Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom – 03-26-06 - Dave Gray

It is an honor to be asked to contribute to this hallowed column, especially after a day in which wisdom played more of a role than brute force. A day when time on the planet might have meant at least as much as time in the boat. It is also probably my civic duty, having been sailing on Brenton Cove and Newport Harbor since 1965 and Lasers since 1974. How many of you were even born then? Some would say its about time for me.

First, a tip of the cap to Mark for taking top honors for the day. Once again, we were shown the importance of consistency in taking the top spot. In the 4th race I allowed myself to get in a position on Mark's lee bow on starboard approaching the finish line. We both needed a short hitch to port to cross the line and I was naively hoping that Mark would take pity on me and give me just enough room. First lesson of the day; there is no pity when you are even close to vying for the top!

Secondly, I'd like to thank the RC for a fine job and also for their patience in dealing with the finicky breeze so we could get in a full slate of 5 races. Carl and Paul diplomatically avoided the demands of some of the heavyweights for an early adjournment to the AC for beer and basketball.

Having recognized Mark for his relentless pursuit of the top, perhaps I can shed some light on where I failed in that respect on Sunday. A gaze to windward before the first start clearly indicated to me and several others that a boat end start and a quick exit to the right was the way to go, as the better pressure at the time seemed to be coming off the east side of Goat I. and out of the harbor. Scott Milnes and I took 1-2 off the start at the boat and duked it out up the right side. Scott had me well covered until I took one extra hitch toward the right lay line, got a nice lee bow effect from the substantial flood current sweeping around the south end of Goat I. and rounded 1st. The "funkiness" came into play when what had been
the better pressure on the east side upwind turned into a fairly narrow lane slightly right (west) of center on the downwind leg. Mark "zoned" into this lane and took the lead and the race.

Indications before the start of the 2nd race were that the boat end and the right (east) side would again be favored upwind. Now, being the nice easy going guy that I am, I hesitate to get involved in the bumper boats crowds when they form at the ends of the line with a minute to go. I like to come in with some speed a little to leeward of the lay line to the end and find a gap. Trouble with this tactic is that sometimes the gap is there and I look brilliant, as in the first start, and sometimes there is no gap until the 2nd or 3rd tier and I prove to be, well, less than brilliant. Such was the case in the 2nd race. Fortunately, for me, there is just as much pleasure in digging myself out of a 3rd tier start as there is holding on to 1st, which explains why perhaps I am not a more frequent contributor in this space. The pros and cons of all our various competitive attitudes in Fleet 413 could be the study of a future article. My 12th place finish in race 2 was actually a nice come-back as I was able to benefit from a timely left shift just before the finish and cross a cluster of about 5 boats approaching the line on starboard. No matter where you find yourself in the
fleet in any given race, there is always potential for a rewarding gain if you keep your mind in the hunt.

A strong finish in race 3 and my brief tussle with Mark at the finish of race 4 provided me with enough inspiration to go out and win race 5. I knew that if I could win the start I had a good chance of taking the race. The flood current on Sunday was producing an unusual effect in the form of a pronounced S'ly to SE'ly set over the windward half of the course. This provided an interesting option at the starting line. When Gary Jobson came in to coach for us at Kings Point in the fall of '73, one of his first "chalk talks" was on the subject of starting in current, something we had to deal with a lot in most of the college sailing venues in the Mid-Atlantic and New England areas. He enlightened us to the fact that when the current
is opposing the line (pushing the fleet back) and the line is fairly square, there is almost always a belly of clear air and therefore a good lane from the middle of the line. Being able to capitalize on the "dip" in the middle of the line and get out in front with clear options requires a good sight on the range at each end of the line so you can approach with confidence knowing you are not going over. From my RC experience here with fleet 413, I have also seen that with a neutral or a fair current at the start it is often the boat attempting a middle of the line start that stands out to the RC and gets called over early. Anyway, the opposing current dip was there at the start of race 5 and it worked well for me. I had also sensed that
after the resurgence of the funky breeze, the left side was looking a little better than before. This sense can probably best be attributed to the now infamous "zone" or perhaps as Dick Sadler used to be able to quite convincingly mislead us into thinking you had to be tuned in to the Corriolus Force. Steve K. took the pin end, went well left and just missed out. Teresa and I went about 50% left and looked pretty good. I believe Ralph played just left of the middle, caught a nice shift near the top and rounded first. Those that went right were history. Go figure! On the downwind leg I was able to do what Mark had done to me in the first race and find that narrow lane of pressure which now had shifted back over to the left (east) side and propelled me into the lead to stay.

Such are the vagaries and pleasures of fleet 413 frostbiting that lure me back out every Sunday afternoon that I can possibly make it. If any of you have actually read this far and want to know more, I can provide further details and insight for a reasonable fee. See you next Sunday! Smooth sailing!