2007 Parhelion Autumn Series
The Parhelion autumn yacht racing series is run by the Portsmouth Sailing Club, with races in the Eastern Solent, off Portsmouth and in Hayling bay.
Race 3 & 4 reports, from Saturday 6th October 2007
Crew : Phil, Darrell, Glenn, Phil B, Joe
Once again, the weather forecast had been monitored keenly all week. It was looking like another light wind day. Windfinder forecast 9 knots, and as it turned out wasn't far from the mark, although on the water on the day it did blow at about 12 knots for a little while.
With neap tides, the racing was once again held off the Haslar wall. We found Condor anchored half a mile from Gleeds and as the start time approached there was a fleet of about 12 yachts loitering eagerly.
From Rhapsody
Another day of light wind – our sort of conditions! Condor is anchored half a mile west of Mary Rose and we are soon out there assessing the wind strength. There’s more than last week but not enough to use the number 2. So it’s the big Genoa again
Race 3
The course was set with a beat to Naomi House, near the main Portsmouth channel, then a downwind leg, across the main channel to round our old friend the North Sturbridge cardinal just off Ryde. This mark usually creates a lot of sport in light winds because the tide always runs strongly. The course concluded with a beat to Gleeds, before a final run to the line.
The line appeared to have a strong port bias (to us anyway) when we monitored it a few minutes before the start. We elected to try a port tack start. It looked like Rhapsody and Scallywag were going to do the same. OMK loitered at the pin end during the last 2 minutes before the start and on the final approach to the line we did several Lewis Hamilton inspired swerves to try to slow the boat down as much as possible so that we were as close to the pin as we could be at the gun. Even so, we were a bit early at the pin which meant we started a bit further along the line.
We were on the line nicely at the gun, but we were too close to the starboard boats and were forced to duck 3 boats. Nevertheless, we continued on port for a while even though we still had the last hour of the adverse west going tide. We traded this downside with the stronger breeze and clear air away fromboth the Haslar wall and the rest of the fleet. We had a solid 10 knots true.
One More Knot's track in red
Rhapsody's track in green
After we tacked we could see the majority of the fleet were still on starboard heading towards the wall. The fleet had a big split. Just in Time was at the head of the other fleet. Eventually we crossed tacks with Just in Time which showed One More Knot to be in front, but not by much.
One More Knot rounded the windward mark followed by Just In Time. Not far behind was a gaggle of other boats, Rhapsody, Total Obsession Too and Concerto. We had slightly overstood the mark so that we could get the pole ready for a bear away set. This meant that the rest of the fleet were a bit closer than we would have liked. With this pressure and geting the pole & kite organised running a bit late, Phil at the helm over steered and we invulantarily gybed ... a few times. The wind was light, and this meant that the mainsheet block was falling onto the traveler Spinlocks, causing them to release. This in turn meant that we couldn't hoist as Darrell was chasing the mainsheet and not thinking about the spinnaker halyard much to Phil's disgust. But it wasn't Phil who was about to be beaten by the mainsheet!
Eventually we got the kite up as sailed to the towards North Sturbridge. After we had gybed, it seemed like the fleet was neck and neck, although we had a slightly better angle into the mark. One More Knot's light wind performance showed as we managed to open a small gap to drop the kite cleanly and round Sturbridge first.
We rounded Sturbridge with a strong westerly tide now running. This left us with the usual decision, to tack and cross back across the main channel, or to stick with it near Ryde Sand. We elected to cross the channel. This once again split the fleet.
On the final beat to Gleeds, we cross tacked again with Just In Time a few times before we rounded again at the head of the fleet. Some more kite handling issues arose and the spinnaker sheet whizzed out of the block faster than a rat up a drain pipe. Fortunately we the jib was still up so we sailed goose winged to toward the line on this, the last leg. After captured the errant sheet and rethreading it around the boat, we managed to get the kite pulling at last. Only for the sheet to disappear again .... sigh.
Our mishaps allowed Just In Time to catch us up and overtake at the only mark that counts, the finish! We had some major crew rebuilding to do between races. We had to work out what was going wrong and fix it, and then look forward to the next race. Better steering would help, with more anticipation and preparation.
From Rhapsody
The IRC fleet starts and we then see our course – it’s a beat to Naomi House, a long run down to N Sturbridge, a beat to Gleeds and then a final run back to Condor and the finish line. The line seems biased to the pin end so we go for a port tack start at that end. We cross the line on port but soon have to tack to avoid the starboard tack starters. Boat speed is not good; we can’t seem to make more than 4 to 5 knots at this stage – too much dirty air off the boats to windward of us. After three more tacks we arrive at Naomi with only Scallywag behind us. Total Obsession has just rounded the mark and is on starboard as we come in on port tack. They very kindly keep clear as we tack round. We then gybe and hoist the kite. We are going well on this leg and seem to narrow the gap to the boats ahead of us. We gybe about halfway down the leg and drop early as we approach the buoy. We gybe to round and then go immediately onto starboard for a long tack in towards the Haslar wall. We tack near Rainbow and soon after receive quite a shock as the port lifelines against which the helmsman and several others are leaning suddenly go slack! The centre strut of the pulpit has come disconnected from the stem head fitting – it turns out that a weld has fractured. After we recover from the shock and put in three more tacks we are round Gleeds just ahead of Total Obsession and are hoisting the kite for the final leg to the finish. Total Obsession tries to get past us to windward but soon realises we are protecting our wind and eventually goes to leeward of us – crossing the finish line just 1 second ahead. We had not noted the finish times of the boats ahead and were somewhat surprised when we found our time was good enough to place us second on handicap behind Concerto.
The race results showed that Concerto had won by more than 2 minutes from Rhapsody, followed by Just In Time (line honours) and then One More Knot. Scallywag was next, her handicap allowing her to leapfrog Total Obsession Too.
Replay the race here
Replay One More Knot's GPS track here
Also includes Rhapsody's track
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Race 4
The course for race 4 was a beat to a laid windward mark, followed by a broad reach to KB Boat Park which acted as a gybe mark. Next was a reach to the leeward ward mark that was originally intended to be the Outer Distance Mark (ODM) but was moved a few hundred yards downwind after the fleets had started. From the leeward mark the course was a simple sausage between the windward, leeward and finally back to the windward mark for the finish. Both fleets started together which meant that there were plenty of boats around.
For this race, we elected to start more conventionally, on Starboard. However, unlike the rest of the fleet that were aiming for the committee boat, we made for the middle of the line, which gave us clear air. We started well, with only Rhapsody one the line at the gun with us. They were near the committee boat. The rest of the fleet followed closely behind and the committee boat end.
In the early part of the race, we could see how the close racing between the other boats was impeding their own progress. We weren't too disappointed!
One More Knot's track in red
Rhapsody's track in green
At the top of the course we were still mixing it with the IRC boats. We seemed to loose a little on the tacks. They accelerated up to speed much quicker. Looking back down the field, Just In Time were the best of the rest. After 2 tacks, we approached the windward mark with plenty of room. The pole was made ready early and as we rounded we went for the hoist. Darrell's immediate reaction was that there was something wrong with the halyard/hoist, Phil sweated it from the mast. The course was a broad reach, with the apparent near the beam and the kite wasn't going up quickly! Never mind, we still had the jib out and whilst not perfect it was still pulling strongly. We elected to drop the kite which gave the new spinnaker its first wash. Phil and Joe did a good job of pulling back onto the foredeck. There was a quick rethread of the halyard so that it was wrapped around the forestay and then the kite was put back up. Glenn tweeked the sheets and we completed the last part of the leg with kite giving us helpful boost.
Now that the kite was up, we had hoped that the gybe at the KB Boatpark mark would allow us to keep the kite going but sadly the next leg was too shy. We saw the IRC boats dropping or struggling so we elected to drop on the approach to the mark. The next leg was fast and the GPS helped us sail a direct course. We rounded the leeward mark and tacked 3 times to get back to the top mark. For once, we had a good spinnaker leg with a sweet hoist, gybe and drop.
This left a final race back to the windward mark to finish. We were surprised to see Rhapsody a few hundred yards ahead. We didn't know how they got there, we thought we had done quite well so far, but had been concentrating on our own efforts. Then the VHF crackled into life as Concerto called up Rhapsody to discuss Rhapsody's route. It turned out that Rhapsody had missed a mark. After initial disbelief that they had sailed the wrong course, Rhapsody acknowledge their painful error and retired gracefully.
From Rhapsody
After lashing the pulpit with a length of rope, debating whether the wind had increased enough for us to need the number two and then eating a spot of lunch we are surprised by the 10 minute signal for Race 4. We are going to be starting with the IRC fleet. We hoist the number 1 and then get the course. We go for a starboard tack start and have a really good one. Only One More Knot is on the line with us at the start signal. The first beat is to a laid windward mark north-east of Mary Rose and we arrive with only One More Knot and Just in Time ahead of us. There now follows a broad reach under spinnaker to KB Boat – a buoy just off the Haslar wall. We are going well, maintaining 6 to 7 knots. We round ahead of Concerto and Total Obsession but behind One More Knot and Just in Time. They are not sailing as high as us as we head towards the next mark which is the windward mark where we have just come from – or so the navigator told us!!!! We soon realise that the rest of the fleet is not sailing there but are going to round the ODM on the start line. The navigator checks his course and says he is “absolutely sure” he is right, so we carry on. Arriving back at the windward mark with now a good lead over the rest, including most of the IRC fleet, I am now not so sure. However it’s too late now so we sail the rest of the course. Downwind to the ODM and then beat back to finish at the windward mark. Just as we are about to drop the kite as we approach the ODM on the down-wind leg, we are called by Concerto on the VHF. Not a good time to hold radio conversation so we don’t answer. After we have rounded and settled ourselves for the final beat. We then call Concerto who asks us; whether having missed a mark we intend to retire or be protested – we tell them to protest! Arriving back at Condor, we check the course board and discover not much to anyone’s surprise, apart from the navigator, that we had indeed missed a mark. No option then but to call over to Condor that we were retiring and to radio Concerto and tell them the same.
Our only excuse is that we were taken a bit by surprise at the quick turn round between the last boats finishing and the start of the race. We normally double check the course and have at least two crew note it down. However our navigator did the decent thing and bought the crew’s beer in the club. As we anticipated we were greeted by a few choice remarks by the other crews when we got there.
Concerto won by about a minute and a half from One More Knot, followed by Just In Time, only 2 seconds behind OMK. Total Obsession Too managed to beat Scallywag this time. Rhapsody retired.