Tag Archives: albacore

2017 KSC Open results

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The KSC Open turned out much better than I could have hoped, in terms of wind.

Saturday, Sept 2

Forecasted “floating conditions” threatened to put a damper on the event, but a steady breeze of about 6 knots filled in from the west, allowing us to get some good races in.  In the Albacore fleet, we had four boats from Nepean (all National level sailors) as well as Balazs and Tom N representing KSC.  For the Lasers, we had Carla going up against KSC youths Zombor and Csanad, all of whom selected full rigs for the light air day.

Simon/Elenor set the pace with a few early wins, with Peter/Ross and Dominic/Patrick fighting for second.  Dominic found his grove and racked up a couple of wins later in the day.  Former KSCer Jim and Irene set were able to hold of Balazs/Tom most of the time to score 4th place finishes (and even a second, beating out Peter/Ross and Simon/Elenor in a light-wind race where tactics was everything).

On the single-hander front, Carla was the early favourite, taking 3 of the 4 first races, with Zombor coming up behind.  Csanad made the most of the light-wind 5th race and used an amazing start to his advantage, to leave both Zombor and Carla in his wake.  He even passed one or two of the big Albacores, which usually do better in light air.

Lunch on the water was AMAZING, with Annie and Jean providing amazing ham and turkey sandwiches, brownies, juice boxes and pop.  This is in addition to the coffee, muffins, and other prep work that they had done before the boats were even rigged.  This regatta owes a huge debt to those two, working their butts off to make things happen.  Many thanks to Tony as well who drove the mark set boat and ensured we had square courses of appropriate length all day, and to Heidi without whom scoring and starting the races would’ve been quite difficult.

Sunday, Sept 3, in which I was introduced to match racing

If the story of the day for Saturday was “light winds”, the story for Sunday was “heavy air in rain”.  The forecast was “12 knots, gusting 21” aka “heavy wind with nuclear gusts”.  It turned out to be a more steady 13-16 knots, with the waves being killer.  Most of the fleet (Jim/Irene, Peter/Ross, Simon/Elenor, Csanad, and Balasz) did the wise thing and stayed ashore in the nice warm, dry club house.  Dominic/Patrick, Carla, Zombor, and Tom were game for a bit of fun though, so Heidi and Jason set a course.  Remember how Balazs was smart, and decided to stay dry?  Well Jean and Csanad volunteered do RC with Heidi, which meant Jason could take up the “it seemed like a good idea at the time” mantle, and jumped into the Albacore with Tom, to represent KSC alongside Carla (in a Byte today) and Zombor (in a radial Laser).

The first race saw Dominic/Patrick jump out to an early lead with Tom/Jason and Zombor close behind.  Jason/Tom tacked onto port which forced Zombor to bear off.  Curses, a 720 for Tom/Jason.  Having said that, the Albacore soon passed Zombor, and closed the gap with Patrick/Dominic on the last couple of legs, finishing less than a minute behind.  Zombor came in third, followed by Carla who capsized and was forced to retire after the race.

The second race is really the one to write home about.  It may not have happened quite like this, but this is the way I remember it, and I’m sticking to my story.  Jason/Tom won the start over Dominic/Patrick.  Although NSC boat seemed set up to point better than the KSC Albacore, Tom/Jason would tack to cover, and Patrick/Dominic would try to break cover.  A slow tack near the windward mark meant that Jason/Tom had a lead by the reaching legs.  On the first reach, Patrick/Dominic had greater boat speed, but Jason/Tom held them off by sailing defensively, and rounded the gybe mark first.  Dominic/Patrick changed their strategy and sailed high on the second leg, passing Tom/Jason to windward, but then having to bear off to get to the leeward mark.  They were overlapped within the circle, so (rather than go around) Jason/Tom elected to slow down, get in behind Patrick/Dominic and tacked around the mark.  It was neck and neck for the first half of the second windward leg, but the Patrick/Dominic were able to outpoint Tom/Jason and got to the upwind mark first.  The downwind was processional, with Dominic/Patrick taking the race by about 30 seconds over Jason/Tom.  Still, not bad considering Dominic is one of the top Albacore sailors in the country.

In hindsight, I should have headed up on that second reaching leg, and forced Dominic past the mark so I could stay on the inside around the leeward mark.  Ah well, live and learn.

Zombor finished the race in nice style, but as he was the only Laser on the course it was very much a “the boat vs the waves” sail.

Back at the KSC Clubhouse, the party was in full swing, with NSC and KSC folks together were watching the “match race” of KSC’s Tom/Jason vs NSC’s Patrick/Dominic and there was cheering, laughter, and an all around good time.  I’m glad we were able to put on a show!

Award ceremonies were held, with Dominic/Patrick winning first overall for Albacores, and Carla winning first for the Lasers.  Dominic and Carla went home with nicely engraved KSC beer mugs, and Patrick (being under 19) went home with a nicely engraved pop mug that looks remarkably like a beer mug.

Thanks again to Heidi, Jean and Csanad for running RC and Annie/Jean for providing food/coffee.

Results are final as of 15:20 on September 10, 2017

Albacore Division
Sailed: 8, Discards: 1, To count: 7, Entries: 5, Scoring system: Appendix A
Rank SailNo Club Helm Crew Rating R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 Total Nett
1st 7950  NSC Dominic Patrick (3.0) 2.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 14.0 11.0
2nd 7968  NSC Simon Elenor 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 (6.0 DNC) 6.0 DNC 21.0 15.0
3rd 4126  NSC Peter Ross 2.0 3.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 (6.0 DNC) 6.0 DNC 29.0 23.0
4th 4028  NSC Irene Jim 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 2.0 4.0 (6.0 DNC) 6.0 DNC 34.0 28.0
5th 7290  KSC Balazs Tom (5.0) 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 2.0 2.0 34.0 29.0
Laser Division
Sailed: 8, Discards: 1, To count: 7, Entries: 3, Scoring system: Appendix A
Rank SailNo Club HelmName CrewName Rating R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 Total Nett
1st 196254  KSC Carla 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 (4.0 DNC) 14.0 10.0
2nd 196276  KSC Zombor 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 (3.0) 2.0 1.0 1.0 14.0 11.0
3rd 196281  KSC Csanad 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 3.0 (4.0 DNC) 4.0 DNC 24.0 20.0

2017 Race Night Season Results

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It’s that time of the year again — our evening races have come to an end, and we must reflect on the night, the series, and the season.

Aug 31 results

Alas, we did no racing Aug 31.  The cold winds were blowing quite vigorously (11 gusting 16 is my estimate) and were quite shifty.  Most people thought that the nice warm KSC fireplace was more inviting that the choppy water.  This of course didn’t stop Ken from trying to set some to-Quebec-and-back speed records in the Laser, Carla from getting good practice in on the Byte, and Jason/Steve daring to get the 29er out (with only 2 capsizes!)  Good times, and good company afterwards.

Summer Series 2 results!

Our Summer Series 2 was held over 5 weeks in August, traditionally the lightest-wind month of the year.  We had to cancel 2 nights (Aug 3 due to low wind, Aug 31 due to high wind) and only 5 races over the course of those 3 weeks.   The nights we did have were fairly low-key light air races, but we did get some fun on the water.  I personally learned that Hobie 18s don’t come out of their tacks with speed like dinghies do, and that cost me more than a few starts.

Congrats to Steve who took the “old salts” award for the series (4 points), and to Yona who scored the best rookie (34 points)!

Complete series results posted to http://kanatasailingclub.com/sailing/racing/

2017 Season Results

This is it, the moment you’ve all been waiting for.  We got 26 races in over the course of the 15 weeks in the season (12 weeks actually sailed) and had 38 sailors scored in at least one race.  Jason started out strong (a few 1st place finishes in the cold spring when the field was narrow) but Carla had caught up by the end of the Spring Series.  Steve came along and started scoring wins on just about every race.  The only exceptions were one where Jason/Hannah (Albacore) and Ken (Laser) were able to sneak by him one race when Steve/Frank were sailing a broken Albacore, and a few weeks later when Carla/Jason (Tasar) were able to spot a late-race gust to sneak past Steve’s Laser.

So, was Jason or Carla’s early lead enough to hold off Steve?  Heck no!  Steve takes the season by a wide margin (again!)

Steve scored 23 points, Carla came in second with 38, Jason was far back at 57, with Tony and Jean rounding out the top 5 with 65 and 73 points respectively,  Congrats Steve!

As for the rookies, Devin takes the season with 188 points, followed by Yona at 219

Complete season results posted to http://kanatasailingclub.com/sailing/racing/

I’m particularly happy with the turn out this year, with veterans, new sailors, kids, and everyone in between.  The Tasars got a lot of love this season, especially in July and August, while the kids gravitated towards the Lasers.  Tony and Annie were staples in the Hobies, and were often joined by the Watsons, the McKennas, or other pick-up cat teams.  All in all, a good variety of boats, and lots of fun after the races too.

A special thanks goes out to Reese, Heidi and Sydney, for running RC through out the year.  Also, thanks to Frank/Jean (our BBQ wranglers most nights), and all those who volunteered to bring food/beverages to the deck after racing.

Race Night Report, Aug 17-24, 2017

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Two Race Night Reports for the price of one!

Aug 17, 2017

Light but fairly consistent winds from the SW encouraged quite a turn out.  We had every Laser (5), every Tasar (3, a first for the club), a couple of Hobie 18s, an Albacore, and a Byte out to play.

Steve/Norm (Tasar) won the night with two first place finishes.  Ken (Laser) took 4th in the first race, but moved to 2nd in race 2.  Carla (Byte) went the other way — from 2nd to 5th.  Jason and his wee crew (8 and 4 year olds) took 3rd in the 1st race in a Hobie 18, passing Tony/Annie’s H18 on the last leg.  But Tony/Annie got their revenge, moving from 5th to 4th while Jason/kids went down to 6th.  NSC Albacore master Dominic was sailing with KSC vet Chunshu in a Tasar, and they made their play from 6th place in the first race to 3rd in the 2nd.

Complete results below.

Aug 24, 2017

Light winds from N, shifting to NW just before the 1st race.  In addition to a couple of Tasars, a couple of Bytes and a couple of H18s, we also had Jason and Frank finally get the the 29er (aka “Mr. Tippy”) out on the water.  The boats were joined by Cameron and youngster James for the 2nd race in an Albacore.

Living up to it’s reputation, the 29er suffered a capsize on the 1st upwind leg of the first race, forcing Jean/Carla (in a Tasar, right behind the 29er) to head up past close-hauled and pinch around the boat.  What likly happened was that the 29er gained speed in a gust as Jason put more of his weight to windward to keep the boat flat.  The extra speed moved the apparent wind forward (taking force out of the sails) which corresponded right with a wind shift or lull (taking more force out of the sails).  Jason’s windward weight was not balancing anything, and a capsize to windward followed.  Lesson learned: be ready to bear off in a lull, and Jason should put down the donuts.

Steve (single-handing a Tasar) took both races, followed by Carla/Jean taking 2nd in each race.  Mike took 3rd in a Byte for the 1st race, with Tony/Annie (H18) finishing 4th, but the two swapped finishing spots for the 2nd race.

Complete results below.

Season so far

The result table is too big to fit in a printer-friendly PDF, so please use the table below.  It’s not pretty, but…

Results are provisional as of 18:17 on August 27, 2017

Overall

Sailed: 26, Discards: 6, To count: 20, Entries: 38, Scoring system: KSC Low-Point Scoring System 2016
Class SailNo Division Club June 8 – race 1 June 8 – race 2 June 15 – race 1 June 15 – race 2 June 15 – race 3 June 22 – race 1 June 22 – race 2 June 22 – race 3 July 6 – race 1 July 6 – race 2 July 6 – race 3 July 6 – race 4 July 13 – race 1 july 13 – race 2 July 13 – race 3 July 20 – race 1 Jul 20 – race 2 July 20 – race 3 July 27 – race 1 July 27 – race 2 July 27 – race 3 Aug 10 Aug 17 – race 1 Aug 17 – race 2 Aug 24 – race 1 Aug 24 – race 2 Total Nett
Club Boat Steve Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 3.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points (12.0 DNS) 1.0 Points 2.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 110.0 23.0
Club Boat Carla Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 4.0 Points 4.0 Points 3.0 Points (7.0 Points) (5.0 Points) (12.0 DNS) 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 4.0 Points 2.0 Points (5.0 Points) 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 97.0 38.0
Club Boat Jason Old hands KSC 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points (6.0 DNS) (6.0 OCF) 5.0 OCF (6.0 DNS) 4.0 Points 1.0 Points 2.0 Points 4.0 RC 4.5 RC 4.5 RC 5.0 Points 2.0 Points 1.0 Points 3.0 Points 3.0 Points (7.0 Points) 5.0 Points 3.0 Points (6.0 Points) 5.0 Points (6.0 Points) 94.0 57.0
Club Boat Tony Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points (6.0 DNS) 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 6.0 DNS 3.0 Points 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points (12.0 Points) (14.0 DNS) 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 2.0 Points (15.0 DNC) 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 4.0 Points 3.0 Points 142.0 65.0
Club Boat Jean Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 4.0 Points 3.0 Points 7.0 Points 5.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 2.0 Points 7.0 Points (12.0 DSQ) 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 160.0 73.0
Club Boat Chunshu Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 4.0 DNF 6.0 DNS 5.0 DNF 3.0 Points 4.0 Points 3.0 Points 4.0 Points 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 3.0 Points 4.0 Points 8.0 Points 6.0 Points (10.0 Points) 7.0 Points 6.0 Points 5.0 Points (15.0 DNC) 6.0 Points 3.0 Points (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 184.0 99.0
Club Boat Ken S Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 3.0 Points 1.0 Points 8.0 Points 3.0 Points 6.0 Points 4.0 Points 3.0 Points 3.0 Points 4.0 Points 2.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 201.0 111.0
Club Boat Frank Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 5.0 Points 3.0 Points 1.0 Points (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 2.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 5.0 Points 6.0 Points 204.0 114.0
Club Boat Tom N Old hands KSC 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 4.0 DNF 6.0 DNS 5.0 DNF 6.0 DNS 6.0 OCF 5.0 OCF 2.5 RC 3.5 RC 3.5 RC 3.5 RC 6.0 Points 6.0 Points 6.0 Points 12.0 DNS (13.0 Points) 12.0 Points (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 5.0 Points 7.0 Points 12.0 DSQ (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 203.0 115.0
Club Boat Annie M. Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 6.0 DNS 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 6.0 DNS 3.0 Points 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 12.0 Points 14.0 DNS (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 5.0 Points 4.0 Points 4.0 Points 3.0 Points 223.0 133.0
Club Boat Norm Y. Old hands KSC 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 6.0 DNS 6.0 OCF 5.0 OCF (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 12.0 DNS 13.0 Points 12.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 262.0 172.0
Club Boat Devin Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 6.0 DNS 5.0 OCF 5.0 OCF (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 1.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 2.0 Points 15.0 DNC 13.0 OCF 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 278.0 188.0
Club Boat Ray Old hands KSC 4.0 DNF 4.0 DNF 5.0 DNS 3.0 Points 2.0 Points 3.0 Points 4.0 Points 3.0 Points (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 298.0 208.0
Club Boat Mark Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 7.0 Points 6.0 Points 15.0 DNC 11.0 Points 7.0 Points 6.0 Points 7.0 Points 306.0 216.0
Club Boat Yona Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 7.0 Points 6.0 Points 15.0 DNC 9.0 Points 10.0 Points 7.0 Points 8.0 Points 309.0 219.0
Club Boat Mike R Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 9.0 DNS 5.0 Points 7.0 Points 4.0 Points 4.0 Points 7.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 3.0 Points 4.0 Points 313.0 223.0
Club Boat Ellen Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 6.0 Points 5.0 Points 7.0 Points 6.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 6.0 Points 7.0 Points 318.0 228.0
Club Boat Hannah Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 6.0 DNS 4.0 Points 1.0 Points 2.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 3.0 Points 6.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 322.0 232.0
Club Boat Peter Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 1.0 Points 8.0 Points 3.0 Points 6.0 Points 4.0 Points 3.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 325.0 235.0
Club Boat Cameron Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 9.0 Points 10.0 Points 4.0 Points 15.0 DNC 8.0 Points 8.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 5.0 Points 344.0 254.0
Club Boat Matt Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 9.0 Points 10.0 Points 4.0 Points 15.0 DNC 8.0 Points 8.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 354.0 264.0
Club Boat Tuan Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 4.0 Points 3.0 Points 7.0 DNS (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 359.0 269.0
Club Boat Lynn Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 4.0 Points 4.0 Points 7.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 360.0 270.0
Club Boat Corrine Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 7.0 Points 7.0 Points 8.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 367.0 277.0
Club Boat Leopold Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 7.0 Points 7.0 Points 8.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 367.0 277.0
Club Boat Charlotte Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 9.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 6.0 Points 7.0 Points 367.0 277.0
Club Boat Dan Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 7.0 OCF 8.0 Points 8.0 OCF 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 368.0 278.0
Club Boat Joanne Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 7.0 OCF 8.0 Points 8.0 OCF 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 368.0 278.0
Club Boat Dominic Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 6.0 Points 3.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 369.0 279.0
Club Boat Michael Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 9.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 3.0 RC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 372.0 282.0
Club Boat Sara Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 9.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 10.0 Points 9.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 373.0 283.0
Club Boat Zombor Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 8.0 Points 8.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 376.0 286.0
Club Boat Csanad Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 8.0 Points 8.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 376.0 286.0
Club Boat James Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 5.0 Points 380.0 290.0
Club Boat Lydia Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 9.0 Points 11.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 380.0 290.0
Club Boat Gabriel Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 10.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 385.0 295.0
Club Boat James Rookies KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 11.0 Points 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 386.0 296.0
Club Boat Balaz Old hands KSC (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) (15.0 DNC) 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 12.0 OCF 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 15.0 DNC 387.0 297.0

Scoring codes used

Code Description Points
DNC Did not come to the starting area 15
DNF Started but did not finish on time Varies
DNS Came to the start area but did not start on time Varies
DSQ Disqualification 12
OCF Awarded an On Course Finish Varies
Points Points for that race Varies
RC On RC duties for that race Varies

2017 KSC Open Notice of Race

Events, News, Sailing, , , , , , ,

It’s that time of the year again!  The 2017 KSC Open Regatta will be held on Sept 2-3 (Sat-Sun, Labour Day Weekend).  Official Notice of Race (NoR) and Sailing Instructions below

This is a chance for KSC Sailors and those from other clubs to put their Albacore/Laser skills to the test.  Feel free to contact me (sailing@kanatasailingclub.com) for more info!

2017 KSC Open NoR

Sign Up Online Now

KSC Open 2017 Sailing Instructions

KSC Catamaran Event Results

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(From Jean, who organized/ran the event):

A big thank you to Instructor Heidi for setting the mark in front of the club and Jason for all his pre-race organizing and postings.

Weather forecast was good: cloudy with warm wind @ 26 degrees; 40% chance of rain; possibly of thunderstorms later in day @ 5 pm.

Wind forecast: SW 7-10 knots, gusts: 12-14 knots.

Participants

Catamarans:
Hobie 18: Tony/Annie, race 1 – 23 minutes (ET)/1.091 = 21.08 minutes (AT)
Hobie 16: Frank/Jean, race 1 – 20 minutes (ET)/1.193 = 16.76 minutes (AT)

Monohulls:
Albacore: Norm/Devon, race 1 – 33 minutes; race 2 – 29 minutes
Albacore: Mary/Kathy/Grace (6 years old) – social sail
Albacore: Dengfeng/guest – social sail

Skipper meeting went well. We discussed route, markers, timing and landing. We also discussed what to do in case of thunder or lighting. Important  note:  We emphasized – no crash beach landings!!! 😉

The first Albacore Mary/Kathy/Grace (new blue taggers) set sail just before 11 am. We decided to wait until they were close to Aylmer Island before starting our race. Tony/Annie got some good speed on their start but unfortunately sailed too close to the Ontario side hitting possibly the only patch of no wind that day. This helped Frank/Jean judge where to avoid and sailed in good wind across the river on one tack. Eventually, Tony/Annie caught some stronger wind and picked up their speed as they sailed into Lac Deschenes. Norm/Devon took some time to find the wind and once they did, they were able to blaze across and were almost unstoppable. Frank/Jean caught up to Mary/Kathy/Grace just before heading into the beach in time to jump out and help catch the arrival of our boats as they landed. Mary/Kathy/Grace (new blue taggers) had a successful maiden voyage to Aylmer Beach. The climax of their trip was their exciting beach landing – an accidental gybe with the shrill of a six year old in some strong winds. All sailors were fine as the boat came to a stop as it pointed into the wind. The second Albacore landing with Norm/Devon increased the excitement as the boat was coming for a crash beach landing just as a few of us lunge to catch and turn the boat into the wind to bring it to a stop. Originally, Dengfeng and his wife weren’t sure if they were going to join us for the sail and lunch. They were the last to launch from the club but quickly caught up to us at the beach. All boats landed safety and were brought ashore. We had a lovely lunch on the patio with some friendly ribbing between the Cat racers.

On the second stage of our trip, the winds had picked up and the sky was looking interesting… the possibly of rain was increasing. Rain coats were worn for the return trip and some of the Albacores switched up skippers. The Albacores were safely launched off the beach first to give them a head start. Then, the Hobie skippers converged and decided that it would be best to sail around than to race back. We sailed back and forth enjoying the winds and waves before heading to shore. There was a bit of light rain but we were all ready for it, and the winds calmed as the boats returned to our familiar, beautiful shoreline.

A big thanks to all who came out to race and participate on Saturday. The spirit and the comradely of the KSC people are the best.

12-Mile Island Results, July 29, 2017

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The wind cooperated for our annual 12-Mile Island event, KSC’s longest distance race.  We had a great turn our with 6 boats (3 cats, 3 monohulls) doing the full run, and 2 more opting to do a half-race to Pinhey’s Point and back (one cat, one Byte).  Many thanks to RC Reese for driving the power boat all the way to Pinhey’s to drop the mark.  I didn’t see what happened during the Half race, so the following account mostly covers the full run.

We did things a bit differently this year, with boats setting off “whenever” and timing their run around the island.  After getting back, we adjusted their times against a handicapping factor.

Ellen/Mark and their family were first to set off in a Hobie 18, followed by Denise/Ken S (Laser 2).  We then had 3 boats take off in close proximity — Tony/Devin (Hobie 18), Ken E/Norm (Albacore), and Jason (Laser).  A while later Frank/Jean took a Hobie 16.  Doing the half trip, and leaving significantly later, were Annie/Greg (Hobie 16), Carla (Byte) and a non-racing MG14.

The leg from KSC to Pinhey’s was largely upwind, with a slight starboard tack favour.  Three basic strategies were used:

  • long tacks from one side of the river to the other (favoured by the cats, and Ken S/Denise)
  • sail on the Quebec side where there were fewer waves and more predictable wind (favoured by Norm/Ken E)
  • sail in the middle of the river, tacking on headers as they hit (favoured by Jason)

During that beat, Ken E/Norm were able to constantly extend their lead over Jason.  Both managed to eventually catch up with Ken S/Denise, who happened to be on the Ontario side on port tack when a wind shift caught them and wouldn’t give them a break.  Tony/Devin’s Hobie 18 got caught in the same shift and Jason passed them around the middle of the river just before Pinhey’s.  There may or may not have been some trash talk exchanged, including referring to the cat as “a boat with training wheels”.  Norm/Ken E was by this point well ahead of both and near the Quebec shore, and the shift which penalized the cat and Laser 2 was a lift for the Albacore, which was pointed straight up river.

Past Pinhey’s the wind steadied out a bit, with starboard tack now heavily favoured.  Tony/Devin blasted by Jason (exchanging a few more light-hearted words) and ripped along.  Between Pinhey’s and the island, Jean/Frank’s Hobie 16 also passed Ken S/Denise.  Jason and the H16 rounded 12-Mile Island together, and the cat outpaced the Laser on the downwind.

The downwind leg was a straight run from Port-of-Call to KSC, and the boats had a choice whether to run it, or to make multiple reaches.  The cats and Norm/Ken E reached, while Jason largely ran (focused on surfing the waves, although he would alter course to try to catch wind gusts) and Ken S/Denise got their nice shiny spinnaker flying.

Tony/Devin claimed honours as first back to the club.

Results

The elapsed time (ET) of each boat was recorded, and adjusted according to the Portsmouth Number (PN) handicap for each boat.  The adjusted time (AT) is:

AT = ET * (1000/PN)

Larger Portsmouth numbers mean a boat is usually slower.  For instance, a Hobie 16 has a larger number (809) than a Hobie 18 (740).  This means what a Hobie 16 does in an hour, a Hobie 18 should be able to do in 54 minutes 53 seconds.  If a PN is greater than 1000 then the AT will be smaller than ET.  If PN is less than 1000, then AT will be greater than ET.

So without further ado, here is what we have:

Sailors Boat PN ET AT
Jean/Frank Hobie 16 809 3:51:53 4:46:38
Devin/Tony Hobie 18 740 3:57:33 5:21:01
Norm/Ken E Albacore 1041 4:01:10 3:51:40
Jason Laser 1097 4:11:04 3:48:52
Mark/Ellen/family Hobie 18 740 4:20:57 5:52:38
Denise/Ken S Laser 2 1065 4:26:00 4:09:46

(Note — please double-check my math on the conversions)

The winner, is Jason, in a Laser!  Despite finishing 4th over all in elapsed time, the Laser’s high handicapping mean he just won over Ken E/Norm.  Look at those adjusted times — there’s less than 3 minutes between them over almost 4 hours.  That’s 1.3% difference.  Here’s the other thing… Jason’s Laser was in good shape.  The foils were shiny, the hull was solid, etc.  The Albacore Ken E and Norm were in has probably seen better days, and had scratches, dings, repairs, probably a leak or two.  I’m sure if the Albacore was in as good a shape as the Laser then it would’ve been no contest.

The cats faired poorly overall on the day.  The wind was to blame for that.  Cats LOVE to sail on a reach, and beating into the wind really takes their speed advantage away over monohulls.  The handicapping formula unfortunately considers reaching performance as well as upwind/downwind performance, so the cats were being scored on a scale which assumed they’d be able to use their quick reaches, and conditions were not cooperating.  If the wind was coming directly across river the whole time, there would be no catching the cats.

Similar results were seen on the half-run.

Sailors Boat PN ET AT
Annie/Greg Hobie 16 809 2:15:00 2:28:38
Carla Byte 1147 1:53:00 1:38:31

Carla was able to round the mark in about 20 minutes less time than the Hobie 16 in a Byte (which is supposed to be slower).  The adjusted time was 50 minutes apart.  Again, this was largely due to the leg being “beating upwind, dead run downwind”, where Carla’s Byte could tack on to take advantage of any momentary wind shift, while the cat was going back and forth across the river.

Congrats, Jason and Carla!  You’ve got bragging rights for the year!

I hope everyone had fun, and don’t forget to email Ken Eaves with your “I’ve done a 12-Mile rounding!” story.  For those who don’t know, Ken and Harry founded the “12-Mile Challenge” and there are trophies for those who round the island the most times in the year in a cat, in a single-handed monohull, and a double-handed monohull.

Race Night Report – July 27, 2017

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The wind was the big story of the night, with constantly changing (and sometimes challenging) conditions.  Congrats to the brave souls who looked to the water, saw some big air, and said “looks like fun!”  This was also the last race night of the “Summer Series 1” so take a look at the end of the article for a series summary.  Summer Series 2 starts Aug 3, so until then you can say “Yeah, I’m tied with Steve for the top spot…”

Race 1

Big winds meant boats were flying out of the gate.  The start line was long enough that a few skilled sailors (Steve/Carla and Jean/Frank  in Tasars, Tony/Annie in a Hobie 18, Ken/Peter in a Laser 2) could start on the favoured port without being interfered with by those doing starboard tack starts (Chunshu in a Laser, Jason in a Laser, Mark/Ellen/Yona in an Albacore).  The first leg was all about keeping the boat flat in the big winds and big waves, with Carla/Steve rounding the mark first, followed by Jason (although the cat outran him on the reaching legs like he was standing still).  The battle I was watching throughout the race though was Jean/Frank in a Tasar vs Ken/Peter in a Laser 2.  Here were two quick boats, about the same size, designed by the same person (Frank Bethwaite) around the same time and each sailed by competent sailors.  The Laser 2 had the advantage of a trapeze (with Peter hanging off it) but the trap really works best in steady winds while we were experience gusts/lulls.  These two boats were playing leapfrog throughout the race, with Mark/Ellen/Yona able to insert their Albacore into the fray downwind.

Carla/Steve finished 1st, Tony/Annie 2nd, Jason 3rd, Jean/Frank 4th, the Watsons 5th, Peter/Ken 6th, and Chunshu 7th

Race 2

The wind started to die down, but continued its shift.  A couple more boats joined us (Matt/Cameron in an Albacore and Sara/Charlotte in a Laser).  Port tack heavily favoured by this time.  This race was quite processional with the first leg seeing the most movement.  Tony/Devin had a decent start and were able to pass Frank/Jean, Ken/Peter, and Jason.  The two new boats unfortunately didn’t have great starts, and were unable to catch up.  The top 3 finishers were the same, in the same order, but Peter/Ken held on to 4th over Jean/Frank (5th), and Chunshu (6th) was able to beat the Watson Albacore (8th).  Matt/Cameron scored 9th, followed by Charlotte/Sara (10th).

Race 3

So here’s a question for you — in this case, a wind shift make the pin end of the start line (and port track) heavily favoured.  But, the wind is fairly slow at the pin end (6 knots, maybe), and is stronger at the boat end (9 knots).  Where should you start?

Boat A has the favoured end, and the favoured tack, but boat B has right-of-way over boat A.  A has to either tack or bear off and duck B.  B would likely try to force A to make a move (tacking or ducking) and then tack onto port in front of A, but if B does a sloppy tack and loses speed, then A (assuming A ducked) could pass her to leeward and get into clear air.  C meanwhile is starting with more distance to sail upwind.  If the wind continues to shift counterclockwise, C is screwed.  But if the wind shift back to “head on” then C has much more wind to work with and can beat A or B.  Tricky situation indeed.

Race 3 started out slow, the wind built over the course of the race, starting on the right side of the course.  By the end of the race it was over 15 knots all over the course, probably closer to 20 on the Quebec side.  Carla/Steve (who took the “boat A” position in the diagram) won the race, with Devin/Tony second (again).  Jason had a bad start (he had planned to be boat C, but wasn’t paying attention and drifted downwind before the start) so Frank/Jean and Ken/Peter were duking it out for 3rd.  Peter eventually got on the trapeze as the wind built, and the extra leverage meant they could keep their boat flatter that Jean/Frank.  They took 3rd/4th respectivly.  Chunshu showed solid skills as he kept his Laser ahead of the rest of the fleet.  Jason was able to pass Charlotte/Sara and Matt/Cameron and was catching up with Mark/Ellen/Yona, but didn’t get to them in time.  Mark & family finished 6th, Jason 7th, Cameron/Matt 8th, Sara/Charlotte 9th.

Lesson learned: once that class flag goes up, don’t start fiddling with your boat drifting downwind, make sure you’re in a good starting position.

After the race

Remember how I said the wind was building?  Well, some of the braver (or stupider) sailors took advantage of the big air and went to Quebec.  That was fun — planing on a reach the whole way there, hulls screaming, spray flying everywhere, bouncing the boats over whitecaps!  Peter was hanging off the trapeze trying to keep the Laser 2 upright, Carla/Steve and Jean/Frank were practicing steering-for-balance, the Tony/Devin’s Hobie 18 was close to flying a hull.  A couple of capsizes and some aid from kind sailors/RC (thanks Carla, Heidi, Reese!) and everyone made it home safe.

Apres-sail was fun, as always, and may thanks for coming out!

Series/Season Standings

This was the last race of our “Summer Series 1” set of races, with “Summer Series 2” going from Aug 3 – Aug 31.  We got 13 races in over the 5 weeks, which meant you can drop your worst 3 scores.  Steve convincingly won the series, taking 1st place in all but 3 races (a 2nd, a 3rd, and a Did-Not-Start).  Carla finished 2nd with a number of 1st place wins, as well as a handful of 3rd/4th places finishes.  Ken S rounds out the top 3, with a win, and solid 2nd/3rd place finishes.  For the rookies, we have Devin as the victor with some 1st/2nd place finishes, but the weeks he missed (Did-Not-Come-to-Starting-Area) hurt his overall placement among the veterans.  Complete results here.

Season wise, Carla is still in the lead by a couple of points over Steve.  Jason has fallen back to a distant 3rd.  Current standings here

 

Race Night Report, July 20, 2017

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Now THAT was a good turn out!  We had 16 boats on the water (13 boats racing) with 23 racers on my score sheet.  Encouragingly, many of our Learn-To-Sail graduates were coming out for their 1st race of the season (7, by my count)!  Winds were actually pretty decent for the first race (9 knots maybe, from the W — enough to have some fun hiking) although they died down to ~6 knots for race 2, and there was a good amount of “floating” for race 3.  Speaking of race 3, the unthinkable happened — read on!

(Note – I’m awful with faces and names, and errors are possible with the score sheet.  If you notice any mistakes like “I’m pretty sure I finished in front of Tony” or “I was sailing an Albacore with Bill, not a Laser by myself”, please let me know.  Links to the score sheets at bottom of post)

Race 1

I knew it would be a good night what I saw Corinne, and Leopold blasting along in an Albacore.  We had several LTS graduates in Albacores, a few in Lasers (and a Byte), and some of the race veterans sailing a mix of catamarans, Tasars, Albacores, Lasers, and even a Laser 2.

The area around the start line was pretty crowded, but several of the sailors stayed well back of the line before the start sound — I guess they read about Carla/Jean’s OCS last week and got scared off.  This let Ken/Peter S (sailing the Laser 2 together), Jason (Laser), Chunshu (Laser) and Jean/Frank (Albacore) to get a jump on the fleet.  Cameron/Matt (Albacore), Gabriel (Byte), Corrine/Leopold (Albacore) and Tony/Annie (Hobie 18) followed, with Mark/Ellen/Yona  joining in later.  It wasn’t long before the first mistake… Jason tacked onto port and tried to cut ahead of Chunshu who was on starboard tack.  Chunshu had to turn to avoid and you know what that means — penalty turns for Jason.  To make matters worse, he got tangled in the mainsheet hanging down from the boom as he was doing his turns, and was near the back of the fleet by the time he got things sorted out.

The cat, Frank/Jean’s Albacore and Ken/Peter’s Laser 2 played leapfrog for most of the race, while the rest of the fleet separated out.  The exception was that Jason was able to catch up to sneak past Chunshu and Corrine/Leopold on the second reaching leg by heading up a bit to gain boat speed, and rounded behind the leaders.  Chunshu was right on Jason’s tail, a little too much so, and bumped Jason’s transom at the leeward mark.  Doing his turns, Chunshu was passed by Corrine/Leo, Mike R/Lynn and the 3-person Mark/Ellen/Yona Albacores.

Meanwhile, the Annie/Tony cat was in 1st place, but when she rounded the windward mark, she took a wrong turn and headed to the gybe mark.  After realizing her mistake, she turned to head to the proper finish line, but had been soundly passed by Ken/Peter.  The cat was in a drag race for 2nd with Jean/Frank’s Albacore, and it came down to about 6 inches… the Albacore took it!  In terms of rookies, Mark/Ellen/Yona scored a respectable 6th, Cameron/Matt nabbed 9th, and Gabriel 10th.

Race 2

This race we were joined by Steve/Carla in a Tasar.  Norm/Tom N in an Albacore, James in a Laser and Lydia in a Laser.  Thirteen, count ’em, thirteen boats racing!  I think that’s a KSC record, at least within the past few years.

The start was a lot more competitive, with numerous boats threatening the line.  Steve/Carla were flirting quite dangerously with the start line, and I admit I was kinda hoping one of the veterans would come from downwind and enforce its right-of-way to push Carla/Steve over early.  Alas, didn’t happen.

The wind was starting to slow, and the upwind legs were very much about who could hold speed through their tacks, and squeeze out power from marginal conditions.  The single-handers didn’t fare too well, with the jibs on the double-handers helping them point.  Steve/Carla led the fleet (by a mile) while Ken/Peter, Mike/Lynn, Jean/Frank, Jason, and Chunshu were all duking it out for second.  Jean/Frank ran afoul of a boat (Mike/Lynn?) and had to do some penalty turns on the second reaching leg.  Mike/Lynn were leading by the second upwind, a good distance ahead of others.  While most boats elected to tack early and head to the left side of the course, Jason spotted some dark water in the distance and sailed right.  This move paid off, and he had caught up to Mike/Lynn by the windward mark.  Somehow Frank/Jean also caught up with Jason and Mike/Lynn — Frank won’t tell me how they made it upwind so fast, but the end result is we had 3 boats rounding the windward mark at the same time.  Yes, Carla/Steve were done the race before anyone else even got to this point, but you already knew that.

Jason was able to get on the inside, and round the mark with about 1/2″ room to spare  (which prompted some choice comments from Mike).  He started his downwind run with a few boat lengths lead over the double-handers.  Jean/Frank were sailing wing-on-wing while Mike/Lynn tried to get their Tasar on a deep reach.  Jason held on to take 2nd, with Jean/Frank just passing Mike/Lynn (3rd and 4th).  A few of our normally faster racers got caught in a patch of dead air, and we had surprising results like Norm/Tom finishing 13th, Tony/Annie 12th and Ken/Peter 8th.  Weird.  That’s okay, the scoring system we use lets you have the odd bad race without killing your season (see the “Dropped scores” section).

Race 3

Before the race, Steve and Jason switched boats — Steve was now in a Laser, and Carla/Jason were racing a Tasar together, with Carla at the helm.  The wind continued to slow, and we sailed a shortened course, with the finish line at the end of the 2nd upwind.

The start was slow, and favoured the pin end.  Generally good starts with little drama.  The fleet had separated by the end of the first leg, with Steve leading (no surprise), Jason/Carla close behind him (surprise) and Ken/Peter coming on strong too (no surprise).  The path around the course was largely processional, with the exception of rookies Matt/Cameron.  They had a start near the back of the fleet but Cameron was using every trick in the book: tacking on headers, maintaining boat speed through turns, hitting the gusts, and generally moving up the fleet constantly.

Steve rounded the leeward mark a few boat lengths ahead of Carla/Jason.  The wind was virtually dead on the right side of the course, so both boats tacked and went left after the mark, and stayed on starboard tack to try and ride the wind as long as they could.  (This next part may or may not be a bit embellished…)  Are you sitting down?  Okay, here we go: Steve made a tactical mistake.

Knowing that both boats would have to tack onto port to hit the finish line, Jason/Carla kept their eyes on the dead right side of the course.  A small, narrow gust was starting to develop.  They knew they’d never beat Steve if they stayed on the same tack as him, so they elected to tack early into the developing right-side gust.  Steve decided to stay in his wind instead.  About 30 seconds later, Steve hit the layline and tacked toward the mark, but missed the opportunity to stay in the fresh air that was developing.  Carla/Jason were able to take the race by a few seconds.  Believe it or not, this is the first time Carla’s won a race (other than when she’s sailed with Steve).  She’s one of the strongest sailors at KSC, and almost always in the top 3, so I was shocked when I found out.  Congrats, it must’ve felt good!

So what could Steve have done in this situation?  Given that the Laser can tack very quickly, he might have tacked as soon as Jason/Carla went on port to “cover” them and get in front of any wind they were hoping to catch.  I don’t know whether or not it would have worked, but it’s what he mentioned after the race.  Regardless, I expect him to have formulated a plan for next week, and I don’t expect him to lose a race this way again.

Ken/Peter finished 3rd.  Remember how I mentioned Cameron/Matt’s efforts to move up the fleet?  They were rewarded with a 4th place finish, ahead of veterans like Frank/Jean (5th), Mike/Lynn (7th), and Norm/Tom (12th).  Great job guys!  A huge shout out also goes to Mark/Ellen/Yona’s 3-person Albacore (6th), Corinne/Leopold (8th), Chunshu (10th) and Lydia (11th).  Note the online score sheet doesn’t list anyone has having finished in 9th place.  I’ll have to check the paper version, but there may be adjustments to the final standings.

Apres sail & Season/Series Standings

The on deck party was a fun time as always, and some leftover beverages from Sailpast were a nice touch (big thank you to our social director, Annie).  Tony brought burgers and race night was a complete success.  We had light winds, but next week (July 27) we expect bigger air.  Come on out, rain or shine (we cancel in the case of thunder, but don’t let rain scare you away)

Speaking of July 27, that’s the last night of “Summer Series 1”.  The scores for the series can be found here.  Steve is in the lead by a mile, with Ken S in 2nd.  The complete season (spring series + summer series 1 + eventually summer series 2) scores can be found here.  Please check your scores and let me know of any mistakes.

KSC 12-Mile Island Event this Saturday, July 29, 2017

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Each year, Kanata Sailing Club holds a “12-Mile Island” event as a long distance race.  We’ll be doing things a bit different this year, so please read on.

Where is 12-Mile Island?

The island, also called Ile Allen, is upriver (i.e. away from Ottawa) a good distance from KSC.  You sail North-West, past Pinhey’s Point, through the narrows at the Port-of-Call Marina, past Baskin’s Beach (both on the Ontario side), around the island, then back downriver to KSC.  Note that we recommend that you stay near the centre of the channel, especially when you’re sailing on the Quebec side of the island as it can get a bit shallow there.

How long does it take?

Depending on the wind conditions, and the type of boat you sail, a round trip journey generally takes the better part of a day.  The record, as far as I’m aware, is just over 2 hours (set in a fast catamaran, on a big-wind day, by ridiculously skilled and fast sailors).  On a more typical day, it’ll take 3+ hours in a cat, 4+ hours in an Albacore.  A light wind day could take 5 or more hours.

I don’t want to sail that far.

We have another option, and we’ll get to that.  Please keep reading.

How is it fair to people who sail slower boats?

We “handicap” the time.  There are generally accepted ratios as to how fast different boats sail.  The RYA (the UK equivalent of Sail Canada) maintains the handicaps for a bunch of boats.  According to their numbers for example, the Albacore is slightly faster than the Laser.  So, if a Laser can do a course in 60 minutes then it should take an Albacore 57 minutes and a Hobie 16 catamaran should be able to do it in 44 minutes.  We don’t consider the handicaps on our normal race nights, but will do so for this event.  The 2017 list of Portsmouth handicap numbers for monohulls can be found here and for cats here (we’ll be using the “PN Look-a-like” numbers for the cats).

Smaller numbers mean the boat should be theoretically be faster.

Okay, so let’s say I want to participate in the 12-Mile Island Event.  What’s the plan?

In previous year’s we’ve run the event as a “race” with a start line, and finish line, etc.  This year we’re doing things a bit differently since it’s really boring for a race committee to wait 4 hours for a boat to finish.

We’re setting a target finish time of 3:30pm.  You can start whenever you would like (be it 11:06am, 9:48am, noon, 1:21pm if you’re really optimistic, etc).  There will be a bouy in front of the sailing club to act as a starting/finishing point.  Sail from downriver, as close to the bouy as possible, to start your island rounding.  Record what time you started.  As you finish, pass the bouy as close as possible again and record your finish time.  Alternatively, you can use a stopwatch to track how long the run took you.

We’ll figure out an “adjusted time” based on your elapsed time and your boat’s handicap.

Once everyone is back at the club (target 3:30pm with a 4:15pm cut-off) we’ll crunch the numbers and see who did the rounding in the least amount of adjusted time.  Winners to be announced as soon as is practical after everyone is ashore.

As of July 25, the wind forecast is for moderate winds (maybe on the light side of moderate).  I would encourage monohull sailors to target a start time of around 11:00.  This would get you home right on time if the rounding takes you 4hr 30min.  Having a group of monohulls all leaving at the same time also allows you to keep an eye on each other.

What to I win?

Bragging rights, and a round of applause at the club’s AGM.  Also, this counts as one of the roundings for the 12-Mile Island Challenge and the trophies that go along with that.

12-Mile Island Challenge?  What’s that?

KSC founding members Harry Adderley and Ken Eaves have challenged the members of the club to round 12-Mile Island as many times as they can in a season.  There are trophies for those who complete:

  • the most roundings in a cat
  • the most roundings with a double-handed monohull
  • the most roundings with a single-handed monohull

If you round the island as part of this event, it counts towards your yearly total.  Note that in 2016, there were no single-handed monohull roundings, and only 2 (I think) double-handed roundings, so if you had done the 12-Mile Event in a Laser, you would have won.  On a tangential note, I had heard that Carla challenged Norm to round the island in an Opti, so we’ll see if that pans out.  Norm, I suggest you leave the club at 8:00am to make it back by 3:30.

I’m not ready to commit to that long a voyage.  Is there another option?

Yes!  I’ll be dropping a bouy in the middle of the river just past Pinhey’s Point.  This is about 1/2 way to 12-Mile Island.  We’ll actually announce two winners — the fastest time around the island, and the fastest time around the 1/2 way mark.  So, if you can’t get to the club until say 12:30, you might be able to grab a boat and do the half-run before the cut off.

I’m sold, how do I sign up?

Just show up at the club on Saturday July 29, rig your boat, and start your sail!  I aim to have the start mark in the water by 10:00, and the 1/2 mark shortly after.  As mentioned, aim to finish as close to 3:30, as possible, so everyone arrives back at the club around the same time.  Bring something to BBQ, a drink or two, and we’ll go through the results.  We’ll consider boats not finished by 4:15 disqualified.

Boats are first-come-first-serve.

Why the 4:15 cut off time?

This gives us time to crunch numbers, announce winners, and go out in the powerboat to pick up the half-way mark.  If we see any KSC boats struggling to make it back to the club, we’ll also give them a tow home, but please be advised that KSC should not be considered a rescue service.  Use your good judgement to take into account your sailing skills, experience, and weather conditions (both forecast and observed).

I don’t want to sail solo.  How can I find a skipper/crew?

Send me an email at sailing@kanatasailingclub.com if you’re looking for someone to sail with.  I’ll try to get people who email me in touch with each other.

 

Race Night Report, July 13, 2017

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We had a huge number of highlights, so let’s dive right in!

Winds were steady (for a change) about 6-8 knots from the SE, slowing and shifting from the S as the night went on.  At the suggestion of one of the racers, we experimented with a modified course (with a downwind finish). Feedback on the course was positive, and it was a heck of a lot easier for the RC to set, so watch for a amendment to the SIs coming soon which will formalize the new course as KSC standard.  Lots of Lasers out, with a couple of Tasars, a cat, and only one Albacore.

Race 1

People were still getting their bearings on the new course, and most people elected to do the safe thing — follow whatever boat Steve’s in.  Steve/Devin (Tasar) led the pack throughout the race, with the only real challenger being Ken S (Laser).  Jean/Carla (Tasar) took 3rd, Annie/Tony (Hobie 18) 4th, Chunshu (Laser) 5th, Tom N (Laser) 6th, and just-graduated LTS students Dan/Joanne (Albacore) in 7th.  Mike R (Laser) didn’t make the start line in time, and ended with a DNS 9 points.

Race 2

Wow, this was one to write home about.  First of all, everyone had their “safe” tour around the course, so they decided to be aggressive.  Maybe a little too aggressive.  Ken tried pushing Jean/Carla up above the committee boat before the race, and this encouraged the Tasar to really nail the start.  While running along the start line, the edge of Jean/Carla’s boat was across by about 6-8″ and once the start sound went, it was followed by the individual-recall flag.  Jean/Carla couldn’t believe it, but turned back and restarted anyway (behind the rest of the fleet).  Methinks they were not happy about it.

Meanwhile, Chunshu was on his game!  Not only was he keeping pace with Laser master Ken, and veteran Tom, but the 3 Lasers were right behind Tony/Annie’s cat by the leeward mark.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen 4 KSC boats that close at that point in the race.  Chunshu pulled an AWESOME move.  Recognizing that the 3 boats in front of him were going to have to “pinwheel” around the mark, he cut in right behind the cat (the inside boat) and tacked right after rounding.  The cat continued on, leaving Ken and Tom struggling in its wind shadow, while Chunshu gained on all of them and was sailing in clear air.  You should have heard Heidi in the RC boat “That’s my student! I’m so proud!”

Jean/Carla (with nobody around them) apparently hit the gybe mark in the meantime, and their 360 cost them even more time.  Devin/Steve won the race (of course), followed by the Tony/Annie cat (2nd), Chunshu (3rd, his best placement to date), Ken (4th), Mike (5th), Tom (6th).  Carla/Jean managed to pass the Albacore to claim 7th, while Joanne/Dan finished 8th.

3rd race

It was after the 3rd race had started that the RC noticed “hey, our gybe mark is gone”.  Way off in the distance, toward Aylmer island and almost in line with the windward mark, the “gybe” mark was drifting down river.  By the time the RC got there, the first boats had already reached the leg, the the RC had no choice but to let the sailors run the course as is (essentially, a windward/leeward course).  Whatever, it was all in good fun.  The wind petered off on the downwind (down to maybe 4 knots), and the race took a while to actually finish, without too much drama or events (at least none that I saw, but I was focused on retrieving the mark).

Steve/Devin got the bullet (AGAIN) with Tony/Annie getting 2nd.  Considering the cat’s (shall we say) “disappointing” placements last season, Annie and Tony have really upped their game this year.  Ken claimed 3rd, followed by Chunshu (4th), Jean/Carla (5th), Tom (6th) and Mike (7th).  Dan/Joanne had to retire due to a previous commitment, but their boat was subsequently claimed for an after-racing sail by Rebecca and Mark.

Apres-sail

Many thanks to Carla for bringing the food/beer, and for Heidi for helping RC.  Frank (not sailing due to a cold) BBQ’d up some mighty fine burgers, and we all enjoyed a beautiful night.  Uncharacteristically, the wind picked up as the sun was going down (up to 10 knots, maybe), so those who elected to stay on the water (Mike, Mark, Rebecca) had some good fun blasting along.

Season score wise, Carla doubles her lead over Jason!  Last week she was ahead by 1 point, this week she’s ahead by 2 (28 to 30).  But look out, both of you… Tony’s coming on strong after a pair of 2nd place finishes, and Steve’s 15-point DNC races are quickly being replaced by wins.  Tom, Chunshu, Jean and Annie are getting in the mix, and adding Ken to the roster of regulars will make it that much harder to get those 2nd/3rd place finishes (can we all just assume that Steve will be finishing 1st?).  Season score here.

The summer series scores are a lot less interesting.  Steve’s whopping butt (his only non-1st-place-finish is a 3rd, and that’s a dropped score).  Ken’s in 2nd with a bit of margin over Carla and Jason, but not enough to “lock it”.  Annie/Tony are tied for 5th, which is AWESOME.  Last year the cats (be it 16 or 18) were typically near the bottom of the fleet, considering our short tack-friendly courses, but this year they’re solidly in the middle of the fleet, including grabbing a couple of 2nd place finishes over Laser/Tasar/Albacore veterans.  If the legs were a mile long, they could very well be beating Steve!  Summer series scores here