The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The first weekend of spring was welcomed by most with a steady improvement in weather across the northern hemisphere. Three events in North America were fortunate to have a full slate of racing completed across the Deep South and the Southwest. Blessed with powerful frontal systems north of them, the J/22 Midwinters were sailed on Lake Ponchartrain, hosted by the famous Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, LA. Out west, two big races took place. The San Diego Yacht Club hosted the annual HELLY HANSEN San Diego NOOD Regatta for one-design fleets of J/24s and J/105s. Then, starting last Friday, the epic 800.0 nm Newport to Cabo San Lucas Race took place, with the fleet treated to amazing downwind sleigh-ride conditions for most of the race.In the J/Community section, we find an entertaining introduction to Nova Scotians enjoying frostbiting their J/22s up near the Arctic Circle, and sadly, a tribute to a long-time friend of J/Boats and the Johnstone family- Dr. Robin Wallace. Dr Robin was the Ida Lewis Yacht Club PRO for the first J/24 North Americans in 1978 and the first J/24 Worlds in 1979, both sailed off Newport, RI...his history with the J/Family ran deep...we are sorry to see him "crossing the bar" this past week.
St. Thomas International Regatta Preview
(St. Thomas, USVI)- The starting horn is set to sound on the 2021 St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) March 26th to 28th, launching three days of keen competition in one of the world’s top yacht racing destinations. Board members of the host St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC) and STIR organizers have worked diligently and with strong support from the United States Virgin Islands Departments of Tourism and Health to plan a best of both worlds event. That is, highly competitive yacht racing with COVID-19 protocols in place on land and sea to protect the health and safety of sailors and island residents alike. The warm-up distance-style Round the Rocks Race on March 25th adds another great way for sailors to socially-distance at sea. Register for both at stthomasinternationalregatta.com“It is our pleasure to welcome participants attending this year’s St. Thomas International Regatta. I commend the St. Thomas Yacht Club for ensuring that COVID-19 protocols are in place so competitors and spectators can safely enjoy the action both on and off our waters. We encourage everyone to comply with the Territory’s safety measures as they navigate our islands, experience our beautiful waters, rich history and culture, and the warmth of our people,” says Joseph Boschulte, Commissioner of Tourism, U.S. Virgin Islands.
COVID-Safety Top of Mind
Sound COVID-19 protocols implemented by the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands have kept infection rates low. Key among these is that every traveler, age 5 and older, entering the territory by air or sea, is required to use the USVI Travel Screening Portal and submit a COVID-19 test result before travel. Upon arrival, social distancing is the rule and, in most businesses, ‘No Mask, No Service’ is in force.
At STIR, social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand sanitization stations are among COVID-19 protocols. On the water, crews in boats such as the one-design IC24 are limited to three this year, and bigger boat classes will remain in social bubbles throughout the regatta.
Who’s Racing
The big boat CSA Racing Class entries include LIQUID, the perpetually podium-placing J/122 raced by Antigua’s Pamala Baldwin; and for their first time, Marco Teixidor's Puerto Rican team on the J/111 CACHONDO.
The largest class in STIR 2021 will be the One-Design IC-24s (the modified Caribbean J/24) with 20 entries. Because of their familiarity with J/24s, a number of American teams are headed down to the Caribbean for fun and frolic! Those teams include Chicago, Illinois’ Joe Hummel; his wife and friends will charter the IC-24 ROUNDABOUT from the St. Thomas Sailing Center (STSC) to race.
“My wife and I are avid sailors on Lake Michigan. In the off-season, we try to get out sailing and typically visit St. Pete in February and the Caribbean in March. Four of us will be racing, and since the crew is limited to 3 this year, we’ll be rotating one off each day. Given the 2 feet of snow and freezing temperatures at home, you can imagine how much we’re looking forward to sailing and enjoying USVI and in particular STYC.”
Two other teams from the Chicago area will be joining them; including Jarrett Altmin on SOUL SHINE and Jay Butler's BLACK PEARL from Oak Park, IL.
The STYC and STIR organizers thank the USVI Department of Tourism; Michelob Ultra, Stoli, Bacardi, and Milagro distributed by West Indies Company; and several other sponsors organizers look forward to announcing shortly. Sailing photo credits- Ingrid Abery/ STIR For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing information
So far, there are thirteen J/Boats registered to date for the Round Island Race- from J/160, J/122s, J/121s, J/120s, J/111s, and J/109s, to name a few. That's not enough! Double-check your schedules as you simply cannot beat the famous Round Island Race, truly one of the more spectacular races on the summer yachting calendar!
Edgartown Race Weekend is one of the nation’s oldest distance races, occurring every summer on and offshore the island of Martha’s Vineyard. A staple on the East Coast racing calendar, the highly-competitive and exceptionally fun race weekend includes both buoy racing and ‘Round-the-Island segments and attracts boats and teams of all sizes and calibers from around the U.S. and internationally.
With nearly 50 boats already registered for this year’s Race Weekend, we would like to encourage teams to reserve moorings and housing accommodations, as availabilities are quickly filling up. All logistical information can be found on the Edgartown Race Weekend homepage.
For more information, refer to the EYC website or contact Margaret Passafiume at (508) 627-4364 x18 or email at raceadministrator@edgartownyc.org. Sailing photo credits- Stephen Cloutier. For more Edgartown Race Weekend registration and sailing information
Mar 26-28- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 4- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 2-4- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Apr 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 30- May 2- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
Apr 30- May 2- J/111 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
May 9-15- J/70 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Day 1- Breezy, Choppy, Cool Day
Besides the sailors, perhaps the most excited person on the first day of racing was Southern Yacht Club's PRO and RC team. With such a solid forecast for breeze all three days, it made their job easy to layout the race course and manage the aggressive fleet. Conditions were breezy and bumpy on Lake Pontchartrain, testing some boats and equipment. Glenn Darden's BABY DOLL mastered the shifts, winning two of three races and placing second in the other for 4 points and the early advantage. Travis Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER bounced back from being over early in race two and added a pair of top three finishes for second place overall (14 points). Casey Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING stood three points back in third. Nine total races are planned through Sunday.
Eager teams were greeted with a grey sky, and winds consistently in the mid-teens. Odenbach opened the regatta with a bullet, trailed by Darden and Benz Faget’s FATS (the local hero and super star on Lake Ponchartrain). Darden earned his first victory in the next contest, ahead of Tommy Meric Jr.’s CARNIVAL TIME and Lambert. Following Darden in the day’s final match were Alexander Schwinn’s TILT and Odenbach in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Day 2- Classic, Shifty, Lake Racing
After four more races were completed on the second day, making a total of seven to count, only one point separated the leaders heading into the final two races Sunday.
Day one leader Darden’s BABY DOLL opened Saturday with a pair of bullets but added a 5 and 13 (their discard) for 11 net points. Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER notched all top-three finishes on the day, and now dropping a 10 from Friday, bringing him within a single point of the lead. Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING remains in third place with 27 net points.
The teams enjoyed a brightening day on Lake Pontchartrain in winds averaging 7-10 knots with lighter chop. Darden picked up where he left off the prior day with back-to-back wins (first ahead of Lambert and Odenbach, then again topping Odenbach and Faget’s Fats in the second race). Odenbach took race six for his second victory of the series, followed by Boo Heausler’s REBOUND GIRL and Schwinn’s TILT. Mark Foster’s PRESSURE DROP led the fleet back to shore, as Odenbach placed second allowing him to close in on the overall Championship, and Faget came in third place.
Day 3- Spectacular Sunny Finale
The final day saw a sunny day, mostly breezy and lumpy conditions on Pontchartrain. The Southern YC RC and PRO team knocked out two more races to complete the planned nine-race series.
Darden, of Fort Worth, TX, with crew Marcus Eagan, Jackson Benvenutti, and Sarah Raymond won Sunday's opening race. Odenbach’s HONEYBADER, just one point off the pace at the start of the day, placed seventh. HONEYBADGER stormed back to win the final contest, however, BABY DOLL placed fourth and secured the Championship with 16 net points (Odenbach ended with 20 pts). Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING put together a solid weekend for third place (40 points).
Darden’s crew members were all from the New Orleans area. “Marcus and Jackson are wizards of this lake,” said Darden. “(It was) very streaky and shifty all three days. We like the lump with the breeze. We got off the line well, which was probably our key.”
Rounding out the top five were Foster's Corpus Christi, TX team on PRESSURE DROP in fourth place and Schwin's Fort Worth Boat Club team on TILT taking fifth. Sailing photo credits- Chris Howell/ J-22 Class. For more J/22 Midwinter Championship registration & sailing information
The always competitive J/105 class saw close racing all weekend-long. Winning in the end was Stew Cannon's J-OK with a very consistent 2-1-2-3-2 tally for 10 pts. Hot on their heels all weekend was George Scheel's SUN PUFFIN with a 1-4-5-2-1 scoreline for 13 pts. Rounding out the podium was Donica & Scott Ryder's SANITY with a 4-3-1-4-3 record for 15 pts. The balance of the top five included Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK! in fourth place and Scott McDaniel's OFF THE PORCH placed 5th.
Bill Ramacciotti and Mike Davies J/24 GREENBACK BOOGIE leapfrogged into first place Sunday thanks to two first-place finishes and one second. “We had super-close racing all weekend among our fleet,” said Ramacciotti. “It was so much fun to see us finishing these races within seconds of each other.”
Four of the five J/24s are local to San Diego, and Ramacciotti and Davies have a concerted effort underway to build the class. “We’re not big budget programs and our goal is to keep it accessible and get more people out sailing,” said Ramacciotti. “We are all weekend warriors so to speak with different years of experience and these boats provide the vehicle to help us all continue learning."
They also agreed that the winning strategy today was picking sides. “Calling the line and committing to one side or another was crucial, Ramacciotti said, “but when you sail in San Diego with shifty winds, it really comes down to boatspeed and crew work."
While the GREENBACK BOOGIE crew ended up with four bullets and four deuces for 12 pts to take the J/24 class win, Christian Seidel's CYGNET 2 was certainly in the hunt until the 7th race. At that point, Seidel's crew plunged down the mine shaft, garnering two 4th's to sink their chances of the class win. As a result, the CYGNET 2 team had to settle for the silver with 18 pts. Completing the podium was Brian Dolan's CALAMITY sailed a consistent series with all top four finishes to finish in fourth with 23 pts.
Sailing photo credits- Mark Albertazzi For more San Diego NOOD Regatta sailing information
Always a challenging race, this year the fleet was blessed with strong northerly breezes that fluctuated from northwest to northeast and back again. The conditions were epic for the "big boats", Roy Disney's PYEWACKET 70, a former Volvo 70 race boat, shattered the course record set many moons ago by 14 hours! That gives you an idea of how quick the race was for most of the fleet.
Looking forward to that challenge were two thoroughbreds in the J/Design stable. Racing in ORR Class C were Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID and Roger Gatewood's J/145 KATARA. For the duration of the race, we received daily reports from KATARA's log...it makes for entertaining reading and insights on what it's like to sail offshore with a full race crew.
Log # 2
Position: 32 53.0N 1117 48W
Speed: 12.8 kts
Distance to go: 748.1nm
Weather: Cool, Sunny. Seas 5-6'
Winds: 298 at 16kts
Sail Package: Tweener
The start occurred at 1300 PDT in a very light (3-6 kts) breeze out of the south. Weird for a downwind race, but we started with the LM Genoa up and started completely close-hauled.
First day is nearly in the books. Bow team Avery and Alex just executed their first offshore headsail peel, bringing us from the Light medium upwind genoa to the reaching Tweener (similar to a code zero).
We've just put blue watch (Ron, Clay, and Avery) to bed as we anticipate that we will be shifting from the Tweener to the A4 running kite in the next hour to hour and a half. One of our biggest competitors, Horizon (a Santa Cruz 50) is just above us with a kite up and working their way down to us. We'll likely do the same as they get closer, but we're currently working just a little hotter in the hopes that we can maintain more of the gradient pressure that exists just offshore of us at the moment.
Looks like everyone is having a good time. Steve got his first helm time in a race on Katara a few hours ago. Capt. Roger drove us through the start and several hours after that. Liam, Sam, Steve, Ron, and Roger have been our helmsmen so far.
If the forecast holds true, we're in for a pretty wild ride overnight and into tomorrow with breeze in to the 20s and a building sea state.
Hope everyone else at home is warm and dry in their beds - it's looking like it's going to be a little chilly for us out here tonight.
Log # 3
Position: 30 44.13N 117 28.7W
Speed: 14 kts
Distance to go: 625.9nm
Weather: Cold! Seas 5-6'
Winds: 306 at 23kts
Sail Package: A4
It's almost the end of night 1. The crew is still working on getting in to their watch schedule, and I think several (myself included) are quite tired.
Just after sunset we went from our Tweener to our A4 heavy weather running sail. Avery and Alex managed the bow for the maneuver, Steve and Clay worked the mid-deck, Liam and I were on trim, Ron worked the main, and Roger drove.
There is an area of lower winds speed just inside of us which we've been attempting to avoid. So, at times, we're sailing a much hotter angle than we normally would with this sail. We've got validation in the fact that we can see Horizon, Bretwalda, and several others in our class doing nearly the same thing along our line.
We got distracted last night and no one made dinner, so snacks got hit hard. We'll make sure we've got someone on kitchen duty this evening.
Conditions have been very pleasant, with seas 6-7' and breeze mostly in the teens until just the last few hours where we have seen a build to near 20 kts.
Log # 4
Position: 29 27.2N 115 34.3W
Speed: 12-18++ kts
Distance to go: 532.34nm
Weather: Beautiful day out with a slightly confused 6-8ft sea state.
Winds: 308 at 22kts
Sail Package: A4
What a day! Good breeze, cool weather, not too sunny, an acceptable sea state, and one hell of a fast boat. We've enjoyed the day running downhill bouncing between waves where our helmsmen (Roger, Sam, Steve, Ron, Liam, and I) have tried to keep the pointy side forward and the white side up. Earlier this morning we put in our first gybe and started reconnecting with the shore. We were leveraging a further right (320-ish) wind direction than we had seen before which made the port tack more optimal.
As I am writing this, I heard the loudest of roars from upstairs. Glancing through a port hole, I see an entire universe of white foam go flying by the window as the new deck team (Ron, Clay, and Avery) with captain Roger just laid down a new race record for the boat of 25.8 kts!! Ron sneaked this one out after having had to share the previous 22.8 kts record with Clay and Avery. Later, we were all awakened when our southern "gentleman" Steve was a whoopin' and a holerin' as he was laying down his own record.
Now. Where was I? Right. We're headed to shore. After a few hours on port working our way back to the coast the breeze went left (near 305) again which makes the starboard tack preferred. We executed our second gybe of the trip (a beaut, if we may be so bold) and started heading back offshore.
While not perfect conditions competitively for this boat, we've been sailing extremely well against our polars and our own modeling, and the crew is having an absolute BLAST!
Ron, Clay, and Avery just took the 1400 watch with Roger finishing out the last two hours of his captain watch with them.
I figure somewhere in the next 10-12 hours we'll be on the hunt for another righty where we can capitalize and head back ashore.
We've got our arrival "betting pool" started. It ranges from a *VERY* optimistic Avery hoping for a 0700 Tuesday arrival (hehe - not gonna happen, kid), to least optimistic old salt Ron guessing at 0400 Wednesday. For SOME reason they wouldn't let the guy with Expedition and all the routing work take his best guess.... The prize is absolutely nothing more than bragging rights, but it's a KATARA tradition.
Log # 5
Position: 28 32.3N 115 19.4W
Speed: 15++ down to 11ish kts
Distance to go: 484.14nm
Weather: A stiffening breeze with a confused 7-9ft sea state.
Winds: 315 degrees, 22 gusting 30kts
Sail Package: keep reading...
Welp....Every great sailboat race comes with its challenges to test sailors' resolve and skill and to keep the thrill of adventure in the game.
About 1 hour ago we were screaming along under our A4 running spinnaker when a wave caught us and caused a roll out. OUCH! Unfortunately, this also "over-shocked" the A4 and we lost both sheets holding it in. An all-hands on deck was called and, in relative short order, the team had recovered the sail.
We're not making much headway with just the Light Medium #1 genoa, as the only other spinnaker we have for these conditions is the A3 reaching kite. Our plan for now is to be conservative overnight reaching under just the genoa and re-evaluate tomorrow morning at day break. Hopefully at that time we can get the Kite back up, as we're currently down over 3.6 kts VMG towards the finish line...UGH!
In other news, there were no injuries and we're currently making dinner - Chili Mac & Cheese - Thanks, Clay! Avery is also whipping up a salad for everyone.
Log # 6
Position: 27 27.1N 115 we.9W
Speed: 10-20 kts depending on waves
Distance to go: 403.4nm
Weather: A stiffening breeze with a confused 7-9ft sea state.
Winds: 315-330 at 18-24 kts
Sail Package: Reaching A3
Now, we're back in this here sailboat race! Just before 2200 hrs, Roger and I did a comprehensive analysis of the forecasts, sea state, and current winds and decided it was time to launch the A3 kite. While not a downwind runner like the A4 that we lost, this sail is FAR superior for this task than our #1 Genoa was. We timed the hoist with a watch change (these are *VERY* big sails) and by 2230 we were under A3 and a full main again. VMC (velocity made good towards our target) jumped by over 5.6kts. We also did a gybe as part of the maneuver and are now working our way back towards the coast.
If the breeze continues to stay left (not exactly what's forecast) then we'll stay on this Port tack as far as it will take us - it's much closer to the finish line than the other board. If the breeze shifts left through the morning and in to the afternoon, then we will gybe out again for a little while to get clear of the peninsula.
Clay and Avery took kitchen duties this evening and we had a freeze-dried chili mac & cheese again dressed up with some fresh cut onions and cheese. Lots and lots of snacks aboard, so no one is going to go hungry.
We lost quite a bit of ground to our competition for the several hours we were running just on the Genoa, but we're slowing making some of that back up according to the tracker we all carry.
The sea state is challenging for our primary drivers, but Ron, Liam, Steve, and Sam are giving it their all and doing excellent.
Hope that the 320-330 TWD holds for us and that we just keep truckin' down range.
Log # 7
Position: 26 27.2N 114 1.3W
Speed: 9-12 kts
Distance to go: 308nm
Weather: Champagne sailing.
Winds: 300-320 at 11-20 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Spinnaker Staysail, Full Main
Early this morning the breeze decayed enough for us to downshift to our light-air running spinnaker, the A2. Not only did it give us a boost in speed and better angle, but all of us who drove it say it's a heck of a lot easier on the helmsmen.
We're currently the inside boat and we just executed a gybe to get us out and around Lazarro Point. I figure we'll be here for 5-6 hours before gybing back on to Port tack.
Breakfast was home-made pancakes and sausage (thanks, Sam!) and was hugely well received.
Roger and Sam are swapping watches as we speak with Roger taking the 1200-1600 Captain's watch. For the first 2 hours of his watch, he'll have the current deck team of Liam, Alex, and Steve to help him. The off-watch appear all to be asleep which is great, because there's still plenty of fighting and sail wrangling left to be done.
Alex, our last second pick up when one of our crew couldn't get his passport sorted in time (dang Rona), is doing an excellent job on his first offshore adventure. Great attitude and always ready to jump in.
Our other newbs, Avery and Steve, both seem to be excelling and soaking in the experience. I think Steve summed it up just a few minutes ago on deck when we were talking and he goes, "I could get used to this. This is pretty good stuff. Think I might have to do some more of this". You tell em, Steve!
First 24 hours of the race we covered 254.5nm, a really great run for this boat. We'll know what the second 24 looks like in about an hour once we've passed the 48-hour mark.
If you've got any influence with whoever you believe controls the wind, put in an order of a hard Lefty right around our boat for about the next 6 hours that we can capitalize on as a header and make better angle to the finish line.
Latest projections have an arrival of late evening on Tuesday - but we all know how fickle these things can be. We've still got a lot of racing (over 300nm) to do, and almost anything could happen.
Log # 8
Position: 24 52.9n 113 12.2w
Speed: 9-13 kts
Distance to go: 215 nm
Weather: More Champagne sailing.
Winds: 300-320 at 14-19 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Full Main
Less than 250nm to go! Much of today was extremely enjoyable conditions. Cool and sunny on deck, pleasantly cool and dry down below for crew rest, and champagne sailing. Wind at a great angle with plenty of pressure to keep us moving. We launched the Spinnaker Staysail to compliment the A2 and they worked nicely together most of the day. As the evening came in, we got a little uptick in wind speed as well as a slightly more confused state. We've dropped the Staysail as it's easier to control and recover the spinnaker without it.
Early evening, we made a gybe over to starboard tack to work our way out away from the coast to line up for what we were hoping was a layline right past Lazaro Point. Unfortunately, when we gybed back, we weren't quite clear of the point, and more importantly there was growing concern on the latest forecast models that there was a large hole forming over the point and bay just below it. Our initial routing runs had us cutting through there with minimal impact on pressure and a shorter distance. Now that appears unlikely, we've gybed back over to starboard again for what should only be a 3-5 hours before we'll head back over to port tack to follow the coast around towards the finish. This is the first significant slip of our routing arrival times, now projecting either very very late Tuesday or early sometime in the first few hours of Wednesday.
Dinner was freeze dried sweet and sour pork and it seemed to go over fairly well. We picked up a bunch of bags of pre-made salads as well which have been going well before dinner.
Seems everyone is in their sleep cycle and have been doing well at being on deck ready to go for the start of their watches.
Spinnaker trim teams Clay/Avery, Liam/ALex, and Alex/Steve had been doing their best to keep the kite full in concert with the drivers in what has, at times, been challenging confused seas.
Ron, Sam, Steve, and Liam have done the lion's share of the driving, and I've jumped in 4 or 5 times to get them some rest and a chance to eat.
Roger seems to be enjoying himself, and these are certainly conditions that makes one wish to be on deck.
Speaking of which, I'd rather be up there hanging out with the Blue team (Ron, Clay, Avery) and their 1st half watch captain Roger than down here, so we'll sign off.
Log # 9
Position: 23 47.9N 112 13.0W
Speed: 10-12.5 kts
Distance to go: 136 nm
Weather: Gorgeous sunrise on a clear crisp day.
Winds: 310-325 at 14-19 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Full Main
Dawn of the last day! And what a gorgeous dawn it is. Roger, Avery, Ron, and Clay have had what most consider to be the coveted watch - the 0600-1000 dawn patrol. They've spent the last hour or so watching a gorgeous sunrise on what's currently a beautiful cool crisp morning.
We're currently in VMG mode (go down wind as fast as possible watching your target wind angle) and we're watching very closely several of the competitors ahead of us. There is a large area of light air that started to develop overnight right off the coast north of Cabo. We gybed out to put a little more distance between us and that and so far, have had steady breeze near 15 kts.
Nereid, the J/125, is a ways ahead of us and closer to shore and the latest position reports indicate she's lost a significant amount of speed. We're currently tracking the same line as the Santa Cruz 50, Horizon (an EXTREMELY well sailed local boat), and are watching anxiously to see any sort of deterioration to their speed. We're using the boats ahead of us as a set of whiskers to help determine when we may want to gybe out again (hey, you get to be up front, but you've gotta share data- Sailing Instruction 2.13.4).
Our arrival time has slipped some due to the expected lighter breeze later today, now looking at something like 0200 tomorrow morning. Still a very quick run down here. When we did the Puerto Vallarta race down here last year at this time, we were less than half way there and nearly completely becalmed.
Sam is whipping up some freeze-dried biscuits and gravy (right, I have no idea how you freeze dry biscuits either.... stand by and we'll update on edibility on the next log) and fresh eggs (from past experience we have determined that freeze-dried eggs are absolutely inedible and aren't even suitable for wild animal consumption).
Log # 10
Position: 23 27.9N 111 37.9W
Speed: 8-10 kts
Distance to go: 99.5 nm
Weather: Gorgeous clear crisp day.
Winds: 290-305 at 10-14 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Full Main
Welcome Shore Family, to this special "double-digits" edition of the KATARA Log. Just moments ago, we sailed through the 100nm to destination mark and are now officially in the double-digits!
It's been a very pleasant day, but we'd certainly sign up for more breeze if that was an option. There is a very large hole in and around the finish line, and several of the faster boats that were ahead and approaching it this morning struggled to get through. The forecast swears we are supposed to be bringing some breeze with us from behind which would be awesome, but we've spent most of the early morning up to now trying to sort when to gybe out to shift lanes and when to come back in and optimize our VMC (velocity made good on course). It's a fine line, because every step we take outside adds mileage to our distance but sailing too close to the hole and losing pressure is equally as devastating. Looks like we may be in for 2-3 more sets of small hour-long gybes to shift lanes as we get closer. For now, she's light but cooking along.
Breakfast freeze dried biscuits and gravy was met with generally positive reactions, with Liam and Alex seeming to particularly like it. The fresh eggs Sam made for on top were universally appreciated.
We got Clay on the helm for the first time this trip this morning 0900-1000. These are very tricky conditions and we've largely been sticking with our most experienced offshore helmsmen (Ron, Liam, Sam, Steve, and I). Clay did an excellent job and took great coaching from Sam and I who took turns sitting next to him walking him through the maneuvers. Roger, Avery, Alex, and Clay have been largely leading the spinnaker trim team and have been giving it their all to keep us powered up and give the helmsman the options he needs to keep the pressure on.
Looking like a very late-night arrival - somewhere near 0200 PDT perhaps. The crew house starts today, so as long as we can find our way to, and inside, it we'll have a lovely nice dry clean place to lay our heads this evening.
POST-LOG
In the end, thanks to the KATARA team for their daily log of their experience sailing one of the signature offshore races in the Southern California yachting schedule. It's a classic race and challenge for what is largely a "downhill sleigh ride". Despite their 7-8 hours of 3.5 kts VMG under genoa on their third night, the consequence of blowing up their A4 downwind runner, the KATARA team managed a 4th in class, just behind their classmates- Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID. For more Cabo Race sailing information
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"As the oldest yacht club in the Americas (since 1837), it's a day at Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron to shovel snow, frostbite J/22s, and finish at the fire.
"Our plan was to start our Spring J/22 frostbiting with the first sign of decent weather and, as soon as provincial COVID-19 health regulations eased a little. With a maximum outdoor gathering limit raised to 150 persons, we were given the green light… and then we had a big snowstorm on the day before the start!
Undaunted, teams used the hatch sliders on the J/22s to shovel snow off the decks and out of the cockpits, and soon enough we were good to go! Double windward-leewards in shifty conditions made for a ton of fun on March 20. Now our fingers and toes are collectively crossed that we can run our bi-annual Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race with our friends from Boston Yacht Club." Enjoy the short YouTube sailing video here Thanks to our friends at Scuttlebutt Sailing for the round-the-campfire enjoyment
Robin grew up sailing in Weymouth with his father. Robin graduated with a Degree in Medicine from Exeter College in Oxford University. He first visited Newport in 1964, when his father was Commodore of the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, the Challenger of Record, for the British America’s Cup Challenge, as well as Fleet Surgeon; the same position his son would hold years later for the New York Yacht Club.
Robin desired to do his residency in the United States and did so at the Children’s Hospital in Boston. After completing his residency in the United States, he moved to Newport, and established his practice in association with Dr. Fred Pearce at the Aquidneck Medical Associates.
Soon after he commenced his practice, although a British Citizen, Robin was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served in Vietnam as a Major in the Medical Corps. After his service, he returned to his practice on Memorial Boulevard until retirement in 2003. He remained however the "school doctor" for St. George’s School until 2017.
To describe Robin as an icon in Newport is an understatement. Robin quickly established himself, not only as a sought-after pediatrician but also as an avid promoter of sailing.
As a member of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, he and his predecessor, Race Committee Chairman Robert Conner, were determined to establish new standards of excellence in race management.
Robin not only worked on the water, but he promoted sailing events for Newport. As the Chairman of the State Yachting Committee, for over seventeen years, he educated the state legislators of the tremendous economic impact that sailing produced for the state.
Probably the most successful events for Newport and the State of Rhode Island were the Volvo Ocean Races in 2015 and 2018 which, it is fair to say, would not have stopped in Newport without the efforts of the State Yachting committee advocating for the release of state funding required to support the event.
Sailing was not Robin’s only love. He was devoted to St. George’s School. He conducted morning “sick call” at the school for over thirty-five years and was instrumental in upgrading the health center and the general wellness of the St. George’s community.
After the loss of the America’s Cup in 1983, Robin was one of the founding members of Sail Newport, a public sailing organization that provides sailing instruction and boating facilities to the public (as co-founding member, J/Boats supplied the J/22's as the principal teaching platform). Currently all 4th graders in the Newport school system are introduced to sailing at Sail Newport. The organization also runs regattas and hosts many different sailing events and activities that contribute to the betterment of the entire community.
Robin was a Commodore of Ida Lewis Yacht Club and also a long-time member of the New York Yacht Club. He was active in race management at both clubs this past season as sailing was one of the sports that one was able to participate in during the pandemic. He was also a long-time active member of the Newport Reading Room.
Robin has been long loved by several generations of his pediatric patients and their parents and will be greatly missed by them and a wide spectrum of friends. In fact, for years Robin was the pediatrician for Bob and Mary Johnstone's youngest son- Peter Johnstone. Without Robin's unwavering, critical eye to whip Peter into shape, we are forever grateful Pete's still around with us today! Pete is now the second-generation running Dad's powerboat business- MJM Yachts down in Washington, NC.
Robin leaves two cousins in England, his St. George’s family, his Sail Newport family, his Ida Lewis family, the Murphy family, his loyal friends Bill and Pat Steel, and a host of friends in Newport and beyond.
Those wishing to commemorate Robin may do so by donating to Sail Newport, 72 Fort Adams Drive, Newport RI 02840.
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The big boat CSA Racing Class entries include LIQUID, the perpetually podium-placing J/122 raced by Antigua’s Pamala Baldwin; and for their first time, Marco Teixidor's Puerto Rican team on the J/111 CACHONDO.
The largest class in STIR 2021 will be the One-Design IC-24s (the modified Caribbean J/24) with 20 entries. Because of their familiarity with J/24s, a number of American teams are headed down to the Caribbean for fun and frolic! Those teams include Chicago, Illinois’ Joe Hummel; his wife and friends will charter the IC-24 ROUNDABOUT from the St. Thomas Sailing Center (STSC) to race.
“My wife and I are avid sailors on Lake Michigan. In the off-season, we try to get out sailing and typically visit St. Pete in February and the Caribbean in March. Four of us will be racing, and since the crew is limited to 3 this year, we’ll be rotating one off each day. Given the 2 feet of snow and freezing temperatures at home, you can imagine how much we’re looking forward to sailing and enjoying USVI and in particular STYC.”
Two other teams from the Chicago area will be joining them; including Jarrett Altmin on SOUL SHINE and Jay Butler's BLACK PEARL from Oak Park, IL.
The STYC and STIR organizers thank the USVI Department of Tourism; Michelob Ultra, Stoli, Bacardi, and Milagro distributed by West Indies Company; and several other sponsors organizers look forward to announcing shortly. Sailing photo credits- Ingrid Abery/ STIR For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing information
Edgartown Race Weekend Update!
(Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, MA)- As the weather starts getting a little warmer here in the Northeast, the Edgartown Race Weekend team is getting excited for this summer’s regatta.So far, there are thirteen J/Boats registered to date for the Round Island Race- from J/160, J/122s, J/121s, J/120s, J/111s, and J/109s, to name a few. That's not enough! Double-check your schedules as you simply cannot beat the famous Round Island Race, truly one of the more spectacular races on the summer yachting calendar!
Edgartown Race Weekend is one of the nation’s oldest distance races, occurring every summer on and offshore the island of Martha’s Vineyard. A staple on the East Coast racing calendar, the highly-competitive and exceptionally fun race weekend includes both buoy racing and ‘Round-the-Island segments and attracts boats and teams of all sizes and calibers from around the U.S. and internationally.
With nearly 50 boats already registered for this year’s Race Weekend, we would like to encourage teams to reserve moorings and housing accommodations, as availabilities are quickly filling up. All logistical information can be found on the Edgartown Race Weekend homepage.
For more information, refer to the EYC website or contact Margaret Passafiume at (508) 627-4364 x18 or email at raceadministrator@edgartownyc.org. Sailing photo credits- Stephen Cloutier. For more Edgartown Race Weekend registration and sailing information
J/Gear March 20% Off Special!
(Newport, RI)- The Marmot zip top model #9276 has a 20.0% discount for March! The simple lines and full-on function of the J Stretch Fleece 1/2 Zip makes layering on and off the water a practical solution. The warm polyester stretch fleece with a comfortable flat-locked seam construction allows liberal movement. Marmot quality and durability throughout. It's perfect partner for all seasons. In black, marine blue, or red. Order your beautiful Marmot 1/2 zip top hereSailing Calendar
Mar 25-28- SAIL 22 J/70 Invitational- Coconut Grove, FLMar 26-28- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 4- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 2-4- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Apr 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 30- May 2- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
Apr 30- May 2- J/111 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
May 9-15- J/70 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
BABY DOLL Screams to J/22 Midwinters Win
(New Orleans, LA)- For three-straight days, the thirty J/22s that made a giant leap-of-faith to head south and pray (hope!) that weather Gods would cooperate and permit them to enjoy the amazing Southern hospitality offered by the host Southern Yacht Club was ultimately fulfilled. The fleet was treated to a full-on, highly-competitive, nine race series. In the end, it was Glenn Darden's BABY DOLL that screamed to the front of the fleet on the first day of racing and was never severely tested for the duration of the regatta, earning the coveted 2021 J/22 Midwinter Championship crown. Here's how it all went down over those three days.Day 1- Breezy, Choppy, Cool Day
Besides the sailors, perhaps the most excited person on the first day of racing was Southern Yacht Club's PRO and RC team. With such a solid forecast for breeze all three days, it made their job easy to layout the race course and manage the aggressive fleet. Conditions were breezy and bumpy on Lake Pontchartrain, testing some boats and equipment. Glenn Darden's BABY DOLL mastered the shifts, winning two of three races and placing second in the other for 4 points and the early advantage. Travis Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER bounced back from being over early in race two and added a pair of top three finishes for second place overall (14 points). Casey Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING stood three points back in third. Nine total races are planned through Sunday.
Eager teams were greeted with a grey sky, and winds consistently in the mid-teens. Odenbach opened the regatta with a bullet, trailed by Darden and Benz Faget’s FATS (the local hero and super star on Lake Ponchartrain). Darden earned his first victory in the next contest, ahead of Tommy Meric Jr.’s CARNIVAL TIME and Lambert. Following Darden in the day’s final match were Alexander Schwinn’s TILT and Odenbach in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Day 2- Classic, Shifty, Lake Racing
After four more races were completed on the second day, making a total of seven to count, only one point separated the leaders heading into the final two races Sunday.
Day one leader Darden’s BABY DOLL opened Saturday with a pair of bullets but added a 5 and 13 (their discard) for 11 net points. Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER notched all top-three finishes on the day, and now dropping a 10 from Friday, bringing him within a single point of the lead. Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING remains in third place with 27 net points.
The teams enjoyed a brightening day on Lake Pontchartrain in winds averaging 7-10 knots with lighter chop. Darden picked up where he left off the prior day with back-to-back wins (first ahead of Lambert and Odenbach, then again topping Odenbach and Faget’s Fats in the second race). Odenbach took race six for his second victory of the series, followed by Boo Heausler’s REBOUND GIRL and Schwinn’s TILT. Mark Foster’s PRESSURE DROP led the fleet back to shore, as Odenbach placed second allowing him to close in on the overall Championship, and Faget came in third place.
Day 3- Spectacular Sunny Finale
The final day saw a sunny day, mostly breezy and lumpy conditions on Pontchartrain. The Southern YC RC and PRO team knocked out two more races to complete the planned nine-race series.
Darden, of Fort Worth, TX, with crew Marcus Eagan, Jackson Benvenutti, and Sarah Raymond won Sunday's opening race. Odenbach’s HONEYBADER, just one point off the pace at the start of the day, placed seventh. HONEYBADGER stormed back to win the final contest, however, BABY DOLL placed fourth and secured the Championship with 16 net points (Odenbach ended with 20 pts). Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING put together a solid weekend for third place (40 points).
Darden’s crew members were all from the New Orleans area. “Marcus and Jackson are wizards of this lake,” said Darden. “(It was) very streaky and shifty all three days. We like the lump with the breeze. We got off the line well, which was probably our key.”
Rounding out the top five were Foster's Corpus Christi, TX team on PRESSURE DROP in fourth place and Schwin's Fort Worth Boat Club team on TILT taking fifth. Sailing photo credits- Chris Howell/ J-22 Class. For more J/22 Midwinter Championship registration & sailing information
Gorgeous San Diego NOOD Regatta
(San Diego, CA)- The first of the famous HELLY HANSEN Sailing World NOOD Regatta series took place last weekend in San Diego, CA. The San Diego Yacht Club was blessed with classic SoCal sailing conditions from March 19th to 21st for the J/24 and J/105 one-design fleets and the North Sails Doublehanded Offshore Race on Saturday.The always competitive J/105 class saw close racing all weekend-long. Winning in the end was Stew Cannon's J-OK with a very consistent 2-1-2-3-2 tally for 10 pts. Hot on their heels all weekend was George Scheel's SUN PUFFIN with a 1-4-5-2-1 scoreline for 13 pts. Rounding out the podium was Donica & Scott Ryder's SANITY with a 4-3-1-4-3 record for 15 pts. The balance of the top five included Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK! in fourth place and Scott McDaniel's OFF THE PORCH placed 5th.
Bill Ramacciotti and Mike Davies J/24 GREENBACK BOOGIE leapfrogged into first place Sunday thanks to two first-place finishes and one second. “We had super-close racing all weekend among our fleet,” said Ramacciotti. “It was so much fun to see us finishing these races within seconds of each other.”
Four of the five J/24s are local to San Diego, and Ramacciotti and Davies have a concerted effort underway to build the class. “We’re not big budget programs and our goal is to keep it accessible and get more people out sailing,” said Ramacciotti. “We are all weekend warriors so to speak with different years of experience and these boats provide the vehicle to help us all continue learning."
They also agreed that the winning strategy today was picking sides. “Calling the line and committing to one side or another was crucial, Ramacciotti said, “but when you sail in San Diego with shifty winds, it really comes down to boatspeed and crew work."
While the GREENBACK BOOGIE crew ended up with four bullets and four deuces for 12 pts to take the J/24 class win, Christian Seidel's CYGNET 2 was certainly in the hunt until the 7th race. At that point, Seidel's crew plunged down the mine shaft, garnering two 4th's to sink their chances of the class win. As a result, the CYGNET 2 team had to settle for the silver with 18 pts. Completing the podium was Brian Dolan's CALAMITY sailed a consistent series with all top four finishes to finish in fourth with 23 pts.
Sailing photo credits- Mark Albertazzi For more San Diego NOOD Regatta sailing information
The Cabo Race Experience- J/145 KATARA's Entertaining Log
(Newport Beach, CA)- Last Friday, a fleet of eighteen offshore racers headed south from the Newport Harbor Yacht Club starting line set off Newport Beach, CA and they basically flew down the 800.0nm race down the Mexican coastline to the famous beachside resort of Cabo San Lucas at the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula.Always a challenging race, this year the fleet was blessed with strong northerly breezes that fluctuated from northwest to northeast and back again. The conditions were epic for the "big boats", Roy Disney's PYEWACKET 70, a former Volvo 70 race boat, shattered the course record set many moons ago by 14 hours! That gives you an idea of how quick the race was for most of the fleet.
Looking forward to that challenge were two thoroughbreds in the J/Design stable. Racing in ORR Class C were Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID and Roger Gatewood's J/145 KATARA. For the duration of the race, we received daily reports from KATARA's log...it makes for entertaining reading and insights on what it's like to sail offshore with a full race crew.
Log # 2
Position: 32 53.0N 1117 48W
Speed: 12.8 kts
Distance to go: 748.1nm
Weather: Cool, Sunny. Seas 5-6'
Winds: 298 at 16kts
Sail Package: Tweener
The start occurred at 1300 PDT in a very light (3-6 kts) breeze out of the south. Weird for a downwind race, but we started with the LM Genoa up and started completely close-hauled.
First day is nearly in the books. Bow team Avery and Alex just executed their first offshore headsail peel, bringing us from the Light medium upwind genoa to the reaching Tweener (similar to a code zero).
We've just put blue watch (Ron, Clay, and Avery) to bed as we anticipate that we will be shifting from the Tweener to the A4 running kite in the next hour to hour and a half. One of our biggest competitors, Horizon (a Santa Cruz 50) is just above us with a kite up and working their way down to us. We'll likely do the same as they get closer, but we're currently working just a little hotter in the hopes that we can maintain more of the gradient pressure that exists just offshore of us at the moment.
Looks like everyone is having a good time. Steve got his first helm time in a race on Katara a few hours ago. Capt. Roger drove us through the start and several hours after that. Liam, Sam, Steve, Ron, and Roger have been our helmsmen so far.
If the forecast holds true, we're in for a pretty wild ride overnight and into tomorrow with breeze in to the 20s and a building sea state.
Hope everyone else at home is warm and dry in their beds - it's looking like it's going to be a little chilly for us out here tonight.
Log # 3
Position: 30 44.13N 117 28.7W
Speed: 14 kts
Distance to go: 625.9nm
Weather: Cold! Seas 5-6'
Winds: 306 at 23kts
Sail Package: A4
It's almost the end of night 1. The crew is still working on getting in to their watch schedule, and I think several (myself included) are quite tired.
Just after sunset we went from our Tweener to our A4 heavy weather running sail. Avery and Alex managed the bow for the maneuver, Steve and Clay worked the mid-deck, Liam and I were on trim, Ron worked the main, and Roger drove.
There is an area of lower winds speed just inside of us which we've been attempting to avoid. So, at times, we're sailing a much hotter angle than we normally would with this sail. We've got validation in the fact that we can see Horizon, Bretwalda, and several others in our class doing nearly the same thing along our line.
We got distracted last night and no one made dinner, so snacks got hit hard. We'll make sure we've got someone on kitchen duty this evening.
Conditions have been very pleasant, with seas 6-7' and breeze mostly in the teens until just the last few hours where we have seen a build to near 20 kts.
Log # 4
Position: 29 27.2N 115 34.3W
Speed: 12-18++ kts
Distance to go: 532.34nm
Weather: Beautiful day out with a slightly confused 6-8ft sea state.
Winds: 308 at 22kts
Sail Package: A4
What a day! Good breeze, cool weather, not too sunny, an acceptable sea state, and one hell of a fast boat. We've enjoyed the day running downhill bouncing between waves where our helmsmen (Roger, Sam, Steve, Ron, Liam, and I) have tried to keep the pointy side forward and the white side up. Earlier this morning we put in our first gybe and started reconnecting with the shore. We were leveraging a further right (320-ish) wind direction than we had seen before which made the port tack more optimal.
As I am writing this, I heard the loudest of roars from upstairs. Glancing through a port hole, I see an entire universe of white foam go flying by the window as the new deck team (Ron, Clay, and Avery) with captain Roger just laid down a new race record for the boat of 25.8 kts!! Ron sneaked this one out after having had to share the previous 22.8 kts record with Clay and Avery. Later, we were all awakened when our southern "gentleman" Steve was a whoopin' and a holerin' as he was laying down his own record.
Now. Where was I? Right. We're headed to shore. After a few hours on port working our way back to the coast the breeze went left (near 305) again which makes the starboard tack preferred. We executed our second gybe of the trip (a beaut, if we may be so bold) and started heading back offshore.
While not perfect conditions competitively for this boat, we've been sailing extremely well against our polars and our own modeling, and the crew is having an absolute BLAST!
Ron, Clay, and Avery just took the 1400 watch with Roger finishing out the last two hours of his captain watch with them.
I figure somewhere in the next 10-12 hours we'll be on the hunt for another righty where we can capitalize and head back ashore.
We've got our arrival "betting pool" started. It ranges from a *VERY* optimistic Avery hoping for a 0700 Tuesday arrival (hehe - not gonna happen, kid), to least optimistic old salt Ron guessing at 0400 Wednesday. For SOME reason they wouldn't let the guy with Expedition and all the routing work take his best guess.... The prize is absolutely nothing more than bragging rights, but it's a KATARA tradition.
Log # 5
Position: 28 32.3N 115 19.4W
Speed: 15++ down to 11ish kts
Distance to go: 484.14nm
Weather: A stiffening breeze with a confused 7-9ft sea state.
Winds: 315 degrees, 22 gusting 30kts
Sail Package: keep reading...
Welp....Every great sailboat race comes with its challenges to test sailors' resolve and skill and to keep the thrill of adventure in the game.
About 1 hour ago we were screaming along under our A4 running spinnaker when a wave caught us and caused a roll out. OUCH! Unfortunately, this also "over-shocked" the A4 and we lost both sheets holding it in. An all-hands on deck was called and, in relative short order, the team had recovered the sail.
We're not making much headway with just the Light Medium #1 genoa, as the only other spinnaker we have for these conditions is the A3 reaching kite. Our plan for now is to be conservative overnight reaching under just the genoa and re-evaluate tomorrow morning at day break. Hopefully at that time we can get the Kite back up, as we're currently down over 3.6 kts VMG towards the finish line...UGH!
In other news, there were no injuries and we're currently making dinner - Chili Mac & Cheese - Thanks, Clay! Avery is also whipping up a salad for everyone.
Log # 6
Position: 27 27.1N 115 we.9W
Speed: 10-20 kts depending on waves
Distance to go: 403.4nm
Weather: A stiffening breeze with a confused 7-9ft sea state.
Winds: 315-330 at 18-24 kts
Sail Package: Reaching A3
Now, we're back in this here sailboat race! Just before 2200 hrs, Roger and I did a comprehensive analysis of the forecasts, sea state, and current winds and decided it was time to launch the A3 kite. While not a downwind runner like the A4 that we lost, this sail is FAR superior for this task than our #1 Genoa was. We timed the hoist with a watch change (these are *VERY* big sails) and by 2230 we were under A3 and a full main again. VMC (velocity made good towards our target) jumped by over 5.6kts. We also did a gybe as part of the maneuver and are now working our way back towards the coast.
If the breeze continues to stay left (not exactly what's forecast) then we'll stay on this Port tack as far as it will take us - it's much closer to the finish line than the other board. If the breeze shifts left through the morning and in to the afternoon, then we will gybe out again for a little while to get clear of the peninsula.
Clay and Avery took kitchen duties this evening and we had a freeze-dried chili mac & cheese again dressed up with some fresh cut onions and cheese. Lots and lots of snacks aboard, so no one is going to go hungry.
We lost quite a bit of ground to our competition for the several hours we were running just on the Genoa, but we're slowing making some of that back up according to the tracker we all carry.
The sea state is challenging for our primary drivers, but Ron, Liam, Steve, and Sam are giving it their all and doing excellent.
Hope that the 320-330 TWD holds for us and that we just keep truckin' down range.
Log # 7
Position: 26 27.2N 114 1.3W
Speed: 9-12 kts
Distance to go: 308nm
Weather: Champagne sailing.
Winds: 300-320 at 11-20 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Spinnaker Staysail, Full Main
Early this morning the breeze decayed enough for us to downshift to our light-air running spinnaker, the A2. Not only did it give us a boost in speed and better angle, but all of us who drove it say it's a heck of a lot easier on the helmsmen.
We're currently the inside boat and we just executed a gybe to get us out and around Lazarro Point. I figure we'll be here for 5-6 hours before gybing back on to Port tack.
Breakfast was home-made pancakes and sausage (thanks, Sam!) and was hugely well received.
Roger and Sam are swapping watches as we speak with Roger taking the 1200-1600 Captain's watch. For the first 2 hours of his watch, he'll have the current deck team of Liam, Alex, and Steve to help him. The off-watch appear all to be asleep which is great, because there's still plenty of fighting and sail wrangling left to be done.
Alex, our last second pick up when one of our crew couldn't get his passport sorted in time (dang Rona), is doing an excellent job on his first offshore adventure. Great attitude and always ready to jump in.
Our other newbs, Avery and Steve, both seem to be excelling and soaking in the experience. I think Steve summed it up just a few minutes ago on deck when we were talking and he goes, "I could get used to this. This is pretty good stuff. Think I might have to do some more of this". You tell em, Steve!
First 24 hours of the race we covered 254.5nm, a really great run for this boat. We'll know what the second 24 looks like in about an hour once we've passed the 48-hour mark.
If you've got any influence with whoever you believe controls the wind, put in an order of a hard Lefty right around our boat for about the next 6 hours that we can capitalize on as a header and make better angle to the finish line.
Latest projections have an arrival of late evening on Tuesday - but we all know how fickle these things can be. We've still got a lot of racing (over 300nm) to do, and almost anything could happen.
Log # 8
Position: 24 52.9n 113 12.2w
Speed: 9-13 kts
Distance to go: 215 nm
Weather: More Champagne sailing.
Winds: 300-320 at 14-19 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Full Main
Less than 250nm to go! Much of today was extremely enjoyable conditions. Cool and sunny on deck, pleasantly cool and dry down below for crew rest, and champagne sailing. Wind at a great angle with plenty of pressure to keep us moving. We launched the Spinnaker Staysail to compliment the A2 and they worked nicely together most of the day. As the evening came in, we got a little uptick in wind speed as well as a slightly more confused state. We've dropped the Staysail as it's easier to control and recover the spinnaker without it.
Early evening, we made a gybe over to starboard tack to work our way out away from the coast to line up for what we were hoping was a layline right past Lazaro Point. Unfortunately, when we gybed back, we weren't quite clear of the point, and more importantly there was growing concern on the latest forecast models that there was a large hole forming over the point and bay just below it. Our initial routing runs had us cutting through there with minimal impact on pressure and a shorter distance. Now that appears unlikely, we've gybed back over to starboard again for what should only be a 3-5 hours before we'll head back over to port tack to follow the coast around towards the finish. This is the first significant slip of our routing arrival times, now projecting either very very late Tuesday or early sometime in the first few hours of Wednesday.
Dinner was freeze dried sweet and sour pork and it seemed to go over fairly well. We picked up a bunch of bags of pre-made salads as well which have been going well before dinner.
Seems everyone is in their sleep cycle and have been doing well at being on deck ready to go for the start of their watches.
Spinnaker trim teams Clay/Avery, Liam/ALex, and Alex/Steve had been doing their best to keep the kite full in concert with the drivers in what has, at times, been challenging confused seas.
Ron, Sam, Steve, and Liam have done the lion's share of the driving, and I've jumped in 4 or 5 times to get them some rest and a chance to eat.
Roger seems to be enjoying himself, and these are certainly conditions that makes one wish to be on deck.
Speaking of which, I'd rather be up there hanging out with the Blue team (Ron, Clay, Avery) and their 1st half watch captain Roger than down here, so we'll sign off.
Log # 9
Position: 23 47.9N 112 13.0W
Speed: 10-12.5 kts
Distance to go: 136 nm
Weather: Gorgeous sunrise on a clear crisp day.
Winds: 310-325 at 14-19 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Full Main
Dawn of the last day! And what a gorgeous dawn it is. Roger, Avery, Ron, and Clay have had what most consider to be the coveted watch - the 0600-1000 dawn patrol. They've spent the last hour or so watching a gorgeous sunrise on what's currently a beautiful cool crisp morning.
We're currently in VMG mode (go down wind as fast as possible watching your target wind angle) and we're watching very closely several of the competitors ahead of us. There is a large area of light air that started to develop overnight right off the coast north of Cabo. We gybed out to put a little more distance between us and that and so far, have had steady breeze near 15 kts.
Nereid, the J/125, is a ways ahead of us and closer to shore and the latest position reports indicate she's lost a significant amount of speed. We're currently tracking the same line as the Santa Cruz 50, Horizon (an EXTREMELY well sailed local boat), and are watching anxiously to see any sort of deterioration to their speed. We're using the boats ahead of us as a set of whiskers to help determine when we may want to gybe out again (hey, you get to be up front, but you've gotta share data- Sailing Instruction 2.13.4).
Our arrival time has slipped some due to the expected lighter breeze later today, now looking at something like 0200 tomorrow morning. Still a very quick run down here. When we did the Puerto Vallarta race down here last year at this time, we were less than half way there and nearly completely becalmed.
Sam is whipping up some freeze-dried biscuits and gravy (right, I have no idea how you freeze dry biscuits either.... stand by and we'll update on edibility on the next log) and fresh eggs (from past experience we have determined that freeze-dried eggs are absolutely inedible and aren't even suitable for wild animal consumption).
Log # 10
Position: 23 27.9N 111 37.9W
Speed: 8-10 kts
Distance to go: 99.5 nm
Weather: Gorgeous clear crisp day.
Winds: 290-305 at 10-14 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Full Main
Welcome Shore Family, to this special "double-digits" edition of the KATARA Log. Just moments ago, we sailed through the 100nm to destination mark and are now officially in the double-digits!
It's been a very pleasant day, but we'd certainly sign up for more breeze if that was an option. There is a very large hole in and around the finish line, and several of the faster boats that were ahead and approaching it this morning struggled to get through. The forecast swears we are supposed to be bringing some breeze with us from behind which would be awesome, but we've spent most of the early morning up to now trying to sort when to gybe out to shift lanes and when to come back in and optimize our VMC (velocity made good on course). It's a fine line, because every step we take outside adds mileage to our distance but sailing too close to the hole and losing pressure is equally as devastating. Looks like we may be in for 2-3 more sets of small hour-long gybes to shift lanes as we get closer. For now, she's light but cooking along.
Breakfast freeze dried biscuits and gravy was met with generally positive reactions, with Liam and Alex seeming to particularly like it. The fresh eggs Sam made for on top were universally appreciated.
We got Clay on the helm for the first time this trip this morning 0900-1000. These are very tricky conditions and we've largely been sticking with our most experienced offshore helmsmen (Ron, Liam, Sam, Steve, and I). Clay did an excellent job and took great coaching from Sam and I who took turns sitting next to him walking him through the maneuvers. Roger, Avery, Alex, and Clay have been largely leading the spinnaker trim team and have been giving it their all to keep us powered up and give the helmsman the options he needs to keep the pressure on.
Looking like a very late-night arrival - somewhere near 0200 PDT perhaps. The crew house starts today, so as long as we can find our way to, and inside, it we'll have a lovely nice dry clean place to lay our heads this evening.
POST-LOG
In the end, thanks to the KATARA team for their daily log of their experience sailing one of the signature offshore races in the Southern California yachting schedule. It's a classic race and challenge for what is largely a "downhill sleigh ride". Despite their 7-8 hours of 3.5 kts VMG under genoa on their third night, the consequence of blowing up their A4 downwind runner, the KATARA team managed a 4th in class, just behind their classmates- Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID. For more Cabo Race sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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Frostbiting at 44.6 deg. North
Commodore Sean McDermott of Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron shares a video and update:"As the oldest yacht club in the Americas (since 1837), it's a day at Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron to shovel snow, frostbite J/22s, and finish at the fire.
"Our plan was to start our Spring J/22 frostbiting with the first sign of decent weather and, as soon as provincial COVID-19 health regulations eased a little. With a maximum outdoor gathering limit raised to 150 persons, we were given the green light… and then we had a big snowstorm on the day before the start!
Undaunted, teams used the hatch sliders on the J/22s to shovel snow off the decks and out of the cockpits, and soon enough we were good to go! Double windward-leewards in shifty conditions made for a ton of fun on March 20. Now our fingers and toes are collectively crossed that we can run our bi-annual Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race with our friends from Boston Yacht Club." Enjoy the short YouTube sailing video here Thanks to our friends at Scuttlebutt Sailing for the round-the-campfire enjoyment
EIGHT BELLS- ROBIN WALLACE
Dr. Robin Wallace of Middletown (RI), 84, crossed the bar at home on March 20th after a long struggle with prostate cancer. Born Alan Robin Gordon Wallace on November 20, 1936, in Weymouth, England, he was the only child of Dr. Gordon and Muriel Wallace.Robin grew up sailing in Weymouth with his father. Robin graduated with a Degree in Medicine from Exeter College in Oxford University. He first visited Newport in 1964, when his father was Commodore of the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, the Challenger of Record, for the British America’s Cup Challenge, as well as Fleet Surgeon; the same position his son would hold years later for the New York Yacht Club.
Robin desired to do his residency in the United States and did so at the Children’s Hospital in Boston. After completing his residency in the United States, he moved to Newport, and established his practice in association with Dr. Fred Pearce at the Aquidneck Medical Associates.
Soon after he commenced his practice, although a British Citizen, Robin was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served in Vietnam as a Major in the Medical Corps. After his service, he returned to his practice on Memorial Boulevard until retirement in 2003. He remained however the "school doctor" for St. George’s School until 2017.
To describe Robin as an icon in Newport is an understatement. Robin quickly established himself, not only as a sought-after pediatrician but also as an avid promoter of sailing.
As a member of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, he and his predecessor, Race Committee Chairman Robert Conner, were determined to establish new standards of excellence in race management.
Robin not only worked on the water, but he promoted sailing events for Newport. As the Chairman of the State Yachting Committee, for over seventeen years, he educated the state legislators of the tremendous economic impact that sailing produced for the state.Probably the most successful events for Newport and the State of Rhode Island were the Volvo Ocean Races in 2015 and 2018 which, it is fair to say, would not have stopped in Newport without the efforts of the State Yachting committee advocating for the release of state funding required to support the event.
Sailing was not Robin’s only love. He was devoted to St. George’s School. He conducted morning “sick call” at the school for over thirty-five years and was instrumental in upgrading the health center and the general wellness of the St. George’s community.
After the loss of the America’s Cup in 1983, Robin was one of the founding members of Sail Newport, a public sailing organization that provides sailing instruction and boating facilities to the public (as co-founding member, J/Boats supplied the J/22's as the principal teaching platform). Currently all 4th graders in the Newport school system are introduced to sailing at Sail Newport. The organization also runs regattas and hosts many different sailing events and activities that contribute to the betterment of the entire community.
Robin was a Commodore of Ida Lewis Yacht Club and also a long-time member of the New York Yacht Club. He was active in race management at both clubs this past season as sailing was one of the sports that one was able to participate in during the pandemic. He was also a long-time active member of the Newport Reading Room.
Robin has been long loved by several generations of his pediatric patients and their parents and will be greatly missed by them and a wide spectrum of friends. In fact, for years Robin was the pediatrician for Bob and Mary Johnstone's youngest son- Peter Johnstone. Without Robin's unwavering, critical eye to whip Peter into shape, we are forever grateful Pete's still around with us today! Pete is now the second-generation running Dad's powerboat business- MJM Yachts down in Washington, NC.
Robin leaves two cousins in England, his St. George’s family, his Sail Newport family, his Ida Lewis family, the Murphy family, his loyal friends Bill and Pat Steel, and a host of friends in Newport and beyond.
Those wishing to commemorate Robin may do so by donating to Sail Newport, 72 Fort Adams Drive, Newport RI 02840.
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