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Author: Louis Swanepoel

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South Bay Family Sailing Series-December 18, 2021, Saturday, (7.4 nm)

Sorry for the late publication of the race results. I try to publish the results within the week following the race. However, I could not open up the Mike Collins Handicap System.  I was told Google was changing servers and that was the reason the program was not accessible. So, finally here it is:

The third Saturday of the month, our race day December 18, 2021, was a prodigious day for sailing.  This was the holiday season so we were not expecting our average number of boats as everyone would be out shopping.  The winter winds had been light again leading up to the weekend race. Wind predictions were for 4-6 knots from the NNW, approximately 300*-310*. The projected course had two downwind legs, so this might be a spinnaker run. With the projected light wind, the smaller boats might have an advantage.  The tide would be low at 3 PM so the current would be ebbing the whole race.

Circling the starting line were 10 boats. There were 3 new boats present, Pau Hana with Todd Borjesson, Aragorn with Mike and Anne Peters and Osprey with Mike Philbrook and his scouts.

WELCOME new boats.  We hope to see you out every month.

With the noon horn the first group crossed the line consisting of BlewByU, Fast Sunday, Pau Hanna, Aragorn and Miller Time III.  Three minutes later the second group crossed consisting of Simplicity and Bon Temps.  Finally. six minutes after the first group the third group crossed the starting line consisting of Osprey, Marilee, and Consigliere.

At the first mark BlewByU was first to round followed by Consigliere and Fast Sunday.  By the second mark Consigliere rounded first followed by BlewByU and Bon Temps. From the second mark to the third mark was the first of two downwind legs.  Miller Time III, Bon Temps raised their spinnakers trying to follow previous examples of spinnaker flying by Estate Sail, Ran and Elusive.  Another upwind leg, downwind leg, reach and the final downwind leg showed the across the line finishers are: Consigliere 13:50:54, Osprey 13:51:28, BlewByU 13:53:00, Bon Temps 14:00:23, Marilee 14:00:32, Miller Time III 14:09:47, Fast Sunday 14:13:34, Simplicity 14:14:30, Aragorn 14:25:34, Pau Hana 14:29:00.

GREAT RACE!

Putting all this information into the Mike Collins Handicap System we end up with the following:

http://sailingtracker.appspot.com/?fleetChoice=sbps&dateSelected=10%2F17%2F2020&submit=Select+Race

Osprey, BlewByU, Aragorn, Pau Hana, Fast Sunday, Consigliere, Simplicity, Miller Time III, Marilee, Bon Temps

Putting all this information into the PHRF Handicapping System we get the following:

BlewByU, Consigliere, Osprey, Bon Temps, Marilee, Fast Sunday, Simplicity, Aragorn, Miller Time III, Pau Hana.

8 of 10 racers ran their raceQs.  Go watch the race on South Bay Family Sailing Series December 18 race on the Smart Phone App: raceQs.  Next race can we get 10 out of 10?

Our next race will be Saturday, January 15, 2022. It will be the first race of the new year.

We hope to see you all there.

NOTE:  We are going to try and have the 2021 Awards Ceremony at Pier 32 Marina after the race. More information later.  Who will win the Trophies?  Who will win the prizes? 

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South Bay Family Sailing Series-November 20, 2021 Saturday, (7.4 nm)

The third Saturday of November, November 20, 2021 was an excellent day to go sailing.  If you were not out on the water you really missed a wonderful day.  The winds had been light and fog was in the area a few days before the race.  Everyone was expecting light winds and wondering if we could even have a race.  The professional weather predictors predicted light winds of 5-8 knots.  As it turned out we had light winds out of the NW at 7-11 knots that were constant throughout the race.  On the Beaufort scale this is Beaufort Force 2-3. These conditions probably favored the smaller boats.  The fog had lifted and there were slightly blue skies with 50% high thin cloud covering.  There was a high tide of 6.6 ft. at 1000, so the tidal flow would out going during the whole race.

An update on the racing boats: Mike Collins (one of the originators of the South Bay Family Sailing Series handicap system) sold his boat Marilee to Dan Dreesen.  Dan is happy, however, we all are going to miss his boat, Quack Attack on the race course.  Astra is being sold, so Mike Philbrook and his scouts will have a new boat on the race course next month.  Everyone is hoping it is NOT as fast as Astra.

8 boats were circling the starting line for the noon horn.  The first group consisting of Fast Sunday, Miller Time III and BlewByU were off at the first horn.  This was a pursuit race so the starting line would not be crowded.  The second group was across the starting line at 12:05 and consisted of Simplicity, Estate Sail and Bon Temps.  Finally, at 12:10 the third group of Marilee and Astra began the race. At the first mark BlewByU was in the lead, followed by Miller Time III, Bon Temps, Simplicity, and Estate Sail.  The Marilee and Astra were close behind.   Miller Time III put up their spinnaker and everyone thought the race was over.  All were worried Estate Sail would fly their spinnaker as well.  However, by the second mark Miller Time III was slightly behind Simplicity and Estate Sail did not fly their spinnaker.  By the third mark, Bon Temps had taken over the lead.

The across the line finish times were:  Bon Temps 13:35:10, BlewByU, 13:37:40, Marilee 13:39:11, Simplicity 13:40:00, Astra 13:40:10, Estate Sail 13:41:37, Miller Time III 13:44:17, Fast Sunday 13:54:13.  WOW within 19 minutes 8 boats crossed the finish line.  Every boat was within close proximity to the finish line.  This is how we want all races to finish.

Putting all this information into the Mike Collins Handicap System we have the following:

http://sailingtracker.appspot.com/?fleetChoice=sbps&dateSelected=11%2F16%2F2019&submit=Select+Race

Congratulations Simplicity, BlewByU, and Miller Time III

Which boats are in position for a TROPHY at the end of the year?

Putting all these numbers into the PHRF rating system reveal: BlewByU, Simplicity, Marilee, Astra, tie for 5th  Estate Sail, Bon Temps, Miller Time III, 6th Fast Sunday.

Congratulations all racers.

Next race:  Saturday, December 18, 2021

We hope to see you all there for the final race of the year.

WHICH BOATS ARE RECEIVING TROPHIES?

 

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Sober Boating

It’s Tuesday and the National Safe Boating Council has designated today as Sober Boating awareness day.

It is pretty well known that you shouldn’t drink and drive, even on the water. However, it is also more dangerous for your passengers to drink and ride. Unstable people with lowered inhibitions are more likely to fall overboard…or just plain fall, which can still result in injury. For a lot of people, sober boating goes against everything they think of when they think of boats, but that is why yacht clubs, and many marinas, have bars. Save your drinking for when you dock. Enjoy your cruise, break out the bubbly after you tie up!

And enjoy those Norwegian sober boating videos I shared yesterday under the guise of lifejacket awareness 🙂

Stay safe, keep learning, boat sober,
Tanya Weimer

SEO
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National Boating Safety Week – life jackets

Monday of National Boating Safety Week and the focus is on life jackets. It has even been declared “Wear your life jacket to work day!” Which I can’t do because my life jackets are on my boat, and so it seems a rather odd campaign.

However, life jackets are important, so I found this video that demonstrates how your auto inflate life jacket works. Auto inflate life jackets have their limitations, but they have one huge advantage over other types: people are more likely to wear them!

If you enjoyed that video, here is another. And yet another. But that is really tomorrow’s theme!

Keep safe, keep learning
Tanya Weimer
SEO
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Video edutainment

 For your Friday dose of edutainment, I offer you a series of videos that could keep you busy for the whole weekend.

In 1973, 17 boats left Portsmouth, destination Cape Town and beyond. This was the first Whitbread Round the World Race. In addition to the sailing adventures the Whitbread, then the Volovo Ocean Race, and as of the next iteration, The Ocean Race, have brought us, this series has an amazing history of documentation, right from the beginning. Recent races have included a media expert as one of the crew positions, but crew have always brought their video cameras along, resulting in a rich history that we can all enjoy today.

So, start at the beginning with the 1973-1974 Official Film and follow along up to 2019. Look for the all women teams, watch for familiar names from Morning Light and definitely, definitely, keep an eye out for the squirrel.

National Boating Safety Week starts tomorrow, so keep safe, keep learning

Tanya Weimer
SEO
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Sydney Hobart race of 1998.

In the last of our series of horrifying ways to sail the ocean (I promised we would cheer up by the end of the week!) I present to you the Sydney Hobart race of 1998. Similar to Fastnet, the race went ahead, and the storms came in. Over and over again, we can see that one of the advantages to cruising, rather than racing, is the ability to watch your weather window. However, freak storms do happen and anyone on the ocean needs to have multiple strategies for dealing with them.

Stay safe, keep learning,

Tanya Weimer
SEO
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The Eleventh Coast Guard District Local Notice to Mariners (17-2020)

The following products are available from the Navigation Center website:

If the links above do not work, you should either copy and paste the links into your web browser or follow the LNM links from the Navigation Center LNM page.

The Local Notice to Mariners, Light List, and Summary of Corrections are in Portable Document Format (PDF) and viewing them requires a PDF reader.  PDF readers are readily available on the internet, generally free of charge.

To download the latest information:

  • Place your mouse over the “PDF” symbol next to the corresponding week.
  • Right click for PC / Control click for Mac.
  • Choose “Save Target As”.
  • Save the PDF to your computer and open using your PDF reader.

If you have questions regarding this message, please contact the Navigation Center (use “LNMs, Charts, Chart Corrections, or Light Lists” as the subject from the pull down menu).

   Questions for the Coast Guard?
   Contact Us

For more NAVCEN information, visit our website. 

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April South Bay Race Cancelled

Hello Racers

 
Hope you are all staying safe and are well. Under a stay at home order and San Diego bay closed to recreational boating. The April race for the South Bay Family Sailing Series will be canceled. 
Especially during this time of Passover and Holy Week, our thoughts and Prayers are with all the victims and first responders of this tragic covid-19 virus. With still increasing numbers of infected people and deaths from covid-19. The chances for a May race is very dim. If we get the green light for the May race, It will be May 16. I will keep you posted.
 
Regards & stay safe. The Race Committee