Back in Marblehead

Sunday, July 17. 

The wind finally arose from its slumber last night, affording us the opportunity again to sail.  Unfortunately, it continued to come from Marblehead so we motored for most of the morning.  As it backed more to the SW, we sailed close hauled on a port tack but couldn't strike the heading we wanted and ended up more toward Gloucester where we again motored back down to Marblehead, arriving on the mooring at about 6pm.

We caught a launch for the Boston YC and armed with only passports we went through a very non-threatening customs reentry:  the officer was out of uniform, dressed in shorts, a t-shirt and carried a pink drink in one hand.  He did not seem to suspect us of being smugglers or terrorists.

What sailing lacks

1700 EDT.

 

Wind, today.  Began motoring last night when the wind fell away and for brief periods, we have motor sailed, for the most part it has been motoring only.  We are motoring straight for Marblehead with about 150 miles to go, and with speed across the ground of about 6 kts.  Just over the past hour, the breeze has picked up nicely to about 15 kts, but the direction leaves something to be desired; it is on our nose, originating in Marblehead, seemingly.  We could beat against it but with Whisper being able to tack no closer to the wind than 55 degrees, going upwind is a labor of labor.

 

At present rate, anticipate Marblehead about 2200 tomorrow.

Return trip, day one.

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   Augmented crew:  Christopher Goodenough joined us for the return. We departed the RNSYS at about 0630 in a few sprinkles of rain but the sky quickly cleared leaving only a few residua of scattered clouds.  North wind at about 15 most of the day and after turning right to parallel the NS coast, we flew the spinnaker, making excellent time with speeds through the water of 8 to 9 kts.

    And then, along came squall.  Before we could do anything, winds of 30 - 35 kts attacked from the north, leaving us with way way over canvassed.  Peter was able to douse the spinnaker with great effort and without any injuries to man or materiel.

Next came two reefs in the main and finally we had boat speeds below 10 kts and a controllable boat--which we definitely did not a half hour earlier.  Almost broached; a boat passing us, also carrying a spinnaker, did broach but they got things back together and continued on by us.

At 2028 EDT we are about 18 miles from Brazil Rock where we will turn almost due west towards Marblehead.

Sadly, the wind died after dinner and we are motor sailing at about 7 kts.  More motor than sail!

Race over. Wild ride.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

So.  A much faster race than expected.  We finished in 2 days, 4 1/2 hours, yesterday afternoon.

Monday night, we crossed from north to south of the rhumb line following the wind, but in hindsight, it appears that everyone had the same wind and the only thing we gained was distance travelled.  Steady winds of 15 to 20 kts mostly from the south.  Then by Tuesday morning, as the wind backed into the SW, it also picked up to about 25 kts.  

Were able to fly the assym for part of Tuesday during a relative lull in the wind but after a couple hours, the wind escalated forcing us to snuff the spinnaker and go with the jib on same side as main and mizzen sails.  At the longitude of Brazil Rock (although we had stood off a fair distance to the south in search of more wind.  As we turned left to parallel the Nova Scotia coast, and as the wind backed we were going almost dead down wind with the jib poled out to windward on the spinnaker pole  

That maneuver was a great success with speed through the water consistently in the 8 to 9.5 kts with boat speeds up to 10.6 surfing down the building seas of 6 to 8 feet.  Quite thrilling, actually.  We had favorable current giving us speeds across the ground of  up to 12.6 kts.

But a not-so-funny thing happened on the way to the forum:  the adjustable back stay suddenly gave way about 4 inches and while pumping it up back to its desired tension, the boat and waves had their way with me and we went from a course of 060⁰ to 110^0, the jib back winded, the pole swung back to the side stays and when I was back on course, I watched as the pole broke in slow motion.  First it bent, then meiosed into two daughter poles, one 4 feet long and the other 14 feet long.  The wind was screaming in the rigging, we almost broached, and at the end, had two very sharp ends of the pole jumping this way and that trying to find and shred the jib.  Peter quickly and successfully got the pole down on the deck and there were no injuries to either crew or boat.

But it meant that we had to go downwind with jib flogging and blanketed by the main.  So, we had to jibe back and forth to get into the harbor with all three sails still working.  We were off the wind about 30⁰ to one side then the other when we wanted to go straight in to the controlling course marks.  We lost time, although we were still pushing through the water at over 7 kts.

The long course up the harbor to the finish was exciting with a race between us and another boat, the wind now off the port beam and increasing suddenly to about 30 kts.  Were able to reef the main sail with no diminution in boat speed, and we inched ahead of the other boat, a distance separating us of about 100 yards all the way to the finish.

Even with the slowest handicap in the double handed fleet, we still only finished ahead of one boat on corrected time.  But our average speed for the entire race was over 6.8 kts based on a rhumb line distance of 360 nm.  Since our actual distance travelled was longer, we had an actual average boat speed of 7.6 kts.  I could not have dreamed of going that fast in our boat.

Day 2 of MHOR

From Whisper, 1745 UTC  (1345 EDT)

In 24 hrs, we have put about 180 miles away behind us; we have 63 to go before rounding Cape Sable. Our plan, based on predicted winds, has been to go north of the rhumb line for higher winds and then go south below Cape Sable to find higher winds.  Currently going along at about 7.5 kts with 15 kts wind from west of south.  Much better speed so far than anticipated.  But other boats profited from the same winds and only a couple in sight of us.  Sailed, so far, a beam reach with no spinnaker use.

We tried using the wind vane steering but the winds were sufficiently variable that the vane could not cope with the rapidly changing weather helm, so most of the time we have hand steered or used the autopilot.  When we gave up on the wind vane, we were unable to extract its rudder from the ocean so we eventually heaved to, slowing to no boat speed in the middle of a race!  But it worked to enable lifting the rudder out, and thereby reducing its considerable flow resistance.

It has been gorgeous sailing:  very few clouds, and every direction of gaze, sky blue against deep aquamarine of the water which is decorated with white caps.

For reasons of time constraint (it's a race)  we were unable to stop at either of the highly regarded Gulf of Maine floating restaurants, Neptune's Keep and the pirate-themed restaurant, Arrrrrggghhhh.  Maybe on the return trip.

Whisper and Crew.

MHOR, the start

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Sunday, 19:45 UTC (or GMT, or 4 hours ahead of EDT).

Contrary to the predictions, we had a nice breeze from the south for the beam reach, port tack start from out near Halfway Rock (not quite the Orkneys) in to Marblehead, then a left turn south against the wind.  For the first leg, we were quickly in last place (of 8 boats) as expected from our much slower handicap but held our own until the upwind leg to the Tinker's gong.  Two fleets starting behind us sailed through us before we turned left toward Cape Sable on the SW tip of Nova Scotia.  So far, doing ok with boat speed up around 8 kts, using a 15 kt wind from the southeast.  Hot, sunny.  Boat moving nicely but we are sufficiently in last place that we can no longer see any of the double handed adversaries.  Still, we are pleased with progress so far.  Maybe the handicapping will correct adequately for our slowness.

Race Prep

Saturday, July 9.  21:45.

Time very short to accomplish anything else.  We are mostly provisioned with only frozen foods to be put on tomorrow.  Last two nights spent at the Boston Yacht Club with pre-race festivities- dinner, bands, usual sailor camaraderie, old friends, new friends, and of course, a heavy flow of rum (but not for me and Peter Dowd,  the Whisper crew who are instead into scopolamine and Stugeron (cinnarizine)).

Race weather may be to our liking, but not until Monday.  We start (it seems) out near the Orkneys, then sail west to Marblehead, then south along its seaward coast before finally heading for Halifax.  But the wind is forecast as very light for the start.  Just thinking out contingencies, we may be in a situation of no wind and no forward motion and being pushed into the rocks of Marblehead by the tidal flow.  Be embarrassing to throw out an anchor just after the start!

But Monday, and especially into Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly SW winds, Beaufort 4 to 6 (11 to 26 knots) and even into Beaufort 7.  Whisper, being old, slow and heavy, will be happy if that forecast holds true.

The double handed start is at 13:20.  Joe Cooper of Newport via Australia competes against us sailing in Jaded, a J 105.  Joe was very helpful last year in sharing his extensive knowledge of building a Solent stay from which to fly heavy weather and storm jibs.  Hans Himmelman from Lunenberg, NS is a friend from previous races and will race Delawana, a much, much faster Swan 51.  By ratings, we are the slowest boat in our class.

wow

test 7/5/11