race report
| home contact us movies galleries stories store |
 Putting the 'Sunset' in Sunset Series. ©2015 Pat Broderick |
|
Sausalito Sunset Series
April 30, 2015 Depending on which wind forecast Sausalito Yacht Club's Spring Sunset racers consulted, they found predictions of wind between 6 and 30 knots for April 28's first Tuesday night race. Instead, they found no wind and a postponement. They also found a strong 2+ knot flood. It wasn't looking good as boats motored around or drifted rapidly toward Angel Island. But a westerly breeze in the mid-single digits finally filled in, allowing guns to begin going off and the racing to get underway.
The light west wind and flood crossing the start line at a 45º angle created a difficult start, with many boats struggling to get across the line before being swept down onto the SYC race committee boat or its ground tackle. The J/105 Division was sent on a twice-around windward/leeward course with the windward mark a temporary near Yellow Bluff and the leeward mark near Pt. Knox. After another short postponement the Spinnaker Division was sent on a once-around trip on the same course, as was the Non-Spinnaker Division. The wind continued to increase into the low teens as boats decided to sail inside toward the Sausalito sewer plant where there was less adverse current but also less pressure, or stay out toward the middle with more adverse current but better wind.
Most boats rounded the windward mark after one long tack upwind and began a rapid run back toward Pt. Knox. The temporary buoy near Pt. Knox was set close to the island, where a strong south to north current and lower wind speed pushed many boats below the mark, forcing them to tack back upstream. Boats staying high fared better, although getting too close to the mark was a guarantee of hitting it.
The short beat back to the finish line again provided an opportunity for boats to sail inside or outside against the waning flood. For results and more info, see www.sausalitoyachtclub.org. — Pat Broderick
|
