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Crew Scramble #2: Wild Ride

Race Details

  • Wind:
  • Course: drop-8-drop-8-drop
  • Temperature: °C
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Course Map

Crew

  1. Bowman: Lifeline
  2. Mastman: Lazy Sheet
  3. Understudy: null
  4. Pit: Gadget
  5. Foresail Trimmer: DaveH
  6. Mainsail Trimmer: Squirrel
  7. Helm: StarPort

A stiff breeze out of the north on a crisp sunny night made PERSPECTIVE as thrilling as the main attraction at the CNE — a combination log-ride & roller coaster.  (Thankfully no bumper cars!)  And we added to the thrill by continuing to move people around the boat.  Lazy Sheet took his first turn on the foredeck, and we put big Dave Holloway to work trimming sheets.  But it was Gadget and Squirrel who worked hardest tonight.  Gil had to grind the winches with all his might, and Calvin pumped the sheet and traveler constantly to keep the boat as level as possible — impossible tonight, even with six big lads on the rail.

The wind was deceiving.  Coming out of the North, there was no fetch, and so there were no whitecaps.  Sailing downwind to the start line, I was thinking we might set the #2, but when I checked the true wind speed (14-18 and building as we sailed toward Hamilton), it was clearly time for the #3.  We haven’t used this sail much — it basically only comes out on nights like this — so it was a chance to try something new in exciting conditions.  We also changed the mainsail to the old mainsail which is cut much flatter.  The theory here is that this sail would be backwinded less.  That probably was true, but it was hard to draw any conclusions with so much wind being spilled most of the time!

With the wind out of the North, the race committee dropped a mark near the Hamilton shore, dead downwind of LaSalle park, and we raced across the bay two times in 15+ knots of wind, and some great big gusts on top of that.  Woohoo!

With many folks sailing in unfamiliar positions, we wisely left the spinnaker in its bag, though most of our fleet did fly their chutes.  Instead of getting caught up in the competition, we smiled, and enjoyed the ride.  Have a look:

 

2 thoughts to “Crew Scramble #2: Wild Ride”

  1. Rob,

    Crazy night and lots of fun in the big wind. I did notice that I believe you broke a rule on both downwind legs by having the bowman hold the sheets on the foresail to assist in keeping it out. I am pretty sure this is not allowed, you must use a pole as human assist during the leg is prohibited and can be protested. I noticed this on another boat as when we were headed to the finish line and asked Cap’n Ron who verified it is a protectable offense.

    May want to double check the rules to be sure.

    Otherwise great rides last night.

    Nonsuch

    1. Hi Mark,
      Thanks for the comment. I reviewed the racing rules of sailing (new edition), and I think we were okay. Here’s all it says about sheeting a sail:
      SETTING AND SHEETING SAILS
      50.1 Changing Sails
      When headsails or spinnakers are being changed, a replacing sail
      may be fully set and trimmed before the replaced sail is lowered.
      However, only one mainsail and, except when changing, only one
      spinnaker shall be carried set at a time.
      50.2 Spinnaker Poles; Whisker Poles
      Only one spinnaker pole or whisker pole shall be used at a time
      except when gybing. When in use, it shall be attached to the foremost
      mast.
      50.3 Use of Outriggers
      (a) No sail shall be sheeted over or through an outrigger, except as
      permitted in rule 50.3(b) or 50.3(c). An outrigger is any fitting
      or other device so placed that it could exert outward pressure
      on a sheet or sail at a point from which, with the boat upright, a
      vertical line would fall outside the hull or deck. For the purpose
      of this rule, bulwarks, rails and rubbing strakes are not part of
      the hull or deck and the following are not outriggers: a
      bowsprit used to secure the tack of a sail, a bumkin used to
      sheet the boom of a sail, or a boom of a boomed headsail that
      requires no adjustment when tacking.
      (b) Any sail may be sheeted to or led above a boom that is
      regularly used for a sail and is permanently attached to the
      mast from which the head of the sail is set.
      (c) A headsail may be sheeted or attached at its clew to a spinnaker
      pole or whisker pole, provided that a spinnaker is not set.
      Part 4 OTHER REQUIREMENTS WHEN RACING
      32
      50.4 Headsails
      For the purposes of rules 50 and 54 and Appendix G, the difference
      between a headsail and a spinnaker is that the width of a headsail,
      measured between the midpoints of its luff and leech, is less than
      75% of the length of its foot. A sail tacked down behind the foremost
      mast is not a headsail.

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