SYC Grand Prix

The Seattle Yacht Club's Grand Prix is an invitational regatta held at the end of the season and open to those who won races throughout the year.  In 2012 we talked our way into the event to get some good racing experience.  In 2012 we were outmatched, outmanned and outclassed since we didn't have the gear or crew to compete, and we finished last in our fleet every race, and most of the time it wasn't even close.  For 2013 our goal was to qualify outright, which we did with wins at the STYC Race the Straits and Fall Regatta.  Further, our other goal was to not finish last at this year's Grand Prix.

For 2013 we had significantly more experience as well as a new #3 jib and North S2 spinnaker, which is good to about 17 kts TWS.  For the three day race we had seven people lined up for Friday and Saturday, but only five for Sunday.  To put that in perspective most of the other boats in our class ran with 9 to 12, so the crew was still on the light side.  However, we were out to have fun and see what happened.

Friday (Day #1):

Shawn, Jason and Pete left the dock at 9 am and were over to Shilshoal by 10:30 to pick up crew, our race packet, and brand new #3.  We had 10 kts on the way over and were hoping it would hold.  Forecast was for light winds Friday, up to 10 kts Saturday, and 5 to 15 Sunday rising to 20 kts.  With crew and new gear on board we left the dock at 11:30 for some practice prior to the 1 pm start.  We had 5-6 kts and put up the #1 for some tacking drills, before launching and jibing the spinnaker a few times.  As the start time approach the wind faded so, as 1 pm came and went, we set about drifting.  The minutes turned to hours as the wind died off completely and we drifted with the rest of the fleet hoping for a change, but never optimistic it 

would happen.  By 4pm the race was called and day #1 went into the books without a match.

Saturday (Day #2):

We met at the boat at 9:30 and set off for the 10:30 am start with Shawn, Jason, Jeff D, Jeff C, Pete, Nick and Phil (who replaced Matt from Day #1).  We were decked out in our new SIMMS gear and hoping that Jan would take some good shots of MB and crew.  The wind was steady from the north at 6-10 kts and the SYC Race Committee set up a series of upwind / downwind buoy races.  While Shawn and I had done a series of long double handed races over the summer, the crew had only a few opportunities to work together, and most of those were four to five months before Grand Prix.  As a result it took a race or two for everyone to get their positions, timing and roles.  Each race consisted of two upwind and two downwind legs and we ran under full main, the #1 and used the North S2 on the downwinds.  We had great starts, held our own on the upwinds, and had great spinnaker sets and jibes.  While we were in contention all day, our lack of group experience and timing resulted in several small tactical and execution errors that added up over each race.  Like any other major sports playoff, the Grand Prix has all the best boats and these errors cost us precious seconds against the competition.  We finished last by a few seconds in the first race, and managed to finish 5th out of 8 boats in the second race, then 8th in the 3rd and 7th in the 4th (last) race.  Unfortunately, with PHRF time adjustments we had four eighth place finishes, missing a higher standing by mere seconds each race (largest margin back was 46 sec and the smallest was 5 sec).  Given that each race averaged one hour in length, this was respectable. 

Rounding the leeward mark in a good position - just couldn't hold it.

Monkeybones (white with blue stripe spinnaker) coming down among the competition - we need a bigger spinnaker!

Even though our standing didn't reflect it, Monkeybones was much  more competitive in 2013 compared to 2012, and we came away pleased with the results.  We parked MB at Shilshoal and looked forward to Day #3.  However, the forecast was up with north winds projected to 30 kts by the afternoon.  Already on the light side, we reached out for more crew members and Phil lined up Chris for Sunday.

Sunday (Day #3):

We awoke Sunday to rain and light winds.  We planned to meet a little earlier at Monkeybones to try out the #3 and set up for heavy air.  We were one of the first boats out on the water and had 2 kts oscillating from the W and SW with steady rain (thanks Weston for the SIMMS gear!!).  

Our SIMMS gear was warm and dry!

The water was dead calm and we all wondered how long it would take, or if the wind would build. We started off by hoisting the main and then putting a reef in it to dial in our reefing gear.  As the fleet gathered we put up the #3 and headed up north to dial in the sheets and block locations.  No sooner had we done this then ripples appeared to the north, and then the water went from gray to black to indicate the descending front.  Within 45 minutes the wind went from 2 to 20 kts and the sudden change caught just about everyone off guard.  We jibed around and flew off towards the fleet at 9 kts of boat speed in 17 kts of wind.  Among the fleet it was difficult to maneuver with so much speed and power so we dropped the jib.  As the wind built towards 25 kts steady we considered dropping out all together.  While we love Monkeybones, its an old boat with some serious deck and potential rigging issues.  Although the boat was just at CSR we decided to delay those major repairs until winter so that we could participate in the Fall Regatta and Grand Prix, knowing that we would need to avoid heavy air racing.  Now confronted by this predicament we decided to proceed with the race, but we set a hard wind limit at 30 kts.  Further, we decided to minimize rig and deck stresses so we maneuvered to a corner of the start box and put the reef in the main (glad we practiced that!).  It was general mayhem around the start with so many boats traveling in all directions at high speed and we were late to the start line, but not by much.  It was an unusual downwind start in front of Shilshoal and then a run down to Alki followed by a beat back to weather around a mark north of the start, then a short downwind run to the finish.  We started behind our fleet and, without a spinnaker that could handle the heavy air, ran under our reefed main and #3.  

Picture of our fleet starting - we are just out of frame.

Despite having the smallest sail area of our fleet we actually gained ground on many of the boats.  We watched as several boats broached and wiped out.  The smaller Melges and some of the Farr's surfed at crazy speeds across the wave tops.  Once around West Point we sailed a direct rumb line to the mark off Alki, while many of the boats drifted west, needing to keep the wind in their aft quarter to keep their rigs stable.  We used the spinnaker pole to go wing and wing and surfed the growing seas, seeing up to 11.5 kts on the speedo.  While we dreamed up pulling the reef and flying a #1 to get more speed, we knew we would be paying for it once we hit the mark in 25 kts of wind.  We jibed the mark having gained on almost everyone and were right off the stern of Shoot The Moon and about 1/2 mile ahead of What? A Trip!  As we beat back upwind, however, we were at a disadvantage with our light crew.  Shoot The Moon, with 12 aboard and most of them on the rail, was able to run flatter and point higher than our six person crew.  Regardless, MB plowed through the swells and was able to maintain between 6.5 and 8.5 kts and we curved into Elliott Bay and then followed the Magnolia Bluff up to West Point.  The wind in the bay was 12-18 kts and then grew back to 25 kts as we rounded the point in huge seas. 

El Capitan (so serious!)

Around West Point we tacked in towards Shilshoal with MB launching off six foot breaking seas, burying the bow and sending water cascading over the crew, cabin and into the cockpit.  We beat up to the windward mark and then raced home as the wind built towards 30 kts.  We finished in 7th place in front of What? A Trip! by several minutes, unsure if our time would hold. Over the radio we could hear half the fleet retiring and we decided to do the same before we broke serious hardware.  We struck the jib and headed for home.  One the way there we averaged around 9 kts under just a reefed main in 25-28 kts of wind, seeing over 30 kts twice during the run around West Point.  Looking back towards the course only a few boats remained for the final race(s). 

Final Results Here: http://www.seattleyachtclub.org/files/SYC%20Grand%20Prix%202013%20Results.htm

With the boat put away and no more races on the 2013 calendar, it's time to reflect.  Looking back, we set out in 2013 to become better sailors and racers.  We upgraded Monkeybones and started the long process of building a crew.  We entered into a number of races and finished respectably in just about every one of them, and even managed to win our class at the RTTS and Fall Regatta, and won second at Northern Century.  We qualified for Grand Prix and were competitive.  While we didn't know it at the time, our time in the Sunday race (#5) was good for 7th place out of 8 boats in our fleet, meaning we didn't finish last!  It was a great Grand Prix and another small step in achieving our goals while having a great time in the process.  Thanks to all who participated with us in 2013!

Great Crew and Great Times!

STYC Fall Regatta

Monkeybones spent most of September on the hard at CSR getting the rig tuned and the bottom flared and painted.  After many years of neglect it was time to take care of some missing chunks in the keel as well as strip the rudder back to the gel coat to remove some big bubbles.  With MB back on the water we entered the Sloop Tavern’s Fall Regatta as a warm up for SYC’s Grand Prix, scheduled for the following weekend.  The crew needed practice and we needed to work some kinks out of the rigging.

The Sloop’s Fall Regatta is one of its only true buoy races and the organizers even warned the skippers that they may need to “pack your chutes twice on a race” (STYC members are renown for not wanting to work too hard during these races).  The Fall Regatta was run at the same time as the Race Your House event so the organizers were juggling 84 boats on the water with six separate starts.  MB was in the fifth grouping which consisted of all the fastest boats in the fleet.  With a PHRF of 81 we were the “slowest” boat, with a Macgregor 65 being the fastest in our group with a PHRF of -30.  The regatta consisted of three races and each group started at five minute intervals with ours going last.

Despite an enduring high pressure over the Pacific NW, we’ve been stuck with fog and low clouds for a week with no end in sight.  Luckily we had some wind on the water for the race and had between 6-8 kts for most of the day.  We were lightly crewed with Matt and Phil joining Shawn and Jason.  Fortunately the light winds meant we didn’t need the weight on the rail, and in fact the light load probably helped us.

The first race had us beating upwind from the start off Shilshoal to Spring Beach and then running downwind to the anchor buoy near the entrance to the Ballard Locks before beating back to the start.  Shawn and Phil did a great job strategizing and putting us into the right spot for all three starts.  For the first race everyone started on a starboard tack and we picked the inside line by the committee boat and used our big #1 to outpoint everyone up the course, quickly assuming the lead among the five boats in our class.  Once we had the advantage we tacked on top of the fleet in a series of covering moves as we worked upwind.  About halfway up the course we saw we were getting headed and tacked out, which proved to be one of our few tactical mistakes all day.  Most of our competitors stayed inside and we gave up a ¼ mile by the time we came back inside.  However, we then stayed inside and gained back what we gave up, rounding the mark in third place behind the J/35 Bergen Viking and the Macgregor.  The Macgregor launched its chute and disappeared downwind while we reeled in and passed the J/35.  At this point we had a tactical problem because we were suddenly in front of nearly everyone and hadn’t taken note of the course prior to starting out.  There were two smaller boats from the earlier start heading towards a mark inshore while the Macgregor, which was in our grouping, appeared to be headed to West Point.  We got out the binoculars and noticed that they had hour glassed their spinnaker and, we learned later, were trying to untangle it (it took them so long they wound up abandoning the first race).  As a result we sailed downwind waiting to see if the J/35 would jibe into shore and followed them once they did.  We rounded the mark in front of them and, light handed, did an exciting race rounding and headed back upwind to the finish.  We covered the J/35 and finished a ways in front of them.  We crossed the line and received the shotgun blast to signal that we had line honors! 

We circled around the finish waiting for the other boats to finish in our class and, after about 15 minutes, were called over to the committee boat where we were notified that the J/35 was protesting the race, claiming that we entered a box near the mouth of the channel to the Ballard Locks, which is apparently a keep out zone.  We have no recollection of this, and it had no bearing on the outcome of the race.  We protested the protest and were told to talk to the J/35, which we did and even offered a peace offering of a ½ gallon of gin.  They declined saying “we can’t be bought off”.  Apparently they "weren't happy you blew by us on that spinnaker run".  We are a friendly bunch and enjoy friendly competition, but their actions rubbed us the wrong way.  When all was said and done we finished nearly seven minutes in front of the J/35 and, from our perspective, their “protest” was their way of trying to win at all cost, which is not the STYC way.  As a result it became our day long mission to burry the J/35 in the upcoming races.  Further, we renamed this keep out zone the Bergen Box and even dedicated a song to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H0-0Py-v3k.  

Fired up and with a clear mission we charged into the next two races, which were short 2.5 mile courses that consisted of a short upwind to the mark off Golden Gardens and then down to the red lighted buoy and back.  Tactically we wanted to stay in the back eddy circling in front Golden Gardens so we started pin high and on port to hug the shore and avoid the incoming flood tide.  The rest of the fleet however wanted to start at the other end of the line on starboard to keep the right of way advantage.  While we liked our strategy it was going to make for an exhilarating start.  With Phil on bow and Shawn driving we found great lanes and Matt and Jason manned the sheets to keep us powered while maneuvering like crazy to avoid the onslaught charging our beam.  This strategy worked beautifully and, once clear, we outpaced the fleet and rounded the windward mark in second, being passed by a C&C 115.  We held our own downwind and pinched through the leeward mark in tight quarters and finished in second place, six seconds behind the C&C.  The third race was a near repeat of race #2 but this time no one was close to us at the windward mark, and we held the lead through to the finish.  Despite being the “slowest” boat in our fleet we came away with two line honors and a second place (by only six seconds), which put us in first place overall (either the protest was never formally filed or the commodore ignored it).

Results can be found here:  http://www.styc.org/race_info/Fall%20Regatta/2013/race1.htm

Most importantly, we finished the second race 1:26 and the third 2:40 in front of Bergen Viking.  Matt and Shawn swung by The Sloop on the way home and picked up our fine trophy!

Northern Century 2013

Monkeybones entered the Northern Century 100 in the double handed class with Shawn and Jason as crew.  The Northern Century is a 100 mile race around the San Juans held the last weekend in August.  It starts outside Cap Sante in Anacortes and you race up to the Point Roberts buoy near the Canadian border, then south through the San Juans on a route of your choosing to the Hein Bank buoy, then back to the finish in front of Washington Park near Anacortes.  This was the fifth running of the race and its growing fast in popularity.  For 2013 41 boats registered with 39 doing the 100 mile course (there is also a 50 mile course now).  The fleet is split pretty evenly between fully crewed and double handed divisions, and these were then broken into two classes.  Monkeybones was in the fast class – double handed, which consisted of seven boats.  The race starts on Friday evening at 7:30 and we hoped to finish within 24 hours.

We started the day rushed and underprepared, setting off from the Hook (Shaw Is) at noon, headed to Anacortes for provisioning, the skipper’s meeting, and then the start.  After several glorious months in the PNW several fronts were starting to roll through and we had 10-15 kts of wind from the SSW on our way over.  It was a good opportunity to get the gear up and get everything ready.  Because our plan was to head to Seattle immediately after the race, the boat was loaded with lots of sails, cruising gear, and parts for unfinished projects that needed to make the trip back south.  Add to that gas, food, water, ice and beer and we weren’t the svelte racing boat we hoped to be.

We pulled into Cap Sante at 1530 and barely had enough time to grab a real meal at Anthony’s before running to Safeway and then off to the skipper’s meeting.  Everyone paused for a group photo before loading up on our way out to the start.  Everything was really hurried and we threw up the sails five minutes before the start so we could kill the engine per rules.  The strong SSW wind had faded to barely a ripple on the water and everyone drifted between crab pots while maneuvering for the start.  Uncharacteristically we crossed the line early and had to do some pirouettes before heading out.  Early line crossings on a 100 mile / 24 hour race have little impact and we quickly caught up with the fleet, even making it to the front within the first hour.  The fleet typically rounds the east side of Guemes Is and heads north from there.  The tides were not favorable for this race since we would soon be heading into a big ebb tide and fight it through the night expecting little wind.  Our plan was to get up along Lumi Is and hug the shore, staying out of the big currents.  Unfortunately the wind died early and the fleet was split in two based on who went inside or outside Huckleberry Is.  We went outside and fell back into the second group.  As darkness descended patches of wind would roll through and we made our way up the east side of Guemes.  We caught a good lift and caught up to much of the fleet.  Unfortunately we did not press farther to the east and were sucked into “The Black Hole” – a massive amount of current sweeping pass the north end of Guemes.  This river of current caught half the fleet and further broke it up.  Those boats that stayed further east were not caught by its tractor beam and accelerated to the north, with the rest of us headed back to Anacortes.  We launched the spinnaker to capture the 3-4 kts of wind and could not get out of its pull until we jibed off to the west and decided to pass below Sinclair Is and head to Rosario.  By this time the rain showed up and we settled into a long and sometimes frustrating evening.  We found some wind off the west end of Sinclair and got MB into a nice groove and finally started making progress north while passing some of the fleet.  We were able to work this wind, which was never more than 8 kts, all the way up to Pt Roberts, capturing some of the tide shift which occurred around 3 am.  Between 4 and 6 am we switched off and got a very small amount of sleep. 

Our plan was to get to Pt Roberts and start heading south before the big tide shift, which was to occur around 9 am.  We hoped to ride the morning ebb all the way to Hein Bank and get around that mark in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and catch the flood back to Anacortes.  We rounded Pt Roberts about 7:15 behind Havoc, a C&C SR33 that we were to spend the rest of the day dueling.  We all headed south into Canadian waters and used the tide to pull us around Boiling Reef off the east end of Saturna Is.  The wind stayed around 8-10 kts and we made good time south.  At this point we were at the tail end of the lead pack, probably in 15^th place overall.  The fleet again split as we approached the north end of San Juan, some choosing to go west around Stuarts Is, some went east down towards Friday Harbor, and we planned to go around the east end of Johns Is, our home waters.  We knew there was 15kts of wind coming up the west side of San Juan so we shot past Johns, then drifted for a bit, before catching the heavier air.  We had to downshift from our #1 to the #3 off Henry Is and then got in a great tacking duel with Havoc on our way south.  The wind died off as we approached Hein Bank and we put the #1 back up before rounding the mark at 15:15 in 5 kts of air.  We then launched the kite and headed for home.  The wind filled in behind us and we held with the second pack, a group of six of the faster boats.  As we approached the finish a wind hole caught out several of the leaders from this pack and we made huge gains in the last mile or two.  We crossed the finish at 18:18, finishing in just under 23 hours elapsed time.  After the results were tallied we finished second in our class, and twelfth overall!  For the first time doing this race we felt great about the performance, and learned a lot for future years.  

One of the best features about the race is the tracker.  You can replay the entire race here:

http://tracker.northerncentury.org/

Results are here:

Overall - http://northerncentury.org/assets/RaceResults/2013/Northern-Century/N100-2013-resultsB.htm

Class - http://northerncentury.org/assets/RaceResults/2013/Northern-Century/N100-2013-resultsA.htm 

Here's a shot taken by the family as we sailed in front on Johns Is:

Epilogue:
After 24 hours of double handed sailing, we were wiped out.  We stumbled around Anacortes in search of a hot meal and then crashed out.  The next morning we ate, showered and were off the dock at 8:30 for the cruise home to Seattle.  Winds were light except between Pt Townsend and Double Bluff and the currents were against us so it took us 12 hours, arriving at the dock in the fading light.  For 70 miles we had salmon jumping around the boat and were kicking ourselves that we didn't pack a humpy rod.  The boat is now lying in wait for racing this Fall and we'll soon pull it out for some needed maintenance.  Get ready for Fall Sailing!

Summer Update

Summer is upon us here in the PNW.  Thanks to all that supported races during June.  We participated in the SYC Blake Is Race as well as three Elliot Bay Beer Can events.  In general there was a lot of drifting going on.  For the races that the fleet did finish we placed well and were highly competitive.

The plan this summer is to do a few more Beer Can races on Elliot Bay in July and then we are taking the boat north for the month of August.  While in the San Juans we will do the Shawn Island Classic on August 10th (and could use a few crew for that) and then Shawn and I will do the Northern Century double handed on August 23-24.  The boat will come back at the end of August and then hit the yard for some needed repairs in early September.  The plan this Fall is to participate in the SYC Grand Prix in October (25th - 27th) and Round the County in November (9th and 10th).  These are big, fun, highly competitive events and are looking for crew to commit now so we can practice and get the boat and crew dialed in.

Elliot Bay Beer Can – June 13, 2013

It was a beautiful evening on Thursday June 13th for our first Beer Can race of 2013.  We had Shawn at the helm, Nick and Hannah trimming, Pete in the pit and Jason on the foredeck.  We sized up the start and had 7 kts on our port beam heading downtown.  We started with the #1 and Shawn had us across the line with the leaders.  We quickly launched the chute on a beam reach and headed for the first mark.  MB was holding her own against faster boats, most of whom were flying asymmetrical spinnakers.  We rounded the first mark and headed more downwind, which favored our traditional spinnaker since we could lay the line to the second mark, while the others had to veer off to keep their chutes full.  This allowed us to sneak in front of the pack (except for the really fast boats).  As we approached the second mark we hoisted the #1 and struck the chute with minimal drama.  We rounded the second mark and headed to weather with the big #1 powering us along at 6.0 to 6.5 kts.  MB pointed high and we had great separation from the fleet, and focused on the four boats ahead of us.  We were able to hold off everyone except Bonnie Jean (a Beneateau 44.7 with a PHRF of 39), which slowly reeled us back in on the long upwind leg.  They rounded the windward mark just ahead of us and we all had a tight reach to the finish.  Monkeybones placed sixth overall out of 25 boats in the racing class.  All of the boats ahead of us had PHRF’s significantly better than ours, which means we could have potentially gained a few more places on adjusted time.  However, that’s not done on the Elliot Bay beer can races, which is more about fun than die hard racing. 

Once across the line we cracked beers and settled into a booze cruise.  We circled downwind across the course and tacked back upwind to join the cruising fleet for a little fun.  We joined the middle of the pack of 35 or so cruising boats, which gives you a great feel for how fast MB can be.  The highlight of the night came as we charged into the upwind mark (for the second time), which was crowded by four cruisers.  MB was doing at least 6 kts  on a starboard tack compared to the other boats plodding along at 3-4 kts, many of them on a port tack to round the mark.  Shawn came in hot and fast amongst the group of boats and beautifully spun MB around the mark between two boats.  We had at least 30 spectators on the other boats who seemed convinced we were going to t-bone someone.  Only after this maneuver did we realize that the boat most intimidated by our move was Tsunami, our dock mate!  Our crew quickly threw the sails across and MB lost little momentum, accelerating out of the turn and away from traffic.

After this little fun we headed into the dock and chilled on the boat late into the evening attempting to drain our cooler, which seems to have accumulated a lot of beer over the last several races.  We look forward to more crew to help in that endeavor…!

SYC Blake Island Race Summary

Unfortunately the Blake Island Race on June 1st was a total bust, but it was still enjoyable floating around the start for 5 hours basking in the sun and company.  We had seven crew on the boat - which is the most we've ever had for a race - so good on y'all!  We rallied early and set out in 5 kts of wind, only to have it die as we rounded West Point.  It looked like the start might go on time, and we actually had a perfect 9:15 crossing of the line, as we drifted backwards...  

The start was delayed multiple times and the course was shortened once.  At 10:30 we had a boat parade past the race committee boat to pick up handouts on the new course.  We did get a lot of props for our Race the Straits victory from the committee boat.  Numerous 3 kt puffs roared across the start line and all the boats protested to be released to charge down the course, but to no avail.  We continued to drift around in front of Shilshoal and thought multiple times about bowing out of the race, as well as swapping the spinnaker halyards.  Every time we started splicing lines it looked like the race might actually happen, so we quit, and then we continued drifting...

As soon as they canceled the race (at 1:30), the wind showed up.  We launched our kite and headed home.  By 4pm it was blowing 10 kts at West Point.  We drank heavily on the return trip anyway and it was good times had by all.

Great shot of MB and crew from Jan can be found here: http://janpix.smugmug.com/Boats/SYC-Blake-Island-2013/29756424_md2HWk#!i=2548997033&k=cs8zkRX&lb=1&s=A

Here's another good shot of Stefan, our new bowman: http://janpix.smugmug.com/Boats/SYC-Blake-Island-2013/29756424_md2HWk#!i=2548997065&k=6LK4zZQ&lb=1&s=A

Here's two awesome pictures from Stefan on a run home:

SYC Tri-Island Results:

This is the first year we competed in some of the SYC Tri-Island Races.  We completed Protection Island but our decision to not fly the spinnaker, and our mark rounding snafu, put us down in the rankings.  We did not compete in the Vashon Island drifter and planned to show well at Blake Island.  Unfortunately, because of the Blake Island BUST, we only had points from Protection and Vashon races.  Through this odd series of events this placed us last in class.  

Consistent with our  "Go Big or Go Home" philosophy, we seem to either win or lose races, there doesn't seem to be a middle ground just yet...

Results can be found here:

Class:  http://www.seattleyachtclub.org/files/SYC%20Tri-Island%202013%20Results.htm

Overall:  http://www.seattleyachtclub.org/files/SYC%20Tri-Island%202013%20Results%20Overall.htm

Sloop Tavern RTTS Pictures and Video

Quick post to link some great MB imagery.  Thanks Jan!

Money (Monkey?) Shot
http://janpix.smugmug.com/Boats/Race-to-the-Straits-2013/29291605_WVLQ3n#!i=2497823325&k=XcF8jGz&lb=1&s=A

Coming at you...
http://janpix.smugmug.com/Boats/Race-to-the-Straits-2013/29291605_WVLQ3n#!i=2497823536&k=JnQqhTQ&lb=1&s=A

Pulling away...
http://janpix.smugmug.com/Boats/Race-to-the-Straits-2013/29291605_WVLQ3n#!i=2497823553&k=Gs9BhvX&lb=1&s=A

Nice lines...
http://janpix.smugmug.com/Boats/Race-to-the-Straits-2013/29291605_WVLQ3n#!i=2497882876&k=smxbnqh&lb=1&s=A

And Away We Go!
http://janpix.smugmug.com/Boats/Race-to-the-Straits-2013/29291605_WVLQ3n#!i=2497883575&k=SJsVV3H&lb=1&s=A

Here's a quick compilation of iPhone videos taken during the mellow periods of the race.
http://youtu.be/KWoMNrJP6aY

Sloop Tavern Race To The Straits 2013

The Sloop's RTTS is becoming the annual "event" for PNW sailing.  In 2013 over 115 boats registered for the short handed two day race to Pt Townsend and back.  2012 was our first outing and it was a great trial run.  However, at that time Monkeybones was in the midst of several upgrades and we did the race with no instruments (other than the wind indicator at the top of the mast).  With medium to light winds and strong currents to contend with, we were at a clear disadvantage (not to mention it was Jason's first sailboat race - ever) and we finished well down in the pack, vowing to come back better prepared and be competitive the following year.

The 2013 RTTS was shaping up beautifully with weather projected to be near 80 degrees and winds from the N to 10 kts.  However, when we woke up Saturday morning the forecast was up with winds from the NNE at 5 to15 kts.  We stocked the boat with enough food and beer for a week and set off a bit late from Elliott Bay.  RTTS uses adjusted start times based on your PHRF, so slower boats start earlier, faster boats later.  Our start time was 9:25.  We rounded West Point at 8:55 flying just our main and had to rush to get in the start box.  The wind was 11-13 kts at the time and, stuck between the #1 and #3 jib, we made the call to "go big or go home" and went with the #1.  This ultimately paid off.

Shawn set us up and we had a great start and followed the fleet on a starboard tack over to Pt Jefferson.   Unlike 2012, where we started behind most of the fleet and then fell back from there, in 2013 we used our new B&G instruments effectively and quickly dialed the boat in.  The result was we immediately started gaining on everyone else, which was a new experience for us.  As the fleet tacked up the western shore the wind built up to 17 kts.  Everyone flying a big jib was overpowered and it was all we could do to keep the boat balanced.  We got into a great tacking duel with Great White, a J35 skippered singlehandedly by Dan Wierman, and spent most of the weekend trying to shake him at some point or another.  We continued up the west side hugging the shore and progressively passing boats.  About a mile north of Apple Pt we studied some of the boats farther out in the channel and saw that they were getting a good lift and were pointing higher.  As a result we decided to take our first flyer and tacked out away from the crowd.  It turned out to be one of two defining moves of the day.  As we cleared the shoreline the wind bent around more from the NNW and we were able to ride this single tack clear up into Useless Bay.  With the big #1 we powered along at above 7 kts making huge gains on the fleet.  We rounded the Double Bluff mark ahead of the J105's that started before we did and set our sights on the 15 to 20 boats ahead of us.  We tacked into Mutiny Bay and then followed the fleet out again towards Marrowstone Is.  This entire time we kept looking over our shoulder waiting for the bigger and faster boats, especially the ones in our class, to overtake us.  It wasn't until off Bush Point that a few big Farr's from the class above us appeared and we followed these fast boats across to the west side and tried to catch the now ebb current out towards Pt Townsend.  A good portion of the fleet stayed in the middle of the channel while we hugged the west side.  Our second defining moment came near the finish where stayed close to shore, catching a great current wiping past Marrowstone Pt, and then tacking in over Midchannel Bank.  This move allowed us to stay on the rhumb line and take advantage of the ebb current accelerating over the shallow water.  As a result we tacked right up below the finish line passing the fleet out in deeper water.  We tacked twice more and crossed the finish line at around 15:30, finishing Day One 10th overall and first in our class.

Day two was a brilliant PNW day with beautiful views west and east from Pt Townsend.  The forecast was originally N wind to 10kts, but had been revised overnight to 5 to 15 growing to 15 to 25 kts.  Given our experience the weekend before, we were not excited about flying our new spinnaker in high winds with just the two of us. 

After Day One we were in the unusual position of being a marked boat and having to defend our first place ranking.  We had a 12 minute lead on Bat Out of Hell and 15 minutes on Nefarious, both Farr 30's with PHRF's of 53.  We weren't entirely sure we could hold these two faster boats off, especially with the forecast for big winds.  We crossed the start and launched our new North S2 spinnaker and were able to dial it in.  The wind started at around 10 kts, and grew to 15 kts in the middle of the channel.  We jibed south with the fleet and again made steady gains.  We jibed down past Bush Pt, then again off of Double Bluff, only to watch Nefarious pass us and sail off.  Due to her PHRF she started 13.5 minutes behind us and, just short of the half way point, she'd already made that up.  It was going to be tight to the finish.

We struggled a little with boat speed crossing the channel on our way over to Point No Point and Nefarious got out in front of us by about a mile, but we were still ahead of Bat Out of Hell.  As we rounded Point No Point the wind built to 18-22 kts and continued that way until we were off Kingston.  We were running close to dead downwind with the boat at 8-9 kts through the water, trying to keep the boat stable while tracking Nefarious, who by this time may have been two miles in front of us.  We could see Bat Out of Hell inside of us and, while they were slowly pulling away, we felt we could keep the loss of time manageable.  However, staying in the channel and taking a deeper course paid off as the inside wind died off and those boats jibed out.  Bat Out of Hell passed behind us off Kingston and we could see we were gaining on Nefarious, who was farther down the course in lighter winds.  Watching the boats ahead there was clearly a wind shift coming because suddenly they were all on a tight reach trying to lay the finish mark at Shilshoal.  We didn't want to get too far down so we quickly jibed off President Pt just in time to catch the windshift and went screaming home on a power reach at 8.5 kts, crossing the line at 13:42.  We finished one minute behind Project Mahem (Farr 30) and 1.5 minutes behind Bat Out of Hell (Farr 30), and just ten minutes behind Nefarious (Farr 30), which meant we retain our first place class ranking!  After the results were tallied we finished 11th overall. 

Final Class Results:   https://www.styc.org/race_info/RaceToTheStraits/2013/Res_Series_Class.html

Final Race Results:   https://www.styc.org/race_info/RaceToTheStraits/2013/Res_Series_Division.html

Jan's Picts:   http://janpix.smugmug.com/Boats/Race-to-the-Straits-2013/29291605_WVLQ3n#!i=2497823325&k=XcF8jGz&lb=1&s=A

Post Mortem:  Overall it was a huge success for Monkeybones as she proved she can be a real PNW contender.  Many of the boats from the first day fell in the rankings while the smaller, faster boats that were able to plane out in the heavy 20 kt wind jumped markedly in the overall standings.  Monkeybones held her spot, slipping only from 10th to 11th.  Only three other top ten boats from Saturday stayed in the top ten, with notable boats (like Icon) tumbling down the ranks. MB has seen a lot of weather the past two weekends and we started hearing several new creeks and groans that will have to be addressed here in the near future.  Finally, our first place finish qualifies us for the Grand Prix, which was a 2013 racing goal.  It's great to get that out of the way!

Protection Island 2013 Short Course Race Summary

The forecast was for 10-15 kts, rising to 15-25 kts, and Mother Nature fully delivered on her promise.  Shawn, Jeff (x2), Matt and Jason met at the boat and were off the dock by 7:30 am.  We set the main outside Elliott Bay Marina in 15-18 kts of wind from the SSE and it built from there.  We rigged the boat for a downwind run to Double Bluff with our new North S2 spinnaker, that was rated to 20kts.  Rounding Westpoint the wind was a steady 20-22 kts and we were doing 7-8 kts through the water with just our main up.  We joined the boats gathering around the start and checked in with the committee boat while we finalized our strategy.

Given that this was our first race of the year, with new crew members and a wind that was building towards a gale, we were a little conflicted about the strategy.  "Go Big or Go Home" is a great strategy, but if it wipes out your boat, gear and crew on the first race of the year, then it was going to be a short 2013 racing season.  With only five on board we were under crewed to fly our spinnaker in general, and definitely so in those conditions.  That was assuming we didn't blow out the spinnaker since we were above its rated capability.  As a result, we put up the #3 and opted to play it safe and run down wind sans spinnaker, knowing that this would effectively eliminate us from the competition. 

We watched the Long Course start with the big boats maneuvering for the line, then crossing it and launching their kites.  Mayhem quickly ensued.  We saw Wasabi's asymmetrical fill, then the boat broached and their spinnaker immediately blew out.  Others were having similar problems.  This reinforced our strategy to play it safe.  Shawn maneuvered MB and we had a good start on the inside of the line.  We headed dead downwind towards Whidbey and the boat accelerated up to 8-9 kts.  A large percentage of the other boats, including everyone else in our class, launched their spinnakers.  Surprisingly, they weren't going much faster than we were. 

At this point we settled in for a long run in building seas and building winds, watching many boats struggling with their kits, with several crashing / broaching along the way.  About an hour into the race we heard a radio call from Wasabi, notifying the race committee that they had lost their main sail and were out of the race.  They were clearly having a bad day, having lost at least $20k worth of gear.  Our only casualty was a jib sheet car that had broken under the wind forces.

About halfway down the course we were still holding our own, surfing big waves and hitting 10-11 kts in a steady 23-25 kt wind.  We were even with several boats in our class, but others were pulling away.  At this point Jason decided we needed more sail area (Go Big or Go Home...right?) by upgrading from the #3 to our #2 jib, which is old and flexible, not to mention larger, and would do better wing-and-wing.  As the Foredeck guy he set up the #3 in the starboard headstay track originally, so he and Jeff C hoisted the #2 in the port headstay track as part of a jib peel.  With both jibs up, we pulled the #2 across and briefly had the #2 and #3 flying wing and wing (on port and starboard respectively).  It made for quite a sight with us rocketing downwind flying two jibs on the bow - probably the highlight of our day.  However, as soon as we'd reached this state, the wind decided to crank up to 30 kts (!!!) which put our skipper in a bit of a panic because the boat was barely controllable in the 3-4 ft surf.  We also weren't sure it was entirely legal...  Jason and Jeff went forward and struck the #3, no small task in heavy air and seas.

We continued downwind with the wind speed dropping as we approached Whidbey Is.  Once it was down in the 15-20 kt range we decided to reach into the mark and set our asymmetrical, which worked great.  As we approached the mark we went to set the #3 before striking the asym, but unfortunately at just that moment there was a lull and the asym wrapped itself around the headstay and hourglassed.  It would not self correct itself so we spent several long minutes trying to get it down so we could put up the #3 and keep going.  This effort took us past the mark and we were forced to turn around and beat upwind, just to round it and attempt to catch the fleet...

Going into the mark we were last within our group, but not by much: 200-400 yards.  Unfortunately that distance turned into a lot because of our untimely asym issue.  We got things back on track and proceeded to claw our way back to Shilshoal.  Because of the quick downwind run the tide was still going out by the time we turned around, so all the boats were hugging the shore and engaging in tacking drills.  We fought our way home against the current and winds that ranged between 17-23 kts, with the winds being stronger the closer we got to the line.  We crossed the line by 4pm, meaning it took us 6:45 minutes to sail 36 nm.

Results can be found here: http://www.seattleyachtclub.org/files/SYC%20Tri-Island%202013%20Results.htm

While our finish position sucked, our fate was pretty much sealed from the start.  It was a great training ride for the boat and crew and we accomplished the prime directive: have fun!  We look forward to this adventure again.

Monkeybones Racing - Protection Is Short Course

This weekend is the Seattle Yacht Club sponsored Protection Is Race.  We've registered Monkeybones for the Short Course, which is from Shilshoal up to Double Bluff buoy on the south end of Whidbey Is and back.  The list of registered boats can be found here:

http://www.seattleyachtclub.org/files/Competitor%20List%20for%202013%20Tri-Island%20Series.htm

As it currently stands, with our PHRF handicap we are ranked near the top of the short course racers, meaning we will have to finish first.

The first start warning is at 9:00, so we will have to leave Elliott Bay Marina no later than 7:45 to give us plenty of time to get over to Shilshoal.  If people want to be picked up at Shilshoal, we can support that (go to the boat ramp next to Golden Gardens), but we will need to have you on board by 8:30 in order to get out and line up with gear set.  Let us know if you opt for this approach, since we will have to leave Elliott Bay a little early to accommodate it.   The tides are favorable that day so I would expect us to cross the finish line around 5 pm and be back at Elliott Bay Marina by 6pm - but this schedule is entirely dependent on the winds.

I will send an email Friday regarding gear and final logistics.  Everyone should bring their own life jacket and appropriate clothing (hopefully it will be nice).  We will have some general snacks on board, but everyone should plan on bringing specific food / drink to cover them for the day.  Shawn and I will provide beer for post race on-the-water festivities.

Please confirm your attendance for this weekend (or tell us if you are not coming).

See you on the water!

Jason and Shawn

Welcome to Monkeybones Racing!

Monkeybones is an older J36 sailboat built in 1981.  She's a fast boat - all we need to do is  get her fully dialed in!

History:  Last year Shawn and Jason purchased 1/3 shares from Rick and proceeded to fix up the boat.  We entered into several local races (Race the Straits and Shaw Is Classic) and caught the sailing bug.  In the Fall we entered into the Seattle Yacht Club Grand Prix - the premier invitational race comprised of the top finishers from throughout the year.  As in typical Monkeybones fashion, we did not qualify for the race, but talked ourselves in anyway.  We finished last - but had a blast!

Who We Are:  Monkeybones Racing Team is group of people that like to have fun and enjoy sailboat racing, but don't take ourselves too seriously (how can you with a boat name like Monkeybones?).  It's been said that we are a "drinking team with a sailing problem".  Our objective this year is to qualify for the Grand Prix, and not finish last...

To enter into these races you need to be affiliated with a distinguished yacht club.  Consistent with our values, we are proud members of the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club (membership was only $125) and visit this fine establishment as often as practical.  We fly the STYC pennant proudly!

Since last year we've added a new spinnaker, installed gauges, modified the rigging and lightened the vessel (amazing what you can do when you get rid of all that cruising gear!).  Monkeybones is scheduled for the following races during the 2013 season: 

- Protection Is Short Course                             Sat April 27th

- Race The Straits (double handed)                Sat / Sun May 4-5 (Shawn and I will do this)

- Vashon Is Classic                                            Sat May 11th

- Blake Is Race                                                   Sat June 1st

- Downtown Racing Series                               Thursday nights starting June 8th into mid-August

- Shaw Island Classic                                        Sat August 10th (in the San Juan Is)

In the Fall we plan to qualify, or talk our way back into, the Seattle Yacht Club Grand Prix (Fri, Sat and Sun in late Oct).  We are also considering the following races in 2013 and 2014:

- Round The County                                          Nov 2013 (two day race in the San Juans)

- Smith Is Long Course                                     April 2014

- Swiftsure                                                          Memorial Day 2014

Finally, there will be opportunities to ferry the sailboat to and from the San Juan Is in the Summer and Fall.

We are pleased to have you as a potential crew member.  If you don't have a lot of experience, don't worry - neither do we - but we are learning fast!  Please mark your calendars with the dates listed above. 

Details regarding the Protection Is Short Course will be forthcoming.

See you on the water!

Jason and Shawn