It seemed like this 60nm course was going to take
forever when light and variable winds at the start gave way to nothing, but the
beauty of the sailing grounds was just compensation. As I struggled to maintain
apparent wind and keep this 16000-pound boat moving, a misty fog settled in,
obscuring the rocky, pine-studded islands until it momentarily lifted, as if by
magic, revealing silhouettes of my competitors scattered in all directions. As
it settled in again and I didn’t realize how limited my vision was until a Saber
34 suddenly appeared a couple hundred yards away. While I could have crossed
their bow I opted to go with them, but didn’t complete my tack and it must of
took 30 mins to regain momentum.
After rounding Metinicus Rock the wind
ominously shifted 180 degrees and filled in. I was hard on the wind for the
next mark at Three Fathoms Ledge with two boats ahead of me, but as we were
being lifted they both tacked too early, providing me an opportunity. The final
leg was under a nearly full moon, again upwind on a single tack, with the winds
now 19-23, gusting to 27. The Saber 32 I had just passed, with a lower PHRF
rating, was a quarter mile to leeward. I was overpowered with 2 reefs in the
main and a full genoa, but knew if I partially rolled the genny I would lose
upwind performance and setting the Solent was beyond my energy level 14 hours
into this race. I opted for a 3rd reef, but something got hung up and, being
steered by a windvane which depends on balanced sails, I was quickly turned
downwind and watching the Saber steam ahead. Instead of going up to figure out
the reef issues I just got back on track, flattened the second reef and
tightened the back stay. I rejuvenated myself with coffee and the rest of the
bag of Pepperidge Farms cookies and resolved to hand steer the 15nm left. I was
able to catch the Saber and stay above Owl’s Head without tacking while the
Saber had to tack. The finish line was at the Rockland Breakwater Light which I
passed doing 8kts, screaming into an unfamiliar harbor at night under full sail,
spotlight in hand. I won my first singlehanded and had faster corrected
time than all the double-handed and crewed boats.
There are a few things which
led me to do well in this race. Upwind I had good success with momentarily
bearing off to gain speed which I was then able to hold when I came back up.
Paul Exner was the first to teach this technique to me. It is as if a flow gets
started which is then able to persist as I head back up. Chuck Paine explains
that when wind flows over a sail something magical happens. He also reminds me
that with better flow over my keel it becomes a more effective foil. Admittedly I
would lose this groove, but while I was in it the boat felt great and I knew I
was fast.
The second factor is that I took weight off the boat, especially the
stern and aft lockers, so the boat sat flat. Maine Yacht Center came down to the dock with a golf
cart to collect heavy gear from a year living aboard. Rockland Yacht Club let
me leave my primary anchor and 110# of chain tied to a mooring. I emptied the 60 gallon water
tank under the v-berth. Sailing the boat light was a pleasure. Nate Lee, who did very
well in another Justine, told me to the importance of trim and loading during
our layover in Bermuda between Bermuda 1-2 races. Chuck Paine agreed with the
importance of trim.
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| Near perfect trim |
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| Beautiful picture, but all I see is the stern sitting low |
The reason I know all these opinions of Chuck Paine, the
naval architect who designed my boat 40 years ago, is because the day after the
race I spent the day sailing with him. I got his email from another Justine
owner, invited him to come sailing and he said yes. We spent 7 hours together.
He explained how he designed a fair hull, both before and after computers. We
looked at sheeting angles for my Solent sail and solved a problem that has vexed
me since I’ve owned that sail. We could have done with more wind, but it was a
great day, sailing out of Rockland and dropping him off at Tenants Harbor. He
made three suggestions to improve my speed. 1-move the batteries forward to
better distribute weight, consistent with what I’ve started. 2-keep the bottom
clean, which I had done a couple weeks before. 3-rake the mast vertical. Brian
Harris at the Maine Yacht Center is going to help me look into these options.
Two days after the race, even emerging a bit during the day sailing with Chuck
Paine, I began to experience severe lower abdominal pain. After going through
horror scenarios about how I could be rescued at sea, I settled on the idea that
this was a hernia. Over the past week I have been questioning my self-diagnosiss
and think now I may have just strained a lot of muscles. It was a strenuous
event. My boat was a pitching and heaving jungle gym and I’d been climbing all
over it for most of the night. Even in light airs I had been active trying to
keep the boat always moving, something my 1-2 crew Dallas emphasized. I may have
just overdone it physically and I am currently back to a light regimen of rowing
machine and stretching.
I am working to perfect my use of the windvane rather
than an electrically-powered autopilot. I prefer the sensation of the windvane.
I was able to deploy it quickly during the hours of hand steering when I needed
a short break. It was not helpful in the light wind. I am still experiencing a
slight amount of chafe where the control lines are routed through the coaming.
Last time a line chafed the bits of fluff got into the Protexit block I am using
in the coaming and jammed it up solid.
Through this process of racing I continue
to run into knowledgable people that improve my sailing or my set up. Recently
these people have included Chuck Paine Dallas Johnson, crew for the 1-2 who not
only taught me to keep the boat moving in light air but also to avoid
overpowering it in heavy air Ray Renaud, safety inspector for 1-2, pointed out
dissimiliar metal rxn at mast base Gust Stringos suggested two sheets to the
Solent Nate Lee told me of his efforts to get the trim right on Yankee Girl and
a lot of other characters
