2007 Parhelion Autumn Series
The Parhelion autumn yacht racing series is run by the Portsmouth Sailing Club, with races in the Eastern Solent, off Portsmouth and in Hayling bay.
Race 1 & 2 reports, from Saturday 29th September 2007
Crew : Phil, Julian, Glenn, Lynn and Matthew
The first day of racing in the Autum series had been eagerly awaited. We had been monitoring the weather forecast had been monitored all week which had predicted light winds. We were quite surprised when some conversation in the bar expected F4/5. Our understanding, based on windfinder, turned out to be pretty accurate, peaking at about 8 knots and dropping later. The Met Office inshore forecast covered too large an area. I have a bunch of links to useful weather and tide sites.
From Rhapsody
After several days of very strong winds we are pleased that it is a forecast of lighter winds for the first day of racing. Saturday dawns grey and very damp - the rain only stopping on our drive south when we get across the downs. Leaving the marina and locating Condor we find the selection of headsail very easy - it's the number 1.
Roy, a #1 ... oh to have such a choice. But if we had more sails where would we sleep on Friday nights?
We left the berth at 9am as usual, and were pleased to discover that there was enough breeze to sail in, 6-8 knots. Condor was near Gleeds, but she subsequently moved East to set up a startline clear of the Sunsail fleet. This caused a short delay that would bite later.
Race 1
There was a slight east going tide and a northerly breeze. The course was a beat to a laid windward mark, then run to the laid leeward mark, through the gate and do another lap. A combined IRC and club start was called on the VHF, so this meant that we had a good number of yachts vying for position on the line. One More Knot stood back from the line and approached harder on the wind than most, who were reaching in. The earliest reachers boats passed in front of us and continues to reach down the line. The start was very impressive, especially considering this was the first race of the season. We were very happy with our start, but sadly for us, so were about another 6 yachts who also had an excellent start!
With the fleet leaving on Starboard, we were 1/3 of the way down the line. Total Obsession Too was on our port quarter and it would have been interesting if we need to tack. Fortunately, we were able to pinch a bit and eventually crossed her bows. We made the windward mark tacking just twice, which allowed us to approach cleanly.
One More Knot's track in red
Rhapsody's track in green
Rhapsody was first to the windward mark (in the club class), followed by One More Knot, about 20 seconds behind.
Both yachts gybed at the windward mark, although we noticed that of the IRC boats had continued along the Haslar wall. Lynn took the helm whil Phil went onto the foredeck to sort out the kite. We were a bit slow getting things ready, but the hoist went fine. The fleet could see our new secret weapon for the first time .... our new and larger and lighter spinnaker.
We excecuted 2 gybes uneventfully, although the aim of the second was to allow us to drop, set the headsail and get back into upwind trim quickly. However, the jibsheet had other ideas. We discovered that it had woven an amazing path under the pole and around the downhaul. Amazing the things that can go wrong when you haven't practiced for a while! The fastest way to sort it was to take of the downhaul and the inboard end of the pole! This all happened with no-one on the helm, but we had no other boats nearby. We ended up sailing towards Wotton Creek, which wasted a minute or so! Happily, the kite came down and without fuss and we kept it dry.
The second lap was processional.
On the final beat to the line, we saw Rhapsody take line honours. We crossed in 2nd, some 2 minutes 38 seconds later. As we furled the sails, Total Obsession Too followed 1m:21s later. At the time, we didn't know if the gap was enough for us to stay in front on handicap (it was). Concerto followed TOT and we already knew that we had lost to her. Just in Time (sailing without using the spinnaker) was next, followed by Scallywag. Newcomer Nieve, an Elan 33 retired.
Replay the race here
Replay One More Knot's GPS track here
Also includes Rhapsody's track
This opens in a new window a uses javascript.
From Rhapsody
The course is announced after a delay and we find we will be starting together with the IRC fleet. It's twice round a windward - leeward course using laid marks and going through the start gate on the second up-wind leg. We opt for a pin end starboard tack start. We reach past Condor with just under a minute to go and we are in clear air and able to harden up to cross the line at the start signal. Boat speed is good, around 4 to 5 knots in the very light breeze and we soon pull away from the rest of the club fleet. After two tacks we round the windward mark at the head of the club fleet. After a gybe-set of the spinnaker we are heading south. We put in two gybes on the way down to the leeward mark and then drop and harden up as we round. We spend a short time on port and then tack onto starboard to go through the start gate. The second beat follows the same pattern as the first and we round and this time hoist the kite with a bear away set. We put in one gybe on the way down to the mark and then drop and beat back to cross the finish line with a good margin over the rest of the club fleet to claim line honours. This ensures first place on handicap.
And they were miles in front!
Race 2
The falling breeze was giving the comittee a hard time in setting the course. The wind had shifted and the spring tide was about to start flowing west. The RIB, Crime Pays, was out and about shuffling the marks. All done while trying to share the water with the Sunsail fleet nearby.
The course was a beat to a laid windward mark, then a broad reach down the Haslar wall to Rainbow Center which was a gybe mark to the laid leewar mark. From there, it was back to the windward mark, then the leeward mark and back to the line.
Race 2 started with a little on board confusion over the race timer at the 10 minute signal. This was me sorted out with 5 minutes to go. Phil got in a late practice run at the start which gave an indication of where to be. From our turning spot, it took about 1 minute 20 seconds to get back to the line. We sailed back to our turning spot and started our run for the line. However, the wind faded significantly and we were well short. The rest of the fleet were also struggling to get across the line on starboard.
Our start was dreadful, I think we crossed the line over 4 minutes after the start. A few words we uttered under our breath. Our only saving grace was that nobody got a really good start. We tacked onto port and crossed behind the fleet near the comittee boat, Condor. At least by being last it was easy enough to choose when to tack!
On the beat we could see Rhapsody leading by miles, followed by Just In Time who was also well ahead of us. Total Obsession Too was a bit closer, much closer than I thought they would be considering our start. This gave us a focus and with some concentration we managed to get close enough to have to give way!
One More Knot's track in red
Rhapsody's track in green
Total Obsession Too thought they were on the lay line to the windward mark. They looked very organised with the pole rigged and the clew of the kite ready for a spritely hoist. After some banter between the skippers, One More Knot tacked onto starboard, leaving Total Obsession Too plenty of room, after all, they have form .... but they will argue so do we! After OMK had tacked, we discovered that we were no where near the layline, so we tacked again and dipped TOTs transom. Meanwhile TOT failed to make the mark and were forced to tack again. This time, with the boats not far from drifting, it took an age for TOT to come through the wind and bear off to dip OMK's transom. OMK made the mark, but not without lots of concentration and will power to prevent the tide from washing us down onto the mark.
As we rounded, Lynn once again took the helm as Phil made for the bow. The kite went up cleanly, but not particularly fast. Once it was up, we had a chat with Concerto who were now along side. Mostly, the conversation was focussed on our new sail and how noisy it was!
As the boats drifted on the tide towards the next mark, we tried some angles to keep the spinnaker inflated. The GPS plot show that our angles weren't as severe as Rhapsody's. At Rainbow Center, the gybe mark, we had caught Rhapsody, we were now neck and neck. But Just In Time was still out in front. Total Obsession Too retired to get into the bar first.
The breeze had virtually gone by now. Lynn was at the helm, and Phil was asking her to stay high to counter the tide. The course steered wasn't high enough and eventually we made the call to drop the kite and go back to white sails. Out came the #2 again and we really had to harden up to counter the tide and make the leeward mark. We arrived at the mark within 2 boat lengths of Just In Time and Auditrac (IRC).
From here, it all went pear shaped. What little of the wind was left all but faded. We made some headway towards the windward mark, which was now the finish of a shortend course. One by one, the boats retired eventually leaving only One More Knot and Just In Time racing backwards past Gilkicker point at the 2 1/2 hour time limit. It seems we all score the same points for failing to finish.
From Rhapsody
The wind is even lighter now and the tide is beginning to run to the west at an ever increasing rate. The course is a windward laid mark, Rainbow as a gybe mark and then a leeward laid mark. This is followed by the windward and leeward marks and then finish. We try the same starting tactics as before but things don't work out. We find ourselves in the dirty air of the rest of the fleet and are being pushed the wrong side of the pin by the tide. Once we are able to we tack on to port to clear air and then back to starboard to cross the line and commence the beat. Boat speed is lower in this race only 3 to 4 knots. However we pass Concerto and actually reach the leeward mark at the head of the club fleet. After hoisting the kite we find it is incredibly slow going and most of the time the spinnaker not filling. We get passed by JIT, without spinnaker and by OMK. TO2 calls up and announces his retirement and that is soon followed by Scallywag who is still struggling to make the windward mark. Eventually we get down to Rainbow and start out towards the leeward mark. Ahead of us we see OMK and JIT round the mark. At this stage we drop the kite and using the genoa, find we make better progress. Concerto now announces their retirement and after a long time, we reach the mark just behind newcomer Nieves. At that moment the wind dies and we both find ourselves leaving the mark in the wrong direction - victims of the tide. 15 minutes later we are over a quarter of a mile west of the mark making 2 knots down the Solent in the wrong direction. After a cup of coffee and quick discussion we decide that is unlikely we will finish! A call on the VHF to announce our retirement and we motor back into the harbour. On the way we pass OMK and JIT still persevering along with the remnants of the IRC fleet; still a long way from the finish of the shortened course at the windward mark.