Sailing SLICE

Prairie Gold has no mast at the moment while we get her new standing rigging. So this weekend Chuck asked if I would like to join him on his boat s/v SLICE. I jumped at the chance and sailed in calm conditions with Chuck and Ron. Winds were light but there was nice wind near the city. We attempted to head out on the New Year's day race course - #13, #12 and back. But when we got to #13 the wind dies. So we turned around and headed for home. On the way we picked up the wind local to the city. Sitting at the dock in the cockpit later with a beer, sunshine and watching the day go by was glorious.

2016 Summary – On the podium a few times

2016 was our second year participating in races (I was going to say competing, but participating is probably the best word to describe our efforts). It was very enjoyable and we are slowly coming up the curve. Certainly I am learning more about tight quarter sailing and boat handling. This year we even got on the podium several times in our fleet:

1^st in Rumble.

2^nd JFK regatta.

2^nd Boston Harbor Islands Race.

3^rd in the 2016 Wednesday evening CYC race series.

3^rd in the ONE regatta doublehanded.

3^rd Beringer bowl, doublehnaded.

We entered numerous races, which hindered our cruising. First race of the year was the Figawi from Hyannis to Nantucket, and later in the season the Round the Island (RTI) Race at Martha’s Vineyard.

In 2016 we significantly improved as a crew while at the same time continuing to maintain the spirit of enjoying a mid week break with friends. Put another way, we didn’t take ourselves too seriously.

Some really memorable races were the Beringer bowl that I sailed with a good friend Chuck Fluhr. This was from Marblehead via outer Boston harbor to Provincetown. We set off at about 7pm and arrived 3-4am. It was a blast with lots of wind. After the race was over it was fun to sit in the cockpit with a beer and watch the sun rise. Another was the ONE regatta which was doublehanded with condo neighbor friend Morgan and involved an overnight race followed by a shorter 14nm race. Finally, placing second in the JFK race second as fun since I sailed it doublehanded with Yolande.

Perhaps one night that I will never forget was when all of my crew had a condo meeting and so I raced solo in the Wednesday evening race. At the start the wind was about 15kts, but grew to 25 with gusts to over 30kts. Four or five boats retired, one broke its steering cable and my goal was to hang on and finish. I tethered myself to the boat and was glad I did since one gust knocked the boat way over on her side and I was hanging on with one hand around a winch. The adrenaline was coursing through the veins.

From the Wednesday evening racing and the RTI and Figawi it was clear that we are less competitive in conditions other than high winds. Near the end of the season we decided to remedy this, well as much as we can, by buying a larger genoa and a larger asymmetric spinnaker. Previously we were sailing with a 135% genoa, which is fine in medium to heavy winds, and with a 841 sq foot asymm. We upgraded to a 150% genoa and an ~1200sq foot asymm. This has dramatically improved low-medum wind performance with little impact on our handicap rating. When combined with other changes we have made – folding propeller, and an extra pair of winches – it will make short handed sailing more competitive.

For many years I have been quite excited by short-handed sailing. I am not exactly certain why, but perhaps it’s the personal challenge of battling fatigue and ones mind and body. I have wanted to do some long distance sails and why not combine my enjoyment of the thrill of racing with being offshore and doing it alone? My goal in 2017 is to enter the Bermuda 1-2, a real personal challenge to race solo from Newport to Bermuda and then back to Bermuda with a crew member, doublehanded.

To qualify for the race one has to demonstrate the ability to sail offshore solo. I entered the Offshore 160 organized by Newport Yacht Club. This was a great event with some excellent sailors. I was sailing for about 40h solo and managed to go through the whole process of sleep deprivation, while still keeping the boat running. Learned more about sleep schedules while sailing and the frustrations of long periods of little to no wind (150% genoa will be great for my next adventures). I even experienced sleep deprivation induced hallucinations. From this race I have qualified for the B1-2 in 2017 and have now entered and am accepted.

All in all a great season and we learned a lot about boat handling.

Stay tuned for an update on all the preparations for the B1-2.