Lessons from the Race Course
by Paul Murphy
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n response to reader requests for specific ideas on sailing in various conditions in specific areas of the Bay, we’ve asked longtime Annapolis sailor Paul Murphy to provide us some feedback from the race course at the Annapolis NOOD Regatta…
Racing Between R2 and Tolly Point in a Mild Southeast Seabreeze
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et’s focus on how to unravel or at least manage racing in conditions we often encounter: the mild five- to 12-knot southeast seabreeze. This article is not about how to win; it is about increasing your success ratio on sailing the first beat to rounding the leeward gate. Sailing in any mild seabreeze is challenging due to oscillating shifts and their fields of pressure inside of a filling breeze. The Chesapeake Bay makes it more of a challenge because of our tides. The three-day NOOD was sailed in a “slack and going ebb” situation. (Sunday’s race was the only unstable one, so I’ll focus on Friday and Saturday.) The top boats did a good job of balancing going right early in the ebb (to catch the building southbound tide) and later in the day, once the ebb filled across the course, of going left, for more breeze and stronger current on the beats. Sailing in eight knots instead of seven makes a big difference. In the early part of Friday and Saturday Jack Biddle on the J/105 Rum Puppy, being the good venture capitalist that he is, successfully bought in early, hitting the right hard. Biddle felt he was catching more southbound tide and found a tick more breeze near the right lay-line. At first glance this contradicts my “more breeze on the left,” but what it really says is, “in light air, avoid the middle” or “win your side.” Peter and Margaret McChesney also had success on the right, several times ducking boats on port simply to clear their air. They then had about eight minutes to find a good righty, tack and they were solidly in the top five.
70 June 2010 SpinSheet
Why and When the Right Is Favored
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hree things to remember: first, the current changes first near shore. Next, it’s true that the majority of the fleet is pinching to hold a lane, so make a quick tack onto port for clear air. Third, you might find a right shift—the closer to shore, the more likely. Think of current lines as mini time zones. You can be separated by distance and yet have the same water (or time). On a typical day there may be two or three significant current lines within our laylines. In a mild current, each line could be a tenth to a quarter knot difference Most of our southerlies are less than 12 knots, so it’s easy to see the upwelling that develops along current lines. These boundary layers meander north to south, and you’ll see sea grass, trash, feeding birds, and fishing boats. When it is windy, it’s more difficult to detect current differences. Once you cross into the favorable sector (left or right), it’s an interesting game in keeping clear air/lane and not being tacked on. If you’re not in the top four boats, then maybe “going against the grain,” but staying in the current band can create nice weather mark opportunities. ••Sail to weather shores, sail away from leeward shores. ••Tides tend to first switch in shallower water; run longer in the deeper water ••Sail fast, give it time, and if you’re lucky, you’ll find a nice header/puff so you can tack and cross most of the pack.
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Downwind
ven though the water was ebbing, the east side of the course (starboard gybe) solidly paid off. I estimate that for 11 of the 14 runs on Friday and Saturday, it paid to stay on starboard until within two to four minutes of port lay-line. The reason the east generally pays is that there is less wind as we sail toward Annapolis. Staying on starboard gybe keeps us in that extra knot or two of breeze. While it may be a bit nerve-wracking to dig into a corner, those who gybed to port were “losing mainsail” (not progressing as quickly toward the mark). The overly organized crews use a hand-bearing compass to determine how close they are to the lay-line. There is a simpler way: if you’re sailing at the proper wind angle (best indicated by proper spinsheet pressure), your gybe angle is where the tail of your masthead fly is pointed.
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Leeward Gates
enerally digging so deep into a corner limits your options, but if it’s later in the ebb, it’s not windy, and you feel the east side is favored, then it’s important to round the east gate. On the second beat, you’re headed to the favored side, without needing to tack, and you’re avoiding the choppy water/air in the center of the course. In a mild seabreeze, if you can get around the favored leeward gate in good shape, the remainder of the race shouldn’t be too difficult. Find more of Paul’s race tips in summer issues of SpinSheet. paul@annapolisinsuranceadvisors.com.
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