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Swiftsure-04

Foul Weather Bluff Race Report

By Martyn Adams

Linda has been after me to write up race reports on the last several races but in all honesty, 

   (a) I can't remember that much 
or 
   (b) there isn't that much to report 
or 
   (c) I don't know if anyone really cares. 

I do enjoy writing about them in my, slightly twisted, "first person single" style and as long as everyone reading them understands that as serious novices, we sometimes ask questions like "Just what is a pin?" Alas, I hope the days of tying the sails in a knot or rigging the chute backwards are passed (which will reduce the level of humor) but I have been advised that if you look for it there is humor in any day's sail. Thus, I report briefly on some previous races and then "launch" (very good humor, that) into the most recent Foul Weather Bluff race. 

Previous several races, in no particular order: 

• TRANS PUGET: Fog... wind (cancelled)
• SHAW ISLAND: 30 minutes to cross the start line then nice wind...only 2 multis
• HOGSHEAD: beautiful day with 8 multis...some wind...Fun!!! So it really can happen. 

CYC Edmonds hosts the 26+/- mile FWB each year and I tell you now, this was what I THOUGHT sailboat racing was supposed to be. Anyone with a multi can do it and I strongly hope everyone with one will seriously consider it for next year. 

Linda and I live in Edmonds but unfortunately there is no ramp so we had to choose Everett (I don't recommend Mukilteo as it is too exposed) or Shilshole . As the traffic to Everett is hideous and the wind at work was from the south I opted for Seattle. 

CYC Edmonds had discounted moorage for Friday & Sat nights. When I came in George in Stardancer had "saved" me nice spot behind him which also (we thought) sort of closed off the area adjacent to him. Twenty minutes later there were three more boats in there. This staging was a huge question to me when we first started racing. Where to park (anywhere you can fit)... Who to touch (anyone you have to, just be careful and fender well)... How to get across their boat (ask permission if occupied, you walk on it, at least I wipe my feet first).  Lastly, I don't trust anyone's lines but my own. Usually there is a harried dock master or at least a volunteer to help but if not just find a spot and make fast. Perhaps one of the best "moments to remember" was Pat bringing in his 40 foot cat, Dragonfly, followed in short order by the Inter 20 cat. Now, Dragonfly is, well, BIG and the Inter 20 is, well, a whole lot smaller. It reminded me of one of our old geese with a gosling and, as it turned out, a very quick (20 knots on the chute run) gosling. 

Linda attended the skippers' meeting and off we went to the start area. While Linda was away I studied the winds and rigged the boat for an easy spinnaker set on the starboard side... then the port side... starboard... Hmm? The winds died when we got to the start and it was delayed. The skipper took a nap and I watched Shadow as Jeff hauled Tom up his mast to straighten a halyard. This was what it looked like but I believe he waxed his mast to reduce drag because he sure flew later on. Sibling Rivalry was zipping around with their new jib furler and re-cut jib (did I get that right?), while Stardancer ran around taking pictures. The Inter 20 and his chase boat were quietly lying to sails ready and what's this... Dragonfly is just sitting over there, bare mast, like its coffee break time at the office. Don't they know there is a race about to start? The committee boat, a beautiful ketch, has a white flag up. Oh, Oh, my handy everything you need to know about racing card doesn't mention a solid white flag. They changed it to red and my card doesn't mention that, either. We are starting last so we really have plenty of warning, as there are 8 starts and I get my timer dialed in. I knew things were getting serious when I saw three men in tandem hauling up Dragonfly's main. 

3...2...1... I think Sibling Rivalry hit the line first with Shadow followed by Cuttlefish and Dragonfly. We heard Dragonfly counting down to the start and I think we actually beat them to the line but I blinked and there they are ahead with Shadow in between. Sibling Rivalry had tacked SW. Stardancer is behind us and there is the Inter 20 and chase boat. This is great. We feel good, are pointing well and although I want to cover Sibling, we decide to follow the two ahead on a long tack toward Possession Pt. I know there is a 2+ knot ebb tide and I was hoping to pick up a possible lift if the winds trended north toward Everett. Shadow broke SW but Dragonfly held his course and he isn't that far ahead. Finally Linda said she was starting to get headed, not a lot but a few degrees and I guessed that the wind past Everett was probably a northerly and the header would get worse. Dragonfly was pointing a bit higher and I guessed he had just missed it. 

We tacked and could just lay the point with the light about 5 miles SE of Foul Weather Buoy (the windward mark). As we began this long tack, we watched as Shadow and Sibling Rivalry tacked up the west side of the Sound. We were making great time until we hit a big lull area about in the middle. There was wind, just not a lot of it Later, Pat told me they hit it too, but just the tip and that everyone else did to a greater or less degree as well. 

By this time we had lost sight of the other F-boats and could just make out Dragonfly apparently still on his original tack for the FWB buoy. We tacked north and thought we had the FWB buoy laid but there are some interesting eddies both wind and water east of the mark and we wasted some more time trying not to over-stand the mark. I finally sighted Sibling Rivalry and saw they were apparently doing the same as we were. They rounded the mark finally and I think they had a problem with their sails (or they waited for us?). We closed on them considerably. Alas, they had their chute up and were gone. 

Three tacks later we rounded the mark and up went the chute. It still amazes me how everything changes when you turn downwind. The boat felt light and stable and we knew this stretch of water under these winds would be similar to the run we made last weekend. We knew that the occasional "hummock" of water should be minimal as the tide was nearly slack and the winds were steady at 18 to 25 kn and we let Cuttlefish have her head. We could see the few monos surfing, creaming white waves a third of the way aft but we were flying, reaching off 40 degrees and gently driving down until the leading edge of the chute curled and easing back up 'till it cracked as it filled. Me, braced between the shroud tensioner my feet planted against the hull with the spin sheet two wraps on the leeward winch and holding 30 pounds of tension to keep it from slipping, all the while ready to cast off; Linda as far outboard as her long arms and short tiller extension would allow, eyes glued to the spinnaker luff and "feeling" the wind as well as the waves while cradled by my feet, the hull and the aka. Not surfing because the waves were too slow and the ride going on and on. We hit a lull that felt like we were becalmed and as we bounded into the cockpit I laughed because we were only doing 14 kn boat speed. A little later, we heated up and drove the bow and leeward ama into a swell and actually took some water into the cockpit. We ran like this almost to the beach. Then wore south for a quarter mile then east to past the Skachet mark for the long run down to Edmonds. 

By now the best wind was behind and we drove as far east as we could to pick up the northerly from Everett. I knew it was there and we found the edge of it to help us south to the finish. We could see Sibling Rivalry as they crossed the line about 10 minutes ahead and watched as they didn't even pause but lay a course that would take them back to Seattle looking proud after a course well sailed.

I think Shadow was already home as was Dragonfly and we had lost track of both Stardancer and the little cat. So Linda took Cuttlefish slowly into the marina, only to have the engine load up and pack it in. With boats all over, a wind at our backs, and no where to go, we grabbed the floating dock and had to listen to "comments" until I got power back and we parked with everything folded in and looking "very cool". 

There was free beer at the awards presentation and plenty of friendly people to chat with, even one whom we met up in Desolation Sound. I had a chance to talk to the fellows on the Inter 20. They had a gas and hit 20 knots on the "chute run". I'm really sorry guys, I remembered your names for the first half of my beer. Please don't take this personally, I can remember the inner workings of a Wankle engine but I have a devil of a time with people's names. Pat had returned (I assume) from putting Dragonfly to bed in Seattle (he may have even showered and shaved). They announced the "bullets" and added that it did not always follow that they won their class, so they had trophies for them. Linda leaned over and said, "Now I know what a bullet is." There were several familiar names from other races and classes and as they announced 3rd, 2nd, 1st, we were stunned to hear Cuttlefish called for 3rd place for the multis. Yup, Linda got her first piece of hardware. 

I'm mighty proud of that girl. We are a team but I can't do what she does. What an ending to a perfect day. Pat joined us afterward and congratulated Linda and that meant a lot…sun, wind, water, good people and a little sailboat…thank you God. 

Here's the stats…

Web Guys Note: 
Rather than provide the stat's Martyn included in his email I have provided a link to the official Edmonds CYC race results page: http://members.home.net/cycedmonds/cyce/Fwb_results.html 
(Nothing wrong with his information - I just choose to link to the Race Organizers stuff. The Web Guy has the power to do that!)

I'm sorry I did not see a time for the Inter 20?? I am quite contrite if it was there and I missed it. This is the first time I have really looked at the relationship between times and boats. I think it is remarkable that four boats should finish within 17 minutes of each other. I wonder if the relationship would hold for 8 boats? It would be fun to "tri". (Oh…. more humor!)

Martyn Adams 

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