking up my crew for my 4th annual NYD Race. There are now 13 boats in my spinnaker class including a Capri 25, some smaller boats and some well raced Catalina 30s, all the way up to a Catalina 40.

Click here to see the online entries.

http://www.sdyc.org/raceinfo/races09/newYears/index.htm

Race day its going to be cold when I get up, but the day should be near 70 with winds 4 to 6.

This is a fun race only, no prizes, no after race party. Its kicking off our new season.

Photos, race narrative, and more to come, wish me luck.

Indiscipline 1978 FK SR #398

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2008 : 13:06:18

Luck!

Quite a fleet--from a Windrider to Dennis Conner's Farr 60 Stars & Stripes, plus another Stars & Stripes (the real one). That'll be a show!

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 12/30/2008 13:10:15

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2008 : 15:20:15

Yes, plus the new Flying Tiger 7.5.

I will be using my new mylar/laminate jibs for the first time in competition. They are used, from a Merit 25. They are just a little small. I have a 145% and a 125%, with this weather I expect to be flying the bigger one.

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3072 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2008 : 16:34:23

"should be near 70"

Grrrrr.... Planning on taking the boat up to SF in June?

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3321 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2008 : 17:21:52

Pray for light winds Jim and you'll beat all the bigger Catalinas. Don't know about the Capri though...
Good luck!

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

Members Avatar

USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2008 : 19:45:03

Good luck Jim, do us proud!

Sail back safely!

Paul

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2008 : 21:42:37

In very light air, might you do better with your Dacron 155 than the laminates?

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3321 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2008 : 23:14:28

Good point Dave. I never run my laminate 155 in any wind less than 10k - the dacron, being lighter, is definitely faster.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 12/31/2008 : 12:02:17

There are now 17 boats in my class.

Yes, I've been thinking about the dacron. It is a 155%, deck sweeper, and in pretty good condition.

My laminate is a 145% and clears the lifelines. I am giving up a lot of area if I use it.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 12/31/2008 : 13:10:09

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JimB517
 My laminate is a 145% and clears the lifelines. I am giving up a lot of area if I use it.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">...and probably some of the shape you want in light air, due to the weight and characteristics of the fabric.

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3321 Posts

Response Posted - 12/31/2008 : 17:50:34

Use the 155% Jim - you will be glad of the extra sail area.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 01/01/2009 : 23:36:56

So, how did the race go today, Jim?

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2009 : 12:17:02

Hi, I am back from the race trip. We got a solid last place, 17th, beating only 2 boats that were DNS (among them the Capri 25). It was fun, it was quite windy. I flew my 145% laminar sail - we were just overpowered in the gusts. I never got the spin up, nor did anyone I could see in our class.

Here are the results http://www.sdyc.org/raceinfo/results09/newyears_times_res.htmYou'll find me down there in class 6.

Here's the whole story.

I left my slip Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 PM and had a nice sail into San Diego. It was windy - about 10 knots - and its been very foggy. I could see the fog offshore and wanted to make sure I got anchored before getting fogged in. I was anchored in La Playa cove by 5:30. It was cold, dark, and wet. About 8 PM a junkyard Catalina 27 came in and anchored about 50 feet from me, lit up a lawnmower type generator, and ran it until 1 AM. They also had a terrible drunken fight that resulted in 2 police boats responding.

I lit my oil lamp, cooked dinner, drank coffee and tried to stay warm. By midnight it was so foggy I could not see the bow. This warmed things up. I was up about 7 AM and things were so wet it looked like the boat got hosed down. I made coffee and now could see that the junkyard Catalina 27 was one of those boats the locals call a "bouncer". Meaning it is occupied by homeless bums who "bounce" around all the 72 hour limit anchorages while towing 3 dinghys, 2 kakaks, potted plants on the deck, and all the junk you could carry piled on deck. There was a woman, her young daughter, and a little dog on board. No sign of the man that was doing all the muderous yelling (the police could not find him either and the woman denied his existence to them). I got up anchor and left ASAP.

It was still really foggy - about 1/4 mile visibility. There was wind, already blowing about 10. By 10 AM I was tied up to the guest dock awaiting my crew and getting the boat ready to race. They came about 10:30 as planned. By then the fog and the wind were gone. We went out to the race area and motored around watching all the boats arrive. The first start was noon and they didn't post the courses until 11:55. There were lots of boats and I was just too busy to take photos.

Soon it was our start. The committee boat end was favored as was the port tack. I was on the committee boat end, leeward of the mass of boats, on starboard and barely laid the pin. I was a tad bit intimidated by 17 boats plus boats up to 40 feet in the class. I was 1 minute late in clean air and good speed. It was windy and there was an ebb taking you over the line. Many of the boats tacked to port right away but I held on for awhile.

We were in a 7 mile triangle course. The first mark was 1 mile upwind, we tacked and tacked and rounded alone. The 2nd mark was only 200 yards downwind from #1. Then the long run to the east, we actually had the winds just forward of the beam. By now we were almost out of sight of most boats in our class but none of them were up spin. We watched the wind go aft and finally were in a position to fly but by then we had only 1/2 mile to go. Eventually the wind went full aft and light, we made broad gybes for the mark. This is what cost us as we spent about 10 minutes in this hole.

We rounded the downwind mark and began the 2 mile beat back to the west. We were not quite 100% hard on the wind. By this time it was blowing and I tightened outhaul, backstay, moved jib blocks back and got crew on the rail. We went to my inboard jib track. We were moving well, with the ebb we were consistently over 6 knots. With all of us on the rail I had to travel down a little and dump the main a little in the biggest gusts. We were in all kinds of traffic as the J105s and other bigger boats that sailed a 10 mile course were finishing with us.

We finished and cleared the finish area at 1:52 PM. There was strong winds and we sailed back to the guest dock. We had averaged 4.5 knots over the course and I feel we sailed well. Its just that there were no boats in our class slower than 198 and most around 150. These were not conditions that favored us plus we wasted time in that hole.

I dropped crew off, bagged the 145, and hanked on my 110 for the run home. It was windy, cold and the fog bank was just offshore. I left the guest dock around 3 PM for the 4 hour passage. Sailing out of the bay was a dream. The boat sails so well in a breeze with the 110. We were well balanced and with a 2 knot ebb I saw speeds in the 7s. I got into my full foulies, ate a sandwitch and had a beer as I left the bay. 4 miles out rounded SD1 buoy and I tacked for Mission Bay right about sunset. The wind was right on the nose, seas about 2 feet, and, although I was clear of the Pt Loma kelp beds the tack was taking me right back into them. The other tack took me to Japan. In frustration I dropped the 110, lit the motor and started motorsailing. I hate to do this with good wind but I wanted to get home before the fog.

After the last night voyage I travelled down in the day and set waypoints and made a route on the GPS that misses all the kelp, lobster traps, and steers me back to Mission Bay. This made the trip easy. I made coffee, lit the oil lamp, and enjoyed the ride home. I was warm in my foulies, watch cap, and gloves but my feet were cold. I am going to find some boots before the next race Jan. 24.

I got back to the slip about 6:30 PM without incident, tired, hungry and ahead of the fog. I was home by 8:30.

My GPS now reads 1750 miles total since March 11, 2008.

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

2402 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2009 : 14:20:15

I have a personal rule, any time the committee boat is still on station when I finish I have sailed a good race.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2009 : 14:27:56

Thanks for the story! It's kinda fun that you had a Star in your class--quite a range of boats! I see Dennis Conner beat his old AC boat, both to the line and on corrected time. It also looks like a Hobie 16 outran everything on the course, including all of the A-cats!

As for the return, how is it that wherever you really want to go (as expeditiously as possible), the wind is on the nose?

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 01/02/2009 14:53:52

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2009 : 23:10:40

After sitting with this all day I really feel dissapointed and frustrated. This year (2009) PHRF San Diego has made my class handicaps of 136 and up. At 228 I am so old and slow it is hardly worth it. I have been in several PHRF events last year (Around the Coronados, San Diego - Ensenada) and been dead last in all. Nobody is racing a boat over 200. There is a non spin class at 175 and up but I enjoy flying the spinnaker and it is surprising to me but our most competitive point of sail in the C25 is downwind.

I am more competitive and have more fun in the local all Catalina fleet.

I do have fun and I like being out there. I would rather be dead last on my own boat then crewing for someone.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2009 : 23:25:25

Da Woody got a nice photo of Indiscipline.

another

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2009 : 23:38:38

last photos on the run to the finish.

What is interesting about this shot is you can see we are right at hull speed with a wave equal to our length

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2009 : 23:44:23

PHOTOS By: DA-WOODY.COM / Dennis St.Onge http://www.da-woody.com/

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2009 : 23:53:45

How about that tri-radial laminate jib? Price was right, I got 3 for $0. Thanks to a fellow member Keith, owner of a C 250 racing on a Merit 25.

Compare that to my 3 oz dacron 155

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 01/03/2009 : 01:14:44

Quote:"I made coffee and now could see that the junkyard Catalina 27 was one of those boats the locals call a "bouncer". Meaning it is occupied by homeless bums who "bounce" around all the 72 hour limit anchorages while towing 3 dinghys, 2 kakaks, potted plants on the deck, and all the junk you could carry piled on deck. There was a woman, her young daughter, and a little dog on board. "

NICE! I can't wait until the homeless get all of the SeaRays et al and covert them into floating mobile homes. Now that I have actually seen a vessel constructed of basically a motor vessel with Franks trailer mounted on top and Franks cat used as flooring for the aft floating deck, I'm hoping Madock gets sentenced to live in one. Would save tax dollars. I digress...

Jim, I don't think the C25 was ever designed to win a race even with the most qualified skipper and even with good gear. OK, maybe once upon a time, but now you are definitely outgunned I am guessing. I admire you for doing it. I've declined to race so many seasons that it was kinda embarrassing, but I always looked at my C25 as more of a cruiser than a racer, besides, I would have had to leave half a ton of crap at the dock!

Thanks for the great read and pics!

sten

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
5895 Posts

Response Posted - 01/03/2009 : 05:49:00

Jim, I think the problem is that you're racing Indiscipline in distance races, and the C25 is too small and slow to race competitively in that type of race. Race committees that run that type of race intentionally establish handicaps that make small boats uncompetitive, because they believe small boats can't keep up with the bigger, faster boats, and race committees will have to sit on station much longer, to wait for the small boats to finish. Also, I think they're concerned that small boats are more prone to get in trouble in bad weather, and they don't want to see anyone get hurt.

The C25 isn't too small or too slow to race, if you race it in shorter, more local, around-the-buoys racing. By comparison, it's faster than the C27, and C27 racing is very popular and competitive in many places. Nevertheless, the C25 is usually rated slower than the C27, so, if you race it in around-the-buoys PHRF races, you'll have a rating advantage over any C27s that are racing.

It's fun to race in distance races, but it's frustrating to be uncompetitively rated.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/03/2009 : 11:48:21

This was a 7 mile round the buoys race!

One thing, I am on the waiting list to move to San Diego Bay. If I move the boat over there, I won't have to do an overnight cruise just to get to the starting line. So I can take off a lot of weight. No anchor + 50 feet of 5/16 chain, no tools, no spare parts, no pots and pans, no unecessary food and drink. I can even race with my 28 lb 3 HP outboard. Carry 1 gallon of gas instead of 5 plus a reserve.

On the other hand I love Mission Bay so much, its $100/month cheaper, and much closer to my home and office. 200 days per year I prefer to be in MB. On 10 or 15 I wish I was in SD.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 01/03/2009 : 16:34:19

200 vs. 10-15? It sounds like you ought to stay in M.B. and crew for someone in S.D. Save and invest the unused $1,200/yr rent.
After only a few years, that gets to be some real money.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 01/03/2009 : 23:13:49

One word: C-30.

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2009 : 11:19:51

ONE LONG LINK! C&C 30! 6K!

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1978/C-%26-C-Mega--Fast-Fast-Cruiser-One-Of-A-Kind---Just-Reduced-%21-%21-%21-1903267/Marina-del-Rey/CA/United-States

Sten

DPO Zephyr - '82 C25, FK, SR
SV Lysistrata - C&C 39 - on the hard - temporary timeout in Portland OR to care for mom

Edited by - on

Page: of 2

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.