My racing buddy @Scott T-Bird could not make the club race yesterday so I found a spot on the Catalina 30 Standard Rig that has been blowing everyone away each race. Great learning experience!
Learning #1 - Skill beats gear
This 1980 C30 has a new high tech genoa and fairly new CDI furler. The next newest gear was the 25 yr old main sail. The rest of the boat is OEM. The curved traveler, non BB blocks, non ST winches, all OEM. No high tech line on this boat.
The OEM instruments don’t work, it doesn’t even have a windex. The only instrument the skipper used was a stop watch and the compass.
Learning #2 - Experience counts.
The skipper and the other two crew members have been racing together for 20+ years locally and in the LIS including a C30 Nationals.
Learning #3 – Take notes at skippers meeting
Despite having raced the course many times, the skipper took notes, drawing the triangle course, number of times around, color of marks, etc. He does this in case they change the course due to weather conditions.
Learning #4 – Use the compass.
The course was the typical 2 laps around a triangle then windward mark, leeward mark, to start/finish line, which was half way between the windward and leeward marks. Prior to the start the skipper went to the windward mark and took a compass bearing to the 2nd mark and from the 2nd mark to the third mark.
Learning #5 – Sail to Tell Tails
The wind was 10-20. They set the sails to the optimum wind and direction, then sailed according to the tell tails and trimmed to the helm pressure.
And various other things, which I can carry over to my day sailing.
We had a lead of half a leg over the 40’ Tartan most of the race and a full leg or more over the C36, C34 and Bristol 32 that made up the balance of the fleet. Then the jib wrapped around itself on the last down wind leg of the triangle and the Tartan passed us. We recovered and ended up within half a boat length behind the Tartan as we crossed the finish line.
We won by corrected time and this race ensured the C30 won the summer series.
As we celebrated with a R&C after the race, the skipper and crew talked about campaigning my boat in next year’s series.
That would be a blast!
Learning #1 - Skill beats gear
This 1980 C30 has a new high tech genoa and fairly new CDI furler. The next newest gear was the 25 yr old main sail. The rest of the boat is OEM. The curved traveler, non BB blocks, non ST winches, all OEM. No high tech line on this boat.
The OEM instruments don’t work, it doesn’t even have a windex. The only instrument the skipper used was a stop watch and the compass.
Learning #2 - Experience counts.
The skipper and the other two crew members have been racing together for 20+ years locally and in the LIS including a C30 Nationals.
Learning #3 – Take notes at skippers meeting
Despite having raced the course many times, the skipper took notes, drawing the triangle course, number of times around, color of marks, etc. He does this in case they change the course due to weather conditions.
Learning #4 – Use the compass.
The course was the typical 2 laps around a triangle then windward mark, leeward mark, to start/finish line, which was half way between the windward and leeward marks. Prior to the start the skipper went to the windward mark and took a compass bearing to the 2nd mark and from the 2nd mark to the third mark.
Learning #5 – Sail to Tell Tails
The wind was 10-20. They set the sails to the optimum wind and direction, then sailed according to the tell tails and trimmed to the helm pressure.
And various other things, which I can carry over to my day sailing.
We had a lead of half a leg over the 40’ Tartan most of the race and a full leg or more over the C36, C34 and Bristol 32 that made up the balance of the fleet. Then the jib wrapped around itself on the last down wind leg of the triangle and the Tartan passed us. We recovered and ended up within half a boat length behind the Tartan as we crossed the finish line.
We won by corrected time and this race ensured the C30 won the summer series.
As we celebrated with a R&C after the race, the skipper and crew talked about campaigning my boat in next year’s series.
That would be a blast!