Big gusty winds today. Probably 20 knots. Outside Cadboro Bay there were waves and whitecaps. In the morning we did tacking and gybing drills in the bay followed by starting and stopping upwind drills. The we ran down to a mark outside the bay and began tacking upwind towards a mark that none of us could see. (I for one had no idea of even the general area where the mark was supposed to be). I totally forgot to crank the cunningham and was overpowered. The group stopped- at the time I didn't know it was because no one knew where the mark was. I stopped too as I caught up with then. As the coach boat approached, they all started again and I did too.
Steve pointed out I was working way too hard. Cunningham. I trying to yank it in, I stalled the boat. Then I was blown backwards. Steve yelled to ease the vang to power up. Before I could do that I capsized. As I swam to windward the boat was rapidly turtling under the force of the wind on the hull. I arrived at the centreboard just in time to see the last inch of it disappear through the slot. Oops.
Peter tried to help right it by raising one gunwale while I stood on the other but we didn't have enough leverage. I swam to leeward, kicked under the boat and managed to find the board. I kicked it up and grabbed the couple inches that came through the slot. Leverage. I righted the boat and then it came back over on me. Swam to windward, righted again and climbed in. Freezing cold. In the water too long. Luckily, it was lunch time anyway.
The reach back was fabulous- planing most of the way. Tricky tacking upwind to the dock between the yachts and the monster rock. I was shivering.
Key points for the morning:
- remember the cunningham when it's windy!
- when stalled, power up the sail a bit- ease vang
- good point: I remembered not to gybe as a gust hits. Best to be at full speed going into the gybe rather than get flattened by a gust right after the gybe.
Keep the boat flat! It is an art. The idea is that increased wind power should increase boat speed, not heel. As a gust hits, ease the main so the boat doesn't heel under the force. As the boat speeds up, ease the main back in for more speed.
- Work on S turns while gybing
- Work on tacking slowly - i.e. less rudder (rudder=brake)
I was on port tack. I saw Zoe a little late, it took me a second to work out that she had the right of way. I thought she was about to tack to stay with the tack-on-the-whistle drill. She didn't tack and I tried to bear off but I was heeled from a gust and I couldn't ease the main without dipping the boom in the water- certain capsize under these conditions. Zoe's mistakes were not pointing high enough and being out of position for the drill. I ran out of time and before I could make the decision to capsize, my bow ended up on her stern, then back in the wate. No damage done. But the section of her mainsheet between the boom and the traveller was wrapped around my bow. This one small line prevented both of us from sailing free. I tried pushing her boat backwards from mine to get the bow out but there was too much force from the wind. Peter and Steve were yelling some instruction but I was focussed on the mainsheet and worried it would slip back further. Zoe capsized with her blades under Fionnlagh. I was still tangled in her mainsheet. I tried to get the pressure off her centreboard. Then Fionnlagh capsized the other way. Zoe cleared her mainsheet while I pushed the hulls apart to try to save the blades. Then we were free. The trick was to right both of the boats without another collision. I got up and out of the way. Zoe took a little longer. Net damage - small chip out of back bottom corner of my board, entire chunk of Zoe's back bottom corner gone. Sorry Zoe, my fault. I owe you a repair.
I found out much later that Steve and Peter were yelling for me to push the rudder and sail backwards out of the tangle. That would have been so much easier. I must work on my backwards sailing skills so that that becomes an intuitive option. Or maybe I should just look out for other boats!
Dear competitors, this photo might help you to recognize us on the race course:
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