AYC WNR Series 2 Number 4 on 10 July 2019

Course: B3
Time limit: 2040.
Sails: Interrupt mainsail, Interrupt genoa and Interrupt spinnaker.

LinGin sailed with a the first reef in the main. Glenn Becker driving. Tim Williams not aboard. Don't know why. The strength of the wind did not warrant it. LinGin has been winning with some room to spare. Perhaps they are self-handicapping to increase the difficulty?

Poor start. We were on starboard running down the line too early. Had both Second-2-Nun and Ronin running the line toward us on port tack. Gybed behind Second-2-Nun and started on port tack. Stayed on port for a bit to build speed, clear the committee boat, and settle the boat.

Tacked to starboard and sailed to the layline for mark 'A'. Halfway up the board, we were well ahead of Second-2-Nun and behind LinGin, Whitecap, and Ronin. LinGin crossed our bow about five boat lengths ahead. Ronin tacked to port, we climbed onto a line above Ronin and then tacked to port as well. LinGin and Whitecap well ahead. Ronin several lengths ahead after the tack. On this board we made good time on all boats. After tacking to starboard to round mark 'A', LinGin crossed our bow about three boat lengths ahead. We tacked, rounded, and stayed up on a close hauled course for a couple minutes due to some confusion as the location of the next mark.

Sailed with the wind a bit free to fetch mark 'B'. About five lengths behind and to windward of LinGin, three and three on Ronin. Whitecap well ahead of everyone. Over the course of this leg, we gained on all boatd. By the time we reached mark 'B', we had closed tight behind Ronin, with LinGin a couple lengths ahead, and Whitecap somewhat ahead of LinGin.

After rounding mark 'B', Whitecap headed out into the Bay, into greater wave action, I believe. We did this two weeks ago. Whitecap ended up overstanding mark 'E' and lost ground to all other boats. LinGin rounded about two boat lengths in front of Ronin and headed somewhat deep. Ronin rounded immediately in front of us and tacked to port. Had to alter course to port to avoid hitting their stern or the outboard sticking out from the stern. No reaction from Ronin to our/my shouts. Ronin stayed somewhat high and made mark 'E' handily. We fell downa a bit from the course to mark 'E'. We made it by sailing below the mark for the last twenty yards or so and then shooting the bow up and around the mark. LinGin failed to make the mark, tacked back to starboard at the layline and was able to clear the mark by tacking to port and heading off. At mark 'E' we took the lead from LinGin.

From mark 'E' to R'8', a nice spinnaker sail that started a bit tight with the wind becoming freer as we got away from mark 'E' and further inshore from Tolly Point. Consistent with a southerly wind bending to the west as it passes Tolly Point. Spinnaker went up a bit slow, but not too badly. But, the lines were foul and needed to be rerun. Possible consequence of running the spinnaker lines before running the genoa sheets. I ran the port line, so its not a crew isse. LinGin had a serious delay in raising their spinnaker. So much so that we were able to open a gap of two hundred yards or more. Maintained the gap to R'8'. Arrived at R'8', close behind Ronin and close ahead of Whitecap.

In raising the genoa before R'8', had some difficulties requiring us to hoist, drop a bit to clear a twist, and continue the hoist again several times. In the end, we got it up after sailing a length or so beyond R'8' before turning for G'1SC'. Trailed Ronin and led Whitecap to G'1SC'. At G'1SC', Ronin was below us, we had inside overlap. Whitecap was behind. We passed quite close to G'1SC', perhaps I was showing off a bit. Did not need to be that close! Passed through the mooring field to near the gas dock at The Yacht Basin Company. Called to Whitecap, who was a clear behind and above, for room to tack, after tacking, proceeded about half way across Spa Creek, and Whitecap, who was clear ahead and below, called for room to tack. Tacked back to starboard and sailed to the finish. First place ahead of all other boats in the fleet ... just ahead of Whitecap, perhaps ten boat lengths ahead of LinGin. Before LinGin finished, we had made the turn at the bridge and motored downstream to the end of the docks on the AYC side of Spa Creek.

Finishing order: Constance, LinGin, Second-2-Nun. Laughing Gull and Skybird did not start.

Items for improvement:

• More consistent driving to windward. Stay on the wind, don't let the boat fall off.
• Don't loose track of driving while addressing something else. Several times Rick had to hold the tiller up while I adjusted the traveler or some other task.
• Run the genoa sheets before the spinnaker sheets. We thought we ran the genoa sheets correctly, but had to re-run both spinnaker sheets to clear.
• Find a way to get the genoa to feed into the foil more smoothly without twists.
• Move the traveler cam cleats to the forward end of the cockpit. Mount them on a rectangle of G10 held in place by a coaming through bolt.
• Need to ask Dave, trimming spinnaker, for more feedback while flying the chute.
• Try adding turning blocks aft of the stanchion aft the new pedestals.
• Starts. Need to stop putting us behind at the start.

Items that worked well for us:

• Good communications with Rick, trimming genoa, regarding location of boats below the sail and trim.
• Winches relocated to the new pedestals is a significant improvement.
• Heading back upstream after rounding mark 'B' to get away from the wave action in the Bay with the wind out of the south worked well.
• Able to point better than LinGin, it seemed, when I drove better.
• Worked the traveler and mainsheet more aggressively than previously. Believe that this achieved better balance and less weather helm than before.

GPX formatted Track None, estimated distance: 7nm, average speed: ?kts, duration: ~2:00