2014 Season is Underway

Well the winter sailing was a challenge. We took part in the pre and post Christmas events sailing most Sunday mornings in what generally ended up as very windy 20knot-30knot conditions, but on the bright side it was generally dry. The events really took their toll on the boat and crew, and in reality I think we went backwards as a team. By the end of last year, we had really transformed as a team and were working well and competing well in events. But that was all non-spinnaker. Throughout the winter we attempted to sail with the asymmetric and made mistake after mistake. Then our general sail handling, starts etc. started to get worse. We had a lot of breakages and the sail makers in Dun Laoghaire were becoming my best friends.

We needed to step back and consider what was best for us as a team. I had wanted to move from non-spinnaker (white sails) to Cruisers 1 this year, but it was clear we were just not ready. We were attempting to run before we could walk, and this could only damage and frustrate us as a team.

So a new plan emerged where we will sail and race non-spinnaker again in 2014, and use the time pre and post races to practice with the spinnaker.

This years campaign will have the following targets :

1. Dublin Bay Sailing Club - White Sails Class (non-spinnaker) weekly on Thursdays and Saturdays (April to September) ... target a top 5 and to regularly mix it up with the two top boats "Persistence" and "Act Two" (www.dbsc.org) - we will miss a number of the events as we are heading south for Cork week and this will hit our overall results missign 6-8 events - 28 boats in the class
2. Irish Cruiser National Championships (ICRA) - Corinthian Cup (non-spinnaker) 6 races over three days from the 13th to the 15th June. There were 16 entrants at the end of April so likely 25 or so by the time the event goes ahead ... target a top 3 position  (http://cruiserracing.ie/icranats/)
3. Cork Week - (non-spinnaker class) this will be a great event with two races a day over 4 days from the 8th to the 11th July. The event is in the south of Ireland so we will have to move the boat down the week before and try to get her back the weekend after. We would expect a lot of boats from the UK and around Ireland so our goal will be a top 5. (www.corkweek.ie)

Last year we raced non-spinnaker with our "white sails" which are a set of delivery sails. The Jib is tiny and not set up to use the tracks and the main is so baggy its hard to impossible to depower. We can't reef either - the main has reef points but the boat is certainly not capable of racing upwind if reefed and the jib is so small that when combined with a reefed main you go nowhere fast. We have two sets of high-tech sails (see our older set n the picture below) but we are not allowed use them in the DBSC series as the class is "White Sails" and forbids the use of laminates rather than being a "non-spinnaker" class (Don't get me going on this - a daft and costly rule).  

So I have invested in new "low tech" dacron sails from North Sails. They are due to arrive the week of the ICRAs - first week of June. I have gone for a 135% overlapping Genoa which should make us a lot more competitive in lighter airs and downwind - although hitting our IRC handicap. 

We have raced three Saturdays and three Thursdays this year so far. We had a poor start in the first Thursday and Saturday races, but got the boat lifted and cleaned and managed to win the last two Thursdays series (against both Persistence and Act Two). We were fortunate with winds in the 8-16knot range where we perform best. When we get the new Genoa we should be able to compete in lighter airs as well. 

The 2014 Season starts tomorrrow

The Dublin Bay first race of the season is tomorrow. Its the first of 6 Sunday morning races ("called the Spring Chicken"). 77 Boats all racing against each other on modifed Echo. Temperatures will likely hit about 6 degrees max.

The forecast today is awful with Met Éireann issuing a status orange weather warning for Munster, Leinster, Connacht and parts of Ulster, with winds of up to 130km/h forecast.

Supposed to ease a little in the morning before building again - so we expect about 18-20 knots with 28-30 knot gusts. What a way to get started ! I'll let you know how we got on.

We are now entered for Cork Week 2014 in early July. I have just resubmitted the IRC cert to include Symmetric and Asymmetric spinnakers. So lots of training to do before then.

I am still looking to complete the crew so looking for a Mastman/woman and Tactician/team manager.

If you know anyone in Dublin ... ... ...

Turkey Shoot R6 08 12 13

Warrior September 2013

"Moving on Up"

It's that time of the year when you wonder whether it would have been wiser to lay up for the winter. But no - we keep focussed on next year and Cork Week. We have a lot to do to be even slightly competitive as we will be sailing in Cruisers 1 (a very tough class). We started out the year with no boat and no crew.
Start with two sails !
We raced white sails for the DBSC season from April to September racing weekly on Saturdays and entered a number of Dublin regattas. All in all a good year as we have come a long way from a group on non-racers and a number of non-sailors to a crew that can give most boats a good run for their money with two sails ! We have no Silverware to show for it but have a bit of Glass with three 2nd places

By the end of September we had 5 regular crew (inclusive of myself).
And then move to Three
Now the "Turkey Shoot" was on the cards. This is a progressive ECHO set of 7 races over November and December held on Sunday mornings. So we decided its time to fly the spinnaker. Warrior is set up with both Asymmetric (with ans A1,A2 and A3) and Symmetric (S1 and S2). We decided that we would start with a As and got professional trainers out with us (Prof twice and Kenny once) out on a few Saturdays to run us through the ropes. We have also asked out an experienced Bowman from another 34.7 layed up for the winter to sail with us for the Turkey Shoot. We now need to up our crew numbers to 8, so have started the process of the search for a Bowman, Mastman and Pit. We now have our Bowman (actually bow-woman - new to sailing this year and new to this role last week). We have had two races with the spinnaker and bar being a little slow on the hoist and drop we managed the big kite well. Great fun and certainly makes for a more enjoyable and testing sail. We have two races left before a break until early February when the "Spring Chicken" (6 races on Sunday mornings) begins. In the meantime I have contacted the other 34.7s in the Bay (three of them) to get involved in joint training sessions in the new year. Sailing against similar (and more experienced) boats will be great for us and likely make the other boats feel good ! So we have race 6 this Sunday with gusts of 30 knots expected and pretty cold - so on with the thermals, mid-layer and Oilies - even time for the balaclava. AND HERES OUR LAST RACE WITHOUT THE SPINNAKER FOR THE RECORD

Just over 4 months sailing

Time has passed so quickly. We were really awful only a few months back but seem to be getting to grips with things now. We took part in the Greystones Regatta last weekend - 2 races on Sunday last in very challenging conditions where the wind varied in strength from 5 knots to 25 knots (and back) and changed direction by 90 degrees a number of times during the race. There were 30 boats in our fleet and we managed a 3rd and a 2nd giving us 2nd overall. We really felt that we deserved it as we have worked very hard to improve ourselves - getting out hours before the race starts every week and working to get the boat sailing well, questioning, trying, questioning again and so on. We do however know that we need to spend more time on the water if we are really to consistently finish in the top of the fleet. We are still White Sails and will not move on until we master the 2 sails. I love the boat. Warrior now feels like a part of me (not like a boat and driver anymore) and I am confident in her as we move through the fleet and around marks. I know when she is in the groove, overpowered, underpowered by just feeling the way she is sailing, how the helm feels and overall boat stability. I am so glad I bought her. We still work as a crew with the North-U (Trim and Tactics books) as our baseline. I have created a myriad of "systems" to help maximise our capabilities on the race course - I will share these when I find the ones that work best. But in most cases thay are laminates that I use to remind me of wind (and shifts), line position, mark positions, favoured tack, and set up prior to reaching the next mark. I bought the Garmin Montana 600 as a handheld GPS for mark locating (good sturdy set) and we now have a ContourRoam2 camera fitted to the sterm so hopefully we sill have some video to share over the coming posts (hopefully not too embarrassing) To share the overall workload - outside of race time - I have allocated roles: - “The Engineer” Engine and Electronics - “The Rigger” Rig (standing and running) – incl. Clutches Winches and winch-handles, furler – oiled and cleaned - “The Wingman” Sails – incl. battens and sail covers - “The Caretaker” General Boat upkeep – how things are organised inside (chart table, covers, peoples kit boxes, heads, and general internal cleanliness and organisation) And External (lockers, warps, cleaning fluids) – this person will get the team to do their bit at the end of day to help rinse down and every so often to brush underside for speed - “The Organiser” Team management - Race Events and Race days (including the DBSC Weekly) – getting the weather, marks, race instruction, entries, if we decide to get team gear – research etc. Also to include ensuring we have provisions etc. even if only to remind people if we have long days to bring water and sandwich or to remind me from time to time to stock up. Ie Homework upfront and ensuring we have all the right race cards, SIs etc The Dublin Bay summer season has only 3 races left and then we get a break before the winter racing begins - I better start getting the thermals ready. We have had out fair share of breakages already and that was summer sailing - most of the breakages were in gusts over 25knots. Blew the kicker twice (just not quick enough releasing), and the sails make regular visits to Downer Sails (Pauline always deos a great job of getting us back on the water with sails looking stronger than before we did the damage). I booked my hotel for Cork Week (5th to 11th July 2014) earlier today so already getting excited about that.

Slow start

I've been off air for a while but I have been working away on building the team.

At the moment I have 6 team members but realise that this will be a long road to getting an effective team in place. The age profile is a little higher than I originally planned at 53, 53, 52, 50, 49 (myself), 37 and 11 !!. The 11 is my daughter (and only female) and although light and small has found her place on the boat. But all are keen, if a little underskilled. I am helm and can sail and handle the boat. The mainsheet trimmer has many years of racing/sailing under his belt but not as mainsail trimmer and has been out of the racing game for many years. One other can sail - and the others are different levels from beginner - to - never on a boat before - to - have been passengers but no idea how it all works !!!!! So work cut out for us all.

Today 26th June we are two months into the sailing and we are definitely making progress. The 3 non-sailors and my daughter are booked into an intensive "Learn to Sail" course with the Irish National Sailing Club in Dun Laoghaire who will over the next two weeks Wed (eve), Sun All day, Wed Eve, Sun All day bring them through the basics in a lovely Cork 1720 sportboat (I used to sail one of these) and a selection of dayboats. The course is planned to take the four as a crew through the basics of sailing on helm, main and jib throught to racing rules and basics of racing (starts, mark rounding etc.). We will continue to race on the Saturdays.

We are entered in White Sails this year - so no Spinnaker. We will learn to master two sails before we take on the third !. All crew have purchased the North-U Trim book (I have to say the best sail trim book out there by far). I call out some topics during the week and we discuss the topic on the boat before we head out to the race start. We then take a half hour after each race to debrief - ask questions and talk about what went well and not so well.

So how did the first two months go - well quiet a mix ! We have not had it easy - particularly for a new and mainly novice crew - we had it blowing hard on all outings - so far averaging 20-25knots and in many cases gusting 27-30knots. Last weekend we headed out in 27knots and one gust hit us was 41knots. And we had full sails up ! we were really tired and wet when we got back in.  See the attached link - these guys were sailing in the bay about 1nm south of us and with professional crew of 8 and a reef and still managed to capsize.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI2iIY61Lc8

So a lot of the time to date has been learning to depower the boat. I have to say Warrior (Beneteau 37.7 or 10R) has just worked out beautifully. She has been patient with us and held up as we learn our way around the controls.

Some observations - We flatten everything and utilise twist to the max (Upwind).
MAINSAIL
- The outhaul back to the white band - interestingly to get it back and the sail flat we have had to use one of the reefing lines (attached to the clew of the main) as the normal outhaul control is a line pulled from the mast end of the boom but in heavy wind we simply cannot get enough leverage to flatten the sail. The reefing line to the cockpit winch works well.
- The main halyard and cunningham. We generally sail out and take the cunningham off. We then sail on a beat and set the main halyard to get the draft at about 40%. We then attach the cunningham and use for tuning as conditions change.
- The backstay - we have just had such heavy air to date that we have just had as much bend on as we can just to maintain control - the carbon mast is fantastic and its is easy to apply rake (and to relase speedily as we go off te wind).
- The kicker - a must off-wind control but our achilles heel on a number of occasions, particularly last weekend. It is just so easy to forget to release the kicker. This takes so much control away from the mainsheet trimmer as he attempts to depower. The control lines runs back to the centre of the coach roof / cockpit but on a number of occasions now we have been overpowered in a gust, dropped the traveller, then the mainsheet and still turned up violently (luckily never hitting anyone) only to realise the kicker was keeping the upper part of the mainsail powered up. That 5-10seconds staring at each other wondering why we are not back in control has cost us dearly on a number of occasions. Last weekend we were hit by 40knots+ gusts we had just crossed the finish line and headed for home. We eased everything as we reached off - then we were hit by a mere 30+knot gust. We eased further and still continued to round up, but before we could cry "the kicker", one of the blocks exploded under the load. We now have great respect for the kicker and the pit (my 11 year old and fast becoming key to tactics as we race - that another days story) now has the primary responsibility to be ready to release on call.

JIB
- We have a non-overlapping foresail and get the advantage in our IRC handicap. However we pay dearly going down wind in a non-spinnaker class.
- We are experimenting going off wind 40 degrees or so which definitely gives us speed but we still have not worked out whether we are gaining overall.
- The cars for the jib are simply to short. In heavy wind we run the jib sheets back to blocks about 3 feet back from the rear of the blocks. When in the cars we simply could not depower and get any real twist. The cars are just so short cars - not sure what we are doing wrong here ! We are looking for advice from other 34.7/10R owners. With the car back as far as possible we seem to have too much downward pull on the sail and once we try to harden up we fully power the sail up with little or no twist.

HELM
- I have yet to find a comfortable and useful position to helm from. To see the tell-tales I have to sit to leeward but in all the heavy air we have had to date and with the novice crew, I have found that I have to stand and watch and call instructions - but this will change as the crew get more accustomed to their roles.

Overall 8 weeks in - love the boat and feel we will make her proud in a season or two.