B1, 2013

Sorry I don't have anything to report from last nights KYC racing action as I was stuck in Toronto working. Looked like a cool rainy night with not much wind. If you were there and care to throw your two cents in feel free to shoot me an email. Don't forget the annual sail past this Sunday.

Facebook

I may be the last person on earth to adopt Facebook but I have decided to create an open Facebook group for our local sailing community. I will put a link up on the OKS main website but for now you can find it by searching Okanagan Sailing on Facebook. Please contribute your thought pictures and ideas.

M

A4, 2013

Rain, rain and more rain.  The last 24 hours had been one of the wettest in recent memory.  A strong low pressure system went through on Tuesday bringing torrential downpours and thunderstorms to our region.  The lingering effects of this system lasted well into Wednesday's racing with steady drizzle and grey skies.  Luckily the breeze had build to about 6 knots out of the South and the fleet was gathered all ready to race.  After repositioning the startline to square things up with the breeze we were off with a posted course of SADBDF.  We pulled off a conservative midline start on starboard and hit the line with good speed.  We started getting dirt from the Martin 242 just to leward and flipped over to port just barely able to port tack the fleet on our way upwind.  We held onto the lead spot for the remainder of the race and spent as much time looking over our shoulder as we did ahead.  It is a much different feeling to be leading the race and trying to keep a loose cover on those behind than our much more familiar position of trying to play catch up.  There were definitely some passing lanes on the course tonight with several areas of better pressure and many lifts/headers to pick from.  The course was shortened to finish at B mark due to the failing breeze and dark skies.  We managed to finish first just a few minutes ahead Blur and Shadowfax.  This was the last race in A series.  I havent seen the overall results yet but I will post them as soon as I recieve them.

m

Eclipse is born

Tonight will mark the first time sailing our Melges 24 with is proper name "Eclipse".  Thanks for all your sugestion over the weekend but we have picked a name that just seems to have the right feel.  If you notice us sailing around during a PHRF race with our outboard motor nowhere in site rest assured it's all legit!  The melges 24 makes no difference rating wise whether the motor if stowed down below of left on the transom.  The motor sits very low on the back and would drag in the water with any amount of speed or heel so it's getting stowed down below for all races.  Have a good night sailing and dress warm.

m

Day 2 and Wrap Up

Unfortunately today was a beautiful hot sunny windlass Okanagan Sunday.  It sounds weird to even say that, but the lack of any breeze forced the RC to abandon all racing by about 1pm.  They had attempted to start a race right on time with a course of SADX in about 1 knot of breeze but after floating in the general direction of A for the maximum time limit of 90 minutes it was clear that we were in for a floater.  In fleet 1 J and the Rocket 22 Wicked managed to sail twice the distance as any other boats and deserve recognition for their efforts despite the race abandonment.  I had heard tales of a current on Okanagan lake but had dispelled them as old wives tales, however after this weekend I can attest to it's existence.  There was a steady current flowing out of the South for the entire weekend at probably close to 1/2 knot.  We could even see its evidence on the marks and moored RC boat.  Several times we were making way very slowly as seen by our ripples in the water but the GPS SOG still showed zero.  This is why J and Wicked smoked the fleet on the last race.  They rounded A mark first just as the breeze totally shut down and rode the current back North while the rest of us fought to avoid going backwards.  It was a beautiful day on the water but due to our lack of beer it was music to my ears when the race was finally called.  We managed to hang on to our first place in fleet 1 due to our strong performance on Saturday and also take home the first place overall for the regatta due to some fancy mathematical formula that is beyond my high school math.  Danny Foster and crew on Shadowfax take fleet 2, Tom Naylor and crew on La Papillon fleet 3, and John Sharples and crew bests the 525 squadron.  I know 3 races does not make a very well rounded regatta however I still think the majority of sailors walked away with a very enjoyable weekend.  It is always good to be able to visit and compete against our fellow sailors from the other corners of our little piece of paradise. I would love to be able to post a few pictures that you may have taken from this weekend.  If you can email me any good ones I would love to put them up on OKSailing. 

Blossom Time Regatta Day 1

Wow what a day out on the water today.  With rain in the forcast and a cloudy sky the fleet headed out with very light winds out of the South.  There were 27 boats competeing in 4 different fleets which allowed the RC to groups boats with much closer phrf ratings than we normally see on a race night.  We got off 3 races today for all fleets and had pretty steady winds of about 5-7 knots out of the South for most of the day.  The usual dangers were lurking with a few holes closer to the middle of the course.  The Eastern shore seemed to pay the most today with only one beat allowing the boats closer to the West to make gains.  We sailed 3 solid races in fleet 1 and were very fortunate to turn in 3 bullets for our efforts.  Shadowfax topped fleet 2, Le Papillon topped fleet 3 and Flatchat Too for the 525.  We are hoping for very similar sailing conditions for tomorrows race.

m

A3, 2013

Well as many of you noticed tonight I have decided to retire the J80 and more ahead with a Melges 24 program.  Michel and I had a wirl wind week with a drive down to Vancouver to take delivery of hull number 275 and take it back home to sunny Kelowna.  We finished rigging it only an hour before the start of tonights race.  We had very fluky winds tonight and the first start ended in a general recall for fleet 1.  We got put to the back of the starting sequence still 15 minutes away.  By the time our starting sequence was underway more of the breeze had dissappeared and we were left floating near the startline.  The course was going to be CPEADC.  We had a poor start and got gassed quickly as we floated towards the start line.  The mark rounding at P was a total sh*t show with a bunch of boats floating inchs from each other within the 3 boat length circle.  The biggest cowboy maneuver of the night came from Shadowfax who approached the P mark with somehow good speed and decided to try to barge their way inside all the the remaining right of way boats.  We also got hit by a port tack boat from another fleet who for some reason or other seemed happy to make no attempt to avoid us despite our hails.  The reaching leg from P to E was another interesting one.  We had the kite up and were quickly overtaking an unnamed boat to windward and as expected they luffed us about 60 degrees off course, no big deal.  When we slipped below them, however, and tried to sail our proper course of a beam reach to the next mark rounding, they refused to remain clear and insisted on only sailing their proper course.  We, as the leward right away boat, had to fend them off to windward to avoid contact.  I will include the actual rules here for your reference..

ON THE SAME TACK; PROPER COURSE
If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two of her hull lengths to leeward of a boat on the same tack, she shall not sail above her proper course while they remain on the same tack and overlapped within that distance, unless in doing so she promptly sails astern of the other boat. This rule does not apply if the overlap begins while the windward boat is required by rule 13 to keep clear. 

Proper Course A course a boat would sail to finish as soon as possible in the absence of the other boats referred to in the rule using the term. A boat has no proper course before her starting signal.

 We were having some spinnaker rigging problems also and lost the ability  to trim it in, which unfortunately caused us to have to douse the kite around the E mark to rerig the kite.  Once we finally got the kite re hoisted all of the evening difficulties were quickly forgotten.  Let's just say the boat hauled some serious ass!  We quickly covered the remaining distance to what was now the finish at A mark and finished much closer to the two lead boats then we had anticipated.  It will be a little bit of a learning curve on the M24 as it does have a few unique characteristics but wow what a ride.  See everyone this weekend for the annual Blossom Time Regatta at the KYC.

m

J80 For Sale

I Currently have my 2002 J80 Hull number 481 for sale.  It is in exceptional condition and definitely well above average for it's year.  It has been a fresh water boat for the last 4 years and had seen very little use before that time.  The hull was recently (spring 2013) professionally redone to ensure a slick racing bottom.  Hull was fared to perfection, epoxy barrier coat and VC17 finish.  The boat has never been damaged and still shines like new.  All running rigging continually updated with all new sheets/halyards within the last 2 years.  Brand new (spring 2013) Honda 2.3 outboard motor.  Sail inventory includes 2011 North carbon 3dl main, and jib with matching AirX AP 600 kite all in excellent condition.  Also has older class main and jib with an old practice class sized kite.  North 150 kevlar genoa.  Never used Ullman drifter.  Boat has Harken genoa tracks installed.  Velocitek Prostart GPS/race timer.  Hall QuickVang boomvang.  Raymarine depth finder.  Brand new APS spin launch bag.  Mainsail, jib and tiller Sunbrella covers.  Includes matching Triad tandem factory trailer also in excellent condition and ready to travel.  She is a very stable and quick example by Jboat.  Asking $33,000 CDN.  Boat is located 3 hours East of Vancouver, BC in Kelowna BC.  Call Marc at 250-212-9950 or email woody1199@gmail.com See http://www.oksailing.com/sailboats-for-sale/ for more details.