Liem's first race...
May. 19th, 2015 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khiemtranSunday morning, and we're heading out in Shearwater for Liem's first official race...
Here we are still heading towards the starting line in very light wind. The start boat is actually behind that enormous super yacht in the background, so we've still got quite a long way to go.
Waiting at the line for the race to start. All the competitors are tacking back and forth, testing the wind and trying to plan out how they want to start.
It will be an "L2" course today, meaning the course is aligned windward/leeward and we need to do two laps. Unlike last week, this time it's very obvious which end of the line will be favoured and which is the best tack to start on, so it's going to be a crowded start.
There are three other Mirrors ready at the start, plus about four of the faster Pacers. In these light winds, the Pacers will be hard for us to catch. Here we are all jockeying for the best position at the start.
The race begins! More by luck than design, I end up with a clear run at the favoured end of the line, but I let too many other boats get by to windward (upwind) of me, where they can take the wind out of our sails as they go past.
As we round the top mark, we're ahead of one of the Mirrors, but behind all the Pacers.
But then at the bottom mark, everything changes...
The wind abruptly swings to the south and what should have been an uphill slog back up to the top make turns into a fast "reach" (with the wind at our side).
In next no time, we have caught up with the Pacers at the top mark. There's just one problem. After the wind change, the course was reset and the race apparently abandoned. When we make it back to the start point, still holding off one of the Pacers, we find the finish line has gone and the start boat is setting up for the next race...
One race is enough for us, so we claim a moral victory and head back for the club house, which is now directly into a decent breeze. You can see here we're sitting on the same side of the boat, to balance the extra force.
Heading back, we watch the big boats of the Cruising Yacht Club as they race around Sydney Harbour. A fitting end to a fine Sydney Sunday...
Here we are still heading towards the starting line in very light wind. The start boat is actually behind that enormous super yacht in the background, so we've still got quite a long way to go.
Waiting at the line for the race to start. All the competitors are tacking back and forth, testing the wind and trying to plan out how they want to start.
It will be an "L2" course today, meaning the course is aligned windward/leeward and we need to do two laps. Unlike last week, this time it's very obvious which end of the line will be favoured and which is the best tack to start on, so it's going to be a crowded start.
There are three other Mirrors ready at the start, plus about four of the faster Pacers. In these light winds, the Pacers will be hard for us to catch. Here we are all jockeying for the best position at the start.
The race begins! More by luck than design, I end up with a clear run at the favoured end of the line, but I let too many other boats get by to windward (upwind) of me, where they can take the wind out of our sails as they go past.
As we round the top mark, we're ahead of one of the Mirrors, but behind all the Pacers.
But then at the bottom mark, everything changes...
The wind abruptly swings to the south and what should have been an uphill slog back up to the top make turns into a fast "reach" (with the wind at our side).
In next no time, we have caught up with the Pacers at the top mark. There's just one problem. After the wind change, the course was reset and the race apparently abandoned. When we make it back to the start point, still holding off one of the Pacers, we find the finish line has gone and the start boat is setting up for the next race...
One race is enough for us, so we claim a moral victory and head back for the club house, which is now directly into a decent breeze. You can see here we're sitting on the same side of the boat, to balance the extra force.
Heading back, we watch the big boats of the Cruising Yacht Club as they race around Sydney Harbour. A fitting end to a fine Sydney Sunday...
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Date: 2015-05-23 12:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-23 09:03 pm (UTC)