December Racing in Texas

Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
We raced in the GBCA Chili Chase regatta last Saturday on Galveston Bay. The wind died before most boats finished and the committee boat left so they could judge the chili back at the club house. We stayed on the course and finished. They decided to draw boat names from a hat to distribute trophies. Had two new crew that did great, hope they race again with us. They should, we didn't crash into anything or anyone and nothing significant broke. Just the clutch handle on the spin halyard, we were able to drop the chute using a screwdriver and marlinspike on the clutch.
We also got a close look at one of the new RS 21's when it passed us close on reach, very easily passed us, about 2:04 in the video.

 
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PaulK

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Dec 1, 2009
1,222
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
Looks like fun. How was the chili?? You might want to tell your competitor with the symmetrical chute to try heeling to windward going dead downwind in light air, to increase the projected sail area and reduce wetted surface. Or you might not... We often station someone to sit/lean against the boom to hold it out further.
 
Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
Looks like fun. How was the chili?? You might want to tell your competitor with the symmetrical chute to try heeling to windward going dead downwind in light air, to increase the projected sail area and reduce wetted surface. Or you might not... We often station someone to sit/lean against the boom to hold it out further.
20191207_154645.jpg


We had someone on the boom most of the last leg, including me. It was pushed out till the vang was almost on the strut. The outhaul was all the way out, forgot to ease the halyard a little, though. We did move ahead of most of the boats we were around when the wind died, except the J130. And we were catching him before he gave up and started his motor. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We're the yellow, blue, gray, and white a-sail.

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The chili I tried was good. I think the winner was this "gourmet", Asian, over curried, nasty stuff that was the most inedible looking garbage I ever did see. There was a separate category for chili cooked on the boat while you were racing, didn't get to try any of it.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Looks like fun. How was the chili?? You might want to tell your competitor with the symmetrical chute to try heeling to windward going dead downwind in light air, to increase the projected sail area and reduce wetted surface. Or you might not... We often station someone to sit/lean against the boom to hold it out further.
In very light I agree to use crew weigh to induce heel, but the trick is heeling to LEEWARD. This allows gravity to help keep the sail filled. Heeling to windward in light airs allows gravity to collapse them, in particular in lulls.
 

PaulK

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Dec 1, 2009
1,222
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
Going dead downwind, wouldn’t heeling to windward tend to suspend the spinnaker out to the side, away from the blanketing effect from the main, so it can fill better? The main, held open by spars on two sides and with its stiffer fabric and battens, would be difficult to make collapse. Heeling to windward also tends to make the boom stick up higher, where there may be more wind in light air. We pass Beneteau 36.7’s and the occasional J/109 by doing this.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Going dead downwind, wouldn’t heeling to windward tend to suspend the spinnaker out to the side, away from the blanketing effect from the main, so it can fill better? The main, held open by spars on two sides and with its stiffer fabric and battens, would be difficult to make collapse. Heeling to windward also tends to make the boom stick up higher, where there may be more wind in light air. We pass Beneteau 36.7’s and the occasional J/109 by doing this.
In very light airs, all effort is put into keep the kite full and collapsing under is own weight, and a kite that is curved down towards the ground is MUCH easier to keep like that than one curved upwards towards the sky. Note that this is not just my opinion, its commonly held understanding.


There are always times and conditions for particular boats and sails that differ, but thats the rule 99% of the time.
 
Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
While there was wind in the race, we had a nice +6 knot a-sail run in on the long second leg. With our fractional code 3, we passed the Cal 33 that had passed us on the first windward leg. They were using a masthead a-sail they got from the J105 that passed both of us.

890003CD-1A95-4D2B-8BC4-3C7A865343C5.jpeg
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
While there was wind in the race, we had a nice +6 knot a-sail run in on the long second leg. With our fractional code 3, we passed the Cal 33 that had passed us on the first windward leg. They were using a masthead a-sail they got from the J105 that passed both of us.

View attachment 172916
simple rule.

if the asym tack is pulled to leeward, pull the tack tight.
if the asym tack is pulled to WINDWARD, ease it.

pulled leeward. so pull it tight.
 
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Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
simple rule.

if the asym tack is pulled to leeward, pull the tack tight.
if the asym tack is pulled to WINDWARD, ease it.
A good way to remember it. I knew it needed to come in after the sail set. I did get up on the bow and try to get the tack tighter. Just too much tension on the short line led to a bow cleat, I was lucky I didn't lose it or fall off. I'm going to try to rig a long tack line back to one of the winches for the next series. And the halyard could have used a little more trim. The crew on the side deck was calling out luffing of the leading edge, had another crew on the sheet easing and trimming, trying to keep it just from luffing.
 
Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
If you want to adjust the tack on an A-sail, you must lead it to a winch. When you need to tighten it, it will always have lots of load!
 
Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
indeed.
In a race several years ago we had a tight reaching leg with shoals to leeward and the wind built from 5 to about 10 and the asail was quickly getting unmanageable. given the shoal, we could not turn down to drop so I planned to blow the tack and haul it in by the sheet from behind the main. I had my daughter take 2 wraps in the tack line on the cabin top winch in preparation to drop the sail. Even with 2 wraps, it took two crew to stop the tack when it took off and they both got very bad rope burns. We now always have 4 wraps on the winch at all times.
 

PaulK

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Dec 1, 2009
1,222
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
Screen Shot 2019-12-13 at 20.19.44.png


Heeling to windward in light air to reduce wetted surface and to use gravity to help fill the spinnaker. Heeling to leeward on this point of sail would have gravity pulling the spinnaker down behind the main, making it harder to fill. Photo is of Thistle PNW District Champion.
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
View attachment 172951

Heeling to windward in light air to reduce wetted surface and to use gravity to help fill the spinnaker. Heeling to leeward on this point of sail would have gravity pulling the spinnaker down behind the main, making it harder to fill. Photo is of Thistle PNW District Champion.
You do understand that is a dinghy, sailing fully powered up in 10+ knots of breeze??

the discussion was about light airs in keelboats.
 
Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
Replace that spin lock with garhuser they have aluminum handles
I like the Garhauer clutches, but replacement isn't going to happen. Expensive and a lot of holes to fill and drill and retap for the different bolt pattern. This isn't the first time a clutch handle broke and it won't be the last. Some crew don't know to ease tension on the clutch with the winch before attempting to release them if they are difficult to open, my fault for not telling them. XA handles are on sale at Mauri Pro, ordered three of them.
I don't know if it's the same on other Hunters, but the starboard triple clutch with the mainsheet and main halyard is an XAS and the port triple clutch with jib and spin halyards is an XA. So, I have to keep parts for both types.
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Generally I like Garhauer, but I do find there gear to be heavy and lack the engineering and design finesse of the harken and spinlocks of the world. The clutch in the picture looks rather agricultural, with the flat aluminum side and exposed nuts.
 
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Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
Generally I like Garhauer, but I do find there gear to be heavy and lack the engineering and design finesse of the harken and spinlocks of the world. The clutch in the picture looks rather agricultural, with the flat aluminum side and exposed nuts.
Definitely agree, but after replacing the broke handle and shattered side of the Spinlock, maybe aluminum isn't all that bad? Actually, it took twenty minutes, wasn't that bad. Didn't even have to pull it off the deck.
And I rigged an A-sail tack line back to a cabin top winch for the next race.

IMG_7512.JPG
 
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