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 9 & 10 reports, from Saturday 3th November 2007
Crew : Phil, Joe, Barry, Phil B, Glenn, Darrell
We entered the day with 3 boats fighting for the 2nd and 3rd place pots in the series, and only point split them. One More Knot was lying in 4th on the same points as Just In Time, but on the count back Just In Time edged it. Rhapsody had the luxury of being a point clear! Concerto had already legged it with the series and didn't even need to turn up!
The points system, where we would get another discard, and the close scores meant that even the best mathematicians gave up what could happen. We got as far as the most likely outcome was the Rhapsody would probably get second unless the messed up a race badly, with JIT and OMK battling for the 3rd place pot. We figured that if we beat JIT in both races we would just edge it. If it came to count backs, we needed to get at least another 3rd. With this in mind, we had got down to the boat slightly earlier on Friday to heave off another trolley load of weight, including the #3.
The forecast for the day had been monitored closely, everything between 2 knots and 9 knots had been predicted during the week, mostly from the North. On the day, the wind was flukey, gusty and shifty. It was really light at times, yet for short periods picked up and let the yacht charge around like lunatics before disappearing again.
We were on neap tides, with low water being about 11 am. Assuming that the racing was going to be off the Haslar wall, it looked like the tide favoured clockwise circles for the first hour, then switching to anticlockwise.
On the way out of the harbour we saw Condor aiming to setup up base camp near our friend Gleeds. With the northely breeze, that meant that the windward marks were likely to be chosen from VT, Vail or KB Boats. On our way out we went to each in turn just to make sure the GPS waypoints were bang on.
Race 9
Line Honours alone is not good enough!
The course is set, starting with a beat to Vail just off the Haslar wall, then around KB boats (gybe mark), Gleeds (another Gybe) to Mary Rose (leeward) and then back to the line before a final simple loop back to Mary Rose and then finish. We were conscious in the pre-start melee not to get caught over the top of Just In Time so that we didn't give them an opportunity to push us out. We were also conscious of the west going tide and didn't want to get into a position that would be difficult to get back to the line. As it happened, we messed it all up!
First we got above both Total Obsession Too and Just In Time. Rick was giving it some verbage push JIT higher. With nearly 2 minutes on the clock to run, we elected to chuck a 360 in to loose a few seconds. However, having done that, we then thought we we going to be late to the line! The sheets were cranked on and we picked up as much speed as we could muster fearing we would be late. Then sods law, as we aim for the closest part of the line right next to the committee boat, fleet newcomer Stargift starts hollering that their not going to give us room. We ease the sheets momentarily just to make sure we didn't get completely stuffed, but in the event Stargift couldn't point high enough and left a small gap between them and Condor. One More Knot took advantage and stuck her nose in. Obviously in such close proximity we had to be set up for pointing. Looking down the line, the majority of the fleet were squeezing into the same half of the line. It looked pretty tight. We were the best part of a minute late. Just what we didn't need. Just to cap it all, we could see Just In Time ahead. They were one of the first boats to tack onto port and they crossed our bows.
One More Knot and Stargift were in very close proximity to each other. Stargift was slight in front and we didn't want her to tack as soon as we did. We waited until we crossed JIT's track and tacked a few boat lengths above it. The command to tack were whispered to make sure that we didn't announce our intentions to Stargift. Just In Time tacked back onto starboard quite quickly and we thought about staying with her. However, in the light airs, it had taken a little while to get the boat going again after the tack. We had just got going nicely, so we elected to stick on the port tack. This was at odds with our anticlockwise loops in the first hour! At the windward mark, One More Knot is still playing catch up to Just In Time.
One More Knot's track in red
Rhapsody's track in green
On the approach to the windward mark, George is giving us the you can't come in there, you don't have an overlap. Phil pointed out that Concerto wasn't witihin 2 boat lengths yet, unless she was now a 50 footer!. It was all academic anyway and OMK slotted in behind. The crew performed a very slick slick bare away set. The breeze was very light and it was proving difficult to get the kite to inflate. The boat speed was very low so we tried a few experiments. Eventually we found a way of getting an extra half a knot, doubling our speed! We overtook and opened a gap from Concerto. Just In Time were well ahead, but having difficult keeping the kite inflated and now we were starting to reel them in. Big blue was doing the business!
As we approached Gleeds we realised that the mark was incidental. We didn't have to pass nearby, all we had to do was keep the boat moving. We felt we had drawn level with Just In Time because the two boats were beam to beam. However, JIT was to leeward, but OMK would have better angles once we gybed. Both boats overtook Trumble Too, the big Bavaria struggling to keep the boat moving with her enormous cruising chute. On One More Knot we were afraid that we might get blanketed and managed to leave enough of a gap and have enough speed differential to get past without trouble.
Eventually we elect to gybe, earlier than we may have liked but we realised that we could get hit by the east going tide. The tide allowed us a better sailing angle but we didn't want to battle it to get to the leeward mark, Mary Rose. On the approach to the mark, the wind was failing. We prepared the jib and hauled it tight to be as ready for the turn as possible. Just In Time dropped their kite first and drifted 2 boats lengths south of the mark. One More Knot ceased the opportunity and rounded the mark with a foot to spare. One More Knot was in front for the first time in the race (well on the water anyway). The next few minutes were very frustrating. At times it felt like we were going backwards. The rest of the fleet were approaching the mark and there could easily have been a restart if the breeze filled in again. This wasn't helping. The GPS plot shows that we spent 13 minutes with the SOG never exceeding 1 knot!
During this period, we were looking for new breeze on the water. As usual in these conditions, even when you can see a puff, you can't get to it to take advantage. Just In Time sailed lower than One More Knot, sometime as much as 60 degrees lower! It was so hard to tell what the wind was doing when the telltales don't even fly. Most of the crew were sitting on the leeward rail. When Darrell went across to join them, we found our speed dropped a bit so he was sent back.
As we approached the line, we could see new breeze filling in from the north. We would be in it first. Looking astern, the fleet were drifting on the tide. When the breeze filled, Just In Time and One More Knot had a good scrap to see who could get to the line (shortened race) first. One More Knot took line honours, from Just In Time who followed in just 9 seconds later. We already knew they had beaten us on handicap. Our attention turned to the rest of the fleet. Total Obsession Too was certainly behind us, but it was difficult to tell about the rest. We just hoped the other boats didn't get in the gap between JIT and OMK and therefore the damage would only be a single point.
Replay the race here
Replay One More Knot's GPS track here
Also includes Rhapsody's track
This opens in a new window a uses javascript.
The results show that Scallywag had a good race and won after the times were corrected. Just In Time and the One More Knot were next, followed by an unusually poor result from both Concerto and then Rhapsody. Had Roy's poor performance messed up his chances? And there is a fly in the ointment as Stargift hasn't been given a handicap but could upset the table.
Race 10
The breeze (or lack of it) had given the race officer a shock and after bit of juggling a Condor moved down to Gleeds and a windward mark is laid only about half a mile away. The breeze had backed to westerly and for the first time in the day it had picked up to a mighty 6 or 7 knots. The tide was now flowing strongly from west to east, i.e. wind with tide. The course was a simple sausage, 3 times around but later shortened to twice around.
At the start we were trying not to make the same mistakes as earlier in the day. We were a bit better, but far from perfect. Once again we could see that Just In Time had got away well. Have you noticed our fixation with Just In Time this week? Shortly after we crossed the line, we tacked onto port and sailed north and then the wind died. We were hit by a big header as the wind swung to a north westerly, so we tacked back onto starboard. Luckily for us we were on the favorable side of the course. Everyone how hadn't tacked from the line was now stuffed by being too far south.
5 minutes later, still on our starboard tack in light airs we were once again headed as the wind swung back west, so we tacked again. We could see Just In Time who were well ahead and much closer and still to windward of us were Total Obsession Too. The concentration from the helm was intense. Some how we had to get back into the race. Some of the crew started questioning whether Just In Time had hit the mark. We still had someway to go and were cross tacking with Total Obsession Too.
Obviously the tide was strong in the very light breeze and it was causing some trauma at the mark. There was now certainty that Just In Time had done more than hit the mark, they tried to eat it for lunch. It took them a while to get clear. One More Knot tacked towards the mark, much to Rick's amusement as he took great delight in pointing out that we had gone too early. We had to put in another tack but it was quite easy to judge now as we gave the mark a respectable distance. Allegedly Total Obsession Too did not. At the mark the crew hoisted the kite very slickly and we were able to get it pulling early. By the time we had come up for air, we had observed Just In Time do a penalty loop and Total Obsession Too were half a leg behind by the time they got their kite flying. Presumably they had done a penalty loop too.
One More Knot's track in red
Rhapsody's track in green
Ahead, but not by far was Rhapsody. One More Knot was able to close the gap enough to get Roy hollering that we didn't have an overlap at the leeward mark, Gleeds. They rounded, close to the mark. We prepared the jib for beating and left the kite drop to the last second. It came down sweetly. The two boats turned to windward only to discover that our headway through the water was nearly being matched by the adverse tide. Uh oh .... here we go again. Looking up the course we could see the rest of the fleet arriving into our car park. The last one in would have the best position for getting out.
And then the wind did its deed again. It filled in, this time a NNW which allowed us to fetch the mark. Away we went with some decent boat speed. Rhapsody and One More Knot appear to be well matched and both boats sailed high of the mark in case the wind shifted back again. Eventually the sheets were cracked when we felt comfortable that we could make the mark with room to spare. We quickly discussed the kite options for the next leg, big blue was rigged but we elected to leave it until we were sure that we could carry it. Both boats rounded the windward mark and elected to reach back under white sails. The boat speed was high and the apparent wind was well in front of the beam. On the reach back to the line we were closing on Rhapsody but we ran out of time. We thought Rhapsody had taken line honours with us in second place. Total Obsession Too followed us in, sufficiently far behind for us to be safe on handicap and with Just In Time following them we knew that we had beaten JIT by at least 2 points in this race. We had no idea what this was doing to the series standings. Unbeknown to us, Stargift had actually beaten the lot of us on the water.
Replay the race here
Replay One More Knot's GPS track here
Also includes Rhapsody's track
This opens in a new window a uses javascript.
From Rhapsody
It’s the last day of racing and it’s very tight between three of us for 2nd and 3rd places in the series. Just one point separates Rhapsody, One More Knot and Just In Time. The forecast is for a very light, 6 knots or so, northerly breeze. Condor is back and is anchored around two cables west of Gleeds.
Race 9
The course is a beat to Vail Williams, downwind to Mary Rose via KB Boat Park to port and Gleeds to starboard, then through the start-line. There was to be more but the course was shortened at that stage. We try and start by the committee boat but have to duck behind Total Obsession Too where Ricky is loudly encouraging Just In Time who is to windward of him, to sail higher. Consequently we have no wind and no boat speed, definitely the wrong place to be. As soon as possible we tack onto port and start to make progress. Already the rest of the club fleet are well ahead of us. Half a dozen tacks or so and we near Vail Williams and prepare to hoist the spinnaker. The wind drops and we struggle to get to the buoy. Eventually we get round and see that the others are well on the way to the next mark. Progress is painfully slow and as we gybe to round KB Boat Park the wind goes even lighter. As we approach the buoy we realise we aren’t going to make it and have to gybe the main back to just clear it. Once round we reset the main and set off behind the rest of the club fleet. Concerto from having had a good lead has suffered from the light air and has fallen well back in the running. During the leg to Gleeds we record around 1 to 2 knots over the ground. We sail well past Gleeds before gybing for Mary Rose, this gives us better wind angles and we see that Concerto has done the same. Arriving at Mary Rose we drop the spinnaker and set off on the final beat back to Condor. We creep past Mary Rose at less than a knot. Eventually we tack onto port and then the wind suddenly increases and back by almost 90 degrees. We now have reasonable beat to the finish, overtaking Concerto and Scallywag on the way. We approach the finish line on port and see Concerto approaching us on starboard – will he tack for the line before we have to take avoiding action – no, but George very kindly waves us through in front of him. This race could well be our final discard of the series!
Race 10
After having untangled Scallywag from their anchor line Condor moves and re-anchors by Gleeds which will be the ODM for the second race. The course is a short beat to a laid windward mark and then back through the line, three times round. The breeze is steady from the west and this time we have a good start – crossing the line at speed in clear air within a couple of seconds of the start signal. We go well on the beat and see that One More Knot, Total Obsession Too, Concerto are well back. Just In Time gets to the mark ahead of us and we see they are having to sail higher and higher to get round. This doesn’t help and they hit the inflatable buoy. We decide to allow plenty of room and even so we underestimate the tide and have to put in a further tack near the buoy. We hoist the spinnaker with a bear away set and quickly realise that this is a very short run indeed. We also need to gybe to get to the mark. Having gybed it’s time to drop the kite fairly quickly as we need to gybe again to round the mark. With hindsight we should have hoisted the spinnaker with a gybe set at the windward mark. One More Knot is right on our tail but does not establish an overlap before we are with two boat lengths of Gleeds. We let them know! We round the buoy and come hard on the wind which suddenly disappears. We creep very slowly past the buoy at about 1 knot clearing it only with a metre or so to spare – definitely not enough room for Phil to squeeze One More Knot inside us. Just In Time is well ahead and has headed off on starboard tack. This proves to be very unfortunate for them as the wind now veers by around 90 degrees and settles in the north and so we can now reach to the windward mark whereas they are now downwind of it. A VHF announcement tells us the course will be shortened at the end of the second lap so we only now have to round the inflatable buoy and reach back to the finish line. This we do, while maintaining our lead over the rest of the club fleet apart from Stargift who is a newcomer this week. One More Knot crosses the line a few seconds behind us. On handicap we are sure that we will finish first or maybe second behind Stargift whose TCF we don’t know. We certainly have restored our chances of a series 2nd or 3rd place after our performance in race 9.
Final Thoughts
We were awarded 2nd place in the series and I feel we were very lucky to be that well placed after some fairly poor results in some of the races. Very well done George and the crew of Concerto for taking a well deserved first place with a run of very consistent performances.
The weather was great throughout and the series was all the more enjoyable with the mix of types of race. We could have done with some more wind at times, this being the only series I remember in which the smallest headsail we used was the #2, never mind not having had to reef the main! The only point I would make is that I feel that if any future lady helm races are held they should be separate from the main series. I would like to thank the race organisers for putting on another great series and our fellow competitors in the club class for sailing in a competitive yet friendly spirit.
From Concerto
Oh, well it all went very wrong this weekend! The wind was all over the place and it always seemed to catch us out, just wasn’t our day.
For the first race we had a fantastic start, with a significant port bias we started on Starboard and crossed the line at the pin end leaving the rest of the club fleet fighting for position and wind around the committee boat, the beat to the first mark close into Haslar wall was almost without fault, although Just in time manages to just squeeze in front of us around the mark – then it all went wrong… We sailed into a hole in the wind and whatever we did just couldn’t get the boat going as most of the fleet passed us. With the wind from the North (at the time) it was just dead under the wall. Finally we got a little breeze when we were most of the way out to Mary Rose but by this time we were pretty much last on the water. At Mary Rose all the kites came down, Rhapsody and Scallywag opted to tack off toward Southsea as there was a line of wind coming in, we stayed out as we could see a second line of wind coming toward us from the west, fortunately this paid and we caught up a bit, Rhapsody finished just before and Scallywag just behind Concerto.
The second race was set as a windward-leeward sausage, the breeze was now a steady 7kts from the west. Concerto had a very poor start as we were stuck under a lot of larger and faster boat and it took us some time to get across the line. Initially most of the fleet tacked off toward the Hasler wall to get out of the tide and we followed suit but we couldn’t understand why they all tacked out again. We carried on toward the wall when there was a massive wind shift, probably 120degrees. The wind was now just East of North, we could have put the spinnaker up to reach the windward mark but decided to hold off as we were concerned that the wind would shift again. I think the rest of the fleet mush have seen this shift coming and they picked up the breeze earlier on the left side of the course. We were out the back again and just had to take out medicine as we reached up and down the course until we have been around twice. Unfortunately Concerto isn’t the best boat for reaching as she has a small main and it is difficult to use the full power of the Genoa due to a poor sheeting angle. An asymmetric kite would have been perfect but that would take us out of class.
Final result was 6th for both races out of 8 boats in class. Finally we get to use out discards for something worthwhile.
Overall, it has been a great series for Concerto. We have been racing with the same crew all season and the results really showed. I’m pleased there was a really good scrap for 2nd and 3rd places, well done to Roy from Rhapsody and very well done to Phil of OMK. If Phil keeps improving we are going to have some very serious competition.
See you in the spring.
And then back to the club house
The fleet came back to into Portsmouth harbour and the guys on the RIB did a great job of ferrying everyone back to the club. It was heaving! Tales of the day were being recounted all around. Spirits were high and everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves. There was some good grub which was simple but really hit the mark. Just what we needed after the racing. There was an air of anticipation because the results weren't out and everyone knew how closes the supporting places in the club fleet were.
Eventually we were called to order for the presentations. There were many thanks to all of the supporting team. There loads of people that make it all happen! Thanks again to all of you. And then the pots in reverse order, in Club, One More Knot claimed 3rd place, Rhapsody 2nd and Concerto legged it with a very well raced series in a league of her own to claim the series title. In the IRC fleet, Xtrovert was 3rd, Catch 22 2nd with Electra first.
There we also prizes for the ladies helm day, where One More Knot's helm Jane Tillett was awarded 2nd in club with Concerto taking the honours. Claire (normally found on Total Obsession Too) helmed in IRC (on Electra?) and was awarded the top spot.
And finally, take a look at the gallery page, for the photos. If you have photos of any of the other boats, please pass them onto me an I'll put them up.