June Club Sail

Departure: 1:00pm
Return: 4:30pm
Weather conditions: Partly Cloudy and strong wind
Tide: flood
Boat: Red Club Boat
Crew: 3 (Woody, Paul & Greg)

I thought for kicks, I'd use a different format. It might make you feel like you're getting something new in this post. Let's face it; these club sails are all generally the same. I'm sure I've said it before; you can only sail so far in a 4 hour block of time. Thus, the accounts of the club sails will rarely cover anything different. And thus, cheap tricks like centered text to stimulate the mind.

And yet.... This time was so awesome! You can see from the picture how blue the skies were, and how white the clouds. The wind was warm and brisk, and with the tide flood just reaching it's ebb, we were masters of the sea. We could go where we wanted, when we wanted. Add to that the fact that both club boats were out - that's right both boats - and you have a nice outting.

We had six members show up for the sail which is why Dave let us take both boats out. I went with Paul and his guest Greg in the red boat while Tom, Carol and a new member, whose name I can't recall, went in the blue boat. We agreed before we left that we'd have a race or two. Because our main was slightly larger than theirs, we chose our smaller jib in order to be fair.

These races were much more exciting than my previous races. Now we had two equally matched boats with two equally matched crews. This was going to be a contest of skill and wit, and I was ready. We chose our marks and set our start times. It's important to understand how critical the start of a sailboat race is (something I don't think my crew appreciated). If the skills and boats are closely matched, the start can make or break the race. The trick is to be crossing the line as fast as possible right when the horn blows without crossing too soon. If you cross too soon, you are penalized.

We had a good start, but they were first. It wasn't long, however, before passed them eventually beating them by a good margin. They made a tactical error on the upward leg, and we were the superior sailors of the hour. We had a second race as well. The crew wanted to give them a head start to be nice so we did. They ended up beating us, but I think it would have been very close if we'd started the race properly. Still, one win each left everyone feeling happy so we agreed to "race" out of the harbor.


What can I say? Again, we dominated. We kept the lead until the very mouth of the harbor when the wind completely died on us. The other boat lost patience after just a short while and cranked up the motor; but, it was their loss. As soon as they motored past, the wind came back and we sailed out of the harbor about as fast as they motored out. Once outside the harbor we gave chase for a while. I have to admit it was thrilling to overtake them. We caught up enough to offer them donuts, but they declined and we went our separate ways.

I have to say a bit about heeling. The boat heels when it tips because of the wind working on the sails. When the boat is sailing close to the wind, it heels the most. The point of sail closest to the wind also tends to feel the most exhilerating and fast. This is because 1) the boat is heeling so there's a sense of alarm 2) the boat is cutting into the waves causing spray and splash 3) the apparent wind is felt directly on the fast. The apparent wind is the combination of the natural wind and the movement of the sailboat through the wind. This is great fun, but it leads to a point of confusion. Inexperienced sailors can often mistake the heeling for sailing action i.e. "if we're heeling more, we must be sailing faster or sailing closer to the wind". This is not the case. The truth is, a poorly trimmed boat can heel just as well as a properly trimmed boat. It is inefficient and even dangerous to heel the boat excessively just to heel the boat.

The reason for my rant? I like to trim the sails for maximum speed and not for heel and sometimes I get annoyed when I sail with others who differ. Enough said.

All in all, it was a great sail.