Home	I-36 Race Clinic Golden Gate Yacht Club April 17, 2010

(If you like, you can skip down through the prose and go straight to the pictures below!)

David (with a little help from Tom) Newton imparted lots of knowledge sprinkled with leavening humor and baked to perfection for our 2010 Race (or Sail Trim) Clinic. Mother Nature cooperated (maybe feeling a little bad after her misbehavior for Encinal Weekend) with sunny skies and wind filling to 10 knots when we started sailing and still under 15 when we quit.

This was a particularly good Clinic with lots of folks new to Islander 36's. 40 folks showed up in one role or another, and it was a great day. 13 different Islanders were represented between those on boats and those on shore helping out. The Golden Gate Yacht Club crew had bagels and fruit out for breakfast, and burgers, salad and chili when we came in - and nice carrot cake too. Many thanks!

We've added comments about the trim and tactics shown in the pictures below, but if anyone wants to add their own opinion, feel free to send a comment along. I-36 Webmaster

We had two additional sailing diversions to enjoy during the day. First, the Clipper Round The World Race fleet of (now) 9 identical 68' offshore racers was tucked in to the San Francisco Marina. You'll see some pictures of them below, and the official Race Office for their San Francisco stay was the downstairs part of Golden Gate YC. One of the boats, California, was dismasted on the leg her from China, but arrived with a jury rig and has had a new mast stepped and is our pictures. Here's a link to Clipper Round The World Race.

Second, the West Coast High School Championships were being run by St. Francis YC right in front of GGYC. There were 22 high school teams competing in Flying Juniors (FJs), and with both A and B teams for each school, there are 44 races in the regatta. As common at many large regattas, A Division would sail two races, then they would come ashore, change boats, and the B Division would go out and race. They used the sand at the end of the spit to beach the boats and change crews. Here's the Notice of Race, and current standings.

It became apparent whe we went to go out and practice, that the GGYC starting line ran right across the course set up for the High School Championships. After discussion with the St. Francis YC Race Committee, they suggested we move the whole Islander exercise west to St. Francis and use their race deck. They even set two red balls to use as a starting line because their own red ball was being used as the offset mark at the FJ windward mark.

So enjoy the pictures and contemplate the comments. Then come participate in one or both of our next two events -- both are to Vallejo! The Vallejo Race to start May on the 1st - you can fly spinnakers going up. Then race back down San Pablo Bay on the 2nd as the first race of the Season's Championship. Your next chance will be at the end of May for the Memorial Day weekend cruise to Vallejo.

Race Clinic Attendees
Boat name of crew is in 2nd column.

Blaze	# 6764
Chris Rossiter
Ian Kelly-Morgan
Dimitry Polkrovskii
Jocelyn Swanson	Zingara
Steve Swanson	Zingara
Captain Hooke	# 6780
Tom Newton
David Newton
Steve Newton
Beau Woodward
Bob Nunn
Tim Chetelat
Mike Fritch
Luna Sea	# 420
Dan Knox
Myphi Alloy
Dave Thompson
Lorraine Weiss	Zingara
Suzanne Weakley	Zingara
Linda Molnar
Karin Bauer
Lulu Wong
Tenacious	# 6741
Kris Youngberg
Dave McGrane
Ray Duran	Orion
Tom Allegretti	Orion
Jennifer Rossiter	Blaze
Christyn Rossiter	Blaze
Lauren Van Ess	Blaze
Peg Leg (old Petit Sirah)	# 6799
Sawn Price
Nigel Warren
Gary Connors	The Irish Rogue
Don Scott	Freedom Won
Michele Williams	Pacific High
GGYC-RC & Mentors
Gary Salvo	Ophira
Pat Salvo	Ophira
Leslie Iacopi	GGYC - RC
Anna Quillen	GGYC - RC
Rick Van Mell	Vanishing Animal
Robert Aston	Pegasus

Pictures by Rick Van Mell. Click on images to enlarge, click "Back" to return.

2 Clipper racers ...	more farther back.	Headquarters ...	looks like this.	Peg Leg old Petite Sirah
Blaze	Captain Hooke	Tenacious tucked in	Luna Sea ...	arrives & ...
rafts up.	Leslie goes for juice ...	Linda & Myphi go bagels ...	Lorraine & Suzanne relax.	Really, this big!
Dave, Karin, Don & Dan	Friendly visitors.	Show central ...	fought bright light ...	but made the point ...
with a backup screen.	Peg Leg gets ...	measured.	All smiles!	Hooke table
Lulu & Dave	Chris Rossiter	GGYC Race Committee	Michele gets it going ...	all eyes on ...
David and ...	the screen.	FJs racing along shore ...	to stay out of the current.	Email or phone?
David goes aloft ...	with grinder help.	Luna Sea gets ...	under way...	all suited up.
Says it all for ...	California ...	wants to turn around.	Lunch on Blaze	Ditto Hooke
Peg Leg under way	Going out to watch ...	beach boat rotation ...	coming back.	Hugging the shore.
Blaze away	Hooke ...	goes sailing.	Tenacious is ...	under way too.
Moved to St. Francis Race Deck.	All set up.	New & old.	Practice brushing ...	Hooke & Blaze

In this series of Captain Hooke & Blaze brushing you can see alternating boats being better trimmed with Hooke powered up in 7646, then Blaze in 7647 & 48. By 7649, Hooke is luffing the main to come back together.

PICT7646	PICT7647	PICT7648	PICT7649	Gulliver(s) & the ...
Lilliputians!	Luna Sea & Tenacious	PICT7653	PICT7654	PICT7655

Here Tenacious and Luna Sea do not appear to be working together, but you can see that Teancious has a much rounder entry on her jib, which also appears to be smaller than Luna Sea's. Starting in 7653, and more clearly in 7659, Luna Sea appears to have a stretch crease in the foot of the jib - perhaps the lead could be moved forward a little.

PICT7656

PICT7657

PICT7658

PICT7659

PICT7660

In 7660 and 7661, it appears the there are wrinkles in the jib luff on Tenacious. This could account for the fuller, more rounded appearance of the jib. The jib crease is again visible in 7662. As Tenacious and Hooke cross in 7664 and 7665, note how nicely Tenacious has eased both sails for maximum power as she ducks Hooke who is on starboard.

PICT7661	PICT7662	Tenacious / Hooke	PICT7664	PICT7665
Hooke nicely eased	Pre-start ...	Peg Leg ...	gets in traffic ...	Blaze may be ...
testing the wind ...	full and by again.	Tenacious stays up current	Luna Sea with power	Hooke fully powered
Luna Sea tacks ...	Ok so far ...	no main ease ...	main too tight.	Blaze main tight Hooke jib tight
Perfect!	1.5 min to start	1st Race Start	Note wake differences	Hooke tacks ...

1st Practice Start

but bears away to ...

duck Blaze ...

main too tight?

Tacking out ...

PICT7696

Here is the first tack off the starting line as Tenacious tacks in front of Luna Sea. They both appear to sheet in at the same rate - but Luna Sea had tacked first. Tenacious seems to be pointing a bit low to gain speed and may have the jib slightly eased to do so. Luna Sea tries, in 7697 and 7698 to point above Tenacious' stern - but doesn't have the power to get there. By 7699 Tenacious looks like she has gained speed and is opening distance, while at the same time giving Luna Sea bad air.

PICT7697

PICT7698

PICT7699

PICT7700

PICT7701

Blaze arrives on starboard in 7699 and tacks - but to leeward of both Tenacious and Luna Sea. This gives her bad air from both boats, and in the progression from 7701 through 7704 she loses weather postion to both boats. In 7704, it appears that Tenacious has held a higher course, but with less angle of heel and probably going slower than Luna Sea and Blaze - but distnace to windward is the key on the windward leg.

PICT7702	PICT7703	PICT7704	Pre-start # 2	Peg Leg has ...
very flat jib ...	note crease on luff ...	halyard too tight?	Slow mode.	Hooke & Tenacious
Peg Leg	4 min to go ...	nice practice run ...	note Tenacious reaching in ...	aiming into current ...
would have been a good start!	2 min to go.	Big tanker framed.	2nd Race Start	Coming back for a 3rd

2nd Practice Start

Like a flock ...	coming together ...	more breeze ...	getting serious ...	Good bow lookout
Blaze aback ...	now what??!!!	After 3rd Race Start	Slow tack ...	on Tenacious ...

3rd Practice Race Start

still not in ...	not quite.	Peg & Luna	Hooke	Blaze ...
tacks to follow.	Nice breeze.	Tenacious tacks ...	on Hooke ...	but doesn't get going ...
Hooke breaking ...	through to leeward.	Still not trimmed	Approaching Anita Rock	Less power ...
Hooke about ...	to tack ...	ducks with speed ...	and is gone to the mark.	Peg Leg approach
Luna Sea turned early	Tenacious around	No pole yet ...	ditto ...	Peg Leg around ...
Blase rounding ...	no pole on Peg	Forgot to ease off?	Jib blanketed? No Pole?	About right
Pole was stuck in bracket	Peg Leg looks good.	Luna Sea's happy crew	Tenacious makes ...	a nice landing.
Great crew ...	no glasses.	Hooke relaxes.	Blaze ...	squeezes in ...
Happy Chris ...	and crew!	Peg Leg crew.	Thank you Golden Gate!

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