Shields Fleet 9

Our start time moves to 5pm, and we are back to starting just off Rose Island this week (Sept 9)

Also, no race next week, National Regatta…

If you haven’t seen http://www.t2p.tv/index.php , check it out, great video of sailing around the country.  Mark Still is in Newport and was out for several Wednesday nights and got some great coverage of our fleet.  With a little help, this will get on line.  To learn more, email Mark at mark@pearlproductionsnewport.com

Race 3: Wind Speed 6: Direction SE: Start Date 09/02/09

Fall 2: Wind Speed 7: Direction WSW
Start Time Thursday, August 06, 2009 17:40:00

Shields Summer 2009. One design (Finish position)
Overall Score: Last Race Date:08/12/09

a great report is posted by John Burnham too, take a peek at one boat’s point of view.

again, these are un-official results from the scratch sheet:

from the loquacious John Burnham:

Fleet 9 sailed a long race on Wednesday night—the course was two laps around the green can “13” and the lighted bell “V” in 5-10 knots of southwest breeze. Not that it was so terribly far over the bottom, but we found ourselves sailing upwind in a mild breeze that grew generally lighter and a strong flood current that wouldn’t quit. As often happens when we start just southeast of Gould Island, the breeze was left at the port end of the line—what we call the ocean seabreeze because it’s colder—and further right at the starboard end—the Jamestown thermal because it’s hot. On this evening aboard 107, Grace, we decided to bet on the Jamestown heat pump because it was such a hot day, there was a generally westerly gradient, and that side offered more current relief. My partner, Reed Baer, was away this week, but we had all regulars aboard: Rachel Balaban, Matt Buechner, Ted Hood, and Peter Schott.

After one general recall, for which we found ourselves uncharacteristically with an ideal (not early) start at the boat, we got off the line a little slowly near the boat between 108 and 138. They gradually sandwiched us, and we tacked right with a lane above 17, Tom Derecktor’s red boat. Five minutes into the race, those of us going right were sailing 260 on port while some of the boats from the middle of the line were on the same tack doing about 230 in better pressure.

But the future lay ahead of us, and we worked the far right while their bows gradually came down towards us. We tacked to leeward of 17, which was first out of the Jamestown corner, and pretty soon Phil and Wendy Lotz on 138 tacked in to leeward of us. Unfortunately, we gradually found ourselves in that old familiar sandwich and had to tack right again, this time also taking Rob Salk’s stern (53). Although the current was less on the right and the pressure was generally better, as we approached the can, the current increased and the wind backed left. Several more boats passed us, and we rounded the mark out of the top 5, with Jeff Gladchun in 108 gassing us nicely and Charlie Shoemaker, in 245, coming in from the left to join the lead group at the mark.

The light-air run went by reasonably fast thanks to the strong current on our tails. I believe the fastest runs may have been sailed by Bill Doyle (222) and Ron Oard (15), who gained quite a bit on us by sailing a fairly hot angle toward the Newport shore, catching some extra ocean seabreeze. Also coming very fast down the run behind us, Claire, the guest driver on 201, quietly made up a lot of time on us, too. (Neither the regular skipper or tactician were aboard to make the usual racket).

We waited for the guys on Rich Sugarmans Bandit (21) to round inside us, and when they had to make a tight turn in the current, we were able to slip inside and gain a good high lane versus some of those who had rounded ahead of us. Once again there was a tough choice to be made: Sail 260 or even 270 degrees, fighting the ferocious current sliding past Gould Island while betting on the Jamestown thermal, or tack out into even more current and try to hook into the ocean breeze, which was still evident. Both 245 and 108 made the tack. We followed 17, 138, 53, and Pete Denton’s 226 to the right. When Charlie tacked back in 245 he was sailing what must’ve been 230 or 240 and had more pressure; I’m not sure if Jeff went farther left in 108, but unlike Charlie, he was unable to get across to the westerly, which fortunately for us, reasserted itself.

As we got past Gould, sailing the headed tack, it soon appeared that we could lay the mark on starboard. Pete Denton’s 226 took the bait and tacked, but Matt and Ted convinced me to keep digging right. A couple hundred yards later we tacked in more pressure and we soon realized that the three boats ahead of us had overstood, one of which, 138, we passed in the process. For a long time we felt we were just holding the edge of the pressure, so we sailed closehauled and let 17 and 53 reach down over us. Charlie Shoemaker tacked well ahead and to leeward, thankful I’m sure that he had just enough angle to lay the mark, although he rounded with 53, behind 17. We rounded fourth, with 201 and 138 close behind. Phil and Wendy made what turned out to be the smart move, jibing immediately and holding enough of the Jamestown breeze to pass us. Both 53 and 245 jibed as well although not as early.

We sailed down the Newport side of the run, well behind 17 and just ahead of 201, and I think we not only sailed out of the best current, we didn’t get the ocean seabreeze we’d hoped for. As the breeze kept easing, Robin Wallace on the committee boat made the tough decision to shorten course at V to be sure all boats could make the time limit. Closing fast on 17, both 53 and 245 finished right at V, but Tom finished at the boat and got a well-deserved gun. We were fifth with 201 right behind us.

Of course, we faced a long sail back to Newport, so we did a racing as we crossed, rounded, jibed, rounded V, and headed west again while almost everyone else chose to beat up past the War College. It was almost like doing a third lap; this time we got the Jamestown header and the current on the far shore had even turned southbound. We may have sailed twice as far, but we were first to the Ida Lewis Yacht Club bar!

officially unofficial results, waiting for official scorer to return and verify:

read a good article about the LNG story from the Herald News

http://www.heraldnews.com/opinions/x262902651/OUR-VIEW-Strengthened-opposition-08-09-09