| 24.Jan.06 | It was a much more pleasant trip home than last year (when it took almost 19 hours due to a blizzard in the northeast). This time the travel time was more like eight and a half hours door to door. Okay, we'll review the bidding. Earlier, I picked nine candidates for the top ten. Well seven of the nine made it there with the three breaking in without mention being GRACE O'MALLEY at six, J'MAKIN' WAVES at nine, and JAVA at ten. So major kudos go to those boats. GRACE was mostly unknown to me, but the owner Alice Leahy helped in the measuring process last year and was scouting the area for a run this year, so it is no surprise that her preparation paid off. Steve Olinger has a Florida boat transplanted from the Chesapeake so he was considered a dark horse in his first attempt. Chris Groobey was here for the third time and has moved up each time. In the future, I'll have to give due respect to the boats with apostrophes in their names. In 2005's picks, the unpicked boats filled positions 3, 4, and 5. So by one measure I've improved in my prognostications. I also said I would provide some information on the sails the boats were using. On each line below, I give the number of boats using those sails predominately (at least two of the three sails), the number finishing in each quartile, and in the case of the first quartile, the positions. I've ignored the boat that lost the most races due to losing it's mast to make it an even 7 boats in each quartile. Ullman: 13 boats, 6 in first quartile (2-7) / 3 in second quartile / 2 in third / 2 in fourth North: 9 boats, 1 (1) / 3 / 3 / 2 UK: 4 boats, 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 Quantum: 1 boat, 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 Schurr: 1 boat, 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 I conclude from this that Ullman has increased market share, mostly at the hands of Quantum and Doyle who had 9 boats combine in 2005 and only one in 2006. Ullman also has more boats in the top echelon than any other sailmakers. But, again, don't read too much into these numbers. The sailors make the boats go fast to a much greater extent than the sails. For comparison purposes, here are the numbers for 2005: North: 13 boats, 2 in first quartile (1,5) / 4 in second quartile / 3 in third / 4 in fourth Ullman: 12 boats, 5 (2,6,8,9,10) / 3 / 2 / 2 Quantum: 5 boats, 0 / 2 / 2 / 1 UK: 5 boats, 1 (3) / 0 / 3 / 1 Doyle: 4 boats, 1 (7) / 1 / 0 / 2 Elliot/Pattison: 1 boat, 1 (4) / 0 / 0 / 0 Let me say a word about gratuitous damage. Yes, we had high winds, but much of the damage that was sustained could probably have been avoided with extra precautions. Tieing up at the Truman Annex sea wall (or other sea walls), especially with high NW winds is a bad idea. Just say no! If you must do it, normal fenders will not do the job for you. When you sail in high winds make sure your rig is safe for the conditions. Be aware that tieing the turnbuckles together does not prevent the shouds from loosening (I have not confirmed that this was the reason for two masts being lost, but one boat went out on Wednesday with its lowers at 20 on the Loos and returned with one of the lowers flopping around -- he lucked out not losing his mast). And finally, on the race course, post lookouts, especially on starts, whether you have right of way or not. Start those ducks early and make sure you have someone reliable on the sheets to release them or you won't be able to turn the boat. Sail defensively, allow larger margins for error, and protect your crews and your boats first. As for my first J/80 experience, I expected to beat at least two of the nineteen boats entered and managed to beat seven, so I was pleasantly surprised. There were three other J/Port Annapolis Charters (each with a coach aboard) and I think we were the only one to avoid sustantial damage to our boat. That was also satisfying. But there were so many conflicting opinions on how to sail the boat in a blow that we never really homed in on one technique. Just as in the 105 you have jib leads, vang, traveller, backstay, and sheets to play with. How much to play, in what order, and with what frequency is the real conundrum. That's what separates the winners from the also rans. That's it for now. I'll try to post some photos and links to professional photos at http://j105.org/KWRW2006. Talk to you again during Block Island Race Week. N. |
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| 20.Jan.06 | It was a "Chamber of Commerce" type of day in Key West. The temps were in the high seventies, the wind was out of the east in the low teens and there was partial sun. Everything went off on schedule and they gave us two races (unusual for a Friday). The first race was 1.5 miles to 85 degrees with four legs. The second was the same to 90 degrees. During the first race the wind oscillated up to 110 and back again. SAVASANA won the day with a 2-1. Unfortunately, there appeared to be a bad collision at the start that cleared some of the pulpits and stachions on GHOST and WIND CZAR. We picked up the pace a bit on the J/80 with two finishes in the middle of fleet. Relative to our expectations we did pretty well, finishing 12th of 19 boats. One observation was that there were quite a few "optimizations" in the class where boats had "improved" the design. Two examples were bilge pumps brought up to the cockpit and vang controlled to port and starboard. The lifelines on the boat are "unhikably too high" and owners seemed to have their own definitions on what is "taut." And of course there was the sailmaker, Jay Lutz, who won the class. I'm prejudiced, but I think the 105s have a better system. Next week, I'll have a wrapup on the results and report on which sailmakers can have bragging rights. Let me know if you enjoyed the commentary. E-mail Nelson. |
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| 19.Jan.06 | Two races today. Heavy air by most standards. First race was to 035 degrees, 1.5 miles, four legs. Wind was in the high teens with gusts in the twenties. MASQUERADE condinuted her dominance with two more wins. She is now 20 points ahead in the regatta and the only thing that could stop her is a DSQ. GUMPTION had her best result of the regatta with a 4-5 for third on the day and fourth for the regatta. The second race was a little to the right and with a little less wind. On our J/80 we just couldn't get moving today. Seemed like we had a rope tied around our keel. At the end of the day we witnessed a t-bone when one of the 80s was unable to duck another on starboard. With the throwout we are standing 12th of 19. Better than expected, but not as good as hoped. Just to give you an idea of how things work here, we get up at 6:30 a.m., have breakfast at Harpoon Harry's on the corner of Margaret and Caroline, then go to the boat for the 8:30 harbor start. Get out to the circle in about an hour, sail two races, back in by 2:30 or so. Take a shower, rest and catch up on e-mail for an hour and an half, then go to the JBoats tent and the big tent, then have dinner, then crawl into bed around 10 p.m. Not a whole lot of time for partying for this crew. |
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| 18.Jan.06 | It blew harder today than yesterday, but from the North. They gave us a 90 minute postponement for the harbor start. So we left the harbor at 10:00 a.m. with a first gun scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Yesterday it took our J/80 about an hour to get out to the range marker with its little 4 hp outboard before we set the main and barely made it to the line in time for the start (wind and waves against us). Today we set the main as soon as we cleared the breakwater and got out to the starting area in about 30 minutes. Coming back it took an hour and a half. The 105 sailors are not missing anything with moving the outboard back and forth to the transom in severe conditions. They announced two races today, but after more masts down on our circle they stopped after one. It was 1.4 miles, 4 legs, to 015 degrees. The wind was in the high twenties. COLTRANE lost her mast and a few kites were in for repairs. We managed to lose only a top batten. Forgive me for telling 105 sailors about our J/80 experience, but that's what I am closest to at the moment. We watched as the 105 fleet started well behind the line because it was so difficult to go upwind. So we positioned ourselves above the other 80s close to the line. As expected the others could not get up to us and we executed a near perfect leeward end start. We had our difficulties making the boat go upwind. Feathering did not seem to work and when we tried to drive off, we ended up on our ear. On the first downwind we raised our kite and flew all the way down the leg. My regular spin trimmer was busy untangling the spin halyard and the jib sheet and missed the entire leg. We sailed without the spinnaker on the second downwind and came in 8th, our best showing of the regatta. |
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| 17.Jan.06 | Today was much like day one of KWRW 2005, except that it may have been a little warmer and with a touch more wind and waves. The wind was well into the twenties and the waves averaged 6-8 feet with a ten footer here and there. In our division, I heard that from three to six Melgi 24s losts their masts. Unfortunately, our own Florida 105, WASABI, lost hers and in the process seriously injured the leg of a crewmember. If you were prepared for heavy air and you could keep it all together it was definitely fun out there. The forecast called for 12-18, from the SW, but it was more like low to mid-twenties. Boats were over on their ears for much of the upwind legs and struggled with the downwind legs. There were two races today, both to 160 with two mile beats and four legs finishing downwind. The daily winners were MASQUERADE, SAVASANA, and ZUNI. The J/80s are starting five minutes after the J/105s. With a crew of four, it was a real challenge to keep the boat flat. Do you drive and foot or do you feather and point, that is the question. The better sailors seem to be successful in the feather and point mode. We chickened out in the first race and did not raise our kite on either downwind leg, but mustered to courage to raise it in the second. We got the boat up on a plane more often than not and it was a thrill to jibe from plane to plane on one occasion. It is not as difficult as you might think because the main is unloaded when you are going so fast. We had single digits in both races today (albeit both ninths) and moved into 10th overall in the nineteen boat fleet. Not bad for the first time out in a J/80. The J/105 owners all ask how I am doing with a tiller. Well that's not the problem. The problem is doing all the stuff my mainsheet trimmer always does (mainsheet, traveller, backstay). We're all nursing our black-and-blue spots and hoping for not quite so much wind tomorrow. |
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| 16.Jan.06 | Sunny and in the seventies today. T-shirts and shorts for all the racing today with no need for foulies. The first race was set to 60 degrees, but before the Melges 24s even got started there was a wind shift to the right. The prediction was ESE going to SE with more pressure, but it was more like ENE all day. They got the first race going at 80 degrees, four legs, at 1.3 miles in 8 knots of breeze. The second race was 85 degrees with five legs at 1.3 miles in 10-13 knots. There were two OCS in the first race and one protest on the day. Not a bad start for the week. SAVASANA won the first race, but slipped a little in the second. MASQUERADE did well even in the light stuff going 2-1 for the early lead. GRACE O'MALLEY was second with 9 points tied with CONVEXITY and fourth was ZUNI BEAR. I can only assume that the boats that negotiated the 20 degree shifts the best did the best for the day. We did not notice a lot of side-to-side pressure differences. On the J/80 course (five minutes behind the 105s) BEAR INSTINCT got two good starts and managed to beat six, then seven boats (better than I expected for the first time out in an 80). We even managed to port tack the fleet (thanks, Damian) in the second race. And I still have all my teeth. Go back to the home page for links to full results and fun results. |
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| 15.Jan.06 | One important point that I forgot from yesterday was the the J/105s did not have the worst of it. On the seawall at Truman Annex a sixty footer lost control and backed down on top of a Kiwi 35 and sunk it. Someone who saw the carnage said that once back on the hard, one of their spinnakers was seen hanging out of their transom, and another out of the bow. The two 105's that were damaged were put back together on Sunday and not pretty, but ready to rock and roll. Three or four boats were delayed in getting into the water because of high winds yesterday, but were over at the Historic Seaport early this morning. They included JATO, JESTER, and MAX POWER. The only boat that I did not personally see was COLTRANE. But Bob Smith from Fleet #5 caught them after I left. Also helping with measuring were Linda Ambrose and Carl Gitchell of Fleet #3. Otherwise, all the boats had their safety inspections and sail and lifeline checks. The few anomomalies were cleared up and West Marine got a lot of business with local charts, unexpired flares, and flashlights (among other things). I was out practicing in the afternoon in my chartered J/80. The weather was perfect for a practice day with winds in the low to mid teens. I am learning what it takes to work the mainsheet and traveller whilst steering with a tiller, which is a real challenge for me. Grabbing the sheet with my teeth (like I do in my 10 foot frostbiter does not seem to work on the J/80). |
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| 14.Jan.06 | The wind gods were not kind to us today. At about 3 a.m. the front came through and brought winds of up to 50 knots from the NW. Two of our boats were up against breakwaters with the worst possible wind direction. FLAME was at Truman annex and crew was onboard, but had to abandon the boat and it sustained an open wound of more than six feet along the rail and on the transom. ALLEGIANCE was over at the Coast Guard wall and sustained similar damage. The boats were both doing fiberglass work today to repair the damage. The inspectors had intended to have the boat come to them at the Conch Republic, but when the inepectors arrived at the dock there were three damaged boats in the slip where the boats were supposed to arrive. Furthermore, none of the boats wanted to move around in the now 40 knot breezes. So the inspectors made "house calls" and did the best they could. The Key West Bight was closed with no boats allowed to come in or go out. The good news is that the weather for the upcoming week is predicted to be good for sailing. Jon Weglarz was aboard CARESS when the front came through at the Historic Seaport where most of the boats are moored. He saved some butts by adjusting and adding some spring lines to boats that were not adequately secured. Dorin Candea, a veteran of several KW campaigns, said "owners can't just come down and head for the bar twelve hours after they arrive. They need to protect their boats in these conditions." More tomorrow. |
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| 11.Jan.06 | Well, here I go again trying to sort out the top boats at a major competition. There's a new wrinkle here at Key West this year. With no throwouts (as for our North Americans), the top boats will have sail a clean regatta if they don't want to be spit out toward the pack. So with that in mind (and steeled against the darts and brickbats that it always brings from boats on and off the list), I'll name nine that I'd expect to see in the first division. MASQUERADE (Fleet #1) -- Tom Coates comes back for his eighth KWRW on MASQUERADE, which he won for the first time last year in his seventh attempt. He also won the Miami Race Week Regatta and the Souther Circuit Trophy. With Chris Perkins (GOOD TIMIN') back as his tactician, he will be hard to beat. ZUNI BEAR (Fleet #8) -- Richard Bergmann and Shawn Bennett finished first in both 2003 and 2004. While they dropped down a bit last year, they still have what it takes to win it all, especially if it blows hard. FLAME (Fleet #19) -- Floridian Jim Doane, Jr. returns for the seventh time. He's always a consistent performer and has been the bridesmaid twice and finished third twice. Is this the year for the FLAME team to win it all? GUMPTION3 (Fleet #6) -- It may seem a strange choice to put GUMPTION3 on this list considering that they have tried KWRW three times and have a regatta best of 19th. But Kevin Grainger has been taking it more seriously this year (yes, practicing!) and has a dedicated crew that can add a few new gears. SAVASANA (Fleet #14) -- Brian Keane had a third two years ago and has finished in the top few boats in many major competitions around the country, including a fourth in the 2005 NAC. With just a little more consistency, Brian could win it all. RUM AT SIX (Fleet #11) -- Worth Harris is back for the fourth time. He slipped back a little last year from his accustomed position in the top ten. MAX POWER (Fleet #3) -- Gerrit Schulze takes things very seriously and has started out with the yellow flag in several regattas only to drop back on subsequent days. The secret, Gerrit, is to lurk around the fourth or fifth position for the first few days and then finish strong! GROOVADOR (Fleet #4) -- Alex Baluta won the North American Championship in Toronto in 2005 and is in the processess of selling his boat to Malcolm Gefter who will be co-helming with him. It remains to be seen how this boat will do without crack tactician Terry McLaughlin. This is the only "newbie" that made my list. CONVEXITY (Fleet #5) -- Don Wilson pulled off four bullets at Charleston Race Week in 2005 and was second for the Southern Circuit Trophy. Starting in mid-fleet at KW, he moved up in each successive regatta of the Southern Circuit. SOME NEWBIE -- There's bound to be other newbies or dark horses in the top ten. I just don't want to guess who they will be. Those who keep their noses clean and avoid the dreaded double digits will do very well indeed. As you can see, there are nine fleets represented in my list of nine boats. There are a total of eleven fleets from around the country represented. It says to me that there's no one dominant area of the country and that everybody wants to participate in Key West in January. Have at it! Best of luck to all. I'll wave from my J/80 (BEAR INSTINCT). For those who don't know (or who have forgotten), the J/105 I was to charter (PAPERMOON) sunk in Miami in hurricane Katrina, so I decided to scale back to a mini-105 being brought down by J/World Annapolis. |
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