This weekend NASCAR came to Richmond for the Toyota Care 250 and Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
JG, Ken, Don and Chris brought the RV up for the weekend and we camped out and watched the races from a suite in turn 1.
This was the 2nd day of the Spring Series at Fishing Bay Yacht Club and I got to helm the J109 Double Eagle to two 2nd place finishes in the 6-boat fleet. With winds in the low 20’s the fleet was racing a 1.04 mile leg in the Piankatank up into Fishing Bay. Anytime the wind is out of the North in there it’s very shifty which made driving challenging.
In the first race we trailed Afterthought all the way around the course. They were shorthanded and sailed downwind without a shoot, but made good enough VMG that we had to stay in good pressure with a kite up to make up on them. On the 2nd downwind we picked it right and were able to nip them at the line. Unfortunately Nanuq was too close behind and was able to correct over us.
In the 2nd race we were a bit late at the start and were just never able to really make up the deficit to challenge Afterthought and wound up with another 2nd.
I just want to thank Sam Mitchener for the opportunity to drive Double Eagle and wish his family the best and am sorry he wasn’t able to sail with us today.
Photo courtesy of Carrie Russell.
Got to sail a Front Runner in the One Design Opening day with Paul as crew. Started out with winds reaching the low teens and it dropped from there through 3 races. The first race was mostly getting re-acclimated to the boat. In the 2nd and 3rd races we had great starts and got around the course in 2nd. We just couldn’t seem to catch the speed of David and Rob who had 3 bullets and won the day.
It was great to get back to sailboat racing this year at Opening Weekend at Fishing Bay Yacht Club. On Saturday I sailed on Wavelength – a C&C 37 owned by Rob Whittet and Steve Utley. The course was a middle distance race and the light air and chop was not kind to us. Even without a great result it was a fun day on the water that ended up with a Opening Day dinner and party at the club.
On Sunday we sailed the first day of the Spring Series. After waiting around for wind, we had a sea breeze that built until just after the start of the 2nd race. Both races were nice and long and while we still couldn’t touch the J/109’s, we still sailed well and had fun.
Couldn’t have asked for a nicer day of sailing. The day started with 15-18 and we took out 3 J/70’s for practice. We spent about 2 hours doing starts and laps around a short course. This time I was trimming the jib and spinnaker.
Then in the afternoon I spent 3 hours on the Laser just sailing 1mi-1.5mi upwind and downwind legs. One of the club’s junior sailors – Nina was also out there (pictured).
Went out this morning for an early-morning practice on the Laser. The air temperature was 44 when I launched at 7am with 48 degree water temperature and 14-16 knots out of the North.
Later in the morning I sailed on Double Eagle and along with 5 other boats, we took out the crew trainees for an on-the-water training sessions.
After lunch we took Double Eagle back out to have a couple of new sails fitted.
Occasionally I get asked by newer Laser sailors what I typically wear while Laser sailing. So here are the elements of my wardrobe followed by the conditions I’d wear them in. I’m pictured above in my Summer Laser sailing attire.
Hat I always wear a hat with a brim to keep the sun off my face. It does make it harder to look up at tell-tales, but it focuses my vision and makes it a more deliberate action. And because I don’t have that much hair on my head, I need it for the sun protection there as well. It also helps keep some heat in on the cooler days and absorbs sweat to keep it out of my eyes on the hot days. I have a 3mm line to tie the hat to my life jacket to keep me from loosing it.
Polarized Sunglasses For many years I sailed without sunglasses and only a hat. I never realized how strained my eyes were on sunny days, particularly from the glare bouncing off the bright white deck in front of me. Once I started wearing polarized sunglasses I’ve never gone back. The first thing I did when I bought a nice pair of sunglasses was drill a hole in the side of them so I could securely tie them to my hat, that is tied to my lifejacket, to ensure I didn’t loose them.
Pinny I wear a white pinny over my life jacket. In the hot summer weather, the white color keeps the sun from heating up the dark life jacket and keeps me cooler. It can also be kept wet for a little bit of evaporative cooling.
Life Jacket A sailing or paddling life jacket is a must for Laser sailing. These life jackets are cut high on the waist so that sitting and crouching are comfortable without the life jacket riding up. A couple extra pockets are nice for stashing extra gear (blog post on that coming soon).
Dinghy Boots I’m currently using the Ronstan Zip Up Boot which are good all-around boots – warm in the cooler days and warm on the hotter days… and that’s led me to start looking for some lighter boots that are lighter in color, with lighter materials that dry a little quicker. I have at times gone barefoot while summer sailing and carried sandals on the boat for when I arrived ashore, but there’s too great of risk of stubbing a toe while racing and having it take my mind off sailing, so I wear the same footwear year-round.
Sailing Gloves I prefer 3-finger gloves because of the way I hold the line, but any glove will do. Even though I have cleats on my boat, most of the time I’m holding the mainsheet, so good gloves of any kind are a must.
Sailing Shorts Not a must-have for Laser sailing with hiking pants, but I like to wear them mostly because the light grey color reflects the sun to keep it from heating up the darker colored hiking shorts I wear under it. Having two layers helps keeps cool and they to keep abrasion from wearing down the more expensive hiking pants on the non-skid deck. These are also versatile for sailing other kinds of boats. My favorite are the Camet Hobart Extreme.
Light Rash Guard This white rash guard keeps the sun off my arms. In the summer heat, keeping it wet keeps me cool as it evaporates off. (example)
Thermal Rash Guard Like the light rash guard to keep the sun off, the thermal rash guard is great for the cool early spring and late fall days where a little extra warmth is needed. This rash guard is 2-3mm neoprene in the chest. I have the SEA Thermospan top and while used underneath spray top it generally keeps me warm, the thermal part is only in the chest and my arms are the first thing to get cold, particularly sitting around between races. There is a trade-off between warmth and freedom of movement and this one strikes a pretty good balance.
Short Hiking Pants The Airprene Hiking Pants by SEA have perforated neoprene allowing air/water to easily reach the skin to keep cool without over heating on a warm day. I prefer the waist shorts because I don’t like wearing any more clothing across my chest than absolutely necessary. Since I only spend very short periods of time on my knees, I don’t feel the need for the kneepads as they can get uncomfortable behind the knees when crouched down – which I do a lot more of on a Laser.
Tall Hiking Pants I have a set of 3/4 hikers that are a bit heavier and warmer than the short hiking pants that I have now. These use to by my full-time hiking pants, but I’ve found I prefer the short pants in the summer and thus mostly only wear these in the cool conditions in the early spring and late fall. (example)
Spray Top/Dinghy Smock A must-have for Laser sailing in anything but the nicest conditions. I like to stick with a light color so that I have protection when it’s cool and wet, but doesn’t get too hot when the sun comes out.
Thermal Pants Most sailors who spend a lot of time in cooler conditions wear thermal pants. Like the thermal top, these pants provide warmth when wet. Hiking pants can be worn over them or in the case of the Zhik products integrated into them. Since I only sail in those conditions a few times a year in the early spring and late fall, I use bib pants instead. While they are a little bulkier, they at least keep the wind off to keep me warmer. For me they are also a better bang for the buck as I can use them while crewing on offshore boats as well. (Skin-tight thermal pants would not go over well on an offshore boat as a fashion statement).
All Conditions:
Early Spring/Late Fall when the air & water temperature are both in the high 50’s to low 60’s
Spring/Fall when the air temperature is in the 70-80 or in warmer conditions when it’s windy or raining
Summer when the air temperature is 80+
This morning I got out on the Laser for some practice in a sunny 5-8 knot breeze out of the North in Fishing Bay.
In the afternoon I went out for a sail on the J70 Nostalgia for its Chesapeake Bay debut with Lud, Miles, Den and Durwood.
I got to get out on the Laser for the first time in 5 months spending 2 hours doing windward-leeward laps around an imaginary course. It was good opportunity to remember how everything went together and to get comfortable in the boat in the ~10kt breeze under overcast skies.
This video describes how to remove sail numbers from a Laser Sail. Note that this technique only works with Goo Off Professional*
Tips:
Use a soft cloth like an old tshirt for rubbing the goo on the sail.
The reason we first apply goo remover to the backside of the sail is to separate the goo from the sail so that the goo comes off on the number. If you start by applying goo remover over the number, it separates the vinyl number from the goo, then you’ve got to scrub the sail a lot harder to rub the left over stick goo on the sail.
*I’ve used Goo Off Professional for years for this and it worked fine. Only after I ran out of it and bought Goo Off Heavy Duty did I realize it didn’t work with all solvents. It works with Acetone, but that stuff evaporates so quickly you can only do small sections at a time.