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Post by Bill Vining on Jul 26, 2004 10:14:47 GMT -5
This weekend is a Round Newport Island Race.
Anyone interested?
I am planning on doing it.
Bill Vining
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Post by Charlie on Jul 29, 2004 7:31:36 GMT -5
Bill,
Is there an NOR anywhere and is there a multi clss for this event?
charlie
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Post by Bill Vining on Aug 1, 2004 9:18:49 GMT -5
You guys missed a good one. This promised to be a epic race, with a mixed class of boats including sport boats, classic wooden boats, 12meters, and a mix of big mono hulls. The weather was hot, and the wind was 15-20 with higher gusts at the start.
Since we only had 4 cats - Charlie and Ben on a I20, Mark Murray on an HT, Peter J on his A-Cat and me my rookie crew on my HT - we didnt get our own start. So we were starting with the monohulls and Peter J sails up to me at the starts and says. "Be careful at the start, getting run over by a monohull would be a bad way to die." A couple of moments later Charlie capsizes in a gust and all the monohulls start lining up to start. Peter and Mark got a good start. We started behind the fleet and one short tack and one long tack later, we were past all the monohulls but Irie. The wind against the tide made for an epic Beavertail kind of day, 3-4 ft seas, steep and mixed up, 15-18knots and cloudy. The HT felt good and we were moving upwind. Peter was cracked off on his A cat and making good speed to deal with the seas. Upwind on this tack the only thing to worry about was getting knocked off the boat by a wave or trying to talk and getting a mouth full of water as we went over and through waves.
Mark went around the windward mark first, followed by Peter on his A, and Irie (a big mono, with a crew of 12 or so) We went around 4th followed by Charlie on his I20 We popped the chute and went chasing after the leaders. We caught Ire and Peter easily, but then we stuffed it into a wave and capsized. We righted the boat and went back to chasing after Peter and Irie, who passed us when we crashed. Charlie was gone, and Mark was out of sight. We passed both Irie and Peter, coming close to Peter in a high speed cross (I had rights and luffed, but I probably didnt have to, I didnt want to turn Peter's new toy into toothpicks.)
We were groving downwind and the new kite felt good, when we stuffed it again and capsized. We righted and Peter and Irie were still behind us. We started looking for leeward marks, but since were were so low, we couldnt see the green can off Conincut Point. We saw a green can, and noticed that Irie was heading for it so we took off towards it. Then we noticed that Irie was changing directions, - we were almost at the green can when we saw that it was the wrong can, we had sailed about a 1/2 mile out of the course. We gybed and took back off after Irie who passed us on the corned when we sailed out of route. Peter sneaked past and we again went to work on Peter and Irie upwind. Upwind Irie and Peter were fast. We probably were not going to catch Peter, but we could get Irie. We decided to split the course with Irie and we went left and they went right. As we rounded a small island south of the newport bridge we see this Navy destroyer in our path. I sail toward the destroyer, thinking I can beat Irie to the crossing and tack on the other side of the destroyer. As we get close we notice a rib closing in at high speed. I am pretty sure that they were armed and serious about us not getting anywhere near the destroyer. So we crack off downwind and evade the Navy rib and loose tons of ground on Irie. We tack around the destroyer and as we come out the other side we see a huge tug pulling a even bigger barge between us and the finish line. Irie gets around the tug, but we are not going to make it. Again I hear Peter's voice in my head - "Getting run over by a huge tug would be a bad way to die." So we sit and wait for the tug to pass. It was like having a train crossing in a car race, the only thing we could do was sit and wait.
We sheeted after the tug passed and finished 5th after Irie. It was embarrassing to finish after a monohull, but since we were slowed down by the Navy and a big tug boat, so I dont feel so bad. In retrospec, I shouldnt have tried to cross Irie, I should have tacked and stayed left, stayed away from the destroyer, and the tug. But I couldnt help it, I wanted to cross her and rub her nose in it. Oh well, lesson learned.
A great race and an epic day on the water.
Bill
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Post by Peter on Aug 2, 2004 13:12:20 GMT -5
According to Mark, he was 2.5 minutes behind me at Beavertail. The A is quick upwind. I think Irie was something like 5 minutes behind me at the weather mark. Wild-thinging an A in lumpy seas is not so quick. Really hot angles. Mark was by me after just one pair of gybes, and was gone. Charlie, in his 'infection green' I20 took a bit longer to get past. And as I recall, I traded gybes with Vining most of the backside of Jamestown. I flipped 4-5 times learning how to gybe the A in breeze....do not let the traveler all the way down!! I beat Irie to the leeward mark, and beat her to the finish by over 10 minutes. Mark, on his 18HT was first to finish by about 20 minutes, followed by Charlie on the I20, then myself.
It was a classic round the island race. Bill may have understated the conditions at Beavertail, or maybe it just felt more severe on the A.
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Post by Bill Vining on Aug 2, 2004 15:04:26 GMT -5
Peter,
I might have under estimated the conditions a little, I do remember a couple of breaking waves. It was probably 6-8 ft seas. The wind vs the tide off Beavertail makes for a fun time. I was glad it was 85 deg, or we would have been frozen. Over on wave and through the next. The Port tack was rough, the swell was lined up square against the upwind port tack. I am really impressed with the HT. Its a tough boat.
Next time I'm wearing a snorkel and dive mask.
That was you I saw rounding the weather mark, I just assumed that he went around first because he was so far downwind when I spotted his red spinnaker.
How was the start, I didnt see you guys. Did you and Mark start with the mono hulls? Starting with those beasts is interesting. Nothing like looking at the bottom paint of a dozen 40-50ft boats at the starting line to get your attention.
Did you even see me on that cross? You never even looked up. If my crew hadnt dumped the sheets we would have run you over.
WF thinks Beavertail should be renamed "Rams Head"
At least no one had to get rescued this time.
Bill
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Post by Charlie on Aug 3, 2004 18:30:51 GMT -5
Flipping at the start is a great way to get clear air, but I have to admit it was tough that it took so long to catch peter in his "gay grey A", and it is a good thing it is such a small boat or else he surely "wood" have taken on a couple of the sailors on the destroyer.
Definitely one of the more exciting downhill rides for me this season. And I agree with peter it was gnarly round beavertail and the wind built all day long.
You all should know that there is an open cat regatta at quonset point next weekend. Should be a bunch of I-20's and some F-18's. Mark is coming on an ht with some crazy french skiff sailor so come try and beat some I-20's and see if this class has closed the gap on the fastest tanks on the water (as seen at midwinters).
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Post by Peter J on Aug 5, 2004 9:34:02 GMT -5
Bill,
I was making trees on you for the whole crossing in question, and you were always in my peripheral. I thought I cleared you by 2-3 lengths, which may not seem a lot when we're both sailing in the 20's.
Your pole is the biggest, but not quite that big. It was a close cross, but not as close as you felt.
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Post by Bill Vining on Aug 5, 2004 11:00:57 GMT -5
Peter,
It probably wasnt as close as it seemed, but I wasnt taking any chances. You know that when its gusty its nearly impossible to predict the downwind angles, they can change rapidly in a gust.
I only saw the back of your head, so I didnt know that you knew that we were crossing.
Plus my crew was a complete rookie, first time on the boat.
Better safe than swimming.
Bill
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