Keelers Newsletters
Race Report 1 Winter Series 2024
The first race of the winter series was held in perfect conditions. Thanks to Trifecta for setting the course.
Drama a plenty at the starts, Kiwi Vibe got herself caught pushed over the line by leeward boats and had to return to start again. That hardly affected her as she made a great recovery, making up lost ground to be in the front at the top mark for the second time only to be nipped by a second at the line by Dawn Song who took line honours both races in Div B. Neptune2 had a breakdown, losing the foot of her foresail and had to retire from the first race but the other yachts in Div B were very close together for most of it. Div A start was a torrid affair with Jesse getting caught coming in hot but having to give way to leeward vessels and it was a very close call that there wasn’t a touch. Quick reactions from both helmsmen prevented damage but the result was Jesse missed the start by crossing the line on the wrong side of the buoy and had to go round again. The rest of the fleet proceeded as planned with Titanium showing her heels and managing to run down both divisions for line honours in both races.
Handicap results are as follows.
Titanium 1st and 4th Wright One 2nd and 3rd Dawn song 3rd and 2nd Kiwi Vibe 4th and 7th Libby 5th and 8th Pedlar 6th and 1st Special FX 7th and 6th Jesse 8th and 5th Anitra 9th and 9th Trifecta 10th and 11th
Moonshadow 11th and 12th Neptune2 DNF and 10
I noticed last year on most of the days when we had no wind or too much, that usually the Sat had much better conditions so if you are all happy, I will make a call on Wed by email before sailing if the Sat looks like a better choice and make that the race day. Sundays will be our preferred option. Please let me know what you all think. See you in 2 weeks.
Blue skies, Rex
Winter Series Race 2 report.
15 yachts turned up on a lovely sunny day with Easterly breezes forecast but very little wind at the start time in the harbour though there was more outside.
A decision was made to sail course 3 in the apparent dying breeze but we got a steadily increasing wind as the race progressed. The race committee was a bit slack with the start line but Nomad helpfully extended the width which was fortunate as 3 multihulls in the race could have been severely caused a lack of room at the start. No mishaps were observed at the start of either Division, A div starting 10 mins after Div B with the usual protagonists slowly heading the fleet Dawn Song and Kiwi Vibe slugging it out in Div B and Titanium and Maku in Div A. Titanium took Line honours from Maku with Special FX 3rd. Those 3 all managed to haul in the Div B yachts which Dawn Song won from Kiwi Vibe with Neptune2 3rd .
The dying breeze most of us had to endure heading the tide between Te Kouma and Rangipukea caused a bit of confusion with kites wrapping themselves around anything it could as the wind backed and came out of the Coro harbour.
To avoid the conflict experienced at the start of the last harbour race remember that yachts coming in hot across the wind(barging) have no rights to yachts to leeward, they are quite in their rights to hold their course and force you to either tack away, (which can be fraught with its own dangers) and miss the line , or force you over early. Similarly, coming to the line on Port tack is asking for trouble unless you are happy to pass behind the others because you think that tack is preferred. We don’t want any skin off.
As requested, the handicap workings are attached. Please note that the handicaps are a work in progress and whinging will find a deaf ear. Both the Summer and Winter Race co-ordinators are the worst suffers.
Blue skies Rex
19 June 2024 Race report Race 3 Winter Series
Only 8 hardy boats put to sea for the 3rd race of the winter series. As it turned out, there was no need to be hardy as the wind was a steady NE breeze which made for some tricky sail selection given that it was supposed to increase as the day went on. Flat water and good winds made for ideal sailing conditions and as it happened, the 2nd race had steadily decreasing wind. The rain stayed away for the first race but light misty rain gave the raincoats something to do for the 2nd race. Dawn Song was first over the line in Div B in the first race and was never to give up that lead taking both line honours and handicap in both races. The A Div was lead off by a fast starting Jesse in both races but Special FX managed to catch her and take line honours in both races in Div A. There were some caught with their pant down at the start of race 2 in Div B but Libby was not to be caught napping and had the best start and were going well being 3rd boat through the start finish line but the 2nd beat to windward was not so good. Hopefully the rain this week will clean the spilt soup off the decks of Dawn Song. Div A had a battle royal between Jesse and Pedlar for 2nd place. The lead seesawed but Jesse'92s spinnaker gave them bragging rights by 3 seconds. Wright One needs a quicker clock to get them to the start a bit sooner.
After much discussion, I have decided to keep the next race as per the program. That is next Sunday 16th June. Many crews have put it in their calendars and primed their better halves and don'92t like to go cap in hand to plead their case for a changed date. There will then be a 3 week gap before the next race. It is an anomaly in the program caused because the writers thought it collided with Matariki. It doesn'92t but there we are!
See you all next Sunday for an Island race,
Blue skies Rex
Report Race 4 Winter Series 2024
19 June 2024
Race report 4 winter series Another ideal days sailing with a steady breeze from the north greeted the13 boats that turned out for the start of the island race out to Cow, up toShag, back to Cow then to the start finish line. Unfortunately the steadybreeze didn't continue and we had periods of quite indifferent effort by the winds. Nevertheless, once again Libby taught the Div B yachts how to start on time, but unfortunately that was to be her best effort for the day. Spinnaker trouble left her far behind the fleet in the end.
Moonshadow gave herself a hefty handicap at the line and never recovered, retiring early. Meanwhile, Dawn Song and Kiwi Vibe were battling it out with the lead changing hands several times over the race. On the wind, it'92s all Kiwi Vibe, but off the wind Dawn Song has the advantage. Kiwi Vibeeventually, taking the honours by 49 seconds.
Div A saw Dec Sun showing all the others how to start despite them all having several practise runs to the line to get their timing right. The fresh breeze also allowed her to show her paces when reaching but the two pedigree yachts Titanium and Maku pulled away followed by Special FX.Jessie brought out her gennaker and that gave her an advantage to pull away too. Around the Cow there was an advantage to be had for those that had seen the weather forecast that predicted the wind was to go to the NE in the afternoon so the yachts that kept to the east got a huge advantage over those that stayed out wide. Special FX did that best being the 2nd around Shag after Maku who just flys anyway. Maku took line honours finishing 18mins ahead of Special FX.
A couple of minor races within race between Jesse and Pedlar and Wright One and Soundwave. Pedlar and Soundwave winning those. Some of the Handicaps are not very helpful to some and I am trying to adjust them as we go. Maku and Trifecta being glaring examples. Possibly Wright One at the other end of the scale.
The times I have had from some of you have caused me some confusion. Half of you are sending me the time of day at the finish which Tony requested you do and others sending me their elapsed times in mins and secs which would be fine if they made sense. For instance, Special FX and Titanium both agreed that Titanium was a little over 5 mins behind Special FX but the elapsed times each provided show it as only 2 and a half mins. Same with Pedlar and Jesse, Jesse reports they were 4 mins behind but the times provided by each show only a 10sec gap . So in future can you all provide me with the time of day at the finish. I know when the start was as I provided it. Your phones have the correct time on them down to secs.
Next race is July 7th ,see you all Then
Cheers Rex
