Fall Nightcap Series – Races 4 and 5

Thanks to El Niño we seem to be enjoying an endless summer, sunny and warm but with fickle or absent breezes. That a dozen boats had a great afternoon of sailing this week and managed two races was due to two things.

Firstly, the wind actually began to fill parts of the bay well before race time (but not from the predicted WNW), and secondly Stig Osterberg used his RIB to tow Oden to the starting area and then moored it to the CB.

Before the race the wind was 6+ kts. from 335°M making CG an ideal windward/leeward course. After the CB was anchored and the course set it was observed that there was still no wind around G and the wind line was not approaching it. The RIB was used to set mark L near the edge of the wind line then notify each boat of the course change. After the start the wind strengthened a little and as the course was rather short the RIB went round the fleet again requesting two laps.

The racing was tight, the first three boats finished each lap within the same minute even though they had sailed different courses. The Thunderbirds were also bunched together, most crossing the line on both laps within the same three minutes, though sailing different courses in between. Generally second lap times were 2 – 3 minutes faster than the first lap. One boat forgot to cross the SF line at the end of the first lap.

As the wind was still blowing and the afternoon young a second race was called for. Around the end of the first race the wind had shifted to 300°M so the RIB squared the line and the course SCTF was set. Soon after the start the wind began to soften and the RIB went to the windward mark to shorten course to rounding L instead of T but it arrived too late as the first boat was already set up for rounding. Fortunately the wind picked up to 5+ kts. again and the fleet completed the full course in about an hour.

It was nice to welcome Oden back after a long absence. The availability of the RIB saved the afternoon.